Following the program’s first baseball state championship game appearance in program history, Buchholz’s Ron Brooks finished second in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A Coach of the Year.

The Florida Dairy Farmers announced the 2024 Mr. Baseball and Baseball Coach of the Year nominees Wednesday after balloting by a statewide panel of high school baseball coaches and prep media representatives.

Buchholz defeated Hagerty (Oviedo), 1-0, on May 14 in the 6A-Region 1 Final to advance to the school’s first final four.

The Bobcats (24-9) crushed Bloomingdale (Valrico), 12-0, in the state semifinals but lost to Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 10-3, in the title game.

Dwyer’s Jordan Yamamoto, a former Florida Marlins pitcher, was named the Class 6A Coach of the Year 

In his first year as a coach after leading his squad to a 23-7 record and the school’s first state title.

Brooks was the only area coach or player to be nominated in the top three. 

Below are the seven individual class finalists. Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in his classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. 

The two overall winners will be announced following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.

Following are the 2024 Mr. Baseball Award finalists:

• Devin Fitz-Gerald, Senior, Shortstop, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Player of the Year

Helped his squad to the Class 7A state title by hitting .407 with 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 34 runs scored and 26 RBI. Committed to North Carolina State.

• Logan Baisley, Senior, Pitcher, Land O’ Lakes, Class 6A Player of the Year

Helped his team to a 21-6 record with a 9-1 record and an 0.11 ERA. Had 98 strikeouts and 18 walks in 63 innings and gave up only one earned run. Committed to St. Leo University.

• Johnny King, Senior, Pitcher/First Baseman, Naples, Class 5A Player of the Year 

Helped his squad to a 21-8 season with an 8-1 record, an 0.73 ERA and 110 strikeouts with 17 walks in in 48 innings. Also hit .500 with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 25 runs scored and 23 RBI. Signed with the University of Miami.

• Nic Partridge, Junior, Shortstop, Mulberry, Class 4A Player of the Year

Helped his team to a spot in the state Final Four with a .457 batting average, 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 40 runs scored, 22 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Committed to the University of Florida.

• Mateo Gray, Senior, Pitcher, North Broward Prep, Class 3A Player of the Year

Helped his team to the Class 3A state championship with an 11-0 record and an 0.83 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 17 walks in 76 innings pitched. Committed to the University of Central Florida.

• Andreas Alvarez, Senior, Pitcher, Northside Christian, Class 2A Player of the Year 

Helped his team to the Class 2A state Final Four with a 10-1 record and a 1.23 ERA with 111 strikeouts and 31 walks in 74 innings pitched. Signed with Auburn University.

• Trey Power, Senior, Pitcher/Outfielder, Bozeman, Class 1A Player of the Year

Helped his team to a state runner-up finish with an 11-0 record and an 0.41 ERA. Had 112 strikeouts and 14 walks in 68 innings pitched. Hit .355 with 29 runs scored and 28 RBI. Signed with Alabama State University.

Following are the 2024 Baseball Coach of the Year finalists:

• Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 26-5 record and a fourth straight Class 7A state title. 

• Jordan Yamamoto, Dwyer, Class 6A Coach of the Year 

In his first year as a coach, the former Florida Marlins pitcher led his squad to a 23-7 record and the Class 6A championship, the school’s first state title.

• Miguel Menendez, Tampa Jesuit, Class 5A Coach of the Year

Led his team to a 26-6 record and the Class 5A state title, the school’s third state title (2019 and 2022) to go with two state runner-up finishes in his 10 years at Jesuit.

• Jason Hamilton, Cardinal Gibbons, Class 4A Coach of the Year

Led his team to a 25-4-2 record and the Class 4A state title, the school’s first state championship in 37 years.

• Brian Campbell, North Broward Prep, Class 3A Coach of the Year

Led his team to a 28-3 record and the Class 3A state title, the program’s third state title in the past four years.

• Tom Lucas, St. Johns Country Day, Class 2A Coach of the Year

Led his team to a 25-6 record and the Class 2A state title, the school’s first state championship.

• Duane Raley, Jay, Class 1A Coach of the Year

In his second year at Jay, Raley his team to a 19-10 record and a state championship, the school’s first title since 1970.