Oklahoma State commit Cole Pladson honored again

Cole Pladson will head off to Oklahoma State University in the fall with plenty of accolades on his resume, with one of the biggest being the Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year.

The senior from Clay Community Center High School received the award for a second consecutive season. 

Along with hitting .587 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI through 25 games, Pladson went 5-3 on the mound with 63 strikeouts while helping the Tigers go 19-6 overall and reach the state tournament quarterfinals.

He is regarded as a Top 200 prospect in his class and owns a 4.0 grade point average.

"Cole is a hard-working, quiet and very humble young man," said his head coach, Andy Bent. "Cole is there to play baseball and help his team win. I've known he was going to do big things in the sport since he was in third grade."

The top softball honor went to Sophie Stockam, a senior at Maize South High School. She tossed six no-hitters with 259 strikeouts and an earned run average of 0.59 this year.

"She was by far the best player we saw this year," Salina South High School head coach Brea Vidrine said. "As strong as their team was, they are (nearly) unbeatable with her on the mound. She was also dominant at the plate."

The 5-foot-11 right-hander and third baseman led the Mavericks to a 30-1 season and third place finish in the Class 5A state tournament. She hit .430 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI, and will play for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the fall.

MORE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NEWS:

• Nebraska signee Alexis Jensen wins second POY
• Minnesota Gatorade POYs announced
• Des Moines Christian to join Little Hawkeye Conference
• Mariah Myers is Gatorade Iowa Softball Player of the Year
• Top Class of 2026 girls basketball player makes college choice
• Iowa girls high school soccer crowns three state champions
• Top individual games in Iowa high school softball
• Top individual games in Iowa high school baseball