ScoutConnect is excited to announce our inaugural ‘Metro Area Player of the Year’ award winner. This award encompasses who we believe to have been the top player in the Metro/St. Louis area from a statistical standpoint, but also from the impact they provided in all areas to their team. 

We’re happy to announce that our first ever award recipient is LHP/OF Zach Van Hook (2026; Mizzou commit) from Vianney. 

Van Hook had a ridiculously impressive season on both sides of the ball from a statistical standpoint and was the driving force behind the success the Griffins had this spring. He was their best player on both sides of the ball and his impact helped propel Vianney to a 32-11 season with a third place finish in the Class 6 state playoffs. 

We’ll start on the mound, which is where Van Hook is expected to call home when he makes it to CoMo, or if his name were to be called in July’s MLB Draft. He threw 54 ⅔ innings, making 13 starts, with a 1.13 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. He struck out 93 batters and walked 29, holding opponents to a .102 batting average against, as well as a .401 OPS against. Van Hook allowed just 17 total hits on the entire season, only four of them going for extra bases, and surrendered a hit or less in eight of his 13 outings. He was the definition of dominant from start to finish as the ace of Vianney’s club. 

From a prospect standpoint, Van Hook’s talents on the mound are notable. His 6-foot-4 frame checks the physicality box, and the strength he added to fill out his frame further was the cherry on top. Van Hook’s fastball regularly played in the low-90s this spring, touching as high as 94 mph in his postseason start against Lindbergh. He pairs that with a slurvy-type breaking ball in the mid-to-upper-70s, and will also show a low-80s changeup. Left-handed arms with his physicality and velocity potential aren’t common, and it’s what makes the Griffins’ southpaw so intriguing. 

Offensively, Van Hook’s production couldn’t have been more impactful for a Vianney offense that desperately needed it. Hitting almost exclusively out of the leadoff spot all spring, he hit .423 with a 1.234 OPS over more than 150 plate appearances. That slugging total included nine doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He only struck out a ridiculously low six times, walked 35 times, and was a perfect 47-for-47 on stolen base attempts. 

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the heroics Van Hook played at the plate in the Griffins District championship win over Lindbergh. Down to their final out, he absolutely mashed a two-run home run over the right field wall to walk things off and keep Vianney’s season alive. 

All season long he was the engine that made one of the top teams in St. Louis run, which played a major role in Van Hook’s selection as our inaugural ‘Metro Area Player of the Year’ award winner.