
<p>Well, if the current Bat ‘Cats aren’t able to obtain any hardware the rest of the season, at least some future Wildcats are raking in awards that would have any fan counting the days until we see them in Lexington. <strong>Right-handed pitcher and Kentucky commit Caden Dana was named the <a href="https://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/winner/caden-dana/39073" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gatorade Player of the Year</a> out of the state of New Jersey.</strong></p>



<p>The 6-5, 225-pound senior originally from Montgomery, New York played his high school ball at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ. Known more as a football institution, Dana is the first-ever recipient of the POY award from the school for baseball.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="HZwxk4pkLeWlrPi0nW5f3avIjS5sh479qc1UEmsMdtR2MeSmE3RjuDQOLfTAQ81GBJy6wayFC6cIgB8XZxu7vGoVFgidPVrz"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CONGRATULATIONS to Caden Dana of <a href="https://twitter.com/DBPHRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DBPHRC</a> on being named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year!<br><br>A tremendous accomplishment!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOSCO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOSCO</a> <a href="https://t.co/hm71MI5tnF">pic.twitter.com/hm71MI5tnF</a></p>— Don Bosco Athletics (@IronmenAthletic) <a href="https://twitter.com/IronmenAthletic/status/1532747826568085505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
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<p>“The 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior third baseman and right-handed pitcher compiled a 4-0 record on the mound with<br>a 0.80 ERA and 42 strikeouts, walking only four batters in 25 innings through 24 games, leading the Ironmen (20-4)<br>to a berth in the NJSIAA Non-Public A quarterfinals, scheduled for June 3,” The press release given by Gatorade reads. “Dana is the state’s No. 2 recruit as rated by the Prep Baseball Report. He also batted .432 with three home runs and 14 RBI to post an OPS of 1.340 OPS entering the postseason round of eight.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="hMj4IsCdTHg2rY"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/Gatorade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Gatorade</a> for this unbelievable award! Extremely honored! <a href="https://t.co/zuHXXqu2w6">pic.twitter.com/zuHXXqu2w6</a></p>— Caden Dana (@Cadendana_1217) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cadendana_1217/status/1533064445248909314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
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<p>The award coincides with Dana’s meteoric rise as a prospect for this upcoming MLB draft. MLB Pipeline currently has him tabbed as the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft/caden-dana-702674" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">114th ranked prospect</a> in the draft. His combination of size and velocity from the mound easily makes him a top intriguing prospect.</p>



<p>With him shooting up draft boards, there’s also the possibility where he gets taken so high that it would be virtually impossible to not sign up for pro ball immediately. If Kentucky can somehow sway him enough to stay true to his commitment, the Bat ‘Cats have a chance to find their next star pitcher.</p>


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