Four-year starter from North Posey leads Courier & Press All-SW Indiana baseball team

POSEYVILLE, Ind. — Easton Luigs stepped up in big moments throughout his time in the North Posey baseball program.

The four-year starter was a key figure in two sectional championships and the Vikings' first regional title since 2006. He was one of the Pocket Athletic Conference's best hitters and posted a batting average above .400 in each of the last two seasons. Luigs played multiple positions, making an impact wherever he went.

The First Team All-PAC third baseman was also his team's ace with a 2.96 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. He pitched a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in a road victory against Forest Park. But although Luigs punched out six in the sectional championship against Mater Dei, he also gave up a season-high 12 hits.

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Nevertheless, Luigs gave North Posey everything he had. He briefly exited the mound in the final inning but returned to get the last two outs and clinch the title. His sectional championship performance was one of Vikings coach Mark Kirkman's favorite memories of him last spring.

"A lot of guys, I think, would fold in that spot, but not him," Kirkman said. "He just kept at it. With a guy like that, all you can ask is to give us a chance to win. And anytime he was on the mound, it was certainly going to happen."

North Posey had one of its best seasons in program history this spring. It won its first PAC title since 2021, was the top-ranked team in Class 2A and finished two games shy of Victory Field. For his efforts, Luigs is the 2024 Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year, as voted on by the sports staff.

"I feel as a team we accomplished a lot this year," Luigs said. "We had very good chemistry and were a bunch a competitors. Every game, we had somebody different that stepped up for us, and I feel like that's always big, especially when making a deep postseason run. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better senior year."

Luigs was one of two freshmen on North Posey's roster when it previously won a sectional title in 2021. He debuted on varsity in mid-April against Pike Central and saw more action as the season went on. While it was nerve-wracking at first for Luigs to be on varsity early in his career, he grew more relaxed over time.

"I knew when I was a freshman I could have a chance to make an impact on varsity," Luigs said. "Obviously, I had to improve in JV and I had to prove that I was capable on reaching varsity level. Also when you get to varsity, you have to prove yourself that, 'Hey, I deserve to be in a varsity lineup.' I feel like I proved myself that I deserved to be in the lineup."

Luigs remained one of North Posey's most consistent players ever since. The Forest Park and Mater Dei victories were some of his favorite moments of his senior season. His best memory was the regional championship against Linton-Stockton at League Stadium. The Miners knocked Luigs around on the mound and North Posey faced a four-run deficit.

But he and the Vikings rallied to clinch the title.

"I just know how our team's been all year," Luigs said. "I don't feel you can't count us out. There's games this year where we had a lead and blew (it), and we could have easily just folded or gave the game up and lost. Instead, we came back. We just find a way to win."

Luigs is undecided on his future of playing baseball but expects to make a decision "in the next couple of weeks." He's going to miss Soda Saturday, in which the team can get a soda if it does well at practice and games. He's especially going to miss all of his friends and the relationships they built.

"(Easton's) just the most coachable kid in the world," Kirkman said. "It didn't matter what we asked him to do, his demeanor never changed and he just did it. You always knew what you were going to get from him. He's definitely going to be a kid that we will miss."

Kirkman and Barr-Reeve's Trevor McConnell are the Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Coaches of the Year. McConnell led the Vikings to back-to-back Class A state championship appearances and their first title in program history. Kirkman, a 2004 Reitz graduate, has a 75-36 record in his four seasons leading North Posey. The team had its first 20-win season since 2019 last spring.

Courier & Press All-SW Indiana Baseball Team

Position, Name, School, Year, Average

C: Logan Simmons, North Posey, Sr., .337

1B: Luke Krzykowski, Heritage Hills, Jr., .342

2B/SS: Ty Brown, South Spencer, Jr., .500

2B/SS: Reid Howard, Forest Park, Sr., .450

3B: Easton Luigs, North Posey, Sr., .429

INF: Hudson Allen, Southridge, Sr., .349

INF: Colby Angel, North Posey, Jr., .434

INF: Peyton Gray, Heritage Hills, So., .410

INF: Olsen Kroeger, Washington, Sr., .412

OF: Kade Buecher, North Posey, Jr., .347

OF: Brayden Giesler, Jasper, Jr., .299

OF: Ethan Mansfield, North Posey, Jr., .344

OF: Ryne Wilhite, Princeton, Jr., .440

Flex: Ethan Graber, Barr-Reeve, Sr., .413

DH: Tyler Rinehart, Boonville, Jr., .353

DH: Seth Wagler, Barr-Reeve, Jr., .375

P: Raden Benson, Vincennes Lincoln, Sr., 8-3, 1.26 ERA

P: Jaxon Lueken, Forest Park, So., 6-2, 1.17 ERA

P: Andrew Noblitt, Jasper, Sr., 7-4, 1.77 ERA

P: Cam Truxal, Gibson Southern, So., 9-2, 1.80 ERA

Player of the Year: Easton Luigs, North Posey

Coaches of the Year: Mark Kirkman, North Posey and Trevor McConnell, Barr-Reeve