Strong pitching and the long ball. That’s how our candidates made this week’s ‘Prep Ballplayer’ vote.

One finalist pitched a gem, another showed consistency on the bump not once, but twice, while our third candidate showcased his power at the plate four times in three consecutive days.

Here are the standouts:

Grant Bradt, Jr., INF, Winters Mill
Bradt didn’t have any issues seeing the ball this past week as he belted four home runs in three games, starting with a three-run shot on Wednesday against Francis Scott Key. The right-handed hitter topped that performance the next day with a grand slam versus South Carroll. Bradt wrapped up the week with two home runs and seven RBIs in a 23-16 slugfest win against Liberty. The junior corner infielder knocked in 14 RBIs during those three games.

Austin Koehn, Sr., RHP, Patterson Mill
Koehn dominated Wednesday against Bel Air. The UNC Greensboro commit struck out nine batters while allowing only two hits in a complete-game, 6-0 win. The senior right-hander also helped his cause by knocking in two runs with a double.

Andrew Sowinski, Jr., LHP, Annapolis Area Christian
Annapolis Area Christian and junior Sowinski opened the week against St. John’s Catholic. In six innings of work, he blanked the Vikings on one hit while striking out seven batters. At the plate, he connected on a two-run triple in the 8-0 win. Five days later, he took the mound again, this time against Pallotti. Although his team lost 5-2, the southpaw had another strong outing – he pitched 5 1/3 innings, was credited with no earned runs and struck out five batters. He added four hits and one RBI in the loss.

Others considered (listed alphabetically): Trent Gast-Woodard, Archbishop Curley; Jimmy Jaecksch, Mount Hebron; Paul Nixon, Curley; Cam Nolet, Annapolis; Bill Scanlon, Westminster; Sam St. John, Annapolis

In case you’re visiting ‘Prep Ballplayer’ voting for the first time, here’s the drill: Three new candidates will be revealed each Monday. You get to vote – early and often – for the finalist you believe should be our winner. Voting ends every Thursday night and the winner is announced each Friday.

If you’re interested in submitting candidates for our consideration, please send the player’s name, key statistics from the previous week and your contact information to [email protected]. We welcome suggestions and your feedback.