Refugio High School pitcher Jared Kelley has been named the 2019-20 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, Gatorade announced on Thursday.
Kelley won the award for his athletic excellence, academic achievements and character demonstrated on and off the field. Voted on by a panel of experts and journalists, the high school senior edged out nearly half a million student-athletes who compete in baseball each year—and topped the list of 51 state winners.
With the recognition, Kelley is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high school sports—the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award—which will be announced in July.