Minnesota Gatorade POYs announced

Postseason time is always great in the high school sports world, as teams compete for state titles and individuals earn awards. The Gatorade Minnesota Baseball and Softball Players of the Year were announced recently.

Winning the award for baseball in the state of Minnesota was Hunter VaDeer, a senior at Lyle-Pacelli High School. Heading into the postseason, VaDeer has an earned run average of 0.19 with 83 strikeouts in just under 38 innings pitched.

He is also hitting .418 with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 27 runs scored. VaDeer will head to Creighton University in the fall to continue playing baseball.

"Hunter VaDeer is a true five-tool player with a live fastball and two outstanding secondary pitches he can throw in any count," said Brock Meyer, his high school coach. "He's provided our program with invaluable leadership on and off the field through his hard work, dedication to the game and commitment to his community."

Capturing the softball award was Mya Tautges, a senior at Brainerd High School. She is a three-sport athlete with 228 strikeouts and an earned run average of 0.28 this season while going 17-6 inside the circle.

Tautges is also hitting .480 with nine home runs, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored, as she will play softball at the University of St. Thomas next year.

"Mya is a three-sport athlete and the best softball player I've coached in 26 years, and I have coached 12 players who've gone on to play at the Division I level and countless others who've played collegiately," her high school coach, Shane Jordan, said. "Her competitive spirit is unmatched. She was a unanimous selection by all 29 Brainerd High head coaches for the Warrior Athlete of the Year - a feat we believe to be the first time in school history.

"Not only is she the best athlete I've coached, she is the hardest-working."

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

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