Stillwater's Jackson Holliday named Baseball America's National high school Player of the Year

Holliday name National High School Player of the Year

Stillwater's Jackson Holliday has proven to be one of the best baseball players in the country.

Holliday was named as Baseball America's National baseball Player of the Year on Tuesday. This comes after Holliday was named as the Oklahoma Gatorade baseball Player of the Year earlier this month.

Holliday, the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, was also named as The Oklahoman's baseball Player of the Year and Gannett's Male Athlete of the Year.

'The easiest guy to coach': Why Stillwater's Jackson Holliday is a top 2022 MLB Draft prospect

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior set a national single-season record with 89 hits this past season, according to the National Federation of High Schools. His performances led Stillwater to a 29-12 record and a Class 6A regional final appearance.

A top prospect in the July MLB Draft, the Oklahoma State signee batted .685 with 17 home runs and 79 RBI. A 2021 Perfect Game All-American Game invitee and a 2021 Team USA 18U National Team member, he compiled a .749 on-base percentage and a 2.141 OPS this spring, while also stealing 30 bases without being caught en route to scoring 74 runs.

More: Matt Holliday has lived a charmed baseball life. His oldest son, Jackson, could be next.

OSU hires Cloer as softball hitting coach

The Oklahoma State softball program announced on Tuesday the hiring of Edmond native Whitney Cloer as its new hitting coach.

Cloer comes to OSU after spending the previous five seasons at Colorado State. She replaces Jeff Cottrill, who was named the hitting coach at Missouri on Tuesday. Cottrill — whose daughter, Julia, was a junior catcher for the Cowgirls last season — had spent seven seasons at OSU, serving in roles from director of operations to pitching coach, and most recently, hitting coach for the last three seasons.

Cloer, a Bishop McGuinness graduate, was a catcher at Arkansas, concluding her career in 2009.

“I’m really excited to add Whitney to our staff,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “Her experience and knowledge will be a big asset to our program as a whole and especially to our student-athletes. More importantly, her values and work ethic will be an integral part of our program trying to take the next step of winning a national title.”

In 2019, Colorado State led the nation in doubles per game.

“Oklahoma State is a special place, and it didn’t take long after joining the softball staff this season to understand that what makes it so unique are the people who are part of the university and the athletic department,” Cloer said. “Our leadership, our fans, our student-athletes. That’s what sets OSU apart from others.

“I am incredibly grateful to Coach Gajewski for the opportunity to be a part of his staff. I believe in his leadership, vision, and direction for this program, and I look forward to doing all that I can to help the student-athletes pursue their aspirations both on and off the field.”

Prior to Colorado State, Cloer served as an assistant coach and assistant general manager of the Scrap Yard Dawgs of National Pro Fastpitch. She helped the organization sign pitcher Monica Abbott to a six-year, $1 million contract, which at the time, was believed to be the largest contract signed by an American female athlete with a professional franchise.

Cloer began her coaching career in 2011 as a volunteer assistant coach at Arkansas. She joined the Oklahoma coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 2013, then spent a year as an assistant coach at Troy, where she helped the team raise its batting average from .215 to .260 and its slugging percentage from .312 to .433.

Alo, Holmgren among ESPY Award finalists

Former Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo is a candidate for an ESPY. The NCAA's career home runs leader is up for the Best College Athlete for Women's Sports.

Another familiar name is former Gonzaga basketball star Chet Holmgren, who is a candidate for the Best College Athlete for Men's Sports. Holmgren was the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.

Alo just finished playing for the U.S. National Team in the Canada Cup. She hit four home runs during a tournament won by the Americans.

The ESPY Awards show 7 p.m. July 20 on ESPN.

Extra points

TENNIS: Serena Williams has lost her first singles match in nearly a year. She was beat by 115th-ranked Harmony Tan of France in three sets at Wimbledon. Williams was two points from victory but could not finish the job and bowed out with a 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) defeat. Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion. The 40-year-old American had not competed in singles since she got injured in the first set of her first-round match at the All England Club on June 29, 2021. She has won Wimbledon seven times. This was Tan’s debut at the All England Club. The match lasted 3 hours, 11 minutes and was contested with the retractable roof shut for the last two sets.

NBA: Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy has accepted an offer to become the coach of the Utah Jazz, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday. Hardy and the Jazz were in the process of finalizing contract language, according to multiple reports. Hardy will become an NBA head coach for the first time. He will replace Quin Snyder, who decided to leave the Jazz earlier this month after eight seasons.

Staff and wire reports

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jackson Holliday is Baseball America's National HS Player of the Year