Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Sun Standout Awards:

Male Athlete of the Year: Aaron Roberts, Desert Oasis baseball

2019 Sun Standout Awards Finalists

Christopher DeVargas

Aaron Roberts, Male Athlete of the Year winner.

There certainly hasn’t been a better baseball player in Southern Nevada this year, and there might not be a single athlete who has performed as well as Aaron Roberts.

The Desert Oasis senior infielder/pitcher batted .476 this season with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs to lead his team to a state championship. On the mound, he posted a 1.32 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 43 innings.

“Being on the caliber of team I’m on, it just helps push myself even more to get better,” he said. “Seeing all these guys around me, my USC-commit teammates, Oregon, UNLV … they just push me to make myself better each and every day, and I push them.

“It’s a never-ending loop of greatness.”

Roberts is signed to play at California but could garner attention in June’s MLB Entry Draft and forgo a collegiate career altogether. The Golden Bears recruited him as both a pitcher and a hitter.

He can’t decide which he likes better.

Roberts has been a strong player throughout his high school career, but he’s taken it to another level this season. He said a commitment to focus was the key: “making sure that I keep my goals in check and don’t get distracted by outside things.”

Finalists:

Christian Franklin, Valley cross country and track. Recorded Nevada’s best 3.1-mile course time this season—16 minutes, 22 seconds—to win the state championship, his ninth victory out of 11 races entered this season.

Jalen Hill, Clark basketball. Won the Gatorade Player of the Year award after averaging 17.5 points and five rebounds per game in his senior season and committing to Oklahoma.

Kyu Kelly, Bishop Gorman football and track. Won state championships in both sports and committed to Stanford as a defensive back.

Scott Solan, Palo Verde volleyball. Made the U.S. Youth National Team, won a state championship with 279 kills on the season and committed to play at Pepperdine next year.