LA CUEVA’S BRAIDEN REYNOLDS NAMED GATORADE NEW MEXICO BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Braiden Reynolds of La Cueva High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade New Mexico Baseball Player of the Year. Reynolds is the fourth Gatorade New Mexico Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from La Cueva High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Reynolds as New Mexico’s best high school baseball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Gary Sheffield (1985-86, Hillsborough High School, Fla.), Alex Rodriguez (1992-93, Westminster Christian School, Fla.), Clayton Kershaw (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Max Clark (2022-23, 2021-22 & 2020-21, Franklin Community High School, Ind.).
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior right-handed pitcher and first baseman led the Bears to a 27-3 record and a Class 5A state championship this past season. Reynolds compiled a 10-1 record on the mound with one save, a 2.17 ERA and 61 strikeouts against just 18 walks in 61.1 innings. He also battled .551 with nine home runs and 69 RBI, which is believed to be a single-season state record. He recorded a .624 on-base percentage and a 1.665 OPS and was named the District 2-5A Player of the Year in addition to being an All-District selection at both pitcher and first base.
Reynolds has volunteered locally with Locker #505, a nonprofit student clothing bank that serves K-12 children in the Albuquerque metro area. “He’s a special talent and two-way player for us,” said Gerard Pineda, head coach of La Cueva High School. “He was our top pitcher all season and our four-hole hitter. He’s a high-character young man, very considerate of others and works hard.”
Reynolds has maintained a 3.63 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Reynolds joins recent Gatorade New Mexico Baseball Players of the Year Steven Milam (2022-23, Centennial High School), Nolan Perry (2021-22, Carlsbad High School), Matthew Cornelius (2020-21, St. Pius X High School) and Noah Brewer (2019-20, Rio Rancho High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
