Nominees for Hot Stove Baseball Team of the Year

FRESNO, Calif. - Buchanan High School, Corcoran High School and Hanford West High School have been nominated as finalists for the Hot Stove Baseball Team of the Year. The honor will be among six awards presented at the Hot Stove 51st Anniversary Gala on Saturday, January 28th at the Fresno Convention Center.

Buchanan posted a 30-2 record during the 2011 season en route to winning the Tri-River Athletic Conference and Division I Central Section Championship. Led by head coach Tom Donald, the Bears were also ranked the No. 1 team in ESPN RISE's POWERADE FAB 50 after beginning the year ranked 31st.

Corcoran won the Division V Central Section Championship by defeating Fresno Christian High in the title game. The Panthers, coached by Mike Pankratz, went 19-7-1 during the 2011 season, including a perfect 11-0 record in the East Sequoia Conference.

Hanford West captured the program's second section championship in the school's 13-year history after defeating Madera South for the Division III Central Section Championship. The No. 4-seeded Huskies, who finished the season 23-11, had to defeat the top-seeded Fresno High in the semifinals to reach the championship game. Michael Remy is the head coach for the Huskies.

The Hot Stove Softball Team of the Year nominees will be announced on Thursday, January 26th. The winners of the Coach of the Year and Gus Zernial Player of the Year awards for baseball and softball will be announced on Friday, January 27th.

The Hot Stove 51st Anniversary Gala is presented by Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, Tecate, Mission Bell Winery, Bayer CropScience, Coca-Cola and PG&E. The event will also feature former and current San Francisco Giants Vida Blue, Chris Stewart and Mark Gardner as well as new Grizzlies manager Bob Mariano. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Grizzlies Community Fund.