Cade Kurland, one of the state’s top power hitters, was named the Class 3A state baseball player of the year by Florida Dairy Farmers. 

The junior, who graduated early and will play at Florida next season, led the state in home runs with 13 and tied five others for 10th in RBIs with 38. Those numbers were a big reason Berkeley Prep was able to rank among the nation’s best teams throughout the season and reach the 3A state title game.

In the championship game, Kurland hit a homer that helped the Buccaneers rally from an early 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead after five innings. Berkeley Prep eventually lost 5-3 to North Broward Prep. 

The winners in each classification were selected through voting from a statewide panel of baseball coaches and media representatives. They are now eligible to be named the overall winner in the state, which will go through another round of voting and likely be announced later this week.