All-Suncoast players of the year

By Times staff
Published June 12, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: John Pendygraft] Dunedin junior Jake Rogers and Countryside senior GiOnna DiSalvatore blistered opponents with their heavy hitting. [Times photo: John Pendygraft] CCC junior Ryan Weber and SPC senior Deanna Henriott don't need to bring the heat to stymie opposing batters.

Jake Rogers

Player of the year

Rogers can destroy baseballs, scorch line drives or make some balls vanish. He is a natural hitter with a perfectly fluid swing. Last year, he won the county's triple crown. This season, he almost did it again, coming up a few points short on his batting average.

SCHOOL: Dunedin YEAR: Junior

KEY STATS: Rogers focused more on his power game this year and it showed. He hit .486 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: In March, Rogers hit a home run in three straight games.

Ryan Weber

Pitcher of the year

The junior is not a flamethrower. He is more of a master at changing speeds, teasing opponents with pitches just outside the strike zone that nibble at the corners. He became the Marauders' ace this season, leading the team to its first state title since 2002.

SCHOOL: Clearwater Central Catholic YEAR: Junior

KEY STATS: Weber was 11-0 this season with an 0.54 ERA. He struck out 99 and had only eight walks.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: In the Class 3A state semifinal, Weber threw a seven-hit shutout against Jacksonville Bolles.

GiOnna DiSalvatore

Player of the year

DiSalvatore was at one time a "slap hitter" but quickly blossomed into a southpaw slugger, batting over .500 with 30-plus RBIs the past two seasons. One MLB scout dubbed DiSalvatore the "best (high school) hitter in the state" - male or female.

SCHOOL: Countryside YEAR: Senior

KEY STATS: The UCLA-bound DiSalvatore averaged more than one RBI per game, knocking in 35 runs in 26 games.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS: DiSalvatore belted a grand slam in the eighth inning of an 8-0 region quarterfinal win over Durant to break the game open. Her latest highlight came Saturday when she was named to the U.S. Junior National Team.

Deanna Henriott

Pitcher of the year

Henriott isn't an overpowering righty, rather a crafty, cerebral hurler who keeps hitters on their toes. Henriott's curveball is the best of her five pitches, which she used to go 19-2 with a 0.06 ERA, including 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

SCHOOL: St. Petersburg Catholic YEAR: Senior

KEY STATS: Henriott struck out 256 batters, an average of 2.2 per inning, in leading SPC to the Class 3A region semifinals, where the Barons lost to eventual state champion Trinity Prep. The soft-spoken senior also hit .479 with 34 RBIs.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: In a March showdown with Lakewood Ranch, then state-ranked in Class 5A, Henriott struck out 18 in shutting it down 1-0.

[Last modified June 12, 2007, 10:39:06]