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Thursday, July 02, 2009

Kevin Koziol, is a junior from Brother Rice, was named the Gatorade Player of the Year. Here, he pitches against Lincoln- Way East.

Kevin Koziol Named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year

Congratulations to Brother Rice junior Kevin Koziol for being selected the Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois. Koziol, a shortstop and right-handed pitcher who helped No. 2 Brother Rice to a 27-0 start, was one of only a few juniors in the nation to be named player of the year.

“It’s a great honor to be given this award, especially as a junior,” said Koziol, who earned PBR All-State honors as a sophomore last year.

Koziol joins a long list of past Illinois phenoms who were given the award:
2008: Jake Odorizzi, Highland HS (first-round draft)
2007: Jake Smolinski, Rockford Boylan HS (second-round draft)
2006: Zach McAllister, Illinois Valley Central HS (second-round draft)
2005: Michael Bowden, Waubonsie Vallie HS (sandwich-round draft)

For a complete list of past Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year recipients, Click Here.

2009 Top Tier 15 Americans pictured below

Top Tier 2009 Commitments

Name	High School	Year	College
Trevor Bodie	West Chicago	2009	St. Joseph's College
Jason Cohen	Deerfield	2009	DePauw University
Steve Cservenyak	Joliet Catholic	2009	St. Joseph's College
Jon Day	Barrington	2009	University of Evansville
Todd Dunham	Fremd	2009	Oakland University
Scott Firth	Stevenson	2009	Clemson University
Anthony Kopp	Highland Park	2009	Illinois Wesleyan
Karch Kowalczyk	LaSalle-Peru	2009	Valparaiso University
Kevin Lasowski	Illiana Christian	2009	Olivet Nazarene
Eric Mason	Andrew	2009	St. Joseph's College
Thomas Polus	Andrean	2009	Georgetown University
Matt Robin	Stevenson	2009	Ohio University
Kyle Ruchim	Stevenson	2010	Northwestern University
Brad Sorkin	Stevenson	2009	Illinois State
Ryan Welter	Batavia	2009	Benedictine University
Tanner Witt	Lake Zurich	2009	Kansas State

Top Tier has evolved from its inception in 2004 to one of the most elite amateur baseball organizations in the United States. We have played in numerous national championships and have been finalists in countless other major national tournaments. Top Tier has produced numerous players who have continued on into the college and professional levels.

We design our program to maximize the exposure of our players. We do this by combining quality tournaments with high profile “showcase” or combinations of the two. These types of events attract hundreds of scouts and the very best of players. Excelling at one of these events is perhaps the surest way for a player to increase his likelihood of attaining his baseball goals.

We take great pride in the “Top Tier Tradition of Baseball Excellence” that has developed as a result of hard work by many outstanding players, the dedication of coaches, the unwavering assistance of our sponsors and the commitment and support of great parents. The common purpose of all those involved is to provide the top amateur baseball talent in the Midwest and exposure to collegiate and professional scouts. We also appreciate all the input we receive from so many high school and college coaches whose thoughts and ideas help us to continue our growth and the continued improvement of our players and our organization.

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