TRAVIS SANDERS BLACK AND BLUE AWARD

This award is named after one of the toughest Chesty Lions to ever wear the red and black, 2008 LHS graduate Travis Sanders. After playing football and baseball at LHS, he continued his baseball career at Pratt Community College. After 2 years at Pratt, he enrolled at Emporia State. He served as a strength coach with Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league systems. Travis died in October of 2013 and we miss him EVERY day. Every team huddle ends with a count of “3,2,1” ending with #1 to honor Travis, as this was his jersey number. No player will wear #1, it’s been retired in his memory.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2014: Ryan Walter

2015: Nyle Anderson

2016: Parker Kirkpatrik

2017: Gavin Greenwood

2018: Riley Turpin

2019: Hank Dobson and Jackson Hewins

KEVIN HOOPER TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Kevin is a 1995 graduate of Lawrence High School. Kevin played collegiately at Wichita State. Hooper was named a first team All-American by College Baseball Insider in 1999. Named a second team All-American in 1998 by NCBWA and first team in 1999. Named a first team Freshman All-American in 1996 by Collegiate Baseball. Named all-Valley Scholar-Athlete in 1999. Named to all-regional team in 1996 and 1999. Named second team all-District in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Named second team all-Valley in 1997 and first team in 1998 and 1999. Won WSU Most Valuable Player Award in 1999. Drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1999, making his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2005. He was inducted into the WSU hall of fame in 2005. From 2008-2016, Hooper managed the Wichita Wingnuts. Since 2016 he has served as the minor league infield coordinator for the San Diego Padres.

PAST RECIPIENTS

BRAD HARKER FIRST CLASS AWARD

Brad Harker is a 1993 graduate of Lawrence High School. Brad participated in basketball and baseball and was the homecoming king his senior year. In the 1993 major league draft, Brad was selected by the Chicago White Sox. He decided to attend Kansas State on a baseball scholarship. Brad is a regular at Lawrence High baseball practices and games. He is a valued friend and a first-class human being. One that cares deeply about others and kind and caring soul.

PAST RECIPIENTS

CURTIS LEDBETTER MVP AWARD

Curtis is one of the most decorated LHS baseball players. A member of the 2000 state champion
team, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. He chose to attend Garden City community
college then continued to play baseball at Nebraska. He was a three-year starter for the Huskers
from 2003 to 2005, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors at two positions (designated hitter and first base), as he hit .320 with 34 homers and 166 RBIs in 180 career games. As a senior, he earned Big 12 Tournament MVP honors, guiding the Huskers to a sweep of the conference regular-season and tournament titles. Ledbetter earned NCAA Tournament All- Regional honors in 2003 and 2005, as Nebraska won two Big 12 regular-season titles and won the first College World Series game in school history during his senior year. In the classroom, Ledbetter was a three-time academic All-Big 12 selection, a Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and graduated from Nebraska in 2005 with a degree in journalism. He added a master’s degree in education administration in December of 2012.  An 18th-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2005, Ledbetter played professional baseball for three years, earning Frontier League all-star 2007 – his final season in the professional ranks. He currently serves as the Nebraska baseball team’s director of operations in July 2019 after spending last season as the Huskers’ volunteer coach. Ledbetter previously served as the team’s director of operations for 10 years. In 2019, he was NU’s first-base coach and hitting coach and helped the Huskers to an NCAA Tournament berth and a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Tournament

PAST RECIPIENTS

G MONEY MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

PAST RECIPIENTS