TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: CALEB KOHLMEYER (CANEY VALLEY)

By Mike Tupa

Nov. 26, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting, each few days, one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

Today's Spotlight

CALEB KOHLMEYER (Caney Valley)

Multiple sports (early 2010s)

To some, it might be called the “Rubber Duckie” game.

The date was May 30-31, 2010 — a Memorial Day weekend that would truly be extra memorable for the hearty faithful at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium.

To put it simply, the Doenges Ford Indians and Fayetteville (Ark.) players hooked up in a baseball game that lasted seven hours and 44 minutes!

That’s not a typo. The official time was 7:44 — and it was just a seven-inning game.

Multiple rain delays sent the players, coaches and volunteers scurrying out to left field to roll out the huge tarp over the infield and then roll it up again when the rain or lightning stopped. 

As part of the odd evening, the man in charge of the music — not to be revealed here — yielded to pressure to play “Rubber Duckie,” over the sound system.

Finally, play resumed for the final time around 4 a.m. or later. 

The game might have even gone longer if not for Caleb Kohlmeyer. With two outs in the top of the seventh, the lany 6-foot-3 first baseman dug an errant throw out of the dirt in time to make the third out. He also drove in an insurance run as the Indians won, 6-2.

That was Kohlmeyer — the unflappable warrior whose style consisted of a composite of steel, grace, sweat, intelligence, hustle and stoicism. 

He remains perhaps one of the most unsung of the greatest area athletes of the past 30 years — and perhaps going back a century.

Kohlmeyer excelled in baseball and basketball for Caney Valley High School, graduating in 2012.

He would play four years of college baseball at Rogers State. In 2023 he was inducted into the RSU Wall of Honor.

Kohlmeyer had a long list of highlights for Caney Valley.

Some of them included:

— In an 8-3 win against Pawhuska, he singled home one run and scored twice.

— During a 17-2 win against Oklahoma Union he ripped three hits, scored twice and drove in three runs — two of them on a wormburner that wriggled into the outfield while staying in fair territory down the right field line.

— During a Northeast 8 Conference tourney game in 2011 at Drillers Stadium, Kohlmeyer blasted a three-run homer in the top of the seventh against Salina. He then closed out the game in the bottom of the seventh on six pitches, clinching Caney Valley’s 7-5 win.

— In April 2012, Caney Valley improved to 18-0 after beating Nowata. Kohlmeyer lashed two doubles and a single.

— In the 2012 regionals, Kohlmeyer clobbered two homers, scored four runs and drove in three runs in a 14-13 win against Tahlequah-Sequoyah. That would be Caney Valley’s final win in a 24-3 season.

Some of Kohlmeyer’s accomplishments during his Trojan baseball playing days included: Helping Caney Valley to two district and conference titles, and producing 32 doubles, six homers, 60 RBI, 46 stolen bases and batting .470 his junior and senior years combined.

As a pitcher, he put together a 12-2 record and an earned run average of about 2.80 his junior and senior years combined.

In addition to helping elevate Caney Valley baseball to a higher level, Kohlmeyer also had a similar impact for the Indians in the American Legion Baseball program.

As mentioned, Kohlmeyer also became an integral part of one of Caney Valley’s most successful eras in boys basketball.

His achievements included sharing the co-Most Valuable Player Award in the 2012 Caney Valley Invitational.

Kohlmeyer also scored 13 points in a 89-51 win against Copan and 13 points in a win against Barnsdall.

Then it was on to Rogers State.

Kohlmeyer — who could play multiple positions but appears to have mainly played at first base and outfielder but was a versatile fielder — would leave the program in the top 10 all time in games started (140), games played (156), hits (167) and doubles (35).

Some of his other career numbers included a .984 field percentage (890 putouts, 50 assists, 15 errors), nine sacrifice flies and 15 sacrifice hits.

As a freshman he started 18 games and batted .333.

As a senior (2016) he batted .353, scored 39 runs, drove in 35 runs, belted 15 doubles and five homers, and walked 27 times.

Kohlmeyer remains one of the most talented and productive area prep athletes of the past 30 years and beyond.

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Caleb Kohlmeyer

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This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.

-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville

-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville

-Chris Smith, Caney Valley

-Jill Bryan, Copan

-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville

-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville

-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey

-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville

-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville

-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville

-Carson LaRue, Dewey

-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian

-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley

-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville

-Karissa Jones, Dewey

-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Paper, Copan

-AJ Parker, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley

-Henry Williams, Bartlesville

-Markell Carter, Bartlesville

-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian

-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall

-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata

-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville

-Jessie Burch, Dewey

-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville

-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville

-Kate Steward, Bartlesville

-Jarrett Rouse, Community

-Amanda Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley

-Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville

-Aaron Hunt, Copan

-Calan Crowder, Bartlesville