Josh Scheffert and Logan Ehlers have some far-flung travels planned for this summer, but ultimately, both have the same destination in mind.

As soon as Scheffert has his diploma from Lincoln Southeast in hand, he's taking off for Colorado, where he'll spend the summer playing baseball for the Cherry Creek Bruins in Denver.

Ehlers will play for Nebraska City's American Legion baseball team most of the time, with baseball trips to Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio slated.

For both, the ultimate dream is the major leagues. Their paths may overlap at the University of Nebraska. Scheffert is headed there this fall and Ehlers, who will be a senior next year, has committed to the Huskers.

Today, the two outstanding baseball players are honorary co-captains of the Journal Star 2009 Super-State baseball team.

"If I had one wish, it would be to get to the major leagues and pitch one game there," said Ehlers. "I'd show people I wasn't just a little kid who was a big dreamer."

Ehlers, who was named the Gatorade player of the year for the state, has been the cause of nightmares among Nebraska high school baseball coaches. The 6-foot-1 left-handed pitcher twirled four no-hitters this spring, plus a perfect game. In 682/3 innings, he gave up just nine hits and he struck out 161 - better than two strikeouts per inning. In a no-hitter against Crete, he struck out 21 of the 22 batters he faced.

"Logan's composure on the mound is so much better. Last year, he would lose it some, but he's had phenomenal concentration," said Nebraska City coach Tom Bales.

Scheffert, a shortstop and pitcher, said when he first watched Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, he knew he wanted to be like Jeter. In his four-year career at Southeast, he has hit better than .400. In the last three years, he was 17-6 on the mound with earned-run averages of 1.46, 0.50 and 0.96. This year, he struck out 77 in 51 innings.

"I hope to play both shortstop and pitcher at Nebraska. Coach (Mike) Anderson said not to rule out pitching, but I'll do whatever the team needs," said Scheffert.

That mind-set helped him this spring when he was intentionally walked 17 times.

"There are times you want to swing the bat because you're confident you could get a hit," he said. "The hardest part about getting walked so much is that it's tough to get in a rhythm.

"I know I wouldn't have been close to what I accomplished without the good hitters I had behind me. Jaydee Jurgensen made teams pay for walking me this spring."

Although both players know baseball is in their future, Scheffert and Ehlers also played football for their high schools.

"I was going to do both fall ball and football, but when I woke up after the first game, I knew I couldn't. And with this economy, it's a lot of money because there's so much travel," said Ehlers. "You take a beating in football. But I love it and I'll play this fall. I'll still be throwing every day."

Scheffert said fall was his most difficult season.

"You wake up after getting beat up in a football game and you have a tournament going all day," he said. "But it toughened me up. I love Southeast football and everything about it. If I wasn't going to play baseball, I'd be playing football in college."

Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.