HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s baseball squad has some unfinished business on the diamond.
The Cubs, having already rolled through the Tri-Valley League, were on the precipice of a second straight trip to the Class 3A State Tournament last year.

But Burlington rallied in the sixth inning of the Substate Championship game, sending Humboldt home broken-hearted with a 19-5 record.

The good news is the Cubs return a good chunk of that core this season.

“Our guys are hungry to get back to state,” head coach Mike Miller said. “We lost a piece of our rotation and a big bat from our lineup, but I think we have some guys ready to step into those roles.”

Two of Humboldt’s top three pitchers return in seniors Logan Page and Kyler Isbell.

Both earned all-league recognition for their dominance on the mound and at the plate.
Page hit .333 with 24 hits and 25 RBIs, while going 6-2 with a 1.31 ERA over 42.2 innings.
Isbell hit .260 with 10 RBIs, while going 6-1 on the mound with a 2.00 ERA.

That third spot in the rotation will almost certainly go to fellow senior Cole Mathes, who allowed just one earned run over 15.2 innings, while striking out 18. Oh, and he slugged .415 with 22 hits and seven RBIs.

The rest of the team is primed for action as well.

Senior Blake Ellis scored 36 runs while hitting .379, good enough for all-league designation, and Colden Cook earned honorable mention while hitting .311 with 11 RBIs and 13 runs.

Mason Sterling racked up a .306 batting average.

“We have several others who will be in the mix to round out the rotation,” Miller said. “I expect us to be a strong defensive team once again. Offensively, we had several guys who really came on strong toward the end of the season and provided some big sparks in key situations.

“Top to bottom, I feel really good about our lineup and expect big things from them.”

Running through the TVL will be no cakewalk, he predicted.

“The league will be better this season,” Miller said. “There were some young teams that really improved as the year went on. Caney Valley always seems to be in contention. Neodesha will be a good team as well.

“We always have a goal of winning the league, and it’s no different this year,” he continued. “I look forward to seeing them compete and see how everything shakes out.”