Baseball player of the year
Name: Robby Pearson
School: Catalina
Year in school: Senior
Sport: Baseball
From the archives: Catalina's Robby Pearson led his team to a state championship. He hit .542 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs.
He was also a star on the mound, picking up six wins with a 2.11 ERA.
He earned two complete- game wins in the 4A-II state tournament and struck out the final six batters he faced in the Trojans' semifinal win over powerhouse Phoenix Greenway.
Is Pearson the top college or pro prospect in Southern Arizona? No. That's Salpointe Catholic's Joe Serrano, who almost certainly will be selected in this week's Major League Baseball amateur draft.
The Arkansas-bound slugger set a Southern Arizona record with 69 RBIs and hit .541 with 11 homers.
He also played every inning at shortstop for the Lancers, who went 1-2 in the 5A-I state tournament.
But Pearson's value to his team was unmatched. He pitched, hit and fielded his team to its first state championship since 1967.
This season, he was the best player around. — Daniel Berk, 2011
