Deerfield baseball: Austin Anderson and Jackson Drobac named to all-conference first team; eight Demons selected to the roster

Dealing with an arm injury that ended his pitching season early in the season, Deerfield senior Austin Anderson still found a way to make the most of his senior baseball season.

Anderson, who plays first base when not pitching, put together another strong year, earning a unanimous selection on the Trailways-South All-Conference first team.

“He had a great offensive season again, he’s been on first team for the last three years,” said Deerfield baseball coach Scott Gloede. “He had the most hits on our team again this year and he was in the top-three of our conference. He’s a very good ball player.”

Anderson recorded 29 hits on the season for a .392 batting average. Anderson drove in 19 runs and had five doubles.

Along with Anderson, senior Jackson Drobac was named to the all-conference first team, his first selection on the first team. Drobac batted .325 with 28 RBIs, three triples and 25 runs scored.

“He’s been a four-year starter, and I pushed for him to get first team this year because he’s been an incredible center fielder for the last four years,” said Gloede. “Now being a senior, the other coaches put him in, and it’s well deserved.”

Deerfield’s two other seniors, Kris Hahn and Adam Suess, were both named to the all-conference second team. At the plate, Hahn batted .295 with 10 RBIs, while Suess had a .354 batting average with 28 RBIs.

On the mound, the pair accounted for 10 of Deerfield’s 16 wins. Suess went 4-3 with a 1.54 ERA, recording 56 strikeouts in over 45 innings of work. Hahn went 6-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 43 innings of work.

“Adam and Kris both had great pitching years, and it’s too bad one of them didn’t get first team because it’s well deserving,” said Gloede.

Along with the four seniors, Deerfield had a total of eight players get selected to the all-conference team. Junior Aiden Brown batted .350 with 23 RBIs, had 25 singles and two triples.

Junior Stephen Bagley earned honorable mention, hitting one home run with 15 runs driven in. Sophomore Landon Brattlie, who missed some time with an injury, batted .420 with 16 runs scored to earn honorable mention.

Junior Bryce Eickhoff had a .242 batting average, earning honorable mention with 10 runs scored.

“The kids that got selected this year are going to have big shoes to fill,” said Gloede. “Getting recognized (will hopefully) boost their confidence to play summer ball and get hungry for next spring.”