The Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year were selected based on athletic production and impact in the 2015-16 season. Each winner also demonstrated high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism, sportsmanship and community leadership.

For a list of the other Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year winners, click here.

THE WINNER: Jonny Homza

THE BASICS

School: South Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska)
Grade: Junior
Position: Shortstop and right-handed pitcher
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 180 pounds

Athletic achievement: He has led the Wolverines to a 6-1 record with the Alaska State Athletic Association state tournament scheduled to begin on June 2. At the time of his selection, Homza was batting .517 with 17 runs scored and nine RBI while producing a .611 on-base percentage through seven games. A USA TODAY American Family Insurance ALL-USA Alaska honoree as a junior, he owned a 2-0 record on the mound and tossed a no-hitter against West Anchorage earlier this month.

Academic excellence: Homza has maintained a 3.47 GPA.

Exemplary character: He has volunteered locally on behalf of Standing Together Against Rape and as a youth baseball coach and camp counselor.

THE PRAISE

“I first saw Jonny Homza play as a 10-year-old and even at that young age, I could tell he was going to be a special player,” said South Anchorage head coach Taylor Nerland. “He possesses great physical assets but what sets him apart is his baseball IQ. He is a complete ballplayer and a great teammate.”

THE FUTURE: Homza has verbally committed to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Hawaii beginning in the fall of 2017