Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Lewis-Palmer senior Paul Tillotson was named Colorado’s baseball player of the year by Gatorade on Tuesday morning.
Tillotson, a pitcher, went 8-1 with a 1.02 ERA, and 86 strickouts against just 17 walks this season. He allowed a total of eight earned runs in 55 innings.
Tillotson also plays in the outfield, and hit .562 with four home runs and a team-best 40 RBIs in helping to lead the Rangers to the Class 4A district round.
“I’m in my 22nd year coaching varsity baseball, and this kind of kid doesn’t come around very often,” Cheyenne Mountain baseball coach Mark Swope said in a statement. “He’s one of the most dominant pitchers I’ve seen in a long time, and you don’t want to pitch to him on the offensive side, either, as he’s without question the best hitter in our league.”
Tillotson, the first-ever baseball player to be honored by Gatorade with the award, carries a 3.46 weighted GPA. He recently volunteered on behalf of Children’s Hospital Colorado, and also participated in a food drive to benefit residents who where displayed by the Waldo Canyon fire.
He is signed with Nebraska.
Tillotson now becomes a finalist for the national award, which will be announced at a later point.