Five Powell Pioneers earned postseason honors following a top four finish at the state tournament, as Jordan Loera, Caden Diaz, Abel Teten and Ben Ostermiller were named first team All-State and Cole Fauskee was named second team All-State.

Leading the way for the Pioneers was Loera, who made the jump from an All-Conference selection a year ago to one of the leaders for the team last season primarily as a center fielder and relief pitcher.

“I felt like he had to (step up) and he knew he had to,” manager Jason Borders said. “He was our guy as far as one of our best players. He had a great season.”

Loera finished with the third most hits and third best batting average on the Pioneers, batting .363, recording 45 hits with an OBP of .512. He added five home runs and had the second most RBIs on the team with 35.

“He was the guy we counted on for those big hits when we needed them,” Borders said.

Loera added 24-1/3 innings on the mound, holding a 3.452 ERA and recording 26 strikeouts.

The next Pioneer to earn first team was Diaz, who made the jump to being one of the top pitchers on the team, playing in both the infield and outfield while also leading the team at the plate.

Diaz had the third most innings pitched on the team with 65, going 7-3 and holding a 3.015 ERA along with 103 strikeouts.

“I can’t say enough about his pitching … Caden worked his butt off to be as good as he was,” Borders said. “I felt like he was very focused on being one of the best guys in the state.”

At the plate, Diaz led the Pioneers with a .406 batting average, and tied for the team lead with 36 RBIs on the second most hits with 63.

“Caden for the most part hit well all year for us,” Borders said. “He carried us through the middle part of the season with his bat.”

New to the Pioneers this year was Teten at left fielder, who was an All-Conference selection a year ago for the Buffalo Bulls in the ‘A’ East.

Teten recorded the most hits for the Pioneers in the leadoff spot, tallying 65 on a .382 batting average. He added 34 RBIs and led Powell with 48 runs scored.

“It was like he’d been here for years. He stepped in on day one and was buddies with everybody,” Borders said. “It was big for us to have him. His dad was running that program (Buffalo) and you could see it in how he went about things … We’re looking forward to having him again next year.”

The final and youngest first team All-State player for the Pioneers was Ostermiller, who took a major step this season in his sophomore year as a pitcher and third baseman.

Ostermiller pitched the second most innings for Powell — 1/3 of an inning below the most — recording 66-1/3 while going 8-3, recording one save with a 2.111 ERA and adding 105 strikeouts to lead the Pioneers in all of those categories.

Borders attributed the jump for Ostermiller to his limited experience a year ago on the state championship team, learning from the older Pioneers who graduated from the program.

“I think it helped him to play a little last year with Brock (Johnson) and those guys. He got to see how you compete at that level,” Borders said. “That’s what we talked about as a coaching staff (this year) is you can see the resemblances … He wanted to be that guy. Luckily we have him for a couple more years, he’s going to keep getting better and better because he’s the kid that will go out and work hard.”

Ostermiller added a .268 batting average at the plate, recording 42 hits, one home run and 21 RBIs with 45 runs scored.

The final Pioneer earning postseason honors was Fauskee, taking second team honors as a catcher.

Fauskee hit .291, recording 39 hits, 33 RBIs and 34 runs scored.

He recorded 248-1/3 innings behind the plate and caught 15 runners stealing.

“We’ll miss Cole for his toughness and grit behind the plate,” Borders said. “He came up four years ago and we’ve had to catch him (behind the plate) ever since. Every year he’s improved.”

Fauskee, along with Loera and Diaz, are eligible to return for a super senior season next year, while Teten and Ostermiller will return for the Pioneers along with a majority of the team from a 29-30 season that fell on the second to last day of the state tournament.