School: Southlake Carroll

Ethan Cunningham

What he did: Cunningham went 4-for-8 with three home runs and five RBIs to help Southlake Carroll sweep Arlington Martin, the state's fifth-ranked Class 5A team, in an area-round playoff series. Cunningham pitched five innings Thursday and was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, helping Carroll rally from a seven-run deficit for a 9-8, eight-inning win in Game 1. He was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs in Friday's 9-1 win in Game 2. Carroll (16-17) advanced to face Coppell in the 5A Region I quarterfinals.

The stats: Cunningham is hitting .309 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. As a pitcher, he is 8-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 70⅔ innings.

Who is he? A senior pitcher/outfielder.

He said it: "I was seeing the ball really well this series. The ball looked like a beach ball. I felt like I could hit whatever pitch was thrown."

Coach said it: "He and [Ross] Stripling, we look at them as two No. 1 pitchers. He's been real important for us this year."  – Larry Hughes

Did you know? Cunningham played wide receiver for Carroll's football team and had 57 catches for 757 yards and nine touchdowns in 2007. Cunningham has signed to play football for William Jewell College, and he said he'll probably also play baseball for the school in Liberty, Mo.