SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Moeller junior right-handed pitcher Zion Theophilus was named Monday morning as the 2023-24 Gatorade Ohio Baseball Player of the Year.
"It obviously means a lot," Theophilus said. "I put a lot of work in and I dedicate a lot of my life to doing this. So winning an award like this is definitely very prestigious and it's something I've wanted to do since I've learned about it actually."
Theophilus, who is verbally committed to Louisiana State University (LSU), is the fifth Moeller player to be selected for the Gatorade state baseball player of the year award.
"Just a tremendous honor for him all the things that he's done," Moeller coach Tim Held said. "For Zion to bring that award home for Ohio baseball and for Moeller is just a tremendous accomplishment. Every time he takes the mound he's going to throw a ton of strikes. His walk to strikeout ratio is crazy. He's going to challenge hitters. Always working on his game and what he can do to bring out the best in his teammates and put us in a position to win."
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Theophilus as Ohio’s best high school baseball player.
Theophilus had a 1.145 earned run average this season. He earned a 10-1 record with 86 strikeouts and three shutouts in 55 innings.
Moeller (29-3), ranked No. 1 in the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association state poll. was a Division I regional runner-up.
Theophilus has donated his time as an instructor and mentor for youth baseball pitchers.
He has volunteered as an open house tour guide for two years and has served as a shadow student host for eighth graders visiting the campus.
“Zion was the best pitcher we faced all season and one of the best high school pitchers I’ve seen in my 39 years of coaching high school baseball,” Elder baseball coach Mark Thompson said in a statement. “He always throws with great confidence and poise. Against us, we had him at 95-97 miles per hour on the gun in the seventh inning. He didn’t walk a batter and he only went to a three-ball count on two hitters the entire game. He’s just a very special talent.”
Theophilus has maintained a 4.5 weighted grade-point average in the classroom.
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.
