Caleb Vacchiano of Sacopee Valley has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade Maine Baseball Player of the Year, the first from the school to receove the honor.

Vacchiano, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior shortstop and right-handed pitcher, led the Hawks (12-3) to a berth in the Class C South tournament this season, batting .476 with four home runs and 16 RBI with 24 runs scored and an OPS of 1.518. He has a 1-0 record on the mound with a 1.31 ERA and 35 strikeouts against just five walks in 26.2 innings pitched.

In 2023, Vacchiano hit .635 with nine home runs as a junior.

“He’s a top-one-percent elite hitter at our level,” said Paul Grazia, coach at Waynflete. “He would be wildly successful at any level of Maine high school baseball. During our games, we are fully prepared to intentionally walk him every single time, regardless of situation. When we don’t, I instantly regret it.

“He hit a game-tying home run in the state semifinal against us last year and the go-ahead home run against us in the regular season this year.”

Vacchiano has signed a national letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Maine this fall.

Vacchiano joins recent Gatorade Maine Baseball Players of the Year Andrew Heffernan (2022-23, South Portland), Cody Bowker (2021-22, Thornton Academy), Brady Afthim (2020-21, Windham) and Hunter Owen (2019-20, South Portland).

BOYS’ LACROSSE

SCARBOROUGH 13, OXFORD HILLS 4: Olin Pedersen scored four goals and defenseman Drew Witas added three as the fifth-seeded Red Storm (10-5) pulled away in the second half to defeat No. 12 Oxford Hills (6-9) in a Class A state preliminary-round playoff game at Scarborough.

Sebastian Furr of Scarborough, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring in the first quarter against Oxford Hills. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

The Red Storm will go to fourth-seeded Deering at 5 p.m. Friday for the quarterfinals.

Scarborough only led 4-1 at halftime, then pulled away with seven goals in the third quarter. Wes Merrill added two goals for the Red Storm, who got one apiece from Sebastian Furr, Kyle Gambardella, Jackson Peters and Liam Sellinger.

The Vikings were paced by Owen Marr, who scored three times. Chase Edmunds finished with six saves.