Baylor’s Tomas Valincius Named Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year
(gatorade.com) CHICAGO (June 3, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Tomas Valincius of Baylor School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year.
Valincius is the third Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Baylor School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and
in the community, distinguishes Valincius as Tennessee’s best high school baseball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star
group of alumni that includes Gary Sheffield (1985-86, Hillsborough High School, Fla.), Alex Rodriguez (1992-93, Westminster Christian School, Fla.), Clayton Kershaw (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Max Clark (2022-23, 2021-22 & 2020-21, Franklin Community High School, Ind.).
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior left-handed pitcher and first baseman compiled an 8-0 record with a 1.14 ERA on
the mound this past season, leading the Red Raiders (25-8) to the Division II-AA semifinals. Valincius recorded 74 strikeouts against just nine walks in 43 innings of work.
The state’s 2023 and 2024 Division II-AA Mr. Baseball award
winner, he also batted .444 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 37 runs and a .576 on-base percentage.
Valincius has volunteered locally as a youth baseball coach and, with his family, helped launch a foundation to donate sports equipment to children in Lithuania. “Tomas Valincius has turned himself into one of the top two-way players in the state because of one thing: He’s never satisfied,” said Baylor School head coach Greg Elie. “His work
ethic is unmatched as well as his attention to detail with his preparation. He is also a wonderful teammate and leads
the team by example.”
Valincius has maintained a 4.21 weighted GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play
baseball on scholarship at the University of Virginia this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of
the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls
basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player
of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
Valincius joins recent Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Players of the Year Dylan Loy (2022-23 & 2021-22, Pigeon Forge
High School), Cooper Kinney (2020-21, Baylor School) and Robert Hassell (2019-20, Independence High School),
among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant
to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9
million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate
