Platte County’s second state championship in four years garnered eight selections to the recently announced Class 5 Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state teams. The Pirates went 29-8 and finished off a memorable postseason run with a 14-4 walkoff five-inning victory over Vianney in the title game.
First-team honorees for Platte County were senior Dayton Doll (infield), juniors Brennan McLaughlin (infield) and Rocco Marriott (outfield), and sophomore Evan Magnuson (pitcher), while senior Taylor Stambersky (infield) and junior Andrew Edsall (utility) made the second team. The Pirates’ honorable mention picks were senior Liam Blacklock (infield) and junior Brooks Hall (pitcher).
Doll, McLaughlin and Stambersky were all repeat selections.
A four-year starter and the only holdover from the 2022 state championship team, Doll finishes as Platte County’s all-time leader in total hits (146) and a two-time first team all-state honoree. He hit .434 as a senior with a .525 on-base percentage — both ranking second this season for the Pirates — and 18 extra-base hits, including nine doubles, a team-best eight triples and a home run.
Doll also stole 20 bases and finished with 43 RBIs and 43 runs scored. His bases-loaded triple in a 10-run fourth inning of the state championship game win over Vianney delivered the go-ahead run and capped one of the best careers in program history.
A starter at second base as a freshman and sophomore, Doll took over primary duties at shortstop each of the past two seasons. He also earned player of the year honors in the Suburban Conference White Division, helping Platte County in a share of the league title.
McLaughlin also made the list as an infielder for a second straight year but moved up from second team to first team and also earned Class 5 player of the year honors. He led Platte County with 15 doubles and five home runs while setting a school record for RBIs in a season with 45, batting .387 while slugging .694 with a .478 on-base percentage. His walkoff two-run double provided a dramatic conclusion to the newly reformatted best-of-three state quarterfinal series at Webb City when the Pirates lost the first game on Friday but came back to sweep a Saturday doubleheader.
McLaughlin also came up with an early RBI double in the 7-1 state semifinal win over Rockwood Summit and provided a solo home run to kickstart the comeback over Vianney.
In addition to playing third base, McLaughlin started the Class 5 District 8 state championship game against St. Pius X and flirted with a no-hitter, eventually finishing off a complete game with 12 strikeouts in a 5-1 victory. He became a full-time starter late in his freshman season at shortstop but eventually shifted over as part of a strong infield rotation that includes four all-state selections this season. The Pirates used him as the No. 1 starting pitcher this spring, and he led the team in innings pitched (50), wins (nine), strikeouts (60) and ERA (1.40) while walking only 15.
With McLaughlin starting both the state semifinal and championship game, Magnuson came on in relief of both and earned the win over Vianney (39-2), going four innings and allowing only two runs to a lineup with multiple Division I signees and commits. He debuted on varsity as a sophomore and appeared in a team-high 16 games and finishing with a 5-0 record, striking out 33 and walking 18 with an ERA of 2.51 in 39 innings of work.
Marriott’s second-year as a starter saw him move over to center field, and he pitched in only one game after entering the season with the second most returning innings from last year’s staff. His offensive numbers ticked up to a .390 batting average and .530 slugging percentage with four doubles, two triple and two home runs, while driving in 26 and collecting a team-best 27 stolen bases.
Stambersky ended up as a second-team selection on the infield after being honorable mention as a utility/designated hitter as a junior. However, he appeared in 22 games after suffering a potential season-ending knee injury during a win over Truman in late April that eventually limited him to pinch-hitting opportunities down the stretch.
However, Platte County found opportunities for Stambersky in both the semifinal and championship game victories. He came up with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to plate the Pirates’ final runs against Rockwood Summit and then delivered a walkoff bases-loaded single in the bottom of the fifth to score senior Patrick McCool with the winning run against Vianney.
Stambersky finished with the team-high batting average (.517), on-base percentage (.606) and OPS (1.295) for Platte County. He finished with four doubles and three triples, scoring 25 runs as the leadoff hitter prior to the injury.
A transfer from Kearney, Edsall found playing time both as a pitcher and designated hitter/first baseman with a .329 batting average and .571 slugging percentage, bolstered by seven doubles, two triples and two home runs — the second a towering two-run blast to stake Platte County to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Rockwood Summit in the state semifinal.
Edsall played first base mostly when Hall was on the mound. He ended up as one of the four main pitchers used, especially during the postseason run, and accumulated 32 innings in 13 appearances — four in the final six games.
Due to pitch limits, Hall appeared in all three games against Webb City, finishing Game 2 and starting the decisive Game 3. He finished with a 4-1 record and one save with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 32 and walking just 12.
Hall also posted six doubles and 15 RBIs with 24 runs scored as the regular starter at first base.
A starter as a junior mostly at designated hitter, Blacklock moved back into the lineup full time after Stambersky’s injury. Blacklock also hit at the top of the order and drew a team-high 26 walks to finish with a .521 on-base percentage. He also hit .333 with 23 hits (two doubles), while striking out just eight times in 97 plate appearances and scoring 28 runs.
POSTSEASON HONORS
MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION CLASS 5 ALL-STATE
First Team
IF — Dayton Doll, Sr.; Brennan McLaughlin, Jr.; OF — Rocco Marriott, Jr.; P — Evan Magnuson, So.
Second Team
IF — Taylor Stambersky, Sr.; DH/U — Andrew Edsall, Jr.
Honorable Mention
IF — Liam Blacklock, Sr.; P — Brooks Hall, Jr.
Player of the Year — Brennan McLaughlin, Jr.
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE WHITE DIVISION
First Team
C — Ian Gold, Jr.; RP — Brooks Hall, Jr.; 2B — Taylor Stambersky, Sr.; SS — Dayton Doll, Sr.; 3B — Brennan McLaughlin, Jr.; OF — Rocco Marriott, Jr.
Second Team
P — Evan Magnuson, So.
Honorable Mention
2B — Liam Blacklock, Sr.; U — Andrew Edsall, Jr.
Player of the Year — Dayton Doll, Sr.
