By PATRICK WALSH
Six seniors capped off their varsity careers with Player of the Year honors. One sophomore took the next step this season to reach the honor. Sam Miller (Fairport), Connor Osier (Greece Athena), Miguel Matos (East), Brady Bouchard (Penn Yan), Henry Shutts (Gananda), John Gawel (Honeoye) and Matt Cater (Genesee Valley-Belfast) were all honored by Section V Coaches for their regular-season efforts.
Miller (Fairport/Binghamton) capped off his senior campaign with a 6-0 record on the mound during the regular season. The right-hander fanned 65 and posted a 1.28 ERA. At the dish, Miller boasted a .424 batting average and drove in eight runs, scoring 21 times. Prior to the season, Miller garnered Pre-season Honorable Mention All-American and First-team All-Northeast Region honors, both recognized by Perfect Game.
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In the postseason, Miller went 3-0, including wins in the Section V Championship game, Far West Regional and NYSPHSAA Semifinal, averaging 10 punchouts per game over those three starts. The senior tacked on an additional four RBI at the plate. Miller was named Gatorade NYS Player of the Year Finalist and First-Team ACBA All-Northeast Region.
Osier (Greece Athena/Houston) batted .431 and connected on 10 extra-base hits, including one home run against Canandaigua on May 9. Osier drove in 28 and scored 15 runs during the regular season. On the mound, the University of Houston commit went 4-1 with 1.51 ERA. Osier hurled 32 innings and struck out 64.
Osier toed the rubber twice in the postseason hurling 6.2 innings, striking out nine. At the plate, the senior drove in two and roped a double and a single and finished with a slash line of .423/.470/.648 and drove in 30 runs.
Matos (East/MCC) went 9-0 on the mound and hurled three complete games for the Eagles this season. The senior right-hander posted a 1.06 ERA with 108 strikeouts and helped lead East to an undefeated regular season, the only Section V squad to achieve such feat this season. At the dish, Matos batted .585 with 11 extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs. The senior drove in 24 and scored 28 runs for the Eagles.
Over his three-year varsity career, Matos finished with a 15-6 record on the mound, hurling five complete games and striking out 223. Matos slugged eight home runs and batted .480 with 62 RBI and 80 runs scored.
Bouchard (Penn Yan/Binghamton) finished with a 7-0 record and posted an ERA of 0.25 alongside two no-hitters. The right-hander fanned 139, including a 21-strikeout performance against Waterloo on May 9. In that game, Bouchard also notched his 400th career strikeout. At the plate, the Binghamton commit batted .472 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 17 RBI.
Bouchard ends his varsity career with a 20-8 record over three seasons, striking out 426 and hurling three no-hitters. The senior was a member of the 2023 Section V Class B2 champion Mustangs and his 21-strikeout performance is tied for second in the Section V Record Book.
Shutts (Gananda) was the lone sophomore to garner Player of the Year honors. Shutts went 7-1 in nine starts this season for the Blue Panthers, striking out 79 over 45 innings of work while posting a 1.55 ERA. At the plate, Shutts slashed .545/.640/.788 with 12 extra-base hits and one home run. The sophomore drove in 29 runs and scored 33.
Shutts, who has been a varsity starter since he was in eighth grade, improved his career strikeout total to 274 and his RBI total to 55. Over those three years, Shutts has recorded 73 hits, 26 of which have been extra-base hits.
Gawel (Honeoye) batted .583 with 28 hits, including 12 extra-base hits with 19 RBI. The senior posted a slugging percentage of 1.021 and only struck out three times all season. Behind the plate, Gawel threw out seven runners and had a fielding percentage of .979.
Gawel recorded a hit in 18 of 19 games for the Bulldogs, including an 18-game hit streak. The senior finished with the second-highest batting average in program history and is one of four Bulldogs in program history to be named Player of the Year. Gawel also garnered Finger Lakes West Player of the Year honors.
Matt Cater (Genesee Valley-Belfast) finished with a .475 average and drove in 40 runs this season. The senior third baseman connected on 15 extra-base hits, including four home runs.
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