Jace LaViolette, Justin Vossos headline SBLive’s 2022 All-East Texas Baseball teams, awards

With the 2022 Texas high school baseball season finally in the books and six freshly-crowned state champions celebrating across the Lone Star State, it’s time to hand out some hardware to the state’s most dominant players on the diamond.

SBLive Texas will recognize the top contact hitters, aces, power bats and defensive stars in high school softball around the state this year with our All-Region (Central, East, North, South and West) Texas Baseball teams before wrapping up our end-of-season awards by unveiling SBLive’s 2022 Texas All-State Baseball teams.

RELATED: SBLive’s 2022 All-Central Texas Baseball teams, awards

We started our end-of-season baseball analysis deep in the heart of the Lone Star State by handing out All-Central Texas Baseball honors.

Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the Brazos Valley, Golden Triangle, Houston area and beyond to reveal SBLive’s 2022 All-East Texas Baseball teams and awards.

Here are all the baseball players and coaches who won our end-of-season superlative awards and earned First, Second or Third Team All-East Texas Baseball selections:

*Editor’s Note: College commitments and 2022 season stats listed where available.

ALL-EAST TEXAS BASEBALL AWARDS

All-East Texas MVP — Jace LaViolette, Senior, OF, Katy Tompkins 

• Texas A&M signee; .601 AVG, 51 RBI, 51 runs scored, 33 extra-base hits, 29 walks, 1.999 OPS, 13 triples, 12 SBs, 11 HRs in 31 GP

All-East Texas Pitcher of the Year — J.D. Thompson, Senior, P, Rusk

• Vanderbilt signee; 6-0 record, 0.27 ERA, 93 Ks; .400 AVG, 15 RBI in 30 GP

All-East Texas Offensive Player of the Year — Will Furniss, Senior, 1B/P, Nacogdoches

• Ole Miss signee; .488 AVG, 42 hits, 33 runs scored, 29 RBI, 17 extra-base hits, 1.439 OPS, Four HRs, Four SBs, Four Ks, .964 fielding percentage in 35 GP

All-East Texas Defensive Player of the Year — Justin Vossos, Senior, SS, Fort Bend Ridge Point

• Texas A&M signee; .357 AVG, 36 RBI, 35 hits, 32 runs scored, 18 extra-base hits, 14 walks, 1.071 OPS, Eight SBs, Three HRs in 31 GP

All-East Texas Newcomer of the Year — Omar Serna, Freshman, C, Pasadena Dobie

• LSU commit; .431 AVG, 26 RBI, 17 runs scored, 11 extra-base hits, Two HRs in 30 GP

All-East Texas Coach of the Year — Cory Benavides, Friendswood

• 4th season

FIRST TEAM ALL-EAST TEXAS

Pitcher — Garrett Stratton, Senior, P, Houston Strake Jesuit

• Rice signee; 6-0 record, 0.90 ERA, 85 Ks, 23 hits, .124 opponents’ batting average, 54.1 IP in 15 GP

Pitcher — Chase Batten, Sophomore, P, Richmond Foster

• Arizona State commit; 8-1 record, 0.50 ERA, 95 Ks, 22 BBs, .085 opponents’ batting average, 56.1 IP; .323 AVG, 20 hits, 13 RBI in 33 GP

Catcher — Dylan Maxcey, Senior, C/INF, Friendswood

• Texas Tech signee; .468 AVG, 31 RBI, 17 BBs, 10 SBs, .537 OBP, Five HRs in 39 GP

First Base — Caden Ferraro, Junior, 1B/P/OF, Pearland

• Texas A&M commit; .387 AVG, 43 RBI, 7 HRs; 10-0 record, 1.13 ERA, 104 Ks, 25 BBs, 68.1 IP in 42 GP

Second Base — Jonathon Gonzales, Senior, 2B, Houston Milby

• Wharton County JC signee; .494 AVG, 39 hits, 28 runs scored, 22 RBI, 21 SBs, 10 extra-base hits, 1.186 OPS, Two triples in 40 GP

Shortstop — Sam Flores, Senior, SS, Lufkin

• McLennan CC signee; .500 AVG, 57 hits, 36 RBI, 24 extra-base hits, Five HRs in 24 GP

Third Base — Boots Landry, Junior, 3B/1B, Friendswood

• Texas A&M commit; .350 AVG, 45 RBI, 41 hits, 30 runs scored, 23 extra-base hits, 1.150 OPS, Six HRs, Five triples in 39 GP

Outfield — Trey Duffield, Senior, OF, Houston Strake Jesuit

• Rice signee; .376 AVG, 57 runs scored, 47 hits, 40 RBI, 27 extra-base hits, 1.286 OPS, 14 SBs, Nine HRs, Seven triples, .943 fielding percentage in 26 GP

Outfield — Kendall George, Junior, OF, Humble Atascocita

• Arkansas commit; .417 AVG, 45 hits, 32 runs scored, 23 RBI, 22 SBs, Nine extra-base hits, 1.075 OPS, Five triples, Two HRs in 32 GP

Outfield — Braylon Payne, Sophomore, OF, Fort Bend Elkins

• Houston commit; .449 AVG, 48 hits, 32 runs scored, 31 SBs, 27 RBI, 16 extra-base hits, 1.227 OPS, Five triples, Four HRs, .941 fielding percentage in 30 GP

