Jay Daubenberger
Liberal, Kansas – Following a two-year career with Seward County that saw the Saints record back-to-back 30+ win seasons, sophomore outfielder Connor Raney has signed with the Trojans of Dakota State University to continue his collegiate career at the four-year level.
In two years with the Saints, Raney helped lead Seward County to a 63-53 overall record while hitting .311 at the plate and connecting on 75 hits with 17 doubles and a pair of homers that both came this past season in 2024. He also recorded 47 total runs and 37 RBIs in 83 career games and finished his junior college career with and OBP of .379.
This past year in the 2024 season, Raney stepped up as a key part of the Saints’ lineup when he appeared at the plate 168 times and recorded 47 hits on the year while scoring 31 runs and recording 12 doubles and both of his career home runs as a sophomore. He scored a career high of 3 runs in a 15-14 win over Butler in a big KJCCC series for Seward County and went 2/3 at the plate with another score to lead the Saints to a series sweep over Garden City.
Raney will be heading to Madison, South Dakota to suit up for the Trojans who went 36-16 overall in 2024 while going 17-6 in NSAA action that saw Dakota State place second in the conference standings heading into postseason action. Raney will step in as a veteran presence in the outfield for the Trojans in the 2025 season to help Dakota State get over the hump as they continue towards their goal of a conference championship.
“Excited for Connor signing at Dakota State” said Head Coach Mike Davidson. “They are getting a great young man on and off the field. Connor is a plus athlete and can really play that Center Field position with the best of them. I want to wish him the best on behalf of all of us here at Seward County”.
Raney is now one of eight players to sign on to the four-year level for the Saints. He joins Trenton Rowan (Arkansas), Brian Luna Alvarez (Texas Tech), Todd Baffa (Maine), Cameron Cartwright (Colorado Mesa), Tyler Wilcox (Oklahoma Christian), Trent Gerber (Central Oklahoma), and Elias Herrera (Northwestern Oklahoma State).