Weaving a well-oiled baseball Webb:

Port Washington High School’s first baseball team to post a record above .500 came with two-thirds of a lineup being honored by the new Glacier Trails Conference.

“To have six guys recognized, that’s a big accomplishment for all of those guys,” coach Zach Perkins said. “A lot of years of work goes into those awards.”

Sophomore Max Webb led the way by being named to the first team twice — as a pitcher and utility player. Last season with the North Shore Conference, he was named to the first team as pitcher.

This year, Webb whiffed 31 batters in 20 innings in the GTC. For the season, he struck out 46 in 34-2/3 innings while walking 14. He went 2-3 and had an ERA of 2.62. Opponents hit .255, and Webb didn’t allow a double, triple or homer. He was one batter away from a complete-game shutout against Kewaskum. He allowed three hits and a walk, striking out 11.

“He is one of the best pitchers in the state,” Perkins said. “He showed us that as a freshman and now he continued taking steps forward as a player this year. He competed against a lot of the best teams he faced. Anytime he pitches we know we have a great shot at taking anyone down in the state.”

Webb’s fastball consistently reaches 86 mph, and “he’s just a really savvy guy. He understands how to pitch, how to locate, what works against certain guys,” Perkins said.

At pitcher, left field and first base, Webb had a .961 fielding percentage with two errors on 51 chances.

Webb hit .324 in the GTC with five extra base hits. His on-base percentage was .444. For the season, he hit .417 with 16 RBIs, 14 doubles, a triple and a homer. He stole 12 bases.

“He really came into his own offensively,” Perkins said.

“He has a bright future, high school and beyond. He worked hard all summer as well. It’s exciting when you have a guy who can put things together physically and mentally.”

Port had three players named to the second team.

Webb’s target was junior Jackson Bergin. The catcher threw out 27% of runners, “and there were games he would throw one or two runners out and they would just stop trying to steal bases,” Perkins said. “All of a sudden that changes the way you play baseball.”

Bergin also called all the pitches no matter who was on the mound.

“We don’t call pitches from the dugout. J.J. has a great relationship with all of our pitchers. He is a baseball junkie through and through,” Perkins said. “Situationally, he has the staff’s complete trust behind the plate.”

Bergin hit .344 in the conference and had a .463 on-base percentage. For the season, he hit .323 with 14 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .476. He walked 17 times and struck out only 12.

“He has great at-bats every time up,” Perkins said. “He’s the rare breed that will draw more walks than strikeouts. He’s a very good contact hitter, hits the ball hard.”

Senior center fielder O’Neil Wright was again named to the second team after earning the same honor in the NSC last season.

He hit .391 in the GTC and .373 for the season. He had 12 RBIs, five doubles, one triple and a home run. He walked eight times and struck out 10, and had an on-base percentage of .434.

He stole 13 bases in 12 GTC games.

“O’Neil had a very good season. He hits for power, he hits the ball as hard as anybody,” Perkins said. “He was our leadoff hitter all season. That’s a factor in how you’re pitched to. He thrived in that role.”

In center and during a short stint as pitcher, Wright had a perfect fielding percentage, with 41 putouts and an assist on 42 chances, including one double play.

“It’s incredible the amount of range O’Neil has in center field. The way he can track that ball down. He’s able to shut teams down,” Perkins said.

Wright also has a strong arm.

“He’s the total package kind of talent,” Perkins said.

Wright will play baseball at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill.

Sophomore Thomas Ward was honored for his play in the outfield, but he also made an impact on the mound. Ward threw a five-inning no-hitter against former NSC foe Homestead, striking out five and walking three. He threw 67 pitches in the 15-0 win.

Ward also threw five innings of relief in a 4-2 win over Division 3 state champion Cedar Grove-Belgium early in the season, getting Division 3 Player of the Year Ira Hilbelink to pop out with runners on base to end the game.

“He shut the door on some pretty talented kids on that Cedar Grove-Belgium team,” Perkins said.

He went 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.47, whiffing 36 and walking 26 in 28-1/3 innings. Opposing batters hit .206. He had an .833 fielding percentage.

Ward hit .316 with 19 RBIs, two doubles and seven runs scored.

“We knew Thomas was a good player the moment he entered the program as a freshman,” Perkins said. “We didn’t know last season he would be a varsity contributor, much less a member of the second team as a sophomore.”

Two Pirates earned honorable mention.

Sam Thompson had a 2.94 ERA in the GTC and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.42. He led Port with 45 innings pitched. He whiffed 48 and had an ERA of 2.35 for the season. Thompson primarily pitched the nonconference games, but Perkins expanded his role.

“It got to the point we had to pitch him in conference games,” he said.

Perkins said Thompson was also one of the team’s core infielders.

“He’s always been a pitcher. He’s shown this year he’s more than that,” he said.

“It’s just an incredible way for Sam to finish his career, to show what he’s capable of. He was a big part of us having a winning season.”

Senior third baseman Jackson Dickson held down third base while reaching base nearly half of the time. He had an on-base percentage of .490 in the conference and hit five doubles.

“We got just a lot of production from him offensively,” Perkins said. “He’s a talented player and he’ll be missed next year.”

Port finished the season 14-13 overall. The Pirates went 9-3 and finished second place in the GTC.