By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph native and Lafayette graduate Brayden Luikart has had, for a number of years now, a bright baseball future.
An honorable mention all-state selection as a freshman, Luikart soared in his senior season, being named Missouri's Player of the Year in 2021. He helped the Irish to a third place finish in the Class 4 Final Four that spring.
Luikart batted a staggering .589 and recorded 95 strikeouts in Lafayette's best baseball season to date.
"I think the kind of guys we had in the locker room and off the field is what made that special," Luikart said to KFEQ Radio. "Coach (Matt) Jansen took us under his wing and showed us the ropes and we went from there. I feel like the product on the field was how he bonded off the field."
An Oklahoma commit at the time, Luikart spent the 2022 season in Norman before transferring to Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.
Luikart shined in his one season with the Cavaliers, batting .321 and recording 93 putouts as an outfielder in 2023. He helped the team to a 56-10 record and a JUCO World Series berth.
The effort also earned Luikart Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and Region 6 Gold Glove honors. He's the first JCCC outfielder in history to receive those accolades.
This past season also landed Luikart an offer to play at Wichita State, and he committed to the Shockers on June 17.
"Wichita was a great spot for me," he said. "The coaching staff there, I love them. I have experience with them as well. So, when they offered me, it was kind of a no-brainer."
Some time before that, Mustangs head coach Johnny Coy talked to Luikart about spending his summer with the St. Joseph Mustangs - the three-time defending MINK League champions and a team that Luikart had spent his youth cheering on.
"It was a no-brainer for me," Luikart said of Coy's invitation. "Growing up watching these guys, you have to play for them for at least a year if you're from St. Joe and this is my year to do it. Hopefully, many more to come."
Luikart has had a solid summer thus far with the Mustangs, batting .257 in his first 10 starts, scoring nine runs on nine hits, including a triple and a home run.
He's helped the Mustangs to a 12-5 start in 2023, including a six-game winning streak entering their Tuesday night contest at Sedalia.
Luikart and the rest of the team are seeking a fourth straight title for the franchise and the ninth overall since the Mustangs' first season in 2009.
However it shakes out, Luikart couldn't imagine a better place to be spending his summer playing the game that he loves.
"It's special, because you grow up watching these Mustangs and grow up coming to these games and getting autographs and then you're one of them," Luikart said.
"You kind of give back to the community you're raised in and played in. It's a great feeling, and I love the fans here."
Full interview
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