Marucci Sports announced Trey Morgan of West Feliciana and Nicky Dawson of Parkview Baptist as the recipients of the 2016 Marucci Louisiana High School Baseball and Softball Player of the Year awards.

Two of Marucci’s co-founders, Kurt Ainsworth and Joe Lawrence, are Louisiana natives who began their path to the Big Leagues right here in the state. To honor its roots, the company created the Marucci Louisiana High School Player of the Year Awards in 2015.

“We are once again proud to highlight two of our state’s top high school players who exemplified how to honor the game right in our backyard,” said Marucci co-founder and CEO Kurt Ainsworth. “Trey and Nicky both had outstanding seasons.”

Trey Morgan helped West Feliciana capture the Class 3A state title, its first in school history, with a 7-1 record on the mound along with a 1.39 ERA in 2016. Morgan also batted .412 with 39 RBI as a senior.

“Your team is always better when your best player is your hardest worker, and Trey was that for us this past season,” said West Feliciana Head Coach Gannon Achord. “The leadership he provided for our team was definitely a factor in us winning the state championship.”

Morgan earned first-team all-state and all-district 6-3A honors in 2016 and is a Southeastern Louisiana signee.

Nicky Dawson is claiming her second Marucci Player of the Year honor, as she was selected as the 2015 softball recipient as a junior.

In her senior season, Dawson broke her own school records in batting average (.658) and on-base percentage (.743). She also belted five home runs, 35 RBI, 15 doubles, scored 75 runs, and was 58/58 in stolen bases while leading Parkview to the state semifinals.

Dawson also broke three national records with 49 career triples, 324 career stolen bases and 291 career runs scored.

“Her work ethic was out of this world,” said Parkview Baptist Softball Coach Ashlee Weems. “I’ve never seen someone work at something so hard especially at the high school level. She played with a lot of confidence, loved to compete and made others around her better. She will be greatly missed!”

The LSU signee was named the LHSAA Player of the Year as well as 1st team All-State by both the coaches and sports writers of Louisiana.

About the Marucci Louisiana High School Player of the Year Award

This annual award is given to the high school player in the state of Louisiana who best exemplifies excellence, leadership, and sportsmanship on the field. Winners will be presented a Marucci wood bat commemorating the recognition.

Previous recipients: O’Neal Lochridge (St. Thomas More), Nicky Dawson (Parkview Baptist)