The Palm Beach Post’s All-County teams are here!
The Post is proud to announce the Player of the Year nominees for small school baseball.
Player of the Year winners will be announced at an in-person ceremony. The show is May 28 at the SoFi Center on the Palm Beach Gardens campus of Palm Beach State College. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the awards program at 6:30 p.m.
Award winners have been contacted by staff with invitations to attend the show, which is produced with support from Baptist Health Orthopedic Care.
First Team All-County Small School Baseball
P: Jack Wilhoit, Sr., St. John Paul II Academy
Wilhoit, a North Florida commit, dazzled in his varsity finale. He was the ace for Palm Beach County’s top-ranked team for most of the season, compiling a 7-2 record with a 1.63 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. He was also the Eagles’ top hitter with a .410 average, six doubles, two triples and 15 RBI.
P: Daniel Cabrera, Sr., King’s Academy
Cabrera was the top arm on a solid King’s squad that finished 16-11 this season. Cabrera posted a 4-1 record with a 2.78 ERA. He threw five scoreless innings of one-hit ball against St. John Paul II in the district final as the Lions narrowly missed out on an automatic regional bid in a 12-inning loss.
INF: Campbell Harrison, Jr., St. John Paul II Academy
Harrison was a power-hitting, sure-handed playmaker for the Eagles this spring. He hit .344 with a team-best 24 RBI, 11 doubles and two home runs. Harrison also led his squad in fielding percentage and made just three errors. St. John Paul II finished 24-5, won a district title and reached the second round of the regional playoffs.
INF: Alec Cabrera, So., King’s Academy
Cabrera is a burgeoning star with the Lions after another torrid season at the plate. He posted a phenomenal .506 batting average with a team-best 41 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 33 RBI. Cabrera’s magnum opus came on March 6 against Somerset-Canyons when he hit for the cycle while driving in five and scoring three runs.
INF: Luccas Mendez, Sr., St. Andrew’s
Mendez enjoyed the best overall production of any Scots hitter this season. He posted a team-best .439 batting average with 29 hits while chipping in 14 RBI and five doubles. Saint Andrew’s finished 13-9-1.
INF: Derek Dohler, Jr., St. John Paul II Academy
Dohler was a well-rounded offensive contributor for the Eagles. He hit .363, second-best on the team, with 20 RBI and five doubles. He also stole 19 bases to help St. John Paul II grab a district championship and second-round regional appearance.
OF: Chase Cavo, Jr., St. John Paul II Academy
Cavo hit .264 with 20 RBI and four doubles for the Eagles, who racked up a 24-5 record en route to the district championship and second-round appearance in the regional playoffs. He made just a single error in 29 games this season.
OF: Micah Herring, Jr., Atlantic Christian
The Sharks have a top talent with the hot-hitting Herring, who led the team in batting average (.558), home runs (5), runs scored (36) and stolen bases (29). Atlantic Christian, an improving program under head coach Miguel Cuello, finished 15-3 this year and should return key players like Herring for a promising 2027 campaign.
OF: Matt Spina, Sr., St. Andrew’s
Spina is an exemplary student-athlete who will continue his baseball career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his final season at Saint Andrew’s, Spina hit .333 and led the Scots with four home runs and 24 runs scored. He’s a versatile fielder, too, capable of playing shortstop, center field and even taking the mound.
C: Luke Shelhamer, Sr., King’s Academy
The Lions’ veteran catcher closed his varsity career with far and away his best season at the plate. He hit .373, second-best on the team, and slugged plenty with four doubles, four homers and 21 RBI. Shelhamer also kept a clean glove with just a single error. He’ll continue his baseball career at Palm Beach State College.
DH/UTIL: Harrison Craft, So., Jupiter Christian
Craft broke out in his first varsity campaign with the Eagles. He led the team in batting average (.449), hits (31), doubles (9) and RBI (25). Craft also stole six bases and displayed a solid glove with just four errors in 21 games.
Second Team All-County
Honorable Mention
Coach of the Year
Pete Graffeo, St. John Paul II
Graffeo’s Eagles were long the top-ranked team in Palm Beach County after a 19-1 start to the regular season. St. John Paul II grabbed hardware in the district final with a 6-5 win over King’s Academy in 12 innings, avenging a loss earlier in the season. St. John Paul II advanced to the second round of regionals and closed the year as the county’s second-highest ranked team at No. 78 overall.
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Spring All-County: Best of small school baseball in Palm Beach
Reporting by Alexander Peterman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexander Peterman, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
