The honors keep coming for recent Logan County High School graduate Caleb Bruner. After being named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and first-team All-State, he now carries the title of All-American. He is the only Kentuckian named a first-team All-American.
According to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the 2015 Louisville Slugger High School All-America team is loaded with talented players from across the nation.
Bruner came on to the local baseball scene when he was part of Logan County Little league teams which won state championships as 10-year-olds and 12-year-olds. That 12-year-old team made history by playing in the Little League World Series. A four-year regular, he helped Coach Ethan Meguiar’s team win the regional championship as a sophomore. He came within one strike of pitching the Cougars to a win over Louisville St. Xavier at state.
Bruner has signed to play baseball for Western Kentucky University.
He made the All-American team as a Multi-Position Player because of his excellence as both a pitcher and an infielder.
This year’s team features 22 players who were chosen in the first two rounds and the competitive balance rounds of the Major League First-Year Baseball Draft.
Leading the list are LHP Coby Weaver of Hallsville H.S. (Texas), who is the 2015 Louisville Slugger High School Pitcher of the Year, and OF Ashton Bardzell of Ramsey H.S. (NJ), who is the Player of the Year.
Weaver inserted himself into the national high school record books this season by throwing two consecutive perfect games and tossing a total three perfect games in a season. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations’ record book, Weaver is tied for first place with two others for most consecutive perfect games and is tied for first with one other player for most perfect games in a season.
Further, Weaver set a Texas state record for throwing seven consecutive shutouts, breaking the record held by David Clyde in 1973. He did not allow a run for 43 consecutive innings.
The Dallas Baptist signee helped his team get as far as the regional finals. He finished the season with a 10-2 record, 0.86 ERA, 9 complete games, 157 strikeouts, 25 walks in 78.1 IP.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper calls Bardzell “one of the country’s talented outfielders and hitters this season.” The University of Hartford signee finished the season with a .585 batting average, 10 doubles, 4 triples, 18 home runs, 55 RBI and stole 27 bases.
Bardzell’s 18 homers tied the New Jersey single-season record for home runs set in 2009 by Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout while at Millville H.S. He also tied a school record for 55 RBI that was set in 1989 by Rutgers standout Kevin James.
This is the 19th year Louisville Slugger has sponsored the High School All-America teams. Players are nominated by their high school coach and the staff of Collegiate Baseball selects the team.
The complete list of All-Americans can be found at http://baseballnews.com/2015-louisville-slugger-h-s-all-americans/.