Seward Baseball Sends Four More Saints to Four Year Schools

By Ian Applegate

LIBERAL, Kan. – Seward County baseball is sending four more players to four-year schools after Cayde Ward, Ryan Thomas, Braeden Gould and Chandler Poell all signed their LOI’s to continue their baseball careers.  Ward signed with NCAA Division I New Mexico, Gould signed with NCAA Division II UT Permian Basin, and Ryan Thomas and Chandler Poell both signed with NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin.

After a monster season, it’s no surprise seeing Ward advance his career. The 1^st Team All-Jayhawk West first basemen led the Saints in batting average (.427) and doubles (25) last year, while finishing second on the team in RBI (52) and third in home runs (11).

Gould signs with UT Permian Basin after finishing with a 2-1 record while being used primarily as a reliever a season ago, making 17 appearances during his freshman campaign.  His 8.33 strikeouts per nine innings were good for third best on the team.

Stephen F. Austin is getting two pitchers with Thomas and Poell signing. Thomas made 14 appearances last season, earning 10 starts along the way.  He pitched 55.2 innings, while striking out 44 batters, good for 7.11 strikeouts per nine innings. Poell, a 6-foot-5 right handed pitcher, enters his first season with the Saints after spending one season at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Last season, he struck out 17 batters in 18.0 innings pitched at the NAIA level.

2019 Saints baseball will begin February 1, 2019 at Galveston College in Justin, Texas.  They will make their home opener February 9, 2019 with a four-game series against Northeastern at Brent Gould Field.