Hoyt named to the All-State team in final season

JAMESTOWN — Connor Hoyt’s batting average increased by over 100 points and helped lead the Jamestown Blue Jays to a fifth-place finish in the 2022 NDHSAA State Tournament. As a result of his efforts, the North Dakota High School Coaches Association has named the senior to the Class A Baseball All-State team.

“It’s kind of a humbling experience,” Hoyt said. “It feels really good. It kind of makes me realize that all of the work is paying off.”

Hoyt said he was first informed by Blue Jays head coach Jack Bowman after the team finished their season on June 7.

“Coach Bowman told us in the huddle,” Hoyt said. “I was kind of confused right away because I didn’t know what he was talking about. He told me and right away I started smiling and I almost wanted to cry a little bit but I kept it in.”

As part of the voting, coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players, which Bowman said he believes helped make Hoyt as emotional as he was.

“I think he realized that the hard work paid off,” Bowman said. “That doesn’t always happen, sometimes you put in a lot of hard work and you don’t necessarily see the fruits of what you were hoping for. You still may not reach your goals, but I think the excitement for him was that all the hard work paid off and that others recognized it.”

Hoyt is the first Blue Jay to make the NDHSCA’s All-State team since Chris Erickson made it in the 2018-19 season.

“It’s definitely good company to be compared to Chris,” Hoyt said.

In his final season as a Blue Jay, Hoyt hit .422 with a .476 on base percentage, a 1.031 OPS, a .556 slugging percentage and 20 RBIs. He also swiped 17 bags to lead the team. On the mound, Hoyt pitched 4.1 innings with a zero ERA and a .462 WHIP, and hitters only hit .071 against him. In the field, Hoyt had 34 catches and 29 putouts.

“He was up on his own early in the morning, hitting, trying to get better,” Bowman said. “He was there early to practice, stayed late. He put in the time and that is a reward for his efforts. I’m really happy for him because the work he put in paid off.”