Brenham junior baseball standouts Drake Bentke and Dalton Hart were named second team all-state players at their positions by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association on Monday.

Both players led the Cubs at the plate as Brenham’s two leading qualified hitters. Bentke and Hart added all-state honors to their first team all-district accolades.

Bentke hit for a .394 average in 2025 with Hart recording a .392 average at the plate. They also easily led Brenham in RBI. Bentke led the Cubs with 32 RBI this season while Hart drove in 25 runs.

Brenham coach Chase Wheaton told The Banner-Press earlier this week that seeing his players be recognized for their efforts was good to see.

“Both of those guys are leaders within our program and not only had great seasons, but their leadership off the field is huge for us as well,” he said. “Both of those guys are extremely hard workers and really intentional about the work that they put into the game.”

Bentke brought power to the Brenham lineup this year, hitting five of the team’s nine home runs. Two of those home runs were hit in district play along with a homer in Game 2 of Brenham’s bi-district series against Kingwood Park.

He rounded into top shape late in the season with a .500 average in April. Bentke earned three home runs and 14 RBI in April along with 12 hits and a 1.548 OPS.

Half of Bentke’s 12 multi-hit games this year came in April or later with four multi-hit efforts in April alone. Two of his three-hit games came during district play in April. He earned a 3-for-3 game with a home run and two RBI against A&M Consolidated on April 4 and followed it up a week later with a 3-for-5 effort with three RBI on three singles against Montgomery.

Bentke also earned another two-hit game against Montgomery and added a 2-for-2 performance in Brenham’s co-district championship-clinching win against Rudder on April 25.

“He was huge that last month of the season,” Wheaton said. “I do not think anybody wanted to pitch to him and every time he stepped up to the plate, it was must-watch baseball.”

The Brenham coach also said Bentke’s hitting ability from the third spot in the order matches his hard work with major goals in mind.

“I know his individual goals are really high and he wants to play college baseball at a high level, and he is going to get the opportunity to do that, but it is good to just see his hard work pay off this year.”

Hart made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the Brenham baseball program in his junior year. The move-in from Sherman slotted into the infield at shortstop and provided valuable leadership in a premium position.

He served as Brenham’s leadoff hitter and earned a team-leading 40 hits and 13 stolen bases. Hart tallied 11 multi-hit games in 2025, including four three-hit performances spread throughout the season.

While Hart was primarily a contact hitter with 33 singles, he also earned five doubles, a triple and a home run. His deep fly came in a five-RBI game during the Brenham Alumni Tournament against Magnolia, which led Brenham to an 8-2 win over the Bulldogs.

The junior led the Cubs with a .386 average during district play, maintaining his momentum from non-district play and helping Brenham capture a co-district championship.

Like Bentke, Hart also peaked down the stretch with a .429 average in April. He tied Bentke with 12 hits for the month while driving in nine runs and scoring seven runs himself over April’s nine-game stretch.

Wharton called Hart a sparkplug throughout the season and did so again when describing him after his all-state recognition. He also said Hart gives Brenham a great leadoff hitter and a great player in the middle of the field, two areas that successful teams usually have in his mind.

Wheaton said having both players return for their senior season in addition to a talented core around Bentke and Hart will make for high expectations next spring.

“We will start visiting about our goals in 2026, but I know the expectation and the bar is going to be set really high just from having exit meetings and conversations with those guys,” he said.

Wheaton also said Bentke and Hart will be part of a returning core that will take the next steps over the summer and fall offseason to go after those lofty goals.