Multi-Sport Athletes: Gridiron and Diamond Studs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;I just got back to my hotel in St. Louis after watching three straight MLB games between the rival St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Inspired by the hitting display the two teams showcased in the three games, I decided to feature Prep Redzone Kansas ranked prospects who had solid seasons last spring on the baseball diamond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each of these athletes is ranked by Prep Redzone and were acknowledged as All-State ball players by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carter Pabst,</strong> WR, 6'1”, 185, Eisenhower, '25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pabst finished ranked No. 12 overall in the Prep Redzone Rankings for the Class of 2025. He committed to playing football at Washington State. He was named to the Class 5A All-State First Team as an outfielder. His speed played a big factor in his scoring touchdowns and running down balls in the gap!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tate McNew,</strong> QB, 6'1”, 185, Maize South, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McNew finished ranked No. 28 overall by Prep Redzone. He has committed to playing football at Butler Community College. He was named to the Class 5A All-State Second Team as a third baseman. He threw for 1,752 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall to close out his prep career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Josh Burdick,</strong> QB, 6'0”, 180, Cheney, '25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am starting to see a theme develop: quarterbacks are versatile enough to play baseball, or vice versa. Burdick is committed to slinging the ball for Emporia State on the gridiron. He was named to the Class 4A All-State First Team as a catcher. He hit an eye-popping .511 over 26 games and has some slug in his bat. Sixteen of his 31 hits during the season went for extra bases, including eight doubles, four triples, and four home runs. He finished ranked No. 38 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carter Aslin,</strong> QB, 6'0”, 170, Manhattan, '25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Recent graduate Aslin was a dominant multisport athlete for the Indians. He was a dual-threat quarterback and an All-State Class 6A Outfielder. He finished ranked No. 277 overall in the Prep Redzone Kansas rankings for the Class of 2025. He was a recent participant in the Kansas Shrine Bowl and has verbally committed to play baseball at Cloud County Community College.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JD Troutman,</strong> ATH, 5'10”, 165, Paola, '25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Troutman was named to the Class 4A All-State First Team as a middle infielder. He was a three-sport athlete for the Panthers and finished ranked No. 561 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas. &nbsp;It appears that he is still uncommitted.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer'],</strong> TE, 6'6”, 230, Great Bend, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premer is ranked No. 6 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026 by Prep Redzone. He finished his junior baseball season with 31 hits, 27 runs scored, and 21 RBI. He was a Class 5A All-State first baseman. Premer announced today that he has verbally committed to playing football at Notre Dame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1113458' first='Jordey' last='Pierce'],</strong> QB, 6'4”, 205, Arkansas City, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pierce is currently ranked No. 37 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027. He has a big arm and was named to the Class 5A Second Team as a pitcher. He threw for 1.960 yards last season and has posted three straight seasons with more than 1,000 passing yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->