Ethan Holliday Named Baseball America’s 2025 High School Baseball Player Of The Year
Image credit: Ethan Holliday (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
Ethan Holliday remembers his freshman year fondly.
As a first-year third baseman for Stillwater (Okla.) High, he got to play alongside the best high school player in America. He also called that shortstop his brother.
He watched as MLB scouts dissected every grounder fielded and analyzed every at-bat taken by Jackson Holliday, who was on his way to a national-record 89 hits in a single season. Jackson was the Baseball America High School Player of the Year in 2022.
Now, three years later, Ethan finds himself in a similar situation. Scouts, crosscheckers and MLB decision-makers descended on Stillwater to watch the 18-year-old shortstop as he showcased himself as the top high school prospect for the 2025 draft.
Like his brother before him, Ethan Holliday is the Baseball America High School Player of the Year. Jackson and Ethan are the first high school brother tandem to each be honored as POY.
“It’s awesome, getting to share something like that with your brother, who you are super close with—and we actually got to play together,” Ethan said. “We’ve got a family business in Stillwater, and baseball is kind of just what we love to do. So it’s a real honor to share that with him.”
The historic achievement is surreal for their father Matt Holliday, who remembers reading through Baseball America while in the coaches’ offices at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium while his father Tom was an assistant coach for Oklahoma State.
“I remember (BA) was one of the early on—or I’d guess probably the original publication—that was really honing in on high school players, ranking high school players and giving these kinds of awards,” the seven-time MLB all-star said. “So going back to me growing up with Baseball America—and my family has been in those magazines—and now for the boys to win Baseball America (High School) Player of the Year … it’s quite an honor for them and exciting for the family.”
Family friend and former Stillwater High baseball coach Marty Lees, who ran the program in Holliday’s last two years before recently accepting a job to return to coaching in the college ranks with Wichita State, worked extensively with Ethan to help further mold his mechanics in the field, while Ethan’s father could obviously help him with his swing.
But the one aspect Lees saw the senior shortstop take his greatest leap in the two years coaching him was something neither coach nor father could force.
“Leadership,” Lees said. “I think that sometimes it takes time for kids to develop that … This year, he was always getting our kids together, always trying to make them believe that they’re better than what they were, and he was coaching them.”
Unprompted, the longtime coach gave his own ranking for the top prep prospect in the country.
“He’ll be the best player I ever coach, and I’ve coached some big leaguers in my life—had several kids drafted—but there’s going to be nobody better than Ethan Holliday as a player and as a person,” Lees said.
“I’ve had some really good ones, but I’m excited for his future.”
Because of that potential—which resulted in a .611 batting average with 19 home runs this season—high school teams became afraid of pitching to Holliday.
That talent also produced fear among opposing coaches and pitchers.
In important games late in the season, including games against Bixby that would decide the district championship, Ethan was constantly being intentionally walked. It was understandable given that his first at-bat in both games of the series against the Spartans resulted in home runs.
He also was never given a chance to help his team in all three plate appearances in Stillwater’s loss to Piedmont in the first round of the Oklahoma state tournament.
“That’s a sign of respect. It’s one of those things where, when that happens, you find a way on defense to make a play, or you encourage your teammates,” Matt said. “He’s very outgoing with his teammates. And so I think he handled all that really well.”
The potential of becoming the first pair of brothers to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft wasn’t much of a focus for Ethan as draft day neared. Like many draft prospects, he’s just looking forward to his name being called, regardless of the overall selection number.
Still, for both him and his parents, the No. 1 pick is alluring because of the team that will make the selection. The Nationals’ home park in Washington is 40 miles away from the Orioles in Baltimore.
“That would be amazing for his parents,” Matt said. “As far as logistics go, of trying to be around and see as many games and spend time with our kids as possible, that would be ideal.”
And before the buzz of expectations begins to build about Ethan’s younger brother Reid—who is a few years away from high school—trying to follow the path blazed by Jackson and now Ethan, the middle Holliday son had a message.
“I really hope he doesn’t put that expectation on himself at 11 years old,” Ethan said. “I just hope he can enjoy the game, just like me and Jackson got to enjoy it at his age, and he learns the game, and he gets better every time he plays.”
Jason Elmquist is the managing editor for the Stillwater News Press.
