The Northmor baseball team not only had the KMAC Player of the Year in Grant Bentley, but they were also well represented in the postseason accolades with four more Golden Knights named to the all-conference and district teams.
Senior Drew Hammond was a dominant player both at the plate and on the mound this year, earning him first team selections in All-Ohio, All-KMAC and All- Central District. He batted .375, putting him in the top 10 in the conference, and belted five doubles and a pair of homers. His 32 hits during the regular season put him in fourth in KMAC, and 23 RBIs were also fourth. Hammond was lights out pitching, going 6-2 with a 1.93 ERA.
"Drew not only put up big numbers but always seemed to come through at clutch times," said Coach Buck Workman. "You can’t teach that. No moment was too big for Drew."
Sophomore Trevor Brubaker shows that Northmor has a heck of a future ahead of them. He was named first team All-KMAC and All-District, while also named honorable mention for All-Ohio, Brubaker went 8-2 with a 1.62 ERA and a pair of saves on the hill.
"Trevor is battle tested and stepped right in as a freshman with us last year," Workman said. "He plays on one of the top 16U teams (Mid Ohio Bullets - Travis Church) in the state and you can tell, as nothing bothers him in terms of competition or situations."
Cole Cuffman had a terrific junior season, earning a second team All-KMAC selection and honorable mention for All-District. He batted .330 with seven doubles and three triples.
"Cole is a grinder and continues to get better and better. He really puts in the time and we are ecstatic with his continuous climb," Workman said. "We’ll need more of this from him next year."
Freshman Jack Bowdre was another solid young player, batting .284 and also earning a pair of saves out of the bullpen. He was honorable mention All-KMAC and second team All-District.
"Jack stepped in as a freshman and not only hit it well but played first base at a high level," Workman said, "He saved our guys on a ton of plays with his glove."
Workman also commended other players on the team who did not come away with awards. One was senior Bryce Cooper, who over the past two years was 8-1 on the mound and in 2023 was a first team All-Central District outfielder. Caiden Martinez, who was KMAC All-Academic, had a strong senior year and over the past two seasons has played some incredible centerfield. Garrett Harvey, also a senior, anchored the defense at catcher.
Workman is looking forward to what the team can bring next season, as they bring back three of their All-Conference and All-District players next year. He said the team will have to replace guys who knew how to win and play the right way.
“Pitching was our strong suit this year,” said Coach Buck Workman. “We’ll need to replace a lot of innings with younger guys. We’ll need our young guys to grow up in a hurry. Grant, Drew and Trevor are our MVPs with what they give us on the mound and at the plate. They’re all hard workers and great leaders. We’ll be young and have our ups and downs I’m sure next year, but we’re excited to see our guys compete."
