The 2026 baseball season across Okaloosa and Walton counties was one for the books. South Walton broke through for the area’s first baseball state championship, while Choctaw and Niceville each made Elite Eight runs of their own.

With the season now in the rearview mirror, here are the Get The Coast awards for the 2026 area baseball season.

MVP / Pitcher of the Year / Hitter of the Year

Coleman Borthwick — SP/SS/DH, South Walton

It’s hard to overstate what Borthwick did this season. In the modern era of local high school athletics, perhaps only Danny Wuerffel and Tom Hammonds delivered the kind of singular, program-defining dominance Borthwick brought to the diamond in 2026.

At the plate, Borthwick posted a .464 batting average with 45 hits, 34 RBIs and eight home runs. On the mound, he was nearly untouchable — 121 strikeouts, 18 hits allowed, three earned runs and a 0.21 ERA. That two-way performance was the driving force behind the Seahawks’ state title run.

Now, Borthwick faces a decision: honor his commitment to Auburn or enter the MLB Draft, where he appears to have first-round potential.

Defensive Player of the Year

Seth Young — C, Choctaw

Young was a rock behind the plate for the Indians, committing just one error all season while recording 251 putouts, three double plays and a .996 fielding percentage.

Relief Pitcher of the Year

Sean Britton — Niceville

Britton anchored the Eagles’ bullpen all season, posting 53 strikeouts and a 1.72 ERA while allowing just 30 hits and one home run.

First-Year Starter of the Year

Ethan Thomas — SP/2B/DH, Niceville

Thomas spent his freshman year on the Eagles’ JV squad, but when he was elevated to varsity as a sophomore, he stepped into the ace role left behind by graduating senior Hunter Tarchalski and made it his own. Thomas posted a 2.43 ERA with 69 strikeouts on the mound and hit .294 at the plate with 20 hits, 14 RBIs and three home runs.

Freshman of the Year

John Brown — OF, Choctaw

Brown earned a starting spot in the Indians’ outfield as a freshman and made the most of it, batting .352 with 32 hits and 26 RBIs.

Coach of the Year

David Weber — Choctaw

When Weber was hired in 2023 to lead the program he once played for, he inherited a baseball team that had long lived in the shadow of Choctaw’s other programs — football, boys’ and girls’ basketball, and especially flag football.

But Weber went to work, and this year, the results spoke for themselves: 25 wins, a No. 1 seed in the region, and Choctaw’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1999. The Indians’ season ended with a loss to Clay in the Elite Eight, but that doesn’t diminish the job Weber has done in turning Choctaw baseball into a program with real staying power.

All-Area First Team

All-Area Second Team

All-Area Third Team