Who were the best prep players in the Baltimore area in 2017? Here’s our second annual ‘Diamond Nine’ All-Star team

The local high school baseball season is long over. But it’s not forgotten. Today we unveil our second annual BaltimoreBaseball.com Diamond Nine. Our picks for the top nine players in the Baltimore area – regardless of position — were made after reviewing statistics and looking over all information that was available thee last few months.

This year’s Diamond Nine includes four seniors and five juniors. There are four players from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association – three from the A Conference and one from the B Conference. The remaining five players participated under the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association – two from Anne Arundel County and a player each from Carroll County, Harford County and Howard County.

Here are this year’s selections, listed alphabetically.

BALTIMOREBASEBALL.COM’S 2017 DIAMOND NINE

Kieran Garner, Sr., RHP/INF, River Hill

Garner was named Howard County Times Pitcher of the Year for good reason. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound pitcher held a 0.79 ERA in just over 44 innings of work. The right-hander allowed 27 hits and struck out 67 batters. At the plate, Garner batted .390 with 11 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He’s headed to the University of Maryland.

Brendan Gauthier, Sr., OF, Severn

There may not have been a better leadoff man this season. Gauthier had a .470 batting average and a .586 on-base percentage. The speedy outfielder didn’t stop there – he stole 26 bases and scored 43 runs. The Capital Gazette All-County selection also knocked in 22 runs.

Austin Koehn, Jr., RHP, Patterson Mill

Koehn found much success on the mound for Patterson Mill. In 55 1/3 innings pitched, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound right-hander allowed nine runs – good for a 1.14 ERA – and struck out 58 hitters. Offensively, in 73 plate appearances, The Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection posted a .316 batting average and had 15 RBIs.

Mike Marrale, Jr., C, Century

Marrale led in just about every offensive category for Century. The Carroll County Times Player of the Year smacked 10 home runs, three shy of the state record, and tallied 31 RBIs. The Knights’ catcher held a .907 slugging percentage and scored 28 runs. He is an early commit to Old Dominion University.

Garrett Matheny, Sr., C, Calvert Hall

Matheny was one of the top catchers in a competitive MIAA A conference. In 30 games, The Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection posted a .395 batting average. He recorded 32 hits, drove in 26 runs and scored 30 times for the Cardinals. Matheny was a recipient of BaltimoreBaseball.com’s “Prep Ballplayer of the Week” honors. He’s headed to Radford University.

Kody Milton, Jr., INF, Severna Park

It was a season to remember for the rising senior. Milton, The Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year and the Capital Gazette Player of the Year, hit .580 in 22 games for the Falcons. He held a .700 on-base percentage, hit 11 doubles and homered six times. Milton was a finalist for “Prep Ballplayer of the Week” honors. Like his father, former big leaguer Eric Milton, he’ll likely be a Terp. He has committed early to the University of Maryland.

Cam Nolet, Jr., LHP, St. Mary’s

The St. Mary’s southpaw struck out 78 hitters and allowed only 19 hits, en route to a 2.01 ERA. The Capital Gazette All-County selection also earned back-to-back honors as our “Prep Ballplayer of the Week.” The lefty’s first one came after a complete-game shutout on April 3 against St. Paul’s when he struck out 15. A week later, at the West Brunswick Easter Tournament in North Carolina, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder was perfect in a six-inning contest, striking out 13 of the 18 batters he faced.

Joe Seidler, Jr., RHP/INF, Chesapeake-AA

Seidler’s consistency, week after week, was impressive. On the mound, he struck out 49 batters in 55 innings. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander held a 2.02 ERA. At the plate, The Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection – who hit .420 – had two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 25 RBIs. Seidler was also a three-time finalist for our “Prep Ballplayer” honors.

Nick Vermillion, Sr., INF/RHP, Archbishop Spalding

Vermillion may be playing football at Towson University this fall, but the right-hander dominated on the diamond in the MIAA A Conference. The 6-foot, 245-pounder struck out 79 batters and posted a 1.11 ERA. In the batter’s box, The Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection had a .423 average, smacked six home runs and recorded 29 RBIs. He also scored 22 runs for the Cavaliers and won our ‘Prep Ballplayer’ honors once.