There was nothing that could cool off Ethan Rakers during a hot and humid day at Mark Twain High School on May 9.

The Montgomery County senior turned in a sizzling performance behind the plate in his team’s 7-4 win over Tigers, finishing with six putouts, including two in the bottom of the seventh.

First, Rakers threw out a runner stealing second. Then, he recovered a throwing error and threw out another runner on second.

The strong defensive effort impressed the home plate umpire.

“He’s the best catcher in the Eastern Missouri Conference,” the umpire said.

All of the coaches in the conference agreed. Rakers earned a first-team catcher award for the second year in row when all-conference teams were announced on May 12. He was a unanimous selection.

Senior Evan Abercrombie (first-team pitcher), junior Travis Hill (second team) and sophomore Jace Ellis (first-team utility) were the other Wildcats on the all-EMO team. All three of them earned all-league honors for the second straight year.

Rakers said catcher has been his favorite position since he started playing it at age 11.

“I always wanted to be a leader and everything,” Rakers said. “So being a catcher, you’re be able to see the entire field. Everything is in front of you while you’re playing.”

The senior said the most important part of playing behind the plate is communicating with the pitchers.

“The whole goal is when runners get on, I always tell my pitchers to keep them close and believe in me,” Rakers said. “I believe that I have a strong enough arm. Anybody who runs, I can get them.”

Rakers’ outstanding season at catcher helped MCHS clinch its first winning season in three years. The Wildcats wrapped up their season at 10-8 after losing to South Callaway 6-5 in a  Class 3, District 7 semifinal game on May 16 in Mokane.

Rakers said he’s thrilled that he played for a winning team this season.

“At the beginning, we were playing pretty hot,” Rakers said. “We’ve been playing pretty good and winning the games we were supposed to win. Throughout the season, we had our ups and downs and injuries. But I think we’ve been playing pretty good.”

Rakers made a key play in the Wildcats’ 2-1 win over Elsberry in a conference game on May 4 that was played at Silex High School due to wet field conditions at Elsberry. He threw out a runner at third base for the final out of the game.

“It meant a lot because they were the team that took us down in the district championship last year and ended our season,” Rakers said. “It was bittersweet all year thinking about playing them. They threw their three best (pitchers) against us, but we were able to scrape out a win.”

Against Mark Twain, Rakers threw out four runners and caught two popups. He also was huge at the plate, hitting an RBI single that scored Hill to break a 4-4 tie in the top of the sixth.

The following day, Rakers helped the Wildcats pick up a pair of home wins over North Callaway and Louisiana on senior night.

Rakers will be playing baseball at Lindenwood University next year. He said he hopes to continue playing catcher at the St. Charles school.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Rakers said. “I always dreamed of playing college baseball. I’ll get that opportunity. It’s just taking the game to the next level and facing better talent. I’m excited.”

Rakers joined the MCHS baseball program in his freshman year. Last year, he finished with several multiple-hit games and two no-hitters to earn a spot on the all-EMO team for the first time.

Rakers credits his mother, Denise, for his outstanding high school baseball career.

“I love her,” said Rakers, who plays for the Central Missouri Phenom select baseball team during the off-season. “She’s practically been taking me everywhere since I’ve been able to pick up a baseball. It means a lot. She has been to almost every baseball game. She’s been the one who has been taking me everywhere and has been the one who has helped me get to where I am today.”