(Photo credit: Shots by Cade)
Wheaton High School sophomore Brody Bateman was has earned Second Team All-State honors for his performance on the baseball diamond this year, just the third Wheaton baseball player to earn All-State honors, one being his grandfather, Steve Schlessman. Bateman's performance helped lead Wheaton baseball to it's best season since 2021. With two years of eligibility remaining, and each of the team's four top hitters returning, the future looks bright for the Wheaton Baseball Bulldogs.
When asked about Brody, Head Coach Nathan Jones had this to say, "Brody had one of the best statistical seasons that I have seen in my years of playing and coaching baseball. It's a tremendous honor to be named to an All-State team, and he has the potential to add even more accolades to his baseball career before it's all said and done. We hope that he can continue to be even better in the years to come."
Bateman finished the year with a .462 batting average, 0.592 on base percentage, 25 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. On the mound he threw 17.2 innings with 23 Ks, and an ERA of just 2.37.
In addition to All-State honors, Bateman was named to the Ozark 7 All-Conference Team and the Class 1 District 5 All-District Team this baseball season. He also earned First Team Ozark 7 All-Conference honors for basketball this season.