Vote now: Who was the best player in the 2023 Texas (UIL) state baseball tournament?
Six state champions were crowned last week in the 2023 Texas (UIL) state baseball tournament in Round Rock and Austin.
>> Texas (UIL) high school baseball state 2023: Everything you missed in championship round
Which players rose to the occasion in the semifinal and final rounds? Read up on the best performances across all six classifications and cast your vote for the best in the poll below. Voting stays open until Wednesday, June 21 at 11:59 p.m.
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Top stars, best performances in 2023 UIL state baseball tournament
Names are in alphabetical order.
Trevor Black, China Spring (4A), senior
Gave China Spring the game-winning run in the 12th inning in a 3-2 5A state championship thriller with Liberty-Eylau, and drove in the other two. He had two hits and went 4 1/3 innings pitching with three strikeouts opposite six walks, one earned run and two hits.
Jackson Blank, Magnolia West (5A), senior
His single to right field in the top of the sixth inning broke the 5A state championship game open, driving in the game's first three runs in a 3-2 win over Argyle.
Tyson Brooks, Maypearl (3A), sophomore
Standout catcher went 4-for-4 in a 3A state semifinal loss to Boyd, the eventual 3A state champion.
Jase Garrett, China Spring (4A), senior
China Spring maximized its state tournament stay with two 12-inning games and Garrett was a rock through both. Murray State commit had one passed ball through 24 innings and peppered a single, double, a sack bunt and a stolen base into two momentous state championship-securing China Spring wins.
James Ellwanger, Magnolia West (5A), senior
Carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning with two outs in the 5A semifinals against Frisco Reedy and finished with 17 strikeouts, no earned runs and one hit allowed.
Grady Emerson, Argyle (5A), freshmen
Logged a hit and scored twice a 5-2 5A semifinal win over Boerne Champion.
Sam Erickson, Flower Mound (6A), junior
Texas A&M commit went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in the 6A state championship game, a 6-4 win over Pearland. His home run over the left-center fence drove in two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Caden Ferraro, Pearland (6A), senior
Went 2-for-3 at the plat with an RBI and a run in the Oilers' 11-1 win over Austin Westlake in the 6A semifinals, then went 2-for-5 with another RBI in a 6A title loss to Flower Mound.
Gage Goldberg, Boerne Champion (5A), junior
He had Champion's only extra base hit — a double — in the 5A state semifinal loss to Argyle.
Zack James, Flower Mound (6A), junior
Pitched a complete game in a 6A state semifinal win over Cypress Woods. He allowed eight hits, three earned runs and two walks and struck out two.
WT Jones, Texarkana Liberty-Eylau (4A), senior
The junior started a six-run first inning with a two-run triple deep into the right field corner that gave Liberty-Eylau a lead it never relinquished in a 4A state semifinal win over Canyon Randall. In a 3-2 championship loss to China Spring, he pitched 1 1/3 spick-and-span innings with no hits, runs and a strikeout and drove in a run in the top of the fifth.
Kaden Juarez, Canyon Randall (4A), senior
During Liberty-Eylau's offensive onslaught 15-5 Class 4A semifinal win, Juarez was a bright spot for Randall. The first baseman went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Chance Konvicka, Fayetteville (1A), sophomore
A reliable bat in Fayetteville's 1A state runner-up finish, Konvicka had three hits over two days and pitched a complete game shutout against Nazareth in the semifinals. He doled out nine strikeouts opposite three hits and a walk.
Aidan LeMasters, Boyd (3A), senior
The play of the state semifinals. Down two in the bottom of the seventh, the senior third baseman drilled a grounder to left field, driving in two runs to walk off with an 8-7 win over Maypearl. He finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. He went 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run in the title.
Blake Mitchell, Sinton (4A), senior
Texas' two-time Gatorade Player of the Year stepped in to close and struck out two and gave up two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings in an 8-4 loss to China Spring in the 4A semifinals. He also had a double to left-center and was in scoring position when China Spring closed the sixth inning.
Dakota Murray, Kennard (1A), senior
The first baseman's third inning single to center field drove in two runners to give Kennard its first lead of the state 1A semifinals. The Tigers lost to Abbott 5-4.
Peyton Murray, Harleton (2A), junior
Murray's double kicked off a four-run inning in the 2A semifinals against Collinsville, then logged two hits with an RBI in the state finals against Shiner.
Kellan Oliver, Wall (3A), freshman
His RBI double down the left field line drove in two runs to tie the 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning of the Class 3A state championship, and his five-inning start helped Wall beat London 5-1, and included two strikeouts with five walks, an earned run and two hits allowed.
Adrian Rodriguez, Flower Mound (6A), junior
Texas A&M commit went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI in a 6-4 6A state title win over Pearland, which included a two-run go-ahead home run in the third inning. 6A state title MVP.
Eric Rogers, Boyd (3A), junior
He was the class 3A state championship MVP for a reason. His five shutdown innings pitching included five strikeouts, an earned run and three hits allowed and added an RBI in 5 2/3 innings.
Nico Partida, Pearland (6A), sophomore
Pitched a complete game six innings while allowing four hits, one earned run, a walk and two strikeouts to get the win on the mound and drove home a run on a sacrifice fly in a four-run third inning in the 6A semifinals.
Ryan Peterson, Shiner (2A), senior
Was hit by a pitch in Shiner's first at-bat of the 2A semifinals, then stole second and reached home for the first run in an 11-0 win over New Home, and scored twice in a 10-5 championship loss to Harleton.
Preston Pustejovsky, Abbott (1A), senior
Decorated senior left his imprint all over Abbott's title win. He checked onto the bump in the first inning and went the distance to earn the 1A state finals win. He struck out four with four earned runs, eight hits and a walk allowed and scored in the first inning after reaching on a fielder's choice.
Miles Vaughn, China Spring (4A), freshman
The freshman helped bring home a state title with a 3-2 win over Liberty-Eylau and was named both 4A championship MVP and tournament MVP for pitching 1 1/3 hitless innings with a strikeout in a relief appearance.
Carson Wallace, Harleton (2A), sophomore
Went six innings with six strikeouts, an earned run, two walks and six hits allowed and added a hit of his own in a 4-3 2A state semifinals win over Collinsville, then drove in two runs on a single to right field to cap a six-run second inning in a 10-5 championship win over Shiner.
Blake Watters, Corpus Christi London (3A), junior
Struck out two and didn't allow an earned run in 2 1/3 relief innings and was walked twice in a 3A semifinal loss to Wall.
