The Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year have been announced for the 2013 high school baseball season. Winners were selected based on their athletic production, as well as their academic achievements, personal character, and community leadership. Of the 48 winners (47 states, Washington D.C.), 17 players have developed their game through the Baseball Factory Program and seven additional players have been recognized in the 2013 Baseball Factory Top 100.  Many of the players recognized will also be listening for their name to be called this Thursday at the 2013 MLB Draft.

Riley Unroe was named the Player of the Year for Arizona. The Desert Ridge High senior shortstop and pitcher attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Mesa, AZ. This season, Unroe batted .533 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI, leading his team to the second round of the Division 1 state tournament. Unroe has signed with USC, but is projected to be an early round selection in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. 

Exclusive Player Development Program product Andrew Culp was named the DC Player of the Year. Within the Exclusive program, Culp participated in numerous Baseball Factory events. His hard work paid off this year as the first baseman and pitcher led the Maret School Frogs to a Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship.  Culp was undefeated on the mound with a 5-0 record, a 1.74 ERA, 76 strikeouts, and a pair of no-hitters. The Tulane bound pitcher also batted .391 for the season. 

Team One alumnus Nicholas Gordon was named the Florida Player of the Year as only a junior. Gordon has been selected to the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game. He performed exceptionally well for the Olympia Tigers as a shortstop and pitcher this season, hitting .505 with 30 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Gordon also owned a 5-1 record with five saves and a 0.78 ERA.

The top ranked player in the nation was also named the Georgia Player of the Year. Clint Frazier participated in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game and has been an active player in the Baseball Factory Player Development Program. Frazier had a monster year at the plate, batting .485 with 17 home runs, 56 runs scored, 45 RBI, and a 1.134 slugging percentage in 32 games played. Frazier has committed to Georgia, but is predicted to be an early round selection in the First-Year Player Draft.

Fellow 2012 Under Armour All-American Trey Ball was named Indiana’s Player of the Year. The New Castle Trojan ace posted a 6-0 record, a 0.76 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched, and has led his team to the Class 4A sectional semifinals. The Texas commit also hit .329 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. Ball is projected to be an early draft pick.

Ryan Colombo was selected to the Baseball Factory program after attending the National Tryout in Kansas City, MO. The Kansas Player of the Year led the Seaman Vikings to a 20-2 record and a berth in the Class 5A state tournament. The reigning Class 5A Pitcher of the Year owned a 401 record this year with a 1.01 ERA. Colombo also batted .426 with 29 RBI. Colombo will play at Drury next year.

Calvert Hall’s Alex Murphy earned Maryland Player of the Year after an impressive senior season behind the plate. The catcher hit .538 for the season with 31 RBI and a .942 slugging percentage. Murphy frequented Factory Headquarters from an early age, taking lessons with our professional instructors. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will welcome Murphy as their catcher next season. 

Mississippi’s Player of the Year honors went to second baseman Reid Humphreys from Northwest Rankin. Humphreys attended the Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Jackson, MS, and also participated in Baseball Factory’s Premium Video Program. The Class 6A quarterfinal bound Cougars were led by Humphreys’ .389 average, 11 home runs, 32 RBI, 43 runs, and .874 slugging percentage. Humphreys will play at Mississippi State next season.

Hickman junior catcher Colby Fitch earned Missouri Player of the Year honors. Fitch threw out 12-of-15 base runners this season, and batted .500 with five home runs, 22 RBI, and a .960 slugging percentage. Fitch attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in Kansas City, MO. The rising senior has made a verbal commitment to Louisville.        

Ryder Jones certainly lived up to the hype this year at Watauga High School. The North Carolina Player of the Year batted .461 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and a .967 slugging percentage in 26 games played. Jones is an alumnus of Baseball Factory Team One program. He has signed with Stanford, but is likely an early pick in the First-Year Player Draft.

Ohio Player of the Year Andrew Benintendi reached new heights in his career at Madeira High School. He finished his career second in state history with 213 career base hits, breaking into the exclusive 200 hit club. The center fielder joined the Baseball Factory program after performing at the Under Armour National Tryout in Amelia, OH. Benintendi capped off his career with a .562 average, 12 home runs, and 55 RBI while also racing for 60 runs scored and 37 stolen bases. Benintendi will play for Arkansas next year.

Clackamas ace pitcher Austin Kelly earned Oregon Player of the Year honors. Kelly developed his arm through the Baseball Factory Player Development Program.  He concluded his senior year with an 8-1 record and 1.46 ERA while at the plate hit .408 with 21 RBI, leading his Cavaliers to a 25-3 record. Kelly has signed with Portland.  

Standout catcher Nick Ciuffo capped off an outstanding career at Lexington High with South Carolina Player of the Year honors. Ciuffo was a 2012 Under Armour All-American. His .468 average, 33 RBI, and .723 slugging percentage led the Wildcats to a 28-5 record and the Class 4A state title. Ciuffo has signed with South Carolina but is another projected early round draft pick.

After three consecutive First Team All-State selections, Kohl Stewart finally topped the list, earning Texas Player of the Year. Stewart did it all for St. Pius X this season, playing shortstop, outfield, and starting on the mound. He posted a 5-1 record, a 0.18 ERA, and 59 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched. Stewart also hit .384 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, 20 runs, and a .779 slugging percentage. His consistent play all season led St. Pius X to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools championship game. Stewart participated in the Baseball Factory Premium Video Program. He has signed with Texas A&M next season, but the No. 3 ranked player in the nation is a probable early draft pick this June.

Another alumnus of the Baseball Factory Premium Video Program, Luke Salerno, was named the Vermont Player of the Year. Salerno attended two video events, one in Brentwood, NY and one in Rindge, NH. At the time of his selection, the Essex High ace owned a 4-1 record though 12 games with a .80 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 35 innings-pitched. Salerno also batted .368 with 10 RBI. He will play for Castleton State College next year.

Virginia Player of the Year Connor Jones has been touted as one of the best pitchers in the nation. Jones was a member of Baseball Factory’s Team One program as well as the winning pitcher at the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game last summer. This season, Jones posted an 8-1 record for the Great Bridge Wildcats with a 0.73 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. Jones has signed with Virginia, but is a projected early round pick.

Pitcher and outfielder Corey Bird took home the West Virginia Player of the Year honors after leading the Herbert Hoover Huskies to a 28-3 record and a berth in the Class AA regional final. Bird batted .476 with 54 runs scored and 45 stolen bases this season, while also posting a 4-0 record with a 1.08 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. Bird selected to and participated in Baseball Factory’s Team One program. He will play for Marshall next season.

Keegan Thompson (Alabama), Carlos Salazar (California), Thomas Milone (Connecticut), Robert Kaminsky (New Jersey), Mark Armstrong (New York), Wil Crowe (Tennessee), and Reese McGuire (Washington) all earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as well.  These players were also selected to the 2013 Baseball Factory Top 100 High School Prospects, powered by Under Armour.