- Tavis Honeycutt was named the Class 2A Player of the Year after leading Newberry to an 18-7 season and topping Florida in home runs and slugging percentage.
- Jeffrey Brugh earned the Rural Class Player of the Year, helping Union County win the state title with a .385 batting average and 21 stolen bases.
- Coach Jiwan James led Union County to a 24-7 record and the Rural state championship, earning Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Coach of the Year honors.
The eight individual class finalists for the 2026 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Baseball and Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school baseball coaches and prep media representatives.
University of Florida commit Tavis Honeycutt of Newberry has been named the Class 2A Player of the Year (POY), while Jeffrey Brugh of Union County (Lake Butler) was recognized as the Rural Class POY.
Honeycutt helped lead the Panthers to an 18-7 season, which ended with a 9-7 loss at Trinity Catholic (Ocala) in the FHSAA Class 2A-District 4 championship game.
According to MaxPreps, the junior finished top 10 in the country with 16 home runs and seventh nationally in slugging percentage (1.406).
“Tavis sets the standard for what it means to be a complete ballplayer,” Newberry coach Mike Spina said after Honeycutt was named the FACA District 7 Class 2A POY in April. “He leads us statistically, but more importantly, he leads us with his work ethic, his baseball IQ, and the way he shows up every single day.”
Honeycutt, who had a team-best 21 stolen bases, led the Sunshine State in home runs and slugging percentage and was second in Florida with a .609 batting average (102 plate appearances).
He also led the state in runs batted in (49), was second in runs scored (49), and third in on-base percentage (.745).
“He’s the kind of player every coach hopes for and every young athlete should look up to,” Spina said. “He’s talented, disciplined, and fully committed to the team. This season’s stats are a reflection of the sacrifices & hard work he has been putting in, we are proud of him.”
Roen Kresak of Buchholz High School finished third in the voting for Class 6A POY.
The junior led the 6A runner-up Bobcats (25-8) with a .413 batting average and a .479 on-base percentage. He also had a team-leading 43 hits and was third with 25 runs scored and tied for second with nine doubles.
“The best description of Roen Kresak is he is a complete baseball player,” said first-year Buchholz coach Chris Malphurs, who finished second in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A Coach of the Year (COY). “He’s tough, physical and has a great baseball IQ. He’s a legacy here at Buchholz. His brother Caden was a top player here and we’re looking forward to having his little brother, Evan, in two years’ time. We’re fortunate to have the Kresak family in our program.”
Malphurs finished second in the voting behind Joey Wardlow of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), who defeated Buchholz, 5-1, in the 6A state championship game.
Brugh helped the Tigers to the Rural Class state title by hitting. 385 with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 31 runs scored, 26 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases.
“Jeffrey earning player of the year honors is just a testament to all of his hard work,” said Union County coach Jiwan James, who was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural COY. “He showed up to every single morning workout back in the fall. He’s at the front of the line when conditioning, he stays late and hits after practice, I think everything lined up perfectly for him to go out and have a great senior season.”
The senior, who will be playing baseball next season at Glenville State University (W. Va.), had 101 points and finished ahead of Jaydon Gray of Cottondale (94).
“He’s a high-energy player that’s a game changer at the top of the order,” James said. “He knows who he is as a player and he uses his speed to his advantage.”
James led the Tigers to a 24-7 record and the Rural state championship, the school’s first title since 2012. In four years, the former big leaguer has posted a 70-49 record.
“It’s nice to be recognized, but that doesn’t happen without my assistants Caleb Polk and Alex Thomas, and we can’t be recognized without having good players who buy into what it is we’re teaching,” James said. “It may sound like an individual award, but to me it represents the entire program, players, coaches, parents and administrators. It’s a team effort from top to bottom.”
Trenton coach Chris Marlo finished second in the voting behind James after leading the Tigers to their third straight final four appearance.
The Tigers defeated defending state champion Holmes County (Bonifay), 8-0, in the state semifinals and lost to Union County, 10-9 in eight innings, in the state championship game.
Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in their classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. The two winners will be announced following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.
The finalists for the 2026 Mr. Baseball Award:
Gio Rojas, Senior, Pitcher, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Player of the Year
Led his squad to the state title with an 11-1 record. Posted a 0.58 ERA in 73 innings pitched with 124 strikeouts and 17 walks. Had a .312 batting average with 5 home runs and 25 runs batted in. Signed with the University of Miami.
Nicolas Sabatino, Senior, Outfielder, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Player of the Year
Helped his team to the Class 6A title by hitting .512 with 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 43 runs scored and 26 runs batted in. Signed with Appalachian State.
Ryan Harless, Junior, Pitcher/First Baseman, Mosley, Class 5A Player of the Year
Helped his squad to a 21-9 record with a 10-1 record and a 0.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 16 walks in 68 innings pitched. Also hit .398 with 12 doubles and 18 runs batted in. Committed to the University of Louisville.
Samir Mohammed, Junior, Pitcher/ Shortstop, Tampa Jesuit, Class 4A Player of the Year
Led his team to the state title with a 5-0 record, a 0.42 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Hit .370 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 runs scored and 18 runs batted in. Committed to the University of Mississippi.
