Dusty Maas is considering transferring from Council Grove to Emporia or Manhattan.
Dusty Maas has been looking for a new challenge. When you watch him play for the Emporia A-16 Blue squad, it certainly looks like he’s up to facing whatever new obstacle he wants to throw at himself.
You see Maas let bad pitches go by — aided partly by a fine batting eye, and partly by his small strike zone — before either drawing a walk or drilling a line drive, and you see one of the state’s best leadoff men.
You see him range into the hole at shortstop to snag a ground ball, and rise off the ground to unleash a rocket to second base for a forceout, and you see a skilled, strong-armed shortstop who could potentially anchor almost any high school middle infield in Kansas.
If the visual evidence isn’t enough, there’s the statistical kind — the ridiculous numbers Maas posted last spring at Council Grove, by themselves, show you a good reason why he’s now looking to transfer to a bigger school. Maas is only going to be a junior, but he doesn’t seem to have anything left to prove to the teams Council Grove faced, which succeeded in getting Maas out less than 40 percent of the time last year.
“I love challenges, you know?” Maas said. “I always love the opportunity to make myself better.”
So that’s what Maas will be trying to do after he and the rest of the Blues complete their American Legion season. This weekend brings the State tournament at Soden’s Grove, beginning with tonight’s game against the Wichita Sox. Next week brings Regionals, also at Soden’s.
Sometime probably after that, Maas and his family plan to choose what school he’ll attend in the fall. Emporia High, a Class 5A school, and Manhattan High, which is in 6A, are two possibilities. Maas hasn’t made any school visits yet.
“I feel moving to a bigger school, it’d help me get better for myself and everything,” he said. “And academics is another thing — a bigger school usually has a bit better academics.”
He began thinking about it last fall, before his huge sophomore season for Council Grove. But what he did this year for the Braves confirmed that Flint Hills League pitching was no match for the skills he brings to the top of the order.
Maas hit an astounding .573 for the Braves, going 43-for-94 and also turning in a .628 on-base percentage. The .573 batting average and 43 hits were new school records, and he also set a school record for singles. Oh, and he stole 20 bases.
He’s continued to be an impact table-setter and defensive player for the Blues this summer, and Emporia coach Jerry Cook sees him as a guy who could jump from 3A to 5A and excel.
“He’s got the ability, he’s got the want and desire,” Cook said. “That kid’s motor is at 100 percent all the time. He loves the game, he loves being around it and he’s always trying to find something more to do to make himself better. His ability’s there.”
Maas also plays football at Council Grove, but he isn’t inclined to play anything but baseball if he transfers.
“Just for the fact that baseball’s my No. 1 sport, and I don’t want to get hurt for that,” he said. “And in the past years, I’ve seen good players get hurt (playing) football, and I don’t want one of them to be me.”
Stardom isn’t guaranteed for Maas, of course, if he moves to a 5A school. In addition to the learning curve he might have to navigate in making the jump, Maas’ is 5-foot-4 — actually, “5-4 and three-quarters,” he’s careful to note — so his height might be something to overcome.
Joe Buchanan, Council Grove’s head coach, also believes Maas could become a good player in a higher classification.
“I think so,” Buchanan said. “But there’s some pitfalls. I think he’s good enough. ... He certainly works hard enough, he’s got a good enough attitude, fast enough, handles the bat well enough. I think he’s got what it takes.
“But I don’t know. All it takes is two kids as good as he is, and then all of a sudden he’s a JV player in that size of school.”
With the Blues going for a State championship this weekend, it’s safe to say Maas’ skills, both in the batter’s box and in the field, will be key to how deep Emporia can advance in the tournament.
“I’m just gonna worry about doing my job,” Maas said. “And if we all do our jobs, we’re gonna be a really tough team to beat. And that’s all I can worry about, and that’s all everyone else can worry about.”
After the Blues are finished, the big decision will likely be made. Whether Maas’ family will move with him will depend on where he goes.
“I might be driving back and forth,” Maas said. “There’s a lot of possibilities still, but we haven’t really narrowed down on the details yet. But after State and Regionals goes by is probably when we’ll start narrowing our decision down.”
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sportsmama (anonymous) says...
My son played with Dusty and he truely is what every coach would want on there team. If he comes to Emporia or goes to Manhattan I am sure he will make a LARGE impact!! I have NEVER seen a kid as humble for as good as he it. Good Luck Dusty, I hope you pick Emporia so we can come watch you play.
July 24, 2009 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
foxspeedy (anonymous) says...
Really, this is a story? No wonder they say the July is a slow month for sports!
July 27, 2009 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Thought only the Catholic High Schools recruited.
July 27, 2009 at 8:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nks (anonymous) says...
I cant think that anything good can come from this article.
Talk about putting added pressure on a kid.
Not to mention some bridges that have already been burned in Council Grove. "And academics is another thing — a bigger school usually has a bit better academics.” I would like to see the logic behind this statement. I am sure this did not go over well with the educators in C.G.
As a former college athlete from a small high school, I know there are enough scouts and recruiters out there that if you are talented enough they will find you.
This article portrays his as being treated like a free agent looked at by the Red Sox or Yankees, not as a teenager.
August 12, 2009 at 5:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OC1987 (anonymous) says...
The problem is the kid which clearly was the best player was getting screwed. The coaches are so in love with the star QB that completes 20% of his passes. They probably just got sick of seeing his parents kiss the coaches rear in every sport.
August 22, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )