Matt Ponatoski in rare company after earning Gatorade Ohio Baseball Player of the Year honors

Matt Ponatoski continues to cement himself as one of the best two-sport athletes at the high school level in recent memory.

The Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller star was named the 2024-25 Gatorade Ohio Baseball Player of the Year, it was announced on Tuesday. Back in December, he was named the 2024 Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year.

Winning the illustrious award across multiple sports in the same school year is a rare feat. As noted by WCPO’s Mike Dyer, Ponatoski joins a small list of athletes that includes MLB Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer and NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss.

Playing for a premier high school in Ohio, Ponatoski has continued to boost his stock as a junior on the diamond:

“At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior shortstop and right-handed pitcher had led the Crusaders (22-3) to the No. 1 seed in Region 3 of the Division I state tournament this season,” Gatorade wrote of Ponatoski in a press release. “Ponatoski entered the postseason batting .437 with 29 RBI and 22 runs scored along with two home runs. The reigning Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year, he also stole 10 bases and recorded two saves in three innings of relief on the mound.”

His junior season quarterbacking on the gridiron was also exceptional last fall. Ponatoski threw for over 4,000 yards and 56 touchdowns with just three interceptions, leading Moeller to 14 wins and the Division I state title game.

Ponatoski is now down to four schools

The latest On300 football rankings saw Ponatoski jump up to No. 100 overall and No. 9 at the QB position. He’s seen his recruitment explode, and earlier this week, he told On3 that he was down to four schools.

Arkansas, Alabama, Oregon and Kentucky are the finalists for the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder. He’ll take an official visit to Alabama this weekend and will get out to Oregon on the weekend of June 20.

Even in the midst of all the new attention, he has largely been away from football since his high school season ended. He’s long been a top baseball prospect and his work continues to pay off in both sports.

“I think I’m pretty raw,” Ponatoski told On3’s Steve Wiltfong last month. “I don’t really work with anybody, so I think there’s a lot of improvement that can be done. And, you know, just trying to balance. You know, throwing the baseball and throwing the football is kind of why I feel like the development is still raw, just because I can’t throw as much as I want to. But I think there’s a lot of room for growth.”