With the 2024 Delaware County spring high school sports season officially over, it’s time to look back at the athletes and teams that stood out amongst the fray.
Here are your 2024 Delaware County spring sports awards.
Best baseball player: Delta junior Zane Cline
Throughout the 2024 season, Cline led the blue and gold to a successful season filled with accomplishments. The junior batted .402 with 33 hits and 23 RBIs. He finished the season with a .500 on-base percentage and led the Eagles in home runs (5) and stolen bases (7).
Best baseball pitcher: Delta senior Kayden Thomas
On the mound, Thomas became the Eagles’ ace as he finished the season with a 1.37 ERA and a 5-2 record. The senior recorded 62 strikeouts and allowed 38 hits and only 11 walks. In Delta’s Delaware County championship victory, the senior struck out seven Yorktown batters and gave up four hits.
Best softball player: Yorktown junior Claire Hazen
The Tigers finished 2024 with a 21-3 record, and one of the green and white’s driving forces was Hazen. The junior finished the season with a .446 batting average, which included 37 hits and 25 RBIs. She also had eight home runs and 16 stolen bases.
Best softball pitcher: Yorktown senior Caitlin Laferney
LaFerney became one of the best area pitchers this season as she finished the season with a 19-3 record. Her stats speak for themselves as she had 167 strikeouts with 84 hits in 123.1 innings. She finished six games with over 10 strikeouts.
Best girls’ tennis player: Delta senior Gabby Knight
The Eagles’ No. 1 singles player ended her senior season with a 19-7 record. Her performance in 2024 earned her a spot in the North-South Indiana Senior All-Star match.
Best boys’ golfer: Yorktown senior Christian Groves
In his four years with the Tigers, Groves never disappointed. This year, Yorktown’s No. 1 golfer continued to shine as he won the Delaware County Tournament with a 78 (six over) and led the Tigers with a 71 in their sectional victory.
Best boys’ track athlete: Wapahani senior Nick Cook
Cook has become one of the best area boys’ runners during his time with the Raiders. He finished his final year with the same intensity. The IU-I commit ended his high school career with a fifth-place finish at the state finals with Wapahani’s 4x800 team and was selected to the Indiana Track and Field All-Star Team.
Best girls’ track athlete: Delta senior Nicki Southerland
Throughout her career, Southerland’s accolades have stacked together. Her performance did not falter in 2024 as she continued to win and break records. Her season ended with the highest achievement as she was named a state champion in the 800-meter and 1600-meter events.
Best spring coach: Delta baseball’s Devin Wilburn
Wilburn is no stranger to Delaware County baseball. From playing at Wapahani and then collegiately for Ball State, the Eagles’ third-year head coach has been a part of the game at every level. But this year, he coached the blue and gold to their best record since 2015, which included a county, sectional and regional championship.
Breakthrough spring athlete: Burris baseball’s Beau Edmonds
Edmonds started his high school baseball career on fire as he was one of the best weapons the Owls had in 2024. He finished the year with a 0.535 batting average and 23 hits. He also had 15 RBIs and was a threat on the basepath with 17 stolen bases.
Best spring team: Delta baseball
The Eagles opened their season with a 6-1 record, and after that, they never looked back. They captured their first Delaware County title for the first time since 2017 and then became sectional and regional champions, being the only area team to advance to semi-state.
Best spring moment: Nicki Southerland completes trifecta at state finals
After another state title at the IHSAA State Finals meet, Southerland became the first IHSAA athlete to complete the trifecta – 3200 (2022), 1600 (2023 and 2024) and 800 (2024) – in its history.
Best spring game: Delta defeats Yorktown in extra innings for county title
A rivalry matchup. A county title on the line. The scene was set as Delta faced Yorktown for the Delaware County championship. In the end, the Eagles sprung to the occasion, defeating the Tigers 2-1 in extra innings. It was the blue and gold’s first county title in seven years.
Best spring performance: Yorktown’s Caitlin LaFerney strikes out 15 against Centerville
LaFerney’s strikeout numbers are impressive, but her outing against Centerville Thursday, May 23 was one of the best performances during the 2024 season. She finished the Tigers’ 12-0 sectional victory with 15 strikeouts and only allowed two hits and a walk.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.
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