Video: Owen Lovell baseball highlightsFootage of the Cullman (Ala.) standout against Pelham.With the state playoffs underway in the southern part of the United States, MaxPreps takes a look at 10 possible Player of the Year candidates from the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
National Player of the Year Watch
Owen Lovell, Cullman (Ala.)
While Lovell's teammate Cole Collins leads the nation in home runs with 13, Lovell has been closing the gap during the playoffs. He's homered in four straight playoff games, including a grand slam against Athens, to up his season total to 12. He also has 56 RBIs and 44 runs scored and is batting .393 (56 for 140) on the season.
Hunter Stovall, Pelham (Ala.)
Stovall has been an all-state player since his sophomore season at Pelham and he's having an MVP-type year. In leading Pelham to the third round of the playoffs, Stovall is batting .461 (53 for 115) with 38 runs scored, 50 RBIs, 17 doubles and eight home runs. He has also managed to steal 20 bases.
Austin Biggar, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Parkview heads into the Georgia Class 6A state playoffs this weekend as one of the favorites and the play of junior catcher Biggar has been one reason why. In posting a .386 batting average, Biggar has 35 RBIs and seven home runs for the Panthers. He ranks second in the state in RBIs, according to the MaxPreps leaderboards, and he is tied for fifth in home runs.
Zack Kone, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Kone is one of the leading hitters in Broward County, according to Broward High School Baseball, as he leads the area in batting average (.527), home runs (10) and RBIs (29). He is also tied for second with 13 doubles. Kone's season is over, however, as Pine Crest did not advance out of its district and into the state tournament.
Julian Infante, Westminster Christian (Miami)
The Westminster Christian infielder ranks among the national leaders for home runs this year with 12. He is batting .474 for the Warriors with 33 RBIs and eight doubles. For his career, Infante has 26 home runs and 26 doubles and a .437 batting average. Westminster has advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs.
O'Neal Lochridge, St. Thomas More
Photo by Roddy Johnson
Lochridge
is the reported state leader in home runs by a large margin as he has
10 round-trippers on the year (next highest on the MaxPreps leaderboards
list is 5). Lochridge is batting .418 (41 for 98) with 34 runs scored,
41 RBIs and 13 doubles for St. Thomas More, which is the No. 2 seed in
the Class 4A state playoffs.
Greg Veliz, Key West (Fla.)
Veliz has been a standout on the mound and at the plate for the Conchs. He has posted a 5-1 record with 61 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched. At the plate, Veliz is batting .413 with five home runs, five triples and five doubles. His 33 RBIs ranked tied for second in the county, according to Miami Dade High School Baseball.com.
Michael Amditis, Boca Raton (Fla.)
Amditis has been the force behind the Boca Raton offense all season long as he leads the Palm Beach area, according to
PalmBeachHighSchoolBaseball.com, with six home runs, 28 RBIs, 31 runs scored and a .527 batting average. Amditis and his teammates will play Park Vista in the second round of the playoffs. Both of Boca Raton's losses are to the Cobras, but Boca Raton defeated Park Vista last week for the district tournament championship.
Thomas Szapucki, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Szapucki posted some of the top strikeout totals in the state of Florida this year with 89 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched for Dwyer. He also allowed just six earned runs and had a 0.78 ERA to go with a 5-2 record. Dwyer's season came to an end with a loss to Royal Palm Beach in the district semifinals.
Hunter Wilson, Brandon (Miss.)
Although Brandon fell to Biloxi in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs, Wilson ranks as one of the top hitters in the state this season. In posting a .351 batting average, Wilson is second in the state in home runs with nine and he also ranks No. 4 in RBIs with 45.
