Catholic Memorial's John Gorman named Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year

Senior John Gorman has been named the Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year. He is Catholic Memorial's first baseball player to receive such recognition.

The Gatorade Player of the Year Program, which dates to 1985, recognizes America's elite high school student-athletes "for their academic achievement, athletic prowess and strong character. State winners are also considered for National Player of the Year recognition. Most recently, CM soccer phenom Will Donovan '10 earned recongition as a nominee for the Massachusetts award.

In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced John Gorman of Catholic Memorial School as its 2010-11 Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year. Gorman is the first Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Catholic Memorial School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Gorman as Massachusetts’ best high school baseball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award announced in June, Gorman joins an elite alumni association of past state baseball award winners, including Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Roy Halladay (1994-95, Arvada West HS, Colo.), David Price (2003-04, Blackman HS, Tenn.), Chipper Jones (1989-90, Bolles School, Fla.), Derek Lee (1992-93, El Camino HS, Calif.) and John Lester (2001-02, Bellarmine Prep, Wash.). 

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior right-handed pitcher has led the Knights to a 13-6 record and a berth in the Division 1 sectional tournament, scheduled to begin May 31. At the time of his selection, Gorman owned a 6-1 record on the mound with a 0.14 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 51 innings. A two-time returning All-Scholastic honoree, he had tossed four shutouts and surrendered only 17 hits entering the postseason. Also a third baseman, Gorman batted .362 with 13 runs scored, 11 RBI, four doubles and one home run through 19 games. The 2010 Catholic Conference Most Valuable Player, he finished 8-0 as a junior with a 1.18 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 65 innings in addition to posting a .395 batting average with 25 RBI and three homers. 

Also a football standout, Gorman has maintained an A-plus average in the classroom and represents one of the state’s top academic candidates in meeting the Gatorade Award’s broad criteria. In addition to volunteering on behalf of the National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions and his school’s Leadership and Service program, he has helped coordinate Catholic Memorial’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and has donated his time as a youth baseball and basketball instructor. 

“He’s been phenomenal this year, especially pitching,” said Catholic Memorial head coach Hal Carey. “He’s been dominant on the mound. He works fast, throws hard and has great control of his fastball, change and curve. As a pitcher, he’s one of the best in the state. Add the hitting, and he’s tremendous. He’s done it for four years, and this is a tough sport to be that consistent. He’s great all-around, probably the best in my seven years here.” 

Gorman has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at Boston College 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 ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport. 

Gorman joins recent Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Players of the Year Kevin Ziomek (2009-10, Amherst Regional), Kyle McKenzie (2008-09; Thayer Academy), Scott Weismann (2007-08, Acton-Boxborough), and Jack McGeary (2006-07, Roxbury Latin School), among the state’s list of former award winners.