Miller

LA GRANDE — The Class 4A selection committee voted six of La Grande’s top baseball players to the 2021 4A all-state team for their overall performance this past season.

La Grande’s 2021 all-state nominations are first-team pitcher Riley Miller, second-team pitcher Jace Schow, first-team catcher Cole Jorgensen, second-team infielder Devin Bell, first-team outfielder Payton Cooper and second-team utility player Nick Bornstedt.

“It’s pretty impressive to have that number of kids coming from the program,” head coach Parker McKinley said. “It speaks loudly to the respect those kids have earned around the state through their play and how they conduct themselves.”

The Tigers came up one game short of winning the 2021 4A state championship, losing in the championship game 5-2 to Hidden Valley. A walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Mustangs.

La Grande ended its season with a 14-2 record and averaged just under 14 runs a game.

Miller was a consistent ace on the mound for the Tigers, going 5-1 on the season with 46 strikeouts and a 0.48 ERA in 29 innings.

In what McKinley described as one of Miller’s best performances of his career, the senior right-hander held Hidden Valley to one run over six innings in the state championship game.

“There were a lot of people watching that game that were really impressed,” McKinley said. “The fact that he’s going to play at the next level and continue his career, all that points to being a first-team guy.”

Miller is signed to play collegiate baseball for Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, which competes in the Northwest Athletic Conference.

Schow joined Miller on the list of La Grande pitchers to be named to the all-state list, making the second team. The sophomore starter finished the season with a 3-0 record, 2.07 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 20-1/3 innings pitched.

Jorgensen, a junior, earned first-team catcher honors after hitting .643 at the plate, tallying 32 RBIs and scoring 10 runs. Jorgensen played a major part in the Tigers’ playoff run, going 4-for-9 at the plate in the postseason.

“First-team for Cole as a catcher is maybe one of the most impressive ones for me, just because the catcher position is so loaded with quality talent right now at the 4A level,” McKinley said. “To have him stand out on that list has been really cool.”

Cooper excelled in the outfield to earn him first-team honors. The senior hit .424, finished with 17 RBIs and scored 23 runs. McKinley called Cooper a “special talent” at the leadoff spot for La Grande.

“What he was able to do consistently over the course of the season and through the playoffs, all those things pointed very clearly to being a first-team selection,” he said.

Bell, a junior shortstop, was named to the second-team all-state infield following a solid offensive year in the batter’s box and on the diamond defensively. He hit .462 at the plate, knocked in 15 runs and scored 35 runs during the 2021 season. Defensively, Bell was a part of four double plays and recorded 26 putouts.

Bornstedt earned second-team utility honors, serving as La Grande’s designated hitter. The junior hit .567, finished with 10 RBIs and scored 10 runs.

Of the six Tigers awarded all-state honors, only Miller and Cooper are graduating seniors. The remaining four all-state players will be back on McKinley’s squad next season.

McKinley said completing the season under the pandemic circumstances is an accomplishment for the program and La Grande High School athletics as a whole.

“It really is a program-wide performance,” he said. “It makes me proud to be a part of it and have those kids represent our school and our town.”