June 10, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - University of Tennessee baseball signee and Knoxville native Ethan Bennett has been named the 2010 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year following his record-breaking senior season at Farragut High School, The Gatorade Company announced in collaboration with ESPN RISE magazine.

Four previous UT players earned Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year honors during their prep careers. The last Vol to do so was Jeff Christensen in 1996-97. Todd Helton started the trend in 1991-92 and was followed by R.A. Dickey the next year. Kurt Keene (1995-96) and Christensen then picked up the accolades in back-to-back seasons.

A 6-1 catcher, Bennett hit .410 this season with a state single-season record 27 home runs, in addition to tallying 73 RBIs and scoring 56 runs, while leading Farragut to its third consecutive Class AAA state championship. Earlier this spring, he set the national record for home runs in consecutive games, belting 16 during a 10-game stretch in April.

"I've never seen any season like the one Ethan has had," said Farragut Head Coach Matt Buckner. "You can't compare it to anyone. He's one of the best kids and best leaders I've ever had. As I've told about a hundred newspaper guys, he's always about the team. To me, that's the most special thing about him. His talent, what he's done, speaks for itself. I can't imagine a kid ever hitting that many home runs. We have two elite pitchers, and I think he handles them as good as anybody around. He's a tremendous field general. He's every bit as good as everybody says he is."

Bennett also finished the 2010 campaign with an astounding 1.058 slugging percentage and a .562 on-base percentage after hitting .360 with 39 RBIs and 11 home runs as a junior en route to Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association First Team All-Region honors.

An accomplished guitarist, Bennett has maintained a 3.80 weighted GPA in the classroom. A member of his church's youth group and his school's peer-mentoring program, he has volunteered as part of countless community-service initiatives on behalf of children with special needs. He has also donated his time to a local children's hospital and as part of fundraising efforts to benefit cancer and autism research and treatment.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.