Vote: Who should be Texas high school baseball Athlete of the Week? (04/23/2025)

From game-winners to no-hitters, read up on Texas' top baseball performances from last week and vote for the best in the state

Levi Payton | Apr 23, 2025

Athlete of the Week / AOTW

With district play ramping up for the state’s baseball teams, we decided to break out 20 of the state’s top performances on the diamond from last week, and we’re asking you to tell us which performer deserves the most bragging rights.

From game-winners and no-hitters to some players who did a little bit of everything last week, there is bound to be plenty of competition for the top spot this week.

We’ve added captions for each performance, so read up on your favorite players and be sure to cast your vote for the best in the poll attached at the bottom of the page. You may vote as many times as you’d like. Voting ends April 29, at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

Disclaimer: Voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You may vote as many times as you'd like and are encouraged to share our polls with others.

Texas High School baseball Athlete of the Week

Korey Alston, San Antonio MacArthur

Alston had a huge day at the plate on Wednesday at Jay. The slugging first baseman went 4-for-4 with six RBI in a 14-7 win. He smacked two triples and a home run in the game. He added to his week on Thursday when he picked up the win on the mound against Southside, pitching seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Tyler Atkins, Santa Fe

Trailing 7-6 with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Atkins connected on his second hit of the game, a two-run, go-ahead home run as Santa Fe pulled out an 8-7 district win over Friendswood. Atkins finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Alex Bechler, League City Clear Creek

Locked in a battle against Brazoswood last Tuesday, Bechler didn’t let the weight of the crucial district matchup phase him. Instead, he dealt a complete-game shutout, scattering five hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings and picked up the win on the mound. Clear Creek prevailed 2-0.

Brooks Bettley, Allen

Locked in a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s district game against McKinney Boyd, Bettley was summoned to the mound. It was a good call. Bettley brought his best stuff with him and dazzled with 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out nine on two hits with no walks. Allen tacked on the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth and Bettley worked around a two-out single by striking out the side in the seventh to end it as Allen won 2-1.

Erich Daigle, The Woodlands

In a big district game against Conroe on Thursday, Daigle brought his best stuff to the mound. The righty was dominant. He fired a one-hit shutout, striking out 11 and didn’t walk a batter as the Highlanders pulled out a 3-0 victory.

Lale Esquivel, Grapevine

In two games against Richland, Esquivel batted .556 (5-for-9) with three doubles, four RBI and two runs scored. He also contributed on the mound, taking the ball in Game 1 of the district series and picking up the win after allowing an unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts in four innings of a 17-1 victory.

Brody Ganzer, Sherman

The freshman stepped up in a big way on Thursday. Taking the ball in a crucial district game against Denison, Ganzer fired a no-hitter, striking out seven and walking one in seven innings. He picked up the win as Sherman prevailed 5-0.

Morgan Garrett, Arlington Heights

He took the ball in Thursday’s district series finale against Trimble Tech and didn’t let the Bulldogs touch it. Garrett pitched a no-hitter, striking out 10 and walking three in seven innings on 103 pitches in a 4-0 win.

Angelo “AJ” Grizzaffi, Boerne-Champion

The dynamic lefthander dazzled on the mound last Tuesday against San Antonio Wagner. His dominance on the mound produced a no-hitter and helped the Chargers to their 20th win of the season, as he struck out 10 and walked one in a 5-0 win against San Antonio Wagner.

LJ Layhew, Houston Kinkaid

With the game tied 8-8 in extras against Houston Christian on Tuesday, Layhew led off the bottom of the eighth and ambushed the first pitch he saw. The ball landed over the wall in left, and Kinkaid walked off with a 9-8 victory in eight innings. Batting third in Kinkaid’s lineup, Layhew finished the game 2-for-4 with a triple, home run, three RBI and two runs scored. He added another triple in a 3-2 loss to Northside on Thursday and finished the week batting .500 (3-for-6) with two triples, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.

Mak Lerma, Fort Worth Boswell

Lerma had a big game for Boswell last Tuesday. The right fielder went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and two RBI. His double in the top of the eighth inning drove in the go-ahead run in a 4-2 district win over Weatherford.

Chase Lynch, Corpus Christi Calallen

Lynch went off in an 11-1 victory last Tuesday. He tormented Tuloso-Midway pitching and finished a single shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple, home run, five RBI and two runs scored.

Hunter Molinar, Lubbock Trinity Christian

After losing to Midland Christian on Tuesday, Molinar was determined to keep his team from getting swept in the district series. On Thursday he launched two home runs and went 3-for-4 at the plate with five RBI in a 10-8 win. He clubbed a three-run homer in the first and a two-run shot in the third. Molinar batted .714 on the week (5-for-7) with a triple, two home runs and six RBI.

Evan O’Connor, Brock

In a pair of district games against Mineral Wells last week O’Connor batted .667 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored at the plate. As impressive as that was, he also opened the series on the mound on Tuesday and fired a one-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts and two walks in seven innings to earn the win.

Jobe Reed, Colleyville Heritage

If MVP Awards were given out after every game, Jobe Reed undoubtedly would have claimed it last Thursday. He was the entire reason Colleyville Heritage beat Birdville 1-0. Reed pitched a perfect game, no-hitting Birdville on 12 strikeouts in seven innings. He certainly gave himself something to protect on the mound. He drove in the game’s only run with a double in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Jacovy Smith-Poole, LBJ Austin

He filled up the strike zone in a district battle against Northeast Early College on Tuesday, firing 60 off 100 pitches for strikes. Despite being around the zone, NEC batters didn’t have much success as Smith-Poole struck out 14 batters in five innings, surrendering two unearned runs on three hits. The Jaguars rolled to a 12-2 win.

Favian Torres, Brownsville Rivera

You’ll have a tough time finding someone more productive from the nine-hole than this slugging first baseman was against Brownsville Pace on Thursday. Torres went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs, five RBI and scored three runs in an 18-3 district victory. He also contributes on the mound, and he closed out the first game of the district series on Tuesday, striking out the side in his lone inning on the mound.

Matt Turrubiartez, Waco University

His name is a mouthful, and Turrubiartez’s game was a handful for Waco on Thursday. Playing in the second game of their district series against Waco, Turrubiartez batted cleanup and started on the mound for the Trojans. He certainly cleaned up, slugging two doubles and drove in four runs. For good measure he struck our 11 and walked one in five innings to earn the win on the mound. He scattered two runs on four hits and University rolled 20-2.

Dominick Ubanda, El Paso Socorro

Socorro rolled to a pair of big wins over Pebble Hills and Franklin last week in part to Ubanda’s hot bat. He batted a scorching .778 last week (7-for-9) with a double, two home runs, five RBI and scored seven runs as the Bulldogs beat Franklin 20-7 and Pebble Hills 12-5.

Erick Valverde, Corpus Christi King

He was brilliant in a dominant win for King last Tuesday. Pitching against Miller, Valverde spun a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and two walks in five innings in a shortened 18-0 blowout.