Shon Plack
Kansas Scouting Director

The Shawnee Mission East Lancers 2016 Team Preview comes in at number eight on our countdown of the top twenty stories of 2016. 

The Lancers were the Class 5A State Champions and finished with a record of 21-4.  Joey Wentz was named Co-Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year to go along with All-State accolades. He was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Braves in June. Catcher Henry Churchill, OF Jake Randa, OF Zeb Vermillion, and UTL Luke Anderson were named to the All-State Team. 

Here is a re-post of the storie that was posted on February 11.

2016 Team Preview: Shawnee Mission East Lancers

Thu February 11, 2016

Shon Plack
Kansas Scouting Director
Follow @PBRKansas

As  we  prepare  for  the  upcoming  2016  high  school  season,  we  will  be  taking  a
preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.

Team: Shawnee Mission East HS
Nickname: Lancers
Class: 6A
Conference: Sunflower
Head Coach: Jerrod Ryherd
Years as head coach at school: 7th Year
Team Website: @smebaseball
2015 Overall Record:  19-5
2015 Conference Finish: 9-2 (Co-Champions)
2015 Post­ Season Finish: 3rd Place in State

Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 5
Number of Returning Starters/Position Players: 5

Players with 2015 Post Season Honors
Joey Wentz, 1B/LHP, 2016, Kansas Player of the Year (Virginia)
Jake Randa, OF, 2017, 2nd Team All-State
Luke Anderson, RHP, 2017, Honorable Mention All-State (Missouri)
Henry Miller, RHP, 2017, Honorable Mention All-State
Zeb Vermillion, RHP, 2017, Honorable Mention All-State (Arkansas)

Players to Watch
Trevor Thompson, UTL, 2017

Season Outlook
Trying to find a better group of pitchers than Shawnee Mission East's pitching staff could be hard to find.  They have three Division 1 commitments returning from the 2015 team.  Leading the way will be Kansas Player of the Year, senior LHP/1B Joey Wentz.  Wentz can do it all and had been thrown into the national spotlight over the last year.  The Virginia recruit will be in the spotlight all spring, attracting multiple professional scouts.  The Lancers will also a pair of 2017 grads that could follow in Wentz's footsteps next season.  Arkansas commit, Zeb Vermillion is a 6-foot-5 175-pound RHP with a fastball in the upper 80's. And Luke Anderson, a Missouri commit, is a 6-foot-1 160-pound RHP/SS with a fastball in the mid 80's and shows the ability to defend and handle the bat.  Shawnee Mission East also has 6-foot-4 190-pound Henry Miller to round out the pitching staff.  Miller can also play first base and adds a lefty bat the line-up.  All-Stater Jake Randa will anchor down the defense and will be another lefty bat in the middle of the order for the Lancers. Look for UTL Trevor Thompson to play a key role this season.  He will be asked to play several positions this spring for the Lancers.   You could argue that the Lancers are not only one of the best teams in Kansas, but also one of the best teams in the region.  They can match up well with any team and should be included on any conversation when it comes to the 2016 Kansas State Championship.

CLICK HERE, for a complete list of 2016 Team Previews

For More Top Stories of 2016