ESPN-HS Posts Final “Starting Nine”, features McCullers, Hawkins, Cecchini, Gallo & Olson

June 23, 2012 · No Comments

By docsilvey

23JUNE2012

Original article link: The Starting Nine — Final Edition

1. Byron Buxton, Appling County (Baxley, Ga.), OF/RHP, Senior
Preseason spot: No. 3

2. Lance McCullers Jr., Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), RHP/SS, Senior
Preseason spot: No. 4
What he did: The Gatorade National Player of the Year allowed just two earned runs all season while going 13-0 with a 0.18 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. Opponents hit just .106 off McCullers, who also hit two homers and had 21 RBIs and led Jesuit to the Class 5A state semifinals. The No. 7 player in the ESPN 100 was drafted No. 41 overall by Houston.

3. Kyle Carter, Columbus (Ga.), OF/LHP, Senior
Preseason spot: No. 8

4. Gavin Cecchini, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), SS, Senior
Preseason Spot: No. 6
What he did: A first-round pick of the New York Mets, Cecchini hit at a .467 clip this year while using a wood bat for the majority of the season. Named Gatorade State Player of the Year for the second straight season, Cecchini also had a .527 OBP, seven homers, 32 RBIs and 31 stolen bases while leading Barbe to the Class 5A state championship.

5. Courtney Hawkins, Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), RHP/OF, Senior
Preseason spot: No. 9
What he did: Hawkins, who was drafted No. 13 overall by the Chicago White Sox, led Carroll to the Class 5A state semifinals. He hit .421 on the year with a .563 OBP, 11 homers, 39 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He also went 5-2 on the mound with a 0.95 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

6. Kyle Marsh, Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.), RHP, Sophomore
Preseason spot: Not ranked

7. Ty Hensley, Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.), RHP, Senior
Preseason spot: On Deck

8. Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 3B/RHP, Senior
Preseason spot: No. 2
What he did: The power-hitting Gallo slugged 21 homers this season while hitting .509 and driving in 80. The No. 11 player in the ESPN 100 had four multi-homer games and led Gorman to its seventh consecutive state title.
The Gatorade State Player of the Year was drafted
No. 39 overall by the Texas Rangers.

9. Stephen Gonsalves, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), LHP, Junior
Preseason spot: Not ranked

On Deck
Matt Olson, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 1B/RHP, Senior
Preseason spot: On Deck
What he did: Olson led the Panthers to their second straight Class AAAAA state title with a two-game sweep of Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.). Olson outdueled first-round pick Lucas Sims on the mound and added a two-run homer in the first game and then hit the game-winning homer in the second. He finished the season with a .407 average, 11 homers and 52 RBIs and went 12-1 with a 1.64 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. Rated No. 97 in the ESPN 100, Olson was drafted No. 47 overall by the Oakland A’s.