Winner from Bloomingdale High School; Honorable Mentions from Leto and Durant
Hillsborough County, Fla. (June 5, 2024) - The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners recognized three outstanding student-athletes with the 18th annual Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award and two Honorable Mentions during today's meeting.
The Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award honors a high school baseball player or team in Hillsborough County who displays outstanding athletic, scholastic, and community achievements.
The 2024 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award winner is Cooper Hinson of Bloomingdale High. A two-time Perfect Game High School All-American and two-time All-Western Conference First Team, Hinson led Bloomindale to the State Final Four this season. He hit a whopping .448 this season, with 39 hits, 34 runs scored, 19 runs batted in, 10 doubles, and two home runs. Academically and community wise, his achievements are equally impressive: a 5.84 GPA, four-year member of the National Honor Society, and Bloomingdale Booster Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. He has volunteered with Best Buddies and Meals on Wheels, and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, among other organizations. In addition, Hinson co-founded the Bloomingdale Basketball and Whiffle Ball leagues for students. He will attend Marshall University, where he will play baseball and pursue a law degree.
Honorable Mentions went to Demetrios Passalaris of Leto High and Blaine Rowland from Durant.
Passalaris was Leto's top pitcher his junior and senior years. This season, he had a 3-2 record, with 55 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched, and a 3.5 ERA. The last two seasons combined, he recorded over 70 strikeouts. The team's captain and leader, Passalaris had a cumulative grade point average of 7.5 and earned an associate in arts degree his senior year. He will attend Florida State University.
Rowland lettered in baseball all four years at Durant, and was All-County in both pitching and outfield last year. He set the regular season hit record for the school, was 6-0 in 43 innings pitched, with 73 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA, while hitting .541. He drove in 26 runs and had two homeruns. Rowland, a National Honor Society member and part of Durant's Honor Court, will attend the University of Florida, where he will play baseball.
About the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award
The Board of County Commissioners established the award in 2005 in honor of first-ballot National Baseball Hall of Fame member Wade Boggs. A resident of the Tampa Bay area since he was a child, Boggs is a 12-time All Star who ended his 18-year Major League Baseball career as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who retired his number 12 in 2000. The Boston Red Sox also honored Boggs when they retired his number 26 in 2016. His career statistics include 3,010 hits, 1,513 runs, 578 doubles, 61 triples, 118 home runs, 1,014 runs batted in, and a batting average of .328. He reached base safely in 80% of his 2,432 career games. For more information, visit the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award page.