All Ruston Daily Leader Baseball Team
Colton Smith (left) and Kade Luker (right) have been selected as the top two baseball players on the 2024 All-Ruston Daily Leader Baseball Team. Photos by Josh McDaniel and Darrell James
Choudrant junior Colton Smith, Cedar Creek freshman Kade Luker, and Creek head coach Chad Yates lead the way on the 2024 All-Ruston Daily Leader Baseball Team.
Smith, one of the Aggies’ most experienced players, earned Player of the Year honors after showcasing his championship pedigree this season with a team-best .436 batting average, along with 22 RBIs, 11 doubles, and a home run.
When he wasn’t at the plate, Smith was sharp at third base with dependable defense, as well as on the mound with a 2.59 ERA in 54 innings with 66 strikeouts.
Luker burst onto the scene with a season most upperclassmen would have taken in a heartbeat as the top starter for the Cougars.
He pitched well beyond his years for Creek, good enough to earn Pitcher of the Year, with a 2.50 ERA in 50 1/3 innings. Luker struck out a team-best 75 batters and threw two complete- game (7 innings) no-hitters this season.
Yates, the coach who gave Luker as many opportunities as he got this year, earned Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to their first playoff berth and first playoff win since 2019 in his first year at the helm.
The Cougars also defeated 5A schools Airline, Benton, and Captain Shreve, along with a win over eventual state runner-up Glenbrook (1A), in the regular season.
Here's the complete All-RDL Baseball team:
Pitcher: Hayden Rabo (JR), Simsboro
Pitcher: Max Brister (SR), Creek
Pitcher: Kade Luker (FR), Creek
Pitcher: Eli Callendar (SR), Choudrant
Catcher: Brett Bell (FR), Creek
INF: TJ Smith (SR), Choudrant
INF: Ladd Thompson (SR), Creek
INF: Trent Franklin (SR), Creek
INF: Braden Bagwell (SO), Choudrant
OF: Jake Simmons (JR), Ruston
OF: Noah Durrett (SR), Creek OF: Jackson Lee (SO), Ruston
UTL: Colton Smith (JR), Choudrant
UTL: Chris Harrell (FR), Simsboro
UTL: Henry James (SR), Ruston
UTL: Peyton Martin (JR), Ruston
UTL: Blake Wade (SR), Creek
Player of the Year — Colton Smith (JR), Choudrant
Pitcher of the Year — Kade Luker (FR), Creek
Coach of the Year — Chad Yates, Creek
