Missouri high school playoff baseball got off to a thrilling start with small-school district tournaments over the last week. A few of the Springfield area’s top players stepped up in the biggest moments to help lead their teams to championship or upset victories.
Here were the top performers from district play in Classes 1-4.
Rex Deters, Clever
Deters’ great high school career continued when he helped lift Clever to a district championship in an 18-3 win over Pierce City. He went 2 for 2 with three RBIs and a double in the win.
Jase Wilkinson, Miller
Wilkinson struck out 14 and allowed two hits in six innings in a Class 2, District 11 championship win over Ash Grove.
Gavin Johnston, Mount Vernon
Johnston helped the Mountaineers pull off one of the area’s biggest district upsets in a 7-3 win over top-seeded Strafford. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in the semifinal victory.
Gavin Thomason, Fair Grove
Thomason helped the Eagles avoid a monster district championship upset with his clutch play late in a 7-6 win over Ava. He went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and the walk-off sacrifice fly to give the Eagles another piece of hardware.
Drew Sherwood, Seneca
Sherwood got the district championship win on the mound in a 7-2 victory over Aurora by throwing a complete game with eight hits allowed and four strikeouts. He was also responsible for one of Seneca’s runs offensively en route to its first district title since 2021.
Jackson Purse, Logan-Rogersville
Purse came through for the Wildcats late with a big RBI-double, breaking a tie in the bottom of the fifth. He then finished the game on the mound by throwing two hitless innings in a 5-3 district championship win over Hollister.
Dylan Edwards, Billings
Edwards drove in three RBI and threw a complete game to lift the Wildcats to an 8-6 district championship win over Lockwood, giving them their fourth district title in five years. He went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and struck out four, while giving up four earned runs on the mound.