ROCHELLE — Two members of the Rochelle Hub varsity baseball team earned All-Conference honors from the Interstate 8 for their efforts during the 2024 season. Senior Brock Metzger earned First-Team recognition and freshman Brody Bruns was named an Honorable Mention.

Metzger played all 29 games for the Hubs, recording a .265 batting average with a .371 on-base percentage. The senior pitcher and shortstop drew a team-high 12 walks and ranked second on the team with 22 hits. Metzger led the Hubs (7-22, 0-15 Interstate 8) with six doubles and 31 total bases while accounting for Rochelle’s first and only home run during the 2024 season.

“I’m extremely happy and honored that I earned it,” said Metzger, who earned All-Conference honors in both wrestling and football at RTHS. “I believe my pitching got a lot better. I struggled to pitch against good teams during my junior year, but I did a lot better against them this year. I believe I was a team leader and I tried to encourage my teammates to do the best they could.”

Metzger pitched in nine games during the 2024 season, finishing second on the team with 30 innings thrown and 30 strikeouts. Metzger, who was named Rochelle’s Most Valuable Player and was an Academic All-Conference Honorable Mention in the Interstate 8 for the 2024 season, will be continuing his academics and his baseball career at Kishwaukee College.

“Being on the baseball team was so much fun,” Metzger said. “My favorite moments included taking double-barrel batting practice where we could just stand up in the box and let the balls fly. I will miss playing with my brother [Brode] and enjoying time with all of my teammates.”

Bruns made an instant impact during his freshman season, recording a team-low 3.02 ERA over a team-high 44 innings pitched. The left-hander struck out a team-high 39 batters and collected three wins on the season. Bruns, who also played in all 29 games during the 2024 season, held a .263 batting average and a .356 on-base percentage with 20 hits, four doubles and six RBIs.