Meet Tyson Lewis and Kale Fountain: Co-captains of the 2024 All-Nebraska baseball team (2024)

Two of the top baseball players in Nebraska capped their senior seasons with state titles.

They wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Tyson Lewis of Millard West and Kale Fountain of Norris are the honorary captains of this year's All-Nebraska team. Lewis helped the Wildcats capture the Class A title while Fountain led the Titans to a Class B championship.

The two shortstops have a lot in common, starting with the interest professional scouts have taken in the duo. Lewis has signed with Arkansas while Fountain is an LSU commit.

Fountain also makes history today as the first four-time selection on the All-Nebraska first team. He batted .345 as a freshman, .402 as a sophom*ore, .450 as a junior and .474 this past season.

Lewis, who started his varsity career at Class B Platte Valley, is a two-time first-teamer. He batted .460 with Millard West in 2023 and .496 his senior year.

Both played pivotal roles in helping their teams capture state titles. It was the third in the Wildcats' past five trips to state and the second for Norris and first since 2013.

Millard West avenged a loss in last year's final to Lincoln East, defeating the Spartans 4-3. Batting leadoff, Lewis went 1 for 3 in the championship game and drove home what proved to be the winning run with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

"After finishing second last year, this was kind of a revenge tour for us," Lewis said. "Falling short in that championship game definitely stuck with us this year."

Lewis led Class A in batting average (.496) and runs scored (53) and was tied for the lead in triples (7) and home runs (8). He also was among the state leaders in RBIs (41), stolen bases (31) and doubles (14).

That offensive production helped the 33-5 Wildcats finish the season as the overall No. 1 team in the state.

"To win it this year was really satisfying," Lewis said. "It was a great season, and I was really proud of all of our guys."

Millard West coach Steve Frey said Lewis will be missed.

"Tyson was a solid addition to our program," he said. "It was great having him bat leadoff because most times he got the game started in a positive way."

Frey added that Lewis made another major contribution that didn't show up on the stat sheet.

"He was a great leader and a great teammate," he said. "He always said the right things and he didn't let anything distract him from what was most important, and that was winning the title."

Those distractions included the regular presence of pro scouts, something Lewis learned to live with.

"It was something new for me and at first it was a little hard to balance out," he said. "Having cameras on you 24-7 was different, but I got used to it."

Lewis now has his eyes cast on the future and a college career playing for former Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn at Arkansas.

"I think he's the best coach in the country," Lewis said. "I'm eager to get down there because they love baseball and I'm so excited to be a part of that program."

Still, the MLB draft July 14-16 is something he'll be watching.

"I can't really control any of that," he said. "Right now I'm just focusing on my training and getting ready for Arkansas."

The most recent list of the Top 200 MLB draft prospects – including college and high school players – has Lewis at No. 46 and Fountain at No. 121. Another mock draft has Lewis going as high as No. 16 in the first round.

Fountain also is preparing for his collegiate journey to LSU. He originally committed to Florida State before his freshman year but flipped to the Tigers in 2022.

"I'm looking forward to it so much," he said. "I'm going down there early to enroll in some summer classes and they're already talking about having some team outings."

Like Lewis, Fountain helped Norris in several ways. He scored 43 runs, had 31 RBIs and belted five homers.

In the Titans' victory over Gretna East in the Class B final, he scored one run and drove in another.

The championship was a welcome end for Norris, which had finished as the runner-up eight times at state.

"We haven't had the best of luck in state finals," Fountain said. "But everything just seemed to be clicking and aligning for us this season."

He said there was a moment of doubt when the Titans, who scored five first-inning runs, saw the Griffins come roaring back to get it tied in the fifth.

"When they started to claw back, you obviously have those worries," Fountain said. "But I think that was a testament to this year's team that we were able to finish the job."

Norris coach Sean Bartholomew said Fountain's contribution to the program can't be overstated.

"He's our leader, and obviously a huge reason why we finished the way we did," he said. "He started for us for four years and what he accomplished was pretty special."

The coach added that Fountain, projected as a future third baseman, has a bright future.

"Being 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds certainly doesn't hurt," he said. "And his work ethic is unmatched, so I know that will take him a long way."

Fountain said he'll also be paying attention to the MLB draft, adding that he'll be happy whether his next step is in college or the pros.

"I just keep reminding myself that either way, there's no bad path," he said. "I'm going to have fun no matter what, and I'm just grateful for any opportunities that I get."