A Season Defined by Dominance
AJ Rice, a senior at Pickens High School, has been crowned the 2026 Prep Baseball Georgia Player of the Year, a testament to a season that blended dominance on the mound with potency at the plate. His contributions helped the team capture the program’s first state championship in school history.
On the pitching side, Rice posted a perfect 14‑0 record with a minuscule 0.35 ERA, fanning 162 opponents while allowing just four earned runs all year. Opponents managed only a .096 batting average against him, underscoring his control and poise.
At the plate, he batted .365, collecting 31 hits that included two home runs and 33 RBIs. His on‑base percentage sat at .486 and his slugging percentage at .600, reflecting a rare blend of contact and power for a high school player.
The performance earned him the No. 11 spot in Georgia’s 2028 prospect rankings and a verbal commitment to play college baseball at Auburn University, where he will join a program known for developing elite arms.
Rice’s career numbers are equally striking: a 41‑3 record, 253 innings pitched, a 0.99 ERA and 458 strikeouts, painting the picture of a pitcher who has already left a lasting imprint on Georgia high school baseball.