Griffin Crain Named Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year

In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today
announced Griffin Crain of Bishop Hendricken High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball
Player of the Year. Crain is the fifthteenth Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from
Bishop Hendricken High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and
in the community, distinguishes Crain as Rhode Island’s best high school baseball player. From CEOs and coaches
to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of
alumni that includes Gary Sheffield (1985-86, Hillsborough High School, Fla.), Alex Rodriguez (1992-93,
Westminster Christian School, Fla.), Clayton Kershaw (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Max Clark
(2022-23, 2021-22 & 2020-21, Franklin Community High School, Ind.).
At the time of his selection, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior outfielder and left-handed pitcher had led the topseeded Hawks (23-1) to an opening-round victory in the Division 1 state tournament. Crain compiled a record of 6-0
with a 1.24 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP in 39.2 innings pitched through 23 games. He entered the
tournament batting .512 with 14 RBI and 19 walks, boasting an on-base percentage of .662.
Crain has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and a Thanksgiving turkey drive. He’s also donated
his time as a peer math tutor and youth baseball coach. “He has great range and a great arm, which make him one
of the best outfielders in the state,” said Rob Malo, head coach at Cranston High School West. “Offensively, he’s a
tough out. He’s a five-tool player, a leader and a true student-athlete that every coach would love to have on his
team.”
Crain has maintained a 3.86 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on
scholarship at the University of Louisville 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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
Crain joins recent Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball Players of the Year Alex Clemmey (2022-23, Bishop Hendricken
High School), Ben Brutti (2021-22, South Kingstown High School), Brandyn Durand (2020-21, Bishop Hendricken
High School) and Brad Lombardi (2019-20, Bishop Hendricken High School), among the state’s list of former award
winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant
to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9
million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade