Ankeny Centennial baseball star Joey Oakie has been named the Gatorade Iowa player of the year for 2024.
The senior pitcher has helped the fourth-ranked Jaguars to a 9-2 record. He tossed a one-hitter and had 13 strikeouts to lead Centennial to a 5-2 victory over No. 1 Johnston in the opener of a CIML Conference doubleheader on Monday, snapping the Dragons’ 22-game winning streak.
“It’s a really cool honor,” said Oakie, who also went 2-for-4 with a double in the win. “A lot of good players have won that award.”
Oakie has compiled a 2-1 mark with a 0.79 ERA. He has racked up 38 strikeouts in just 17 2/3 innings while limiting opposing batters to a .089 average.
Oakie, a two-time all-stater, is batting .281 with one home run and 11 RBIs. He was a member of the 2023 18U National Team that competed in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup last September in Taiwan.
Oakie has committed to play for Iowa, but is widely expected to be a high draft pick in the 2024 MLB amateur draft in July.
