Following one of the best baseball seasons to date, Nodaway Valley/O-M has four players who were honored on the recently released Pride of Iowa Conference all-conference teams.

Named to the first team for the Wolverines are senior pitcher Caelen DeVault and junior pitcher Boston DeVault. Senior outfielder Matthew Weber was named to the second team. Receiving honorable mention is senior catcher Chase Walker.

Caelen DeVault had a team-low 1.01 earned run average (ERA) while Boston’s was 1.11. Caelen re-broke his school record for strikeouts with 97 this season, which was good enough for fourth in Class 2A going into the state tournament.

Caelen led the Wolverines with a .390 batting average and Boston’s was .386. Caelen led the team with five doubles and two triples. Both brothers had two home runs on the season. Boston had 15 RBI and Caelen had 14.

“Caelen probably has a seven or eight miles an hour difference on Boston. They’ve both got pretty good off-speed stuff and Boston was really locating well this year. That really helped him out,” NV/O-M head coach Dan Jameson said. “They’re very deserving of being first team. There are four pitchers on first team and they were two of them. They really deserved it, battled through and won the games they needed to win. People know them around the conference and they bring what they need to every night they’re on the hill.”

Weber was a solid hitter for NV/O-M all year out of the lead off spot. He finished the season hitting .339, had 14 singles, a double and a triple with 10 RBI. He utilized his quickness on the base paths multiple times through the season, successfully stealing all 22 bases he attempted to steal, and tied for most runs scored (20). In the outfield, he was error-free all season.

“He scored plenty of runs for us. He got on and we brought him around,” Jameson said. “In the outfield, he does a great job reading. There aren’t many balls that get out there that drop around him.”

Behind the plate, Walker was a good back stop for the team and worked well with all of the team’s pitchers. He was patient at bat, drawing 12 walks, which was second-best on the team.

“Chase has put a lot of work in the last few years and has went to several camps,” Jameson said. “He’s a technique guy. He really blocks well. As the season went along the guys really trusted him, that with two strikes they could put that curveball in the dirt, then he’d keep it in front of him and make that throw to first base for the play.”

In all, the Wolverines bid farewell to five seniors at the close of the season: Elliot Cooney, Caelen DeVault, Nathan Russell, Walker and Weber.

“It was just a fun season,” Jameson said. “Everybody says 14-6 is a great year, but you wish you had two or three more wins. It’s just the way it is. You didn’t want to quit playing with this team. It was a really great team to coach.”

First Team

Pitchers: Matt Hughes (MSTM), Boston DeVault (NV/O-M), Caelen DeVault (NV/O-M), Brody Crow (SEW); Catcher: Kale Rockhold (CD); Infielders: Jaixen Frost (MA), Chase Boelling (MSTM), Matthew Boothe (CD), Jaydon Knight (MA), Kenton Prunty (Wayne); Outfielders: Strait Jacobsen (Wayne), Brock Manser (SEW), Adler Shay (MA); Utility: Johnathan Weaver (Lenox), Ryce Reynolds (MA).

Second Team

Pitchers: Jaxson Cornett (CD), Jace Grose (MA), Carter Reed (Lenox), Blake Thomas (SWV); Catcher: Tyler Martin (MA); Infielders: Samson Adams (Lenox), Tysn Fogle (Wayne), Austin Ledlie (SEW); Outfielders: Hogan Franey (MSTM), Champ Walker (CD), Matthew Weber (NV/O-M); Utility: Cade Nelson (SEW), Dawson Evans (Lenox).

Honorable Mention

Klemit Olney (Bedford), Devin Adams (CD), Wyatt Mairet (EU), Trenton Beck (Lenox), Cooper Oberbroeckling (MSTM), Drew Ehlen (MA), Chase Walker (NV/O-M), Caden Carruthers (SEW), Brenden Knapp (SWV), RC Hicks (Wayne).