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'He's been our MVP': Michael Quedens named Record's Fan Fav Baseball Player of the Year

shannon mia belt, the stockton record
·4 min read

When San Joaquin County baseball fans were asked to vote for their favorite high school baseball player, the St. Mary’s High School community came together to vote for Michael Quedens.

The senior two-way player has become a notable name in the 209 prep baseball scene helping the Rams end the regular season as the No. 1 team in the Sac-Joaquin Section. With his elite pitching, consistent offense, and nearly 130,000 votes, Quedens has earned the title of the first-ever RecordNet Fan’s Choice Baseball Player of the Year.

“It feels amazing to earn this title,” Quedens said. “It’s a good accomplishment and just seeing all that hard work pay off it goes a long way for me. We still have a long way to go though, the job is still not done.”

St. Mary's Michael Quedens delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.
St. Mary's Michael Quedens delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.

Climbing his way to the top

When Quedens was a freshman on varsity for St. Mary’s no one could’ve guessed he would be the star player on his way to the University of Michigan to play baseball next spring. He suffered an injury and had to have Tommy John surgery that same year and had to sit out.

While on the sidelines, the 6-foot-1 lefty was preparing for his comeback.

“It was tough not playing, you know, every kid wants to play,” he said. “But I was just trying to get stronger and get my arm healthy. I also got to learn at the same time from all the older kids I was around. My dad was also my biggest supporter throughout it all, just pushing me to keep going. ”

After a year of not playing and three months of recovery, Quedens returned to the game he loves for his sophomore season. He finished with a 2-0 record on the mound pitching 26 1/3 innings. Offensively he was still finding his groove batting .291 by the end of the season.

St. Mary's Michael Quedens's form is captured in a multiple exposure image as he delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.
St. Mary's Michael Quedens's form is captured in a multiple exposure image as he delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.

During Quedens' junior year as Ram, he improved those numbers making him the go-to guy when his team needed a hit or an out. He finished with a 5-2 record on the mound and batted close to a .400 racking up 37 hits, 27 RBIs, and 15 runs. This season, his bat is even hotter as he’s playing his best baseball yet.

“Michael has been great all year with a bat, with his arm, and with his glove,” said Jason Lindholm, St. Mary’s baseball head coach. “He’s been our MVP for sure. We went 15-0 in our league and he was our best player.”

The Michigan-bound senior leads the Rams with the highest batting average of .433 and has the most home runs (4), runs (26), hits (39), and RBIs (27). On the mound, he holds the second-best record on the team, 7-1, behind sophomore Nico Bavaro.

With Quedens leading them this season, the Rams have gone undefeated in league play for the first time since 2010.

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The job’s not done yet

TCAL championships and first-place rankings aside, Quedens has his eyes set on something bigger — a Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 blue banner.

“I talked to Michael after our game on April 29 and it was probably his worst game offensively, he had two Ks,” Lindholm said. “Despite that, he was the first one in our huddle and the first one off the field defensively just getting our guys hyped up. That’s huge when you can have your leader be down and still lifting guys up.”

St. Mary's Michael Quedens delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.
St. Mary's Michael Quedens delivers a pitch during a varsity baseball game against Lincoln at St. Mary's in Stockton on May 3, 2023.

St. Mary’s went on to win that game 2-1. The Rams ended the regular season sweeping the Trojans in a three-game series with Quedens and their other offensive weapons leading them.

Quedens’ unwavering leadership style will play a big role for the Rams throughout the SJS playoffs which kick off on May 7. Last season, they advanced all the way to the Division 1 semifinals but didn’t have enough to get past Whitney. They would go on to lose the three-game series 2-1 just a game shy from the championship.

This go-round, Quedens and St. Mary’s don’t want anyone standing in their way.

“I’m just ready to kick some butt in the playoffs it doesn’t matter who we play,” Quedens said. “We just want to go all the way to get that blue banner."

More: History in the making: St. Mary's boys volleyball wins first playoff game ever over Edison

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: RecordNet's Fan Fav Baseball POTY: Michael Quedens