Arizona Wildcats commit Matt Liberatore has been named the Gatorade Arizona Baseball Player of the Year.
The Glendale Mountain Ridge High School star went 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA as a senior, leading the Mountain Lions to the Class 6A state title game. He struck out 104 batters while a allowing 28 hits and 25 walks. Perfect Game rates Liberatore as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2018.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound left-hander's tools are why Liberatore likely won't end up at the UA. He's projected as a top-10 pick in next month's amateur draft.
“Matthew Liberatore is the hardest-working player I have ever coached,” said Artie Cox, head coach of Mountain Ridge High. “His stats over these four years have been off the charts.”
Liberatore is the first Mountain Ridge player to win the Gatorade award for baseball. He's now a finalist for Gatorade National Player of the Year, an award that's been won by baseball stars Derek Jeter, Jon Lester, David Price, Clayton Kershaw and Kris Bryant, among others.
