The Warrenton baseball team ended its season capped by another remarkable year. 

The Warriors finished with a 21-8 season record, a 9-1 record in GAC North conference play, a second straight conference title and their second consecutive season of 20-plus wins.

Despite falling 9-4 in the Class 5, District 4 semifinal tournament on May 23, coach Eric Burle noted this season has been truly impressive. 

“It was great to see this group of new guys and returning guys be able to come together and have a good year,” Burle said. 

Coming into the season, Warrenton faced questions about how they would perform after losing a strong core of seniors.

“We graduated a fair amount of talent and impact players, but I think it says a lot about the returning players and leaders and the example they led and their determination,” Burle said. “It says a lot about our pitching staff because they put up some impressive numbers to allow us to stay in games.” 

Sophomore Carter Martin broke the school record for single-season strikes with 99. 

Burle added the way the team responded to adversity was credited to their grit. 

“We had some come from behind wins in the first third of the season and the only road bump was really our first conference game against St. Charles West. We didn’t play well in that first conference game and it could have set in some doubt, but they were able to bounce back,” Burle said. “Winning against them the next day set the tone and helped them with momentum throughout the year.” 

Toughness was often seen as the main ingredient to Warrenton’s success this year. 

“With Austin Haas and the fact that he had tremendous success not only in baseball, but also football, he brought that grit and toughness that I think rubbed off on a number of our guys…it really all started with him,” Burle said. “Guys like (Martin), (Mason Thompson) and (Colin DiSilvester), it was just a toughness thing.” 

Burle noted this year’s team looked a little different compared to other years due to their small roster size. 

“It was a tight knit group and even the guys in the latter half of our order were able to compete and put together some good at-bats,” Burle said. 

Reflecting on individual growth, Burle noted DiSilvester was a standout.

“Early on in his high school career, he would sometimes be too high or too low and he needed to find that happy medium. This year, he really grew up and became stronger. He really carried our offense throughout the year and was able to mature mentally,” Burle said. 

Burle reflected on the rest of the senior class. 

“Charles (Brake) and Ian (Gelencir) were more role guys but they served their role really well for the group in terms of practice and different responsibilities,” Burle said. “Bryce Phillips kind of flies under the radar, a quiet but humble kid. This year, he did a lot of little stuff and never complained and held down the first-base position.” 

Additionally, Phillips broke the single-season record for walks with 25. 

Thompson was another impactful senior for the squad. 

“He put together back-to-back really impressive offensive years and held down the outfield position,” Burle said. “He was huge for us and kind of a quiet leader. He had a good team attitude and a quick wit and humor to keep things light.” 

Haas, the catcher and leadoff hitter, ended his career with four school records broken. He holds school records for career steals (79), single-season career steals (32), career hits (115) and career runs (119). 

“He was the heartbeat of our team and really carried our pitching staff these last two years, which our pitching staff was one of our bigger turnarounds the past four years,” Burle said. “It says a lot about Haas as a player and a person. He’s the type of kid that’s going to be irreplaceable.”