The Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association on Thursday selected the players of the year in each of the three classes.
Matt Geislinger of Eden Valley-Watkins, Andrew Thome of St. Cloud Cathedral and Austin Malinowski of Centennial were the 2011 honorees.
All three recipients are pitchers. Two – Geislinger and Thome – earned wins in state championship games Wednesday at Target Field.
Here's a closer look at the players of the year:
Austin Malinowski
Class 3A: Austin Malinowski – The only of the three winners to not play in the 2011 state tournament, Malinowski also is the only one to be drafted in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.
A left-handed pitcher for Centennial, he was selected by the Minnesota Twins as the 508th pick overall.
Malinowski compiled a 6-2 record for the Cougars with three shutouts, 90 strikeouts and a miniscule ERA of 0.56.
The St. Cloud Cathedral team met Andrew Thome at home plate after he hit a solo home run in the first inning against St. Anthony Village in the quarterfinals of the 2011 state tournament. Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune
Class 2A: Andrew Thome – The Crusaders' standout tossed a 74-pitch two-hitter to earn the 2011 state championship crown on Wednesday.
Thome was an intregal part of St. Cloud Cathedral's seventh state title, earning a win in the quarterfinals with seven-inning showing in which he allowed no earned runs.
Thome made an impression at the plate as well. He batted .500 for the three-game tournament, with a home run, three walks and three RBIs.
Eden Valley-Watkins pitcher Matt Geislinger jumps into the arms of catcher Brendan Ashton as they celebrated the Eagles' 2011 Class 1A championship over Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune
Class 1A: Matt Geislinger – The Eagles' pitcher has been more than dominant for the past two seasons, he's been unbeatable.
Geislinger – with his win in the state championship Wednesday – improved his record to 25-0 for the past two seasons.
Geislinger capped his epic run with a 136-pitch complete game in the Class 1A title match. This after pitching a combined nine innings in the previous two games, allowing no runs, no walks and only one hit.