Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year
New Jersey standout named nation's top high school performer

WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (May 31, 2007) – In its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes , Gatorade ® Thirst Quencher, in partnership with RISE Magazine , today announced senior pitcher Rick Porcello of Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey) as its 2006-07 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

 

The award, which recognizes not only athletic performance, but also meeting high standards of academic achievement while demonstrating exemplary personal character on and off the field, distinguishes Porcello as the nation's best high school baseball player. A national advisory board comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country selected Porcello from more than 470,000 high school baseball players nationwide. Porcello is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at a special ceremony the afternoon prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior right-hander with a mid 90s fastball and late-breaking curve was 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA, 96 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 56 innings. A 2006 Aflac All-American and a projected first-round pick in next month's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Porcello has thrown five complete games in 2007, including a 77-pitch perfect game this season on May 12 against Newark Academy . Porcello helped lead the Pirates to a 28-1 record and the top spot in USA TODAY's Super 25 baseball rankings entering the New Jersey State Non-Public A postseason tournament, which began on May 29.

Porcello recently led the Pirates to a 5-1 victory over East Side High School in the Greater Newark Tournament championship game, limiting East Side to just five hits and one unearned run, and striking out 10 to give Seton Hall Prep its seventh GNT title since 1997. No slouch at the plate, Porcello has 38 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .470 average this season.

Porcello has maintained a 3.94 GPA in the classroom. He is a member of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society and serves as a volunteer youth coach at local baseball camps and clinics.

“Rick has such a high level of poise and maturity on the mound,” said Seton Hall Prep head coach Mike Sheppard. “He doesn't get rattled, no matter who he's facing and no matter what the situation is. He's the consummate hard-worker and his greatest attribute, honestly, is his personal makeup. He possesses tremendous integrity and humility.”

Porcello will attend the University of North Carolina on a baseball scholarship this fall, pending the outcome of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft next month.

“Without question, Rick is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school boys baseball player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his play had on Seton Hall Prep's success,” said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jeff Urban. “But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field. The selection process is administered by RISE Magazine, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information and lists of past winners and future announcement dates, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear .

ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONOREES

 

Year

Name

High School/Location

Status

2006-07

Rick Porcello

Seton Hall Prep/West Orange , NJ

High School Senior

2005-06

Clayton Kershaw

Highland Park/Dallas, TX

Los Angeles Dodgers Org.

2004-05

Justin Upton

Great Bridge/Chesapeake, VA

Arizona Diamondbacks Org.

2003-04

Mark Rogers

Mt. Ararat/Topsham, Maine

Milwaukee Brewers Org.

2002-03

Chris Lubanski

Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic/ Norristown , PA

Kansas City Royals Org.

2001-02

Zack Greinke

Apopka/Apopka, FL

Kansas City Royals

2000-01

Casey Kotchman

Seminole/Seminole, FL

Anaheim Angels

1999-00

Jason Stokes

Coppell/Coppell, TX

Florida Marlins Org.

1998-99

B.J. Garbe

Moses Lake/Moses Lake , WA

Minnesota Twins Org.

1997-98

Drew Henson

Brighton/Brighton, MI

Dallas Cowboys

1996-97

Darnell McDonald

Cherry Creek/Englewood, CO

Tampa Bay Devil Rays Org.

1995-96

Matt White

Waynesboro/Waynesboro, PA

Tampa Bay Devil Rays Org.

1994-95

Chad Hutchinson

Torrey Pines/San Diego, CA

Retired

1993-94

Doug Million

Sarasota/Sarasota, FL

Deceased

1992-93

Alex Rodriguez

Westminster Christian/Miami, FL

New York Yankees

1991-92

A.J. Hinch

Midwest City/Midwest City, OK

Arizona Diamondbacks Mgmt.

1990-91

Brian Barber

Dr. Phillips/Orlando, FL

Retired

1989-90

Todd VanPoppel

James Martin/Arlington, TX

Retired

1988-89

Jeff Jackson

Simeon/Chicago, IL

Retired

1987-88

Mark Lewis

Hamilton/Hamilton, OH

Retired

1986-87

Willie Banks

St. Anthony's/ Jersey City , NJ

Retired

1985-86

Gary Sheffield

Hillsborough/Tampa, FL

Detroit Tigers

Contact:
Paul Jackiewicz (312-301-2715)