Kingsburg High senior Jensen Hirschkorn was an intimidating presence on the mound \u2014 the kind of pitcher opposing teams hoped they could avoid.<\/p>\n
At 6-foot-7 and more than capable of reaching the 90s with his fastball, Hirschkorn gave hitters plenty to worry about.<\/p>\n
The ace appeared in 10 games for the Vikings and posted a 9-1 record. His only loss came against Sierra Pacific, when he surrendered three runs. After that setback, Hirschkorn was nearly untouchable, winning his next eight starts while striking out 112 batters.<\/p>\n
His dominance helped lead Kingsburg to a 23-8 overall record and a Tri-County Kings Division championship. For his outstanding season and for consistently giving the Vikings a chance to win, Hirschkorn has been named The Fresno Bee Baseball Player of the Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always take the mound with a lot of confidence,\u201d Hirschkorn said. \u201cI really don\u2019t show much emotion on the mound. I go up there with a lot of confidence, and I expect the other teams\u2019 best when they are facing me. I think they\u2019re going to try to put it on me really good, but I go up there with a lot of confidence and just try to think I\u2019m the best player on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
He started Kingsburg\u2019s Central Section playoff opener and delivered six strong innings with eight strikeouts in a 10-2 victory over Tehachapi.<\/p>\n
That would be Hirschkorn\u2019s final appearance on the mound for the Vikings. Kingsburg was eliminated in the next round by eventual Division III champion Central Valley Christian.<\/p>\n
Despite the disappointing finish, Hirschkorn believes the Vikings showed tremendous growth throughout the season. He also credited his coaches and teammates for helping him achieve success.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is to be the best, if not the best,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m very blessed with what I got and worked toward accomplishing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Hirschkorn turns his attention to the MLB draft. While projections have him potentially being selected early, he said he is not focused on mock drafts.<\/p>\n
![\"Jensen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783504347_230_FRS_EPZ_BASEBALL_POY_01.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_BASEBALL_POY_01.JPG\\"")
Jensen Hirschkorn is The Fresno Bee baseball Player of the Year. He will be selected in the MLB draft, too, and will attend LSU. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t made a decision on anything yet,\u201d Hirschkorn said, referring to the possibility of honoring his commitment to LSU or signing professionally. \u201cI\u2019m still processing it. That\u2019s the dream, to go to MLB.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for LSU, Hirschkorn described it as a \u201chighly decorated program and where I can develop the best. I felt like I was at home when I was there. I want to play at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever path he chooses, Hirschkorn will have no shortage of opportunities ahead.<\/p>\n
Large School Player of the Year: Austin Finnegan, Buchanan<\/p>\n
Austin Finnegan left a lasting impact on Buchanan\u2019s baseball program.<\/p>\n
The Bears relied on their standout senior\u2019s consistency as they captured another Tri-River Athletic Conference championship.<\/p>\n
During his career, Finnegan compiled 110 hits, 12 home runs and six triples. This season, he scored 40 runs and remained one of the area\u2019s most productive offensive players.<\/p>\n
His success attracted significant attention from college recruiters, and he will continue his baseball career at Cal.<\/p>\n
Medium School Player of the Year: David Meza, Roosevelt<\/p>\n
Meza played a key role in Roosevelt\u2019s historic season, helping lead the Rough Riders to their first Central Section championship since the 1970s.<\/p>\n
A dependable force on the mound, Meza finished with a team-high 89 strikeouts.<\/p>\n
Small School Player of the Year: Torin Wolf, Minarets<\/p>\n
Minarets enjoyed a memorable season, and Wolf was a major reason why.<\/p>\n
Wolf hit .442 and led the Mustangs with 20 doubles while driving in 30 runs. He helped Minarets capture both a Central Section championship and a CIF Regional title.<\/p>\n
He also contributed on the mound, recording 77 strikeouts during the season.<\/p>\n
Co-Coaches of the Year: Jesse Darrah, Minarets, and Manny Molano, Roosevelt<\/p>\n
Few coaching performances were more impressive than those of Jesse Darrah and Manny Molano.<\/p>\n
Both coaches built championship cultures and earned the trust of their players, who fully embraced their systems throughout the season.<\/p>\n
The results spoke for themselves. Minarets and Roosevelt each captured Central Section titles in their respective divisions.<\/p>\n
The two championship teams later met in the CIF Regional playoffs, where Minarets edged Roosevelt 5-4.<\/p>\n
The Bee All-Stars<\/p>\n
Rene Aguilar, Sr., Orosi<\/p>\n
Joe Alvarez, Jr., San Joaquin Memorial<\/p>\n
Jason Bane, Sr., Bullard<\/p>\n
Jason Barron, Sr., Clovis East<\/p>\n
Brennan Botill, Soph, Corcoran<\/p>\n
Eddie Bravo, Sr., Mission Oak<\/p>\n
Xaidyn Camacho, Sr., Riverdale<\/p>\n
Nathan Chavez, Sr., Sierra Pacific<\/p>\n
Tevin Clay, Soph., Dos Palos<\/p>\n
Jaxon Climer, Jr., Buchanan<\/p>\n
Anthony Cobian, Sr., Edison<\/p>\n
Reynaldo Cruz, