Meet SBLive's national high school baseball players of the year in 2021-22

Here are 20 high school baseball players from 20 states who had a season worthy of national recognition.

Blake Mitchell photo by Blake Purcell

We've officially shifted from the 2021-22 high school sports season to the 2022-23 preseason, so it's time to look back on the stars of the past fall, winter and spring seasons before we start looking ahead to who's next.

We started by highlighting some of the players of the year in volleyball, and next came the top football players, boys soccer players and girls soccer players in the nation.

Last week we featured the top girls basketball players and boys basketball players in the country, and we started this week with the softball stars.

Vote now: Who was the national high school boys basketball player of the year in 2021-22?

Vote now: Who was the national high school girls basketball player of the year in 2021-22?

Vote now: Who was the national high school softball player of the year in 2021-22?

Now it's the top baseball players' turn.

Next week we'll wrap it up by featuring the top stars nationally in boys and girls track and field.

Here are 20 high school baseball players who had a season worthy of national recognition.

California: Malcolm Moore, C, McClatchy, sr.

Moore was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year after his junior season and came right back with even better numbers to win it again as a senior. The Stanford signee capped off his career by hitting .500 with 15 doubles and 13 home runs.

Florida: Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy, sr.

Green hit .462 with a .592 on-base percentage, slugging nine home runs and driving in 32 runs for IMG Academy (23-2). For a while Green was the favorite to be the top pick in Sunday's MLB Draft, but most mock drafts now have him going anywhere from No. 3 to 9. The 6-foot-3 speedster with power is the son of former NFL Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green.

Georgia: Druw Jones, OF/P, Wesleyan, sr.

Jones put up some eye-popping stats to lift Wesleyan to a state championship, hitting .570 with a .675 on-base percentage. Among his 65 hits were 13 homers, seven doubles and three triples. He scored 72 runs, drove in 39 and struck out just nine times while drawing 33 walks, and he stole 32 bases. The son of Andruw Jones is widely projected to be the top pick in next week's MLB Draft.

Illinois: Owen Murphy, P/SS, Riverside Brookfield, sr.

Murphy was good enough as a pitcher and hitter in high school for some MLB teams to consider him a viable two-way player in the pros a la Shohei Ohtani. The probable first-round pick pitched four no-hitters, including two perfect games, with a 0.12 ERA, 0.24 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings as a senior. He hit .548 with 18 home runs, 15 doubles, four triples and 75 RBIs, drawing 34 walks and striking out only six times.

Indiana: Max Clark, OF/P, Franklin Community, jr.

One of the projected top picks in the 2023 MLB Draft, Clark will try to become a three-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He hit .577 with nine home runs, 41 runs scored and 32 RBIs as a junior, and the lefty also went 2-0 on the mound, posting a 0.44 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Louisiana: Gavin Guidry, SS/P, Barbe, sr.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander was a nightmare for opposing batters as a senior, putting together an 8-0 record with a 0.16 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 45 innings, walking only 11. At the plate Guidry hit .422 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. He'll play college baseball next season for LSU.

Michigan: Brock Porter, P, St. Mary's Prep, sr.

Porter hit .459 as a senior, but his pitching is what made him the National Gatorade Player of the Year. He went 9-0 for the undefeated top-ranked team in the nation, giving up only three earned runs in 58 2/3 innings, striking out 115 batters. The projected first-round pick will have a decision to make between MLB and Clemson next week.

Mississippi: Nick Monistere, P, Northwest Rankin, sr.

The Southern Miss signee earned series MVP honors in leading Northwest Rankin past DeSoto for the 6A state championship. He was the winning pitcher in Game 1 and went 4-for-9 in the series with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs.

Missouri: Karson Milbrandt, P, Liberty, sr.

Milbrandt posted a 7-1 record on the mound this past season with a 1.66 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 50.2 innings, leading the Blue Jays (29-9) to the Class 6, District 8 title game. The top-ranked prospect in Missouri also hit .400 and has signed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt.

Nevada: Robby Snelling, P, McQueen, sr.

Snelling went 8-0 with a 0.56 ERA en route to setting a Nevada single-season record with 146 strikeouts in 62.1 innings in a state loaded with baseball talent. He signed to play for LSU next season but is projected as a late-first or early-second-round pick in next week's MLB Draft.

New York: Mike Kennedy, P/1B, Troy, sr.

Kennedy posted a 6-0 record with a 0.60 ERA, striking out 65 batters in 35 innings pitched while surrendering just 15 hits and eight walks. He also hit .361 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. He'll take his mid-90s fastball to LSU next season if an MLB team doesn't persuade him to go pro.

North Carolina: Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick, jr.

Jenkins entered South Brunswick's state championship series against South Rowan hitting .519, and he improved upon that by going 7-for-12 in the three-game series (South Rowan won 2-1). The UNC commit is one of the top-ranked juniors in the country, and the 4.5 student will be on MLB teams' radar next summer.

Jacob Miller photo by Gabe Haferman

Ohio: Jacob Miller, P/DH, Liberty Union, sr.

The first- or second-round MLB Draft prospect finished the season 9-1 with an ERA of 0.63 and struck out 133 hitters in 57.1 innings pitched. Miller made 27 starts in his high school career and struck out 382 hitters in 171.1 innings. He's committed to Louisville if he elects not to go straight to the pros.

Oklahoma: Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater, sr.

The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, Jackson is expected to be the first or second pick in next week's MLB Draft. He registered 89 hits, setting a national record, and batted .685 with a 1.392 slugging percentage as a senior. Holliday hit 17 home runs and 29 doubles, drove in 79 runs and stole 30 bases.

Oregon: Paul Wilson, P/1B/OF, Lakeridge, jr.

The son of former Major League pitcher Trevor Wilson can bring the heat, consistently hitting 95 mph from the left side. Wilson finished his junior season with a 9-2 record and an ERA of 0.74, striking out 155 and walking 30 in 65 2/3 innings. He also hit .358 with five home runs and 34 RBIs.

Pennsylvania: Paxton Kling, SS/OF, Central, sr.

The No. 7-ranked senior in the nation led Central to an undefeated season and the 3A state championship. He hit .566 with a .673 on-base percentage and is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft, but he's said he intends to honor his scholarship at LSU.

South Carolina: Tristan Smith, P/OF, Boiling Springs, sr.

The left-hander posted a 6-1 record with a 0.54 ERA and 120 strikeouts against just 22 walks in 51.2 innings this past season. Smith has signed to play for Clemson next season but is projected as a first-round pick in next week's MLB Draft.

Texas: Blake Mitchell, C/SS/P, Sinton, jr.

One of the most versatile players in the country, Mitchell has already committed to LSU but might be high on MLB Draft boards by this time next year. He hit .459 and drove in 52 runs, plus went 5-0 on the mound and pitched a shutout to lead Sinton into the 4A state championship game, which the Pirates (36-1) won for their first state championship since 2002.

Washington: JR Ritchie, P/SS, Bainbridge, sr.

Ritchie, a projected first-round pick in next week's MLB Draft, finished his high school career with his best all-around season to date. He starred as a hitter, drawing buzz from at least one MLB club as a shortstop. Ritchie also drew some high-profile heckles from opposing fans. But pitching is his forte: He went 7-0 with a 0.39 ERA, .100 opposing batting average, 74 strikeouts and just four walks in 35 1/3 innings.

Washington, D.C.: Nick Morabito, OF, Gonzaga, sr.

Morabito hit .545 with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and six triples, stealing 52 bases and compiling a .644 on-base percentage and a 1.119 slugging percentage while playing superb defense in the outfield. He's signed with Virginia Tech but is projected as an early-round selection in next week's MLB Draft.