1A All-State Baseball: MVP - Scott Barney, Panguitch

Scott Barney did it all for Panguitch's baseball team. He pitched, he hit and played defense. Without his versatility and dominance, the Bobcats probably wouldn't have celebrated a 1A state championship last month.

That's why Barney is the obvious choice for the Deseret Morning News' 1A baseball MVP.

"He was such a great pitcher, but if you watched Scott during the course of the year, he was not only an outstanding pitcher, but he also hit the ball very well," said Panguitch coach Clint Barney.

The Bobcats won though because of his pitching.

Barney finished the season with an 11-0 record on a team that went 21-1.

Two of his wins were no-hitters and another was a perfect game. No victory was more important or impressive than Barney's no-hitter against West Ridge in the semifinals.

West Ridge entered the game with a perfect record and the most denominating offense in 1A baseball this year. Barney mowed those explosive Eagles down for one of the most impressive no-hitters in state tournament history.

"There's no doubt the only guy that could've beat West Ridge and got us in the position to win it was Scott," said Clint Barney.

The senior pitcher owned the Eagles with a great mix of his fastballs and splitters. More than anything though, his excellent command of location was too much for West Ridge to overcome.

"He's a control pitcher. He throws strikes," said Clint Barney. "It just doesn't seem like hitters get anything down the middle they can tomahawk. Scott's greatest asset is he's not going to beat himself."

When that happens, as Barney proved all year, he's unbeatable.

Barney was also an incredible hitter for Panguitch. He led the Bobcats with a .558 batting average, and was second on the team with 30 RBIs.

Whether or not Barney will get the opportunity to display his talents at the next level remains to be seen. Because the 1A baseball season is in the fall, and the rest of the state plays baseball in the spring, his impressive season went pretty much unnoticed.

"It's kind of a disadvantage for our 1A kids because none of the college scouts are looking," said Clint Barney. "Right now we're just trying to get his name out there."

Four of Barney's teammates were also voted onto the 1A first-team by the coaches: Cameron Henrie, Ford Stewart, Joel Walker and Rawley Burningham.

West Ridge and runner-up Waterford both placed three players on the first team.

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E-MAIL: jedward@desnews.com