PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Paxton De La Garza, Sr., Coronado
The shortstop polished off a stellar career at Coronado by hitting .414 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs — 19 of his 53 hits went for extra bases. He also helped Team Texas win the championship at the Heartland Classic in Norman, Okla., where he hit .355 with two home runs and five RBIs. De La Garza will play at Weatherford College next season.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Taylor Bridges, Jr., Coronado
Bridges, who earns this distinction for the second straight season, was instrumental in Coronado’s run to a district championship and the regional quarterfinals this season. The District 2-5A first team lefty, the compiled a 9-2 record with a 2.39 ERA, striking out 88 hitters in 67 1/3 innings.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Gary Hix, Coronado
The second-year Coronado coach led the Mustangs to the District 2-5A title, a feat the team wasn’t able to accomplish when it ran all the way to the state championship game in 2011. After battling back from a one-game deficit to win an area round series against Abilene High this season, Coronado fell to Arlington Martin in the regional quarterfinals.
PITCHER
Steven Smith, Jr., Frenship
Even though he was plagued by leg injuries, Smith put together a strong season on the mound for Frenship, which finished second in District 3-4A. Smith, the district’s most valuable player, recorded a 2.27 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP in 37 innings. He also hit .459 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
PITCHER
Kit Henderson, Sr., Monterey
Henderson was a dependable force for Monterey, which rode a hot second half to a second-place finish in District 2-5A. As the Plainsmen’s ace, Henderson recorded a 2.73 ERA in 45 innings. As the team’s leadoff hitter, he batted .322 with a .427 on-base percentage. He will play at Sul Ross State next season.
PITCHER
Will Breedlove, Sr., Coronado
As part of strong pitching staff for the Mustangs, Breedlove went 5-2 with a 2.62 ERA in 50 2/3 innings, and he also recorded three saves. Breedlove’s best performance came in the deciding game of the area round series, when he pitched a one-hit shutout to lift the Mustangs over Abilene High.
FIRST BASEMAN
Ryan Almager, Jr., Monterey
The junior earned all-District 2-5A first-team honors for his performance with the Plainsmen this season, his first as a full-time player on the varsity squad. Almager combined with Travon Benton to make first base a power-producing position for Monterey.
SECOND BASEMAN
Josh Narvaiz, Jr., Coronado
Narvaiz, a first-team all-district selection, provided some pop at the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the Mustangs, hitting .272 with nine doubles and 12 RBIs. His 29 runs scored were the second most on the team. Narvaiz also recorded a .930 fielding percentage.
SHORTSTOP
Michael Davis, So., Lubbock High
Davis was named the District 2-5A first-team shortstop for his performance with the Westerners this season. He batted .348 with a .458 on-base percentage with 11 walks and 16 runs scored.
THIRD BASEMAN
Tyler Thorne, Jr., Coronado
Thorne led Coronado with a .455 batting average, and he compiled a 1.091 OPS. Already committed to play at Stanford, Thorne was also strong on the mound, posting a 2.87 ERA in 46 1/3 innings of work.
CATCHER
Colson Craddick, Sr., Monterey
Craddick played his best baseball in the second half of the season to lead Monterey to a second-place district finish. He finished the year hitting .326 with 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 30 RBIs — seven of them coming in Monterey’s final two games. Craddick will play at Hardin-Simmons next season.
CATCHER
Bryndan Arredondo, Jr., Frenship
After a stellar sophomore season, Arredondo was strong behind the plate again for the Tigers as a junior. He hit .347 with six doubles, three triples, a home run and 30 RBIs. Arredondo made only five errors in 200 total chances, a .975 fielding percentage.
OUTFIELDER
Tyler Pridmore, Sr., Monterey
Pridmore was one of Monterey’s vocal team leaders this season, and he also let his play do the talking. He hit .333 with a .495 slugging percentage. Twelve of Pridmore’s 37 hits went for extra bases — seven doubles, four triples and a home run — to go with 25 RBIs.
OUTFIELDER
Chance Rollins, Sr., Plainview
The senior tallied a team-high .388 average for the Bulldogs to go along with five doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs and a .921 OPS. Rollins was also a perfect 10 for 10 on stolen base attempts, and he compiled a 4.36 ERA in 37 1/3 innings on the mound.
OUTFIELDER
Tyler Schovanec, Sr., Lubbock High
Schovanec paced the Westerners with a .394 average during District 2-5A play, and he drove in 20 runs. Schovanec, a three-sport athlete during his time at Lubbock High, will play football at Carroll University (Wisc.) next season.
UTILITY
Chad Curtis, So., Frenship
The first-team all-District 3-4A outfielder hit .342 in his first full season as a starter. Curtis hit two doubles, three triples and one home run to go along with 11 RBIs. He scored 21 runs, third most on the team.
UTILITY
Blake Walden, So., Monterey
Monterey coach Kent Meador is high on the potential of Walden, who seemed to grow stronger as the season went on. He finished the season with a .317 average with five doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs. He also went 5-3 on the mound with a 4.25 ERA.
Second Team
Pitchers: Kyle Rutherford, Jr., Frenship; Jay Rawlins, So., Frenship; Bryson Mitchell, Sr., Coronado
Catcher: Greg Hewett, Jr., Coronado
First Base: Travon Benton, So., Monterey
Second Base: Evan Gayler, So., Monterey
Shortstop: J.J. Perez, Jr., Plainview
Third Base: Trey Hernandez, Jr., Plainview
Outfielders: Bo Ricks, Jr., Frenship; Cade Davis, Jr., Frenship; Clayton Brown, Sr., Coronado
Utility: Ralph Molina, Sr., Lubbock High; Craig Grossman, Sr., Coronado
