By John Mesh
Former Hutchinson Community College baseball player Michael Helman got a promotion from Triple-A St. Paul by the Minnesota Twins Sunday.
Helman, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, will wear uniform No. 92 for the Twins.
Additionally, the Twins reinstated infielder Brooks Lee from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list. Lee played for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Twins Double-A Texas League team.
The Twins also selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Diego Castillo.
Helman, 28, has hit .283 (68-for-240) with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 27 walks, 45 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and a .875 OPS in 63 games for the Saints this season.
He made at least one start at five different defensive positions with St. Paul including one start at second base, 10 starts at third base, 28 starts at shortstop, four starts in left field and 17 starts in centerfield.
The Lincoln, Neb., native was originally selected by the Twins in the 11th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas A&M University.
Helman has hit .261 (452-for-1730) with 89 doubles, 12 triples, 66 home runs, 247 RBI, 176 walks, 92 stolen bases, 302 runs scored and a .776 OPS in 468 career minor league games.
Helman was a two-year starter for coach Ryan Schmidt at HutchCC. He was named the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year as well as an American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove second baseman.
He was All-NJCAA First Team, All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC), All-Region 6 First Team and KJCAA Western Division Most Valuable Player.
As a sophomore in 2017, Helman set the single-season school record for hits (111) and led the nation with a .487 batting average and 103 runs.
He ranked second in the NJCAA in on-base percentage (.567) and eighth in slugging percentage (.829) and added 17 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs and 73 RBI in 60 games.
Helman led the KJCCC in batting average, hits, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs. He batted .416 with 64 runs, 20 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 58 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 57 games as a freshman in 2016.
As a sophomore, Helman helped guide the Blue Dragons to 47 wins while claiming the KJCCC West championship. The team reached a program-best No. 3 national ranking and reached the Region 6 title game.
As a junior at Texas A&M, his only season with the Aggies, Helman earned All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Tournament team recognition.
Helman started 62 games at second base and hit .369 (92-for-249) with 61 runs scored, 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 36 RBI, 10 HBP and 12 stolen bases.
Helman paced the squad in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, slugging percentage (.526), hit by pitches, on-base percentage (.451) and stolen bases.
He also led the team with 30 multi-hit games and added seven multi-RBI game.
Helman posted the team’s longest stretch of reaching base (27 games) and added the ninth-longest hit streak in school history at 20 games.
He started all 30 SEC games, batting .339 (40-for-118) with 27 runs, seven doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI and 10 stolen bases
Helman played for the Brazos Valley Bombers of the Texas Collegiate League in 2017. He batted .303 with 24 runs, three doubles, two triples, four home runs, 14 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 35 games.
He was selected to play in the TCL All-Star Game and earned All-TCL Second Team recognition.
Buhler girls tennis team competes at Salina Central meet
The Buhler High School girls varsity tennis team competed Saturday at the Salina Central duels tournament.
Sofia Spies and Emily Allen, the Crusaders’ Nos. 1 and 3 singles players, both placed first. Kylee Bradshaw placed second at No. 2 singles. Naomi Cano placed fifth at No. 4 singles.
The No. 3 double team of Audrey Koster and Brailey McIntire placed fourth. The No. 1 doubles team Payton Thompson and Payton Barnes placed fifth. The No. 2 doubles team of Addy Tech of Hannah Kinast placed fifth.
Buhler participates in the Wellington Invitational Tuesday and the Maize Invitational Thursday.
Hutchinson Tribune area high school football schedules
BUHLER
7-3
Steve Warner
S06 Mulvane
S13 at Augusta
S20 at Great Bend
S27 Circle
O04 Wamego
O11 at El Dorado
O18 at Winfield
O25 McPherson
BURRTON
2-7
Tyler Dansel
S06 Southern Coffey County
S13 at Altoona-Midway
S20 South Barber
S27 at Chase
O04 Tescott
O11 Open
O18 Otis-Bison
O25 at Cunningham
FAIRFIELD
1-8
Kyle Finder
S06 at Hartford
S13 Pratt-Skyline
S20 Reno County Homeschool
S27 Hutchinson Central Christian
O04 at Argonia-Attica
O11 Pretty Prairie
O18 at Norwich
O25 Stafford
HALSTEAD
3-6
Derek Racette
S06 Hesston
S13 Pratt
S20 at Nickerson
S27 at Hillsboro
O04 at Minneapolis
O11 Ellsworth
O18 at Southeast of Saline
O25 Lyons
HAVEN
5-4
Thomas Cooprider/Drew Thalmann
S06 at Hillsboro
S13 Nickerson
S20 Smoky Valley
S27 at Douglass
O04 Garden Plain
O11 at Belle Plaine
O18 at Chaparral
O25 Kingman
HUTCHINSON
7-3
Mike Vernon
S06 Andover Central
S13 Valley Center
S20 at Maize
S27 at Salina South
O04 Derby
O11 at Campus
O18 Newton
O25 at Maize South
HUTCHINSON CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
6-4
Matt Barnett
S07 Sunrise Christian
S13 at Canton-Galva
S20 Stafford
S27 at Fairfield
O04 at St. Paul
O11 Argonia-Attica
O18 at Pretty Prairie
O25 Norwich
HUTCHINSON TRINITY
4-6
Jordan Bell
S06 at Inman
S13 Sedgwick
S20 Remington
S27 at South Sumner County
O04 at Conway Springs
O11 Ellinwood
O18 at Medicine Lodge
O25 Sterling
INMAN
2-7
Lance Sawyer
S06 Hutchinson Trinity
S13 at Wichita Trinity Academy
S20 Sterling
S27 at Remington
O04 Marion
O11 at Sedgwick
O18 at Bennington
O25 Moundridge
NICKERSON
1-8
Taylor Bauman
S06 at Conway Springs
S13 at Haven
S20 Halstead
S27 Hesston
O04 at Andale
O11 at Lyons
O18 Smoky Valley
O25 at Wichita Trinity Academy
PRETTY PRAIRIE
2-7
Blake Lee
S06 at Lyndon
S12 Stafford
S20 at Pratt-Skyline
S27 Victoria
O04 Norwich
O11 at Fairfield
O18 Hutchinson Central Christian
O25 at Argonia-Attica
STERLING
6-4
Brent Schneider
S06 at Sedgwick
S13 Moundridge
S20 at Inman
S27 Ellinwood
O04 at Medicine Lodge
O11 Conway Springs
O18 South Sumner County
O25 at Hutchinson Trinity