Utility — Alex Slowikowski, Senior, P/1B, Garrison

• 13-2 record, 2.01 ERA, 98 Ks, 60 hits allowed, 1.13 WHIP, 80.2 IP; .456 AVG, 52 hits, 51 runs scored, 40 RBI, 25 extra-base hits, 21 walks, 1.322 OPS, Six triples, Three HRs in 40 GP

SECOND TEAM ALL-EAST TEXAS

Pitcher — Mark Zapata, Senior, P, Pearland

• 10-1 record, 0.83 ERA, 120 Ks, 18 BBs, 62 IP in 42 GP

Pitcher — Mason Ruiz, Senior, P/1B, Bryan

• Texas A&M signee; 9-1 record, 0.89 ERA, 89 Ks, 55 IP in 25 GP

Catcher — Paul Smith, Senior, C, Houston Episcopal

• Rice signee; .540 AVG, 47 RBI, 25 extra-base hits, 1.562 OPS, Six HRs, Five triples in 31 GP

First Base — Jack Little, Senior, 1B, Katy Tompkins

• Wichita State signee; .471 AVG, 42 RBI, 25 SBs, Two HRs in 31 GP

Second Base — Alex Dunagan, Senior, 2B, Cy-Fair

• Colorado School of Mines signee; .390 AVG, 39 hits, 36 runs scored, 25 SBs, Seven triples in 33 GP

Shortstop — Ryan Dollar, Senior, SS/P, Aldine MacArthur

• Houston signee; .512 AVG, 42 hits, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored, 16 extra-base hits, 1.413 OPS, Seven SBs, Three triples, Three HRs; 8-2 record, 1.35 ERA, 121 Ks, 25 hits allowed, 0.79 WHIP, .114 opponents’ batting average, Four complete-game shutouts, One no-hitter, 62 IP in 27 GP

Third Base — Cade Climie, Senior, 3B, Katy Seven Lakes

• Texas A&M signee; .427 AVG, 35 hits, 25 runs scored, 23 walks, 20 RBI, 13 SBs, 11 extra-base hits, 1.174 OPS, Three triples in 31 GP

Outfield — Kyeler Thompson, Junior, OF, Santa Fe

• .469 AVG, 38 hits, 30 runs scored, 17 SBs, 13 RBI, Nine extra-base hits, 1.172 OPS, Two HRs, 1.000 fielding percentage in 25 GP

Outfield — Sam Lee, Sophomore, OF, Montgomery Lake Creek

• Arkansas commit; .411 AVG, 22 RBI, 11 SBs, Six triples, .452 OBP in 35 GP

Outfield — Blake Binderup, Senior, OF/P, College Station

• Texas A&M signee; .376 AVG, 33 RBI, 10 HRs, Three SBs; 4-3 record, 1.88 ERA, 79 Ks, 55.2 IP in 36 GP

Utility — Sean Bazemore, Junior, 3B/P, Crosby

• .419 AVG, 44 hits, 28 SBs, 27 RBI, 11 extra-base hits, .947 fielding percentage, Six triples; 10-3 record, 1.27 ERA, 80 Ks, 26 BBs, 82.2 IP in 36 GP

THIRD TEAM ALL-EAST TEXAS

Pitcher — Jacob Rogers, Senior, P/OF, Friendswood

• Texas Tech signee; 8-3 record, 1.66 ERA, 89 Ks, 33 BBs, 76 IP in 39 GP

Pitcher — Hunter Nichols, Senior, P, Fort Bend Ridge Point

• 10-4 record, 1.08 ERA, 104 Ks, 48 BBs, 84 IP in 41 GP

Catcher — Conner Bennett, Junior, C, Conroe Oak Ridge

• Vanderbilt commit; .418 AVG, 46 hits, 22 extra-base hits, 16 RBI, 1.192 OPS, HR, .990 fielding percentage, 12 CS outs in 38 GP

First Base — Lane Arroyos, Junior, 1B/P, Fulshear

• .420 AVG, 41 RBI, .522 OBP, HR in 32 GP

Second Base — Jayden Duplantier, Senior, 2B/SS, Humble Summer Creek

• Texas signee; .364 AVG, 44 hits, 40 runs scored, 23 RBI, 20 walks, .859 OPS, 19 SBs, Four extra-base hits in 36 GP

Shortstop — Coby Dejesus, Senior, SS/P, Diboll

• Houston signee; .425 AVG, 57 hits, 54 runs scored, 35 RBI, 24 walks, 22 extra-base hits, 1.218 OPS, 32 SBs, Five HRs, .452 AVG with RISP in 42 GP

Third Base — Mason Lampe, Senior, 3B/C, Brenham

• .376 AVG, 45 RBI, Four HRs in 39 GP

Outfield — Cameron Pate, Junior, OF, Centerville

• .410 AVG, 30 RBI in 34 GP

Outfield — Blake Hansen, Senior, OF, Katy Cinco Ranch

• Texas A&M signee; .402 AVG, 35 hits, 19 RBI, 12 extra-base hits, 1.120 OPS, Eight SBs, Three triples, Two HRs, .913 fielding percentage in 29 GP

Outfield — Carson Garrett, Junior, OF, Barbers Hill

• Tarleton State commit; .361 AVG, 31 runs scored, 30 hits, 25 walks, 24 SBs, 13 RBI, Eight extra-base hits, 1.027 OPS, Two HRs in 32 GP

Utility — Kale Knox, Junior, P, Buna

• .411 AVG, 29 RBI; 8-1 record, 1.03 ERA, 54.1 IP in 32 GP