By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The 2023 spring season was a good one for area baseball teams with Great Bend, Hoisington, Larned, and Little River all advancing to their respective state tournaments. Accordingly, coaches for those teams made the short list of nominees for Sports in Kansas' Baseball Coach of the Year. A panel of media members from across Kansas will determine the winners this week.
In Class 5A, Randy Beck was headed for a rebuild season at Great Bend High School. Instead, his Panthers posted a 13-9 record before bowing out of the state tournament with a 6-0 loss to the eventual champions from Bishop Carroll.
Larned's Chad Erway led a co-op team featuring LaCrosse players to a 14-7 record with a loss to two-time Class 4A champion McPherson in round one of state. Eric Steiner's Hoisington squad finished the season at 15-7 with a loss to the No. 1 seed and eventual fourth-place finisher in Class 3A. Terry Renken's Little River team had just one loss entering the Class 1A state bracket before a loss to the eventual champion from St. Marys Colgan.
Check out a full list of nominees HERE.