With high school baseball teams heading to the diamond, MaxPreps identifies the top player from each state for the upcoming 2009 season.
By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Pitchers and catchers have already reported to spring training in the Major Leagues, which means high school baseball is just a few weeks away.
All high school baseball coaches are encouraged to obtain their username and password from MaxPreps in order to post their schedules and roster, as well as keep track of scores and stats throughout the season. Contact the coach support team at coach_support@maxpreps.com
To get the season started, here’s a look at our selection for the top player in each state heading into the 2009 season. Look for our picks for the top team in each state later this week and the MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 Baseball Preseason Rankings and preseason All-American team next week.
ALABAMA
Clint Moseley, Leroy
Moseley will attempt to complete the double tri-fecta next year – leading Leroy to a third straight state championship in both football and baseball. He’s already done it in football, where he was named the state player of the year. Moseley is also one of the top baseball players in the state. He batted over .500 with close to 70 RBI and 12 home runs while also posting a 12-2 record last year. He was named the 2A state player of the year and was also named to the Super Team by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
ARIZONA
Jake Barrett, Desert Ridge
Already signed to Arizona State, Barrett was all-state last year and was named the Player of the Year by the East Valley Tribune.
ALASKA
Corey Mahar, Juneau-Douglas
An all-tournament pick last year for the state champs, Mahar plays centerfield for the Crimson Bears.
ARKANSAS
D.J. Baxendale, Sylvan Hills
Earned all-state honors in the 6A division in Arkansas after batting .436 and going 12-1 on the mound with a 0.67 ERA for the state champs.
CALIFORNIA
Max Stassi, Yuba City
Named to the MaxPreps All-American second team, Stassi batted .471 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI for Yuba City. He is considered one of the top overall players in the country and one of the top two catching prospects in the nation.
COLORADO
Jake Stewart, Rocky Mountain
Stewart batted .345 with 30 RBI, seven doubles and four home runs for the state champions. He is also one of the top receivers in the state in football.
CONNECTICUT
Chris Renzoni, Seymour
Batted .628 last year with 49 hits, including 6 triples, 9 doubles and 8 home runs. Also had 44 RBI. On the mound, he was 7-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
DELAWARE
Luke Barrientos, Indian River
The third baseman earned all-state honors last year in leading Indian River to a 17-5 overall record.
FLORIDA
Mychal Givens, Plant (Tampa)
Givens was a Florida 6A all-state selection while going 8-1 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched.
GEORGIA
Donovan Tate, Cartersville
One of the top athletes in the country, Tate could eventually play football and baseball in college, assuming he doesn’t sign a minor league contract. He helped lead Cartersville to the AAA state championship.
HAWAII
Matt McDaniel, Mid-Pacific
The only returning all-state pick in Hawaii, McDaniel was 5-1 on the mound with a 1.11 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 44 innings.
IDAHO
A.J. Work, Timberline
Work went 10-0 during the regular season last year with a 1.08 ERA. He also batted .444 with 10 doubles and 20 RBI for the Wolves.
ILLINOIS
Justin Ringo, Stagg (Palos Hills)
Ringo ripped 15 home runs and 14 doubles while batting .538 and earning all-state honors.
INDIANA
Cameron Perkins, Southport (Indianapolis)
Perkins had the state’s highest batting average at .723 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 56 RBI. He earned a spot on the MaxPreps All-American second team.
KANSAS
Garrett Gould, Maize
Considered the most dominating pitcher in Kansas, Gould was 9-2 with a 0.61 ERA while striking out 95 batters in 57 innings. He was named the Kansas 6A pitcher of the year.
KENTUCKY
Luke Maile, Covington Catholic
Maile was named the Cincinnati area Kentucky player of the year for the second straight season after batting .567 with 55 hits, 53 runs scored, seven home runs and 37 RBI. He was also named the region player of the year and was selected to the Kentucky all-state team.
LOUISIANA
Zachary Von Rosenberg, Zachary
Named the 4A player of the year in Louisianna after posting a 12-1 record with a 0.48 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched.
MAINE
Taylor Candage, Deering
An all-state player as a junior, Candage led Deering to an undefeated state championship by posting a 9-0 mound record that included 88 strikeouts in 59 innings. He also batted .462 with 20 RBI.
MARYLAND
Jack Carey, St. Paul’s
After hitting .386 with five home runs and a .739 slugging percentage last year, the third baseman could threaten the state record for hits in a career and the school record for RBI.
MASSACHUSETTS
Joe Flynn, Plymouth North
Flynn earned state Division 2 player of the year honors after posting a 12-0 record on the mound and batting .450. He was the MVP of the Atlantic Coast League as well.
MICHIGAN
Torsten Boss, Lowell, IF
The state player of the year in football, Boss has already signed to play baseball at Michigan State. Last year, Boss earned all-state honors by batting .567 with five home runs and 32 RBI as the Lowell shortstop. He also had a 3-0 mound record and a 1.20 ERA. He is the all-time state leader in career triples with 25.
MINNESOTA
David Bettenburg, Cretin Derham Hall
A University of Minnesota recruit, Bettenburg has good speed and a strong arm in the outfield and can also swing a bat, as shown by his .441 average with eight home runs last season.
MISSISSIPPI
David Renfroe, South Panola (Batesville)
Also the quarterback for the football team, Renfroe emerged over the summer as one of the nation’s top pitching prospects. He was a first team all-state selection last year and was the only junior on the all-state team.
MISSOURI
Jacob Turner, Westminster
The tall fireballer posted a 5-2 record with a 1.45 ERA and had an incredible strikeout-walk ratio last season with 92 Ks and just nine walks in 48.1 innings pitched. Was the starting pitcher in the Aflac All-American game at Dodger Stadium in August.
NEBRASKA
Ty Kildow, Millard South
The speedy outfielder has already been a Super State pick in Nebraska as a sophomore and a junior. Last year he batted .447 with six doubles, six triples and three home runs. He also stole 23 bases.
NEVADA
Jeff Malm, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Malm earned MaxPreps first team All-American status after batting .564 with 69 runs, 28 doubles, and 73 RBI. He was also 8-2 as a pitcher with 75 strikeouts.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Sean Lyons, Trinity
A speedy outfielder for Trinity, Lyons stole 22 bases last season while batting .313 with six home runs. He also struck out 46 batters in 27 innings with a 1.56 ERA.
NEW JERSEY
Chris Jenkins, Westfield
With a fastball clocking at nearly 96 mph, Jenkins figures to be one of the hardest throwers in the country, let alone New Jersey. He struck out 94 batters in 50.2 innings last year and had a 1.66 ERA.
NEW MEXICO
Max Walla, Albuquerque Academy
Walla was named the New Mexico state player of the year last season after belting 16 home runs and driving in 56 with a .500 average. He also struck out 80 batters in 59.1 innings on the mound, but will likely play outfield at Oklahoma State next year.
NEW YORK
Marcus Stroman, Patchogue-Medford
An outstanding all-around athlete, Stroman stars in basketball as well as on the diamond for Patchogue-Medford. As the team’s shortstop, Stroman was an all-state pick at shortstop and was Newsday’s Player of the Year after batting .400 with 30 stolen bases and an 8-1 record on the mound with 96 strikeouts.
NORTH CAROLINA
Ryan Stetson, Ardrey Kell (Charlotte)
The North Carolina 4A all-state selection batted .434 with 36 RBI and had 46 basehits.
NORTH DAKOTA
Kyle Kingsley, Fargo South
A two-sport athlete who gained all-state honors in football, Kingsley is also a top baseball player. He batted .316 last year and had 43 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched at Fargo South last year.
OHIO
Stetson Allie, St. Edwards
The top junior shortstop in the state, Allie batted .426 with five home runs and 11 doubles while driving in 31 runs.
OKLAHOMA
Jacob Inbody, Bixby
A member of the Spartans’ 5A state title team, Inbody was stellar at third base for Bixby, battling .469 with 48 RB and four home runs. He was the only junior on the all-state team.
OREGON
Matt Maurer, North Medford
The top junior prospect in Oregon, Maurer was 9-2 for the Black Tornado with 95 strikeouts on the year.
PENNSYLVANIA
Derek Law, Seton LaSalle
Law was one of the top strikeout artists in the country last year with 132 Ks in 67 innings pitched. He posted an 8-0 record with a 0.94 ERA. He also batted .418 with 22 RBI.
RHODE ISLAND
David D’Errico, North Kingstown
Named the Division 1 South player of the year, D’Errico batted .464 with eight home runs and 36 RBI. He also pitched for the Skippers and was an all-state choice.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Christopher Owings, Gilbert
The 2A state player of the year last season, Owings batted .520 with 27 RBI and 17 stolen bases for Gilbert, which won the state championship.
TENNESSEE
Curt Powell, Farragut (Knoxville)
Powell led Farragut to the state championship and batted .493 with eight home runs, 56 RBI, 59 runs scored and nine doubles. He is a MaxPreps second team All-American.
TEXAS
Colton Cain, Waxahachie
Cain helped lead Waxahachie to the 4A championship game. He was 12-1 with 131 strikeouts in 81 innings and a 0.78 ERA. He also batted .486 with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 45 RBI. He was named to the Texas 4A all-state first team.
UTAH
Rhett Nelson, Timpanogos (Orem)
Nelson was named the state player of the year in Utah after going 10-0 on the mound with 76 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched.
VERMONT
Buddy Lamothe, Lyndon Institute
The Capital League MVP last year, Lamothe was Lyndon’s ace last season with a 5-0 record and 70 strikeouts over the final month of the season. Led Lyndon to the state finals.
VIRGINIA
Johnny Bladel, Stone Bridge (Ashburn)
Bladel was one of the top outfielders in the Washington DC area, earning Liberty County player of the year honors while batting .448 with three home runs.
WASHINGTON
Matt Boyd, Eastside Catholic
Posted a 7-0 record last year with a 0.71 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched. He also batted .429 with six home runs and five doubles. Committed to Oregon State.
WEST VIRGINIA
J.R. Bradley, Nitro
Bradley made the West Virginia 3A all-state team after batting .400 with seven home runs and 47 RBI and going 9-1 on the mound.
WISCONSIN
Brad Schreiber, Kimberly
Besides batting over .600 last year with 9 home runs, Schreiber was the team’s top pitcher with an ERA under 1.00. He was named the state player of the year by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association.
Note: Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming do not have high school baseball. Iowa plays baseball in the summer.