Coleman Borthwick, Senior, Pitcher/Shortstop, South Walton, Class 3A Player of the Year
Helped his team to the state title with an 11-0 record and a 0.21 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 7 walks in 66 innings pitched. Hit .460 with 16 doubles, 9 home runs, 30 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. Signed with Auburn University.
Tavis Honeycutt, Junior, Infielder, Newberry, Class 2A Player of the Year
Helped his team to an 18-7 record by hitting .609 with 16 home runs, 49 runs scored, 49 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases. Committed to the University of Florida.
Brayden Harris, Senior, Pitcher/Outfielder, St. Johns Country Day, Class 1A Player of the Year
Helped his team to the state title with a 12-2 record and a 1.07 ERA with 165 strikeouts and 19 walks in 85 innings pitched. Hit .400 with 6 doubles, 7 home runs, 24 runs scored and 31 runs batted in. Signed with Florida State University.
Jeffrey Brugh, Senior, Outfielder, Union County, Rural Class Player of the Year
Helped his team to the Rural Class state title by hitting. 385 with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 31 runs scored, 26 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases. Committed to Glenville State University (W. Va.).
Following are the Baseball Coach of the Year finalists:
Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 28-6 record and a record sixth straight state title. In 15 years at the school, he has posted a 330-68 record with seven state titles. His career record is 580-134 with another state title at American Heritage (2008).
Joe Wardlow, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 28-6 record and the school’s second straight state title. Has posted a 136-44 record in seven years at Aquinas.
Mike Gauger, Tallahassee Lincoln, Class 5A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 20-16 record and the state title. In 10 years at the school, he has posted a 172-97 record with another state championship in 2017 and Final Four appearances each of the past three seasons.
Miguel Menendez, Tampa Jesuit, Class 4A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 28-6 record and the state title. In 12 years at Jesuit, he has posted a 278-75 record with a state title in 2019 and a state runner-up finish in 2017.
Nick Bothwick, South Walton, Class 3A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 30-4 record and the school’s first state championship. In 16 years at the school, he has posted a 213-86 record, including a 106-23 record the past four years, with state runner-up finishes the past two years before winning the title this season.
Jon Murphy, Trinity Christian, Class 2A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 27-8 record and the state championship, the school’s first title since 2015. In seven seasons at TC, he has compiled a 142-49 record.
Tom Lucas, St. Johns Country Day, Class 1A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 26-8 record and the Class 1A state title. In 12 years at the school, he has posted a 221-110 record, including a 150-40 record the past six years, with two state titles (2024 and 2026) and three state runner-up finishes.
Jiwan James, Union County, Rural Class Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 24-7 record and the state championship, the school’s first title since 2012. In four years, the former big leaguer has posted a 70-49 record.
Final voting numbers by class (top three):
Area players/coaches in bold
Class 7A
Player School Points
Gio Rojas Stoneman Douglas 178
Carter Cox Venice 106
Miguel Acosta West Orange 36
Coach School Points
Todd Fitz-Gerald Stoneman Douglas 154
Craig Faulker Venice 117
Bryan Rahal Vero Beach 64
Class 6A
Player School Points
Nico Sabatino St. Thomas Aquinas 156
Fabian Antosanti Lake Minneola 70
Roen Kresak Buchholz 54
Coach School Points
Joey Wardlow St. Thomas Aquinas 145
Chris Malphurs Buchholz 96
Calvin Baisley Land O’Lakes 74
Class 5A
Player School Points
Ryan Harkless Mosley 127
Aiden Nguyen Wesley Chapel 66
Yodelkis Quevedo Mater Academy 60
Coach School Points
Mike Gauger Lincoln 174
Mike Bradley Winter Springs 143
Humberto Bencomo Mater Academy 49
Class 4A
Player School Points
Samir Mohammed Tampa Jesuit 93
Ryan McMahan Clay 87
Jon Mora Somerset Academy 83
Coach School Points
Miguel Menendez Jesuit 149
Tony Mehlich Bishop Moore 105
Josh Persinge Clay 66
Class 3A
Player School Points
Coleman Borthwick South Walton 175
Jacob Lombard Gulliver Prep 76
Joey Lawson Bishop Verot 48
Coach School Points
Nick Borthwick South Walton 170
Brian Campbell North Broward Prep 87
Corey Estrada Miami Springs 44
Class 2A
Player School Points
Tavis Honeycutt Newberry 94
Jordan Martinez Palmer Trinity 87
Cole Dennis Bishop Snyder 44
Coach School Points
Jon Murphy Trinity Christian 181
Adrian Nieto True North Classical 105
Matt Diaz Lakeland Christian 29
Class 1A
Player School Points
Brayden Harris St. Johns Country Day 194
Max Sakala Orangewood Christian 96
Gabe Blaxberg Canterbury (St. Pete) 60
Coach School Points
Tom Lucas St. Johns Country Day 187
Scott Hilinski Orangewood Christian 130
Charles Maurer St. John Neumann 52
Rural Class
Player School Points
Jeffrey Brugh Union County 101
Jaydon Gray Cottondale 94
Gabriele Cinna Marathon 70
Coach School Points
Jiwan James Union County 202
Chris Marlo Trenton 124
Skylar Davis Cottondale 42