JUCO End of Year Awards

Blaine Peterson

Troy Sutherland

Photo: Luke Fernandez (Wallace State Athletics)

We are proud as the #PGJC staff to present our inaugural postseason awards. We are so excited to recognize the amazing seasons of just a couple of players and a coach after so much time and effort given by so many across the country to the game we all love. Going forward, our Coach of the Year award will have former Howard HC Britt Smith’s name attached to it. Britt’s contributions to the game at both the Juco and youth level deserve an immense level of respect and appreciation from all that have the pleasure of knowing him. Britt embodies exactly what a Coach of the Year should be, high character, unteachable work ethic with the highest level of baseball acumen.

Player of the Year: Tyler Myatt, IF, Walters State

Congratulations to the 2025 Perfect Game Juco Player of the Year, Tyler Myatt, who put together one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory at the Juco level. He won the Triple Crown in D1 Juco this past season hitting, .484 with 31 HR and 110 RBI, leading Walters State to the Juco World Series championship game. Myatt became a potential MLB Draft pick this spring and is committed to the University of Tennessee. Congratulations on a very special 2025 season.

Pitcher o the Year: Luke Fernandez, RHP, Wallace State

Congratulations to the 2025 Perfect Game Juco Pitcher of the Year, Luke Fernandez. One of the more notably dominant pitching seasons in recent years as he pitched to a 1.34 ERA & .79 WHIP across 80.2 innings. Fernandez possesses some of the best swing and miss stuff at the Juco level this spring, striking out 127 batters. He proved to be a workhorse arm and ran the table with elite level performances all spring long. A potential MLB Draft selection later this summer and is committed to Purdue University.

Britt Smith Coach of the Year: David Nelson, Salt Lake

Coach Nelson in his 15th year at the helm for the Bruins brought home the hardware for the first time in program history as the lowest seeded team in NJCAA D1 World Series history. A true testament to the culture of the program, Salt Lake has long been known as one of the top development programs in Region 18 & anywhere in the country under Nelson’s tutelage. Going forward the Juco college baseball landscape may look back on the 2025 season as one where Salt Lake turned from quality Four Corners JC program to national power house. We also would like to tip our hats to Nelson’s staff, Jason Crawford, Glen Spencer, Chris Shelton, and Dusty Nielsen.

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