FRANKLIN, Ind. — Gatorade announced Wednesday that central Indiana’s own Max Clark has been crowned the 2022-23 National Baseball Player of the Year.

According to a release sent by Gatorade, the Franklin Community High School student was surprised with the Player of the Year trophy on Wednesday by his family, coaches and teammates while at school.

“Clark won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Baseball Players of the Year,” Gatorade said, “who have combined for more than four MLB MVP awards, 42 All-Star appearances and 27 MLB first-round draft picks.”

This season, Clark batted .646 with six home runs, 33 RBI and 45 runs scored. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior center fielder also led the FC Grizzly Cubs to the Class 4A sectional semifinals.

“Clark is the nation’s No. 1 draft prospect in the Class of 2023 as rated by Prep Baseball Report and he’s also the state’s two-time returning Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year,” the release read. “In addition to an .808 on-base percentage and a 1.215 slugging percentage, he also stole 35 bases and made just two errors in the outfield this spring.”

In addition to FC, Clark has played, and starred, on the national circuit with Indiana Bulls as well as the international circuit playing with USA Baseball’s U18 squad, winning a gold medal in the WBSC U-18 World Cup.

Clark now has the opportunity to play NCAA baseball, as even before his freshman year, he committed to Vanderbilt, one of the top Division I baseball programs in the country. Still, the possibility exists that he’ll turn pro instead.

“As of now, I swear, it’s the hardest decision to ever make,” Clark said during an interview with FOX59/CBS4 in May.

High school prospects are often selected in the MLB Draft, which begins July 9 this year. After their selection, they must choose between heading to the pros or packing up for college.

Either way, Clark will certainly be one of the first names called.