Ben Kudrna named Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BVM) — There was little doubt as to who the top high school baseball player in Kansas was before the 2021 season began. Despite losing his entire junior season to the COVID-19 pandemic after making only a couple starts as a sophomore for Blue Valley Southwest, LSU recruit Ben Kudrna was named a preseason All-American by Perfect Game and was rated by MaxPreps and Prep Baseball Report as the state鈥檚 top player heading into his senior season.
But if there were any doubts as to whether Kudrna was deserving of his status, he erased them this past spring. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound righthander went 9-1 with a 0.99 ERA while striking out 100 batters and allowing only 11 walks in 57.1 innings pitched as he led the Timberwolves to a 22-3 record and the Class 5A state title. Kudrna was especially dominant in the postseason when he surrendered zero earned runs in 12 innings pitched and struck out 18. On Tuesday, he was officially recognized as the state鈥檚 best when he was named the Gatorade Kansas Baseball Player of the Year.
鈥淜udrna is a stud ballplayer with big-time stuff,鈥� Blue Valley North head coach Michael Dudley said in a . 鈥淗e has the best arm we鈥檝e seen in a while. He鈥檚 got 鈥榩itchability,鈥� meaning he鈥檚 not just a thrower. He seemed to elevate his team鈥檚 play whenever he was on the mound. There aren鈥檛 many better prep arms out there in the country.鈥�
There aren鈥檛 a lot of high school pitchers who are thought of more highly than Kudrna. He鈥檚 even considered to have more potential than many more established college pitchers, and although he鈥檚 committed to LSU, there鈥檚 a chance he might not make an appearance for the Tigers next season if he chooses to go pro straight from high school. Kudrna is as the No. 46 prospect overall and is projected to be an early-round selection in the MLB Draft, which is set to take place July 11-13.