Butler baseball saw six student-athletes named to the 2024 All-KJCCC West team and one to the Plains District All-Tournament Team on Wednesday, conference officials announced.
Cole Murrell and Charlie Marcantel were named to the second team while Justin Hudson, CJ Reid, Anibal Rivera and Caden Kickhaefer were named honorable mention selections. Dayton Pelfrey picked up Plains District Tournament honors.
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Second Team
Murrell, a sophomore from Springfield, Mo., was one of two Grizzlies to be named to the second team. He finished his second season in El Dorado hitting .328 with a .451 on-base percentage, tallying 38 hits, 39 RBI and 12 home runs. His .690 slugging percentage led the Grizzlies while the 12 home runs ranked second on the squad. Murrell played in 44 games, starting 34. He spent time as a designated hitter as well as in both left and right field. In the last game of the season Murrell drove in a career-high six runs, hitting two home runs in a loss to Cowley. He was named the KJCCC West Player of the Week on April 9th after tallying 10 hits, eight RBI and walking three times compared to just two strikeouts in wins over Rose State and Colby.
Marcantel turned in a big freshman season for the Grizzlies. The Colorado Springs native joined Murrell as a second team selection. Marcantel played in 39 games, starting all of them as he started 21 games behind the dish and 18 as the Grizzly designated hitter. Marcantel hit .371 (46-124), the highest batting average on the team among players that appeared in over 20 games. He finished with 41 RBI, 40 runs scored, a .477 on-base percentage, 11 doubles and three home runs while walking 16 times compared to just 14 strikeouts. He finished with 17 multi-hit games. Defensively Marcantel caught six runners stealing and finished with just four errors on the season.
Honorable Mention
Redshirt Sophomore Justin Hudson had another impressive season for Butler in his third year with this program and was named a KJCCC West honorable mention selection. Hudson, a Black Forest, Colo., native led the Grizzlies with 15 home runs and 54 RBI while ranking second on the team with 55 runs scored, 102 total bases, 17 hit by pitches and a .607 slugging percentage. He started in 49 games out of 52 games played. Defensively, Hudson fielded at a .986 clip and led the team with 335 putouts from his first base position.
Freshman CJ Reid, a Colorado Springs native, was named an honorable mention selection after starting 50 games for the Grizzlies. Reid tallied 51 hits including 13 doubles and seven home runs, driving in 32 runs. He hit .298 with a .458 on-base percentage. He began the season in left field, starting the first 10 games there before settling into second base, ultimately making 36 starts there while holding a .950 fielding percentage.
Sophomore infielder Anibal Rivera, a Fountain, Colo., native, was named an honorable mention pick, starting all 60 games this season for the Grizzlies. Rivera led Butler with 73 runs scored, 107 total bases, 53 walks, a .538 on-base percentage and 25 hit by pitches. He hit .346 (65-188) with 14 doubles, eight home runs and two triples. Rivera registered 17 multi-hit games. He began the season a shortstop, starting the first 19 games of the season there before swapping to third and starting the next 39 at the corner.
Redshirt sophomore Caden Kickhaefer was an honorable mention selection serving as Butler's ace throughout the 2024 campaign. The Salina native led Butler with nine wins, 79 strikeouts, 71.2 innings pitched, 15 starts, and 9.92 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Kickhaefer finished with a 9-4 record, striking out 79 compared to 40 walks while holding a 1.59 WHIP. He was named the KJCCC West Pitcher of the Week on April 23rd after tossing a complete game 7.0 inning shutout, striking out a career-high 10, helping the Grizzlies to a 2-0 series opening win over Seward. Another big-time performance from Kickhaefer came in the Region VI Playoffs as he threw 6.0 shutout innings vs. Neosho, striking out eight and walking two as Butler grabbed a 10-0 win. Following his two-year pitching career at Butler, Kickhaefer has his name scattered across the Grizzly record books. He is tied for second all-time with 19 pitching wins, fifth all-time with 154 strikeouts and fourth all-time in innings pitched with 154.0.
Plains District All-Tournament Team
Dayton Pelfrey was named to the 2024 Region VI/Plains District All-Tournament team. Pelfrey threw a complete game 8.0 inning shutout allowing only three hits, striking out three and walking two in Butler's 9-0 win over Cloud County in an elimination contest. The 8.0 innings were a career-high as Pelfrey pitched a gem helping the Grizzlies move on in the tournament.
