Editor’s Note: No season in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
2021-22: Jack Fehlner
School: Newburyport.
MVP Season Highlights: After losing his sophomore season with the pandemic, Fehlner more than made up for the lost time. As a junior during the shortened 2021 spring campaign, the right-hander was named the CAL Kinney MVP after leading the Clippers to the league championship. He truly became the team’s ace, posting a 7-1 record on the mound, a 1.51 ERA and 32 strikeouts to only seven walks in an area-high 51.0 innings pitched. Then at the plate, he would tally 13 hits with nine runs while batting out of the No. 2 spot in the order. Fehlner’s complete-game shutout of rival Triton clinched the Bert Spofford Tournament title for the Clippers, and he also crushed a home run during the win.
But his senior year was one for the history books.
Fehlner easily repeated as our Daily News MVP in 2022 after putting together a truly dominant two-way season. He slugged a remarkable .520 (40-for-77) with 19 runs scored, 22 RBI and 2 home runs, then on the mound went 9-3 with an area-best 0.89 ERA and 76 punchouts across 79.0 innings. He had a hit in 22 of 25 games, and as a captain led Newburyport on a magical run to the Division 3 state championship game. The Clippers would lose, 2-1, to an undefeated Austin Prep team that was loaded with Division I collegiate talent. But Fehlner tossed a complete-game four-hitter wth seven Ks in a sterling effort to nearly pull off the shocker.
Post-Graduate: Fehlner just completed his junior season playing for Roanoke College down in Salem, Virginia this spring. He’s appeared in 49 games with 29 starts across three seasons, and has a career .234 average (25-for-107) with six doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI.
2023: Trevor Kimball
School: Amesbury.
MVP Season Highlights: The Redhawks (12-11) only had 12 wins on the season despite making a run to the Division 4 quarterfinals, and Kimball accounted for eight of them. As a senior, the hard-throwing lefty posted an 8-4 record with a 1.84 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched, then at the plate he hit .344 (22-for-64) with 28 RBI and 3 home runs. Across three playoff games, Kimball went a combined 5-for-9 with five runs scored, all three of his home runs for the season and 10 RBI. He would also toss five scoreless innings in a first round win over Southwick, then go six innings against Abington in the quarterfinals with only one earned run and 10 Ks. There was a complete-game, 7-strikeout performance in a Bert Spofford Tournament win over Georgetown, as well as a 3-hit, 13-K outing to shut down Triton.
Post-Graduate: Kimball just wrapped up his sophomore season playing for Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York, and has been a staple in the rotation since Day 1. As a freshman he posted a 3-1 record with a 4.54 ERA across nine appearances and seven starts, striking out 40 in 35.2 innings pitched. Then this spring as a sophomore and full-time starter, he went 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA and 33 punchouts in 36.1 innings, only allowing opponents to hit .271 off him.
2024: Hayden Ruth
School: Georgetown.
MVP Season Highlights: Only a junior, Ruth led Georgetown (22-2) to one of the best years in program history. The Royals earned their most ever wins in a season, made the Division 5 state championship game, and won both the CAL Baker and Bert Spofford Tournament titles. As the team’s leadoff hitter, Ruth slashed .441 (37-for-84) with 26 runs scored and 22 RBI. Then as one of the team’s three aces on the mound, he finished with a perfect 7-0 record that included two no-hitters, to go along with a sparkling 1.07 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched. Across five playoff games, Ruth went a combined 6-for-14 with five runs scored and seven RBI. He also tossed a 3-hitter with seven Ks in a complete-game shutout of Maynard in the Round of 16, got the save against Pioneer Valley in the semifinals, then pitched the final 4.1 frames against Boston English in the title game.
Post-Graduate: Ruth unfortunately lost his entire senior season this spring, after tearing both his ACL and PCL the day before tryouts. However, recovery is going well, and he will continue his baseball career at Lycoming University in Williamsport, Pennsylvania this upcoming school year.
2025: Ty Southall
School: Georgetown.
MVP Season Highlights: Just a sophomore, Southall stepped up in a huge way to help Georgetown (11-11) remain competitive in the CAL and make it to the Division 5 Round of 16. He may bat lefty and pitch righty, but he was certainly great at both this spring. At the plate he hit .343 (22-for-64) with 17 runs scored out of the leadoff spot in the order, and on the mound he recorded a 6-2 record with a 0.70 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 50.0 innings pitched. Southall blanked Amesbury while fanning 10 in the first round of the Bert Spofford Tournament, then in the first round of the playoffs he struck out six over six innings to get the win over Lenox.
Post-Graduate: Southall still has two more years at Georgetown. The two-sport star was also our 2023 Daily News Golf MVP, so he’ll most likely have plenty of collegiate options when that time comes.