Mauldin High's Madison Younginer is used to big league attention.
Yet, Younginer was still surprised when he was named the Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year on Thursday.
The honor also establishes Younginer as a finalist for the National Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this month.
“I was really excited about it when I heard,” Younginer said. “I was kind of surprised, but I was really happy. I don't know if I can win the national one, but it's really cool just to be in the mix for it.”
Younginer led the Mavericks to a 14-9 overall record, managing a 4-0 mark as a starting pitcher. He finished with an ERA of 1.50, tallying 33 strikeouts over 18.2 innings.
From the plate, Younginer finished with a batting average of .406 with 3 home runs, 17 RBIs and 22 runs scored. He finished with an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.131.
Younginer was just as productive in the classroom, finishing his senior year with a 4.48 cumulative GPA.
Younginer is the first Mauldin High student to earn the Gatorade award. He is the second area player to be selected for it in the last four years. Wren High's Jason Place earned the honor after the 2005-06 season.
