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Libertyville's Skoug nets Gatorade honor

The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, has announced that Evan Skoug of Libertyville has been chosen Gatorade Illinois Baseball Player of the Year.

Skoug is the third Gatorade Illinois Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Libertyville.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Skoug as Illinois's best high school baseball player.

Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, Skoug joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Derek Jeter, Roy Halladay, David Price, Chipper Jones, Derek Lee and John Lester.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior catcher owned a .407 batting average for the Wildcats (27-5) at the time of his selection. In 32 games, Skoug slugged 4 home runs and collected 29 RBI while compiling an on-base percentage of .593.

Skoug has maintained a 3.85 GPA in the classroom. Also a talented musician and a devoted member of his church youth group, he has volunteered locally on behalf of a homeless shelter, youth sports programs and Feed My Starving Children. He has also completed a service-mission trip to a South Dakota Native American reservation.

"Skoug is a difference-maker on both offense and defense," said Lake Forest coach Ray Del Fava. "You have to pitch to him very carefully, and he's a great leader for his team. On defense, he calls a great game, he receives the ball very well, and he just shut down our running game."

Skoug has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at Texas Christian University this fall.

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