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All-RTC4 baseball: Playing the hits: Rochester’s Reinartz wins Player of Year again

Val T.
Jul 21
6 min read

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

RTC Baseball Player of the Year Tanner Reinartz

Tanner Reinartz pitched a little less this year, but he hit even more.

The most fearsome hitter in our area, Reinartz is our RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year for the second straight year.

It also marks the second sport in which he was so honored this year. He was also our Boys Tennis Player of the Year in the fall after an undefeated regular season in that sport.

Reinartz had 34 hits. No player in the area had more, and looking back, we were surprised he saw as many hittable pitches as he did.

He had seven home runs. That is as many as the Tippecanoe Valley, Caston, Pioneer and Winamac teams combined.

Any player with an OPS over 1.000 is having a great season. Reinartz’s OPS was 1.517.

Unfortunately, Reinartz’s feats could not lead to another state tournament run like the Zebras had in 2024, when they made it to the Class 2A semistate final.

In fact, no area team won their sectional, though things appear to be well set up for 2026 postseason success at schools like Rochester and Caston.

Reinartz also heads up our All-RTC4 team. We thank area coaches for sending us their statistics and talking to us about their teams. That helps greatly in our assessment.

Having said that, this list is ours and ours alone, and we take full responsibility for it.

All-RTC4 baseball team

Carson Paulik Carson Harness

Pitchers

Carson Paulik (Rochester) – He went 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 46 innings, and he also hit .300 with a homer, 13 RBIs and an .850 OPS. Paulik, a junior, added both more polish and more velocity this year, and we saw what kind of competitor he was when he pitched an eight-hitting no-hitter against a good Manchester team in April while he was sick.
Carson Harness (Caston) – Harness, who went 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 58 innings, blossomed as a sophomore. He put a lot of work into getting bigger and stronger, and that helped with his stamina. He also has a deceptive motion that makes it hard for hitters to figure out if he's throwing a fastball or a curve.
Brody Wenzler (Winamac) – A good lefty is so valuable in high school, and Wenzler was further proof. He went 5-4 with a 1.86 ERA, and he toyed with opposing hitters: In 56 1/3 innings, he allowed only 28 hits while fanning 98. He also had a .491 on-base percentage at the plate.

Braxton Alderfer Gavin Mollenkopf

Catchers

Eli Guffey (Pioneer) – In addition to leading the pitching staff, Guffey, a junior, hit .436 with a 1.061 OPS. He led his team in hits with 34 and was second on the team in RBIs with 24.
Braxton Alderfer (Tippecanoe Valley) – Without question, Valley struggled to a 3-21 record, but the sophomore class is the group that we think can pull the program out of its malaise, and Alderfer, who had a team-leading 21 RBIs, is the grinder of this group.
Gavin Mollenkopf (Caston) – You look at the .279 batting average, and it might not be eye-popping, but you add the 25 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches, and you get a .519 on-base percentage and a .916 OPS. In our estimation, he was playing slightly injured, and that affected his ability to throw out baserunners. If Mollenkopf is healthy, Caston has a chance for a banner 2026.

Noah Herd Brady Coleman

Infielders

Tanner Reinartz (Rochester) (Player of the Year) – Coach Cory Good gave him time to dictate his pitching schedule, and he seemed to be in arm-preservation mode prior to starting his college career at Huntington University. Still, he had a 2.42 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 17 ⅓ innings, and that’s in addition to his hitting accomplishments. He is the definition of an All-State player.
Noah Herd (Caston) – The leader of the Comets, Herd put a senior hand on a young team and helped guide it to a 20-8 record. Herd was named Class 1A First-Team All-State at first base after hitting .395 with a team-high 29 RBIs and a 1.099 OPS.
Hunter Paxton (Tippecanoe Valley) – Paxton is one of the Valley sophomore grinders that we are interested to see develop. He hit .380 with 18 RBIs, a good total since he was often hitting leadoff in the order. He also stole 19 bases. His best position is shortstop, but he might be the closest Valley has to a pitching ace as well.
Noah Miller (Pioneer) – Miller had a terrific senior season, hitting .369 and leading Pioneer in doubles with eight and RBIs with 25.
Jonas McCuen (Culver) – McCuen hit .500 and led Culver in hits with 31 and RBIs with 19, and he added a 1.396 OPS. He did this while manning shortstop and striking out 93 in 47 ⅓ innings in his spare time.
Brady Coleman (Rochester) – Coleman, a sophomore, hit .312 and his 18 walks helped give him a .455 on-base percentage, ideal for a leadoff hitter. He also played a stellar shortstop, which allowed Reinartz and Paulik to play other positions when they were not pitching.
Eli Holloway (Caston) – Holloway was mostly a designated hitter as a freshman in 2024, so his good footwork and good hands were a revelation as a shortstop once he saw the field as a sophomore. But we especially love his hitting. He hit .457 with doubles power, and when you throw in his 14 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches, you get a staple in the Caston lineup for the next two years.

Drew Bowers Parker Casper Logan Mollenkopf Brant Beck

Outfielders

Drew Bowers (Rochester) – Bowers was named first-team all-Three Rivers Conference in football, basketball and baseball, and he capped his great year with a .389 batting average and a .984 OPS while hitting ninth in the batting order.
Parker Adamson (Tippecanoe Valley) – Adamson is another one of Valley’s sophomore grinders, and his hitting compares just as favorably to Alderfer and Paxton. He hit .419 with 19 RBIs and a .997 OPS and he figures to be a fixture in center field for the next two years.
Parker Casper (Rochester) – Like Coleman, he is a sophomore and just loves to play. He could play just about anywhere on the diamond, but he is best in center field. At the plate, he grew bigger and stronger and hit .329 with an .824 OPS. If he starts pulling more extra-base hits, look out.
Logan Mollenkopf (Caston) – Mollenkopf was honorable mention All-State as a freshman, and he knew exactly what his team needed from him out of the leadoff spot in the batting order: He hit .397, and he drew 30 walks to list his on-base percentage to .573 while also playing a good center field. Will he stay in the leadoff spot in future years, or will he move to a spot where he will be expected to drive in runs?
Addison Allen (Winamac) – An Indiana Tech recruit, Allen split his time between center field and the mound. He was an excellent center fielder defensively, the guy who you would want the ball to be hit to with the game on the line. He also had a .746 OPS.
Caleb McCuen (Culver) – McCuen, a junior, hit .288 with a .796 OPS while manning center field for the Cavaliers. He also had 59 strikeouts in 27 innings on the mound. Watching the McCuen brothers, they seem to have the most travel ball experience on the roster.
Brant Beck (Rochester) – He played a lot of second base and also pitched, but we needed to make room on our team for Beck’s .325 batting average and 24 RBIs. He’s a reliable clutch hitter and capable of playing right field.