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The awards continue to pour in on Caney Valley pitcher, and 2020 Wichita State baseball commitment, Jace Kaminska.
The latest honor is recognized as the 2019 Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year. The program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school sports and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.
Kaminska, a 6’2″, 200 lbs. senior this year, compiled a 4-0 record with 85 strikeouts, 33 of which were consecutive, in 32 innings pitched while going on to set the state record for a single-season ERA of .000, minimum 30 innings pitched. He also recorded two perfect games in the 2018 season.
The Bullpup pitcher also doubles as a shortstop with a .511 batting average last year, two home runs and 17 runs batted in.
He was named the 2018 Class 3A Pitcher of the Year while also earning All-Tri Valley Honorable Mention in basketball in addition to his baseball accolades that included 1st Team All-State selection and two-time All-Area honoree.
In the classroom, Kaminska maintained a 4.0 GPA last year and ranks number one in his class.
As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Plat It Forward,” Kaminska also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing.
Kaminska joins an elite association of Gatorade Player of the Year award-winners in baseball with the likes of current and former professional baseball players such as Derek Jeter, Jon Lester, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Rick Porcello, and Kris Bryant.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit www.Gatorade.com/POY