Bulldog boys land four on All-IEL baseball team

| May 26, 2012 7:00 AM

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint landed four seniors on the 4A All-Inland Empire League baseball team, which was voted on by the league’s coaches.

Leading the way pitcher Caleb Nishimoto, whose pinpoint control helped him throw a no-hitter against Bonners Ferry and earn one of the three pitching spots on the all-league team. The third baseman also hit a tidy .333 on the season.

“The other coaches looked at him as a player of integrity,” said Sandpoint head coach Chris Young. “He kept the ball down and got the other teams to hit ground balls.”

Shortstop Ryan Schwartz capped a stellar three-sport season with an all-league selection, after garnering all-IEL honors in soccer and basketball as well. He finished the season with a crisp .435 batting average, but was selected as much for his top notch defense as his hitting, said Young.

First baseman Sam Nitcy hit .312 on the season, but strong plate discipline and a keen eye led to a whopping .822 on base percentage. As good as those numbers are, his spot on the team was earned by playing gold-glove defense.

“The league coaches said they hadn’t seen anybody better defensively,” said Young, lauding Nitcy’s style of play. “It was the overall 100 percent style of baseball that he plays.”

Catcher Justin Orr earned a spot on the team after putting in a lot of behind the scenes hard work with assistant coach Brent Witt.

“The hard work ethic that Justin has made him into the catcher that he was, hitting-wise and defensively,” said Young of his senior backstop.

4A All-Inland Empire League baseball team

MVP — Lester Cooper, LL, Sr.

Newcomer of the Year — Evan Johnson, LL, Jr.

Coach of the Year — Jason Bradbury, LL.

Pitchers — Nathan Collier, LL, Sr.; Nolan Johnson, Mos, Jr.; Caleb Nishimoto, Spt, Sr.

Outfielders — Hunter Redinger, Mos, Jr.; John Galbraith, LL, Sr.; Joe Schwalbach, LL, Sr.

Infielders — Sam Nitcy, Spt, Sr.; Troy Carr, LL, Sr.; Tanner Morgan, Mos, Sr.; Ryan Schwartz, Spt, Sr.

Catcher — Justin Orr, Spt, Sr.

Utility — James Prockish, LL, Jr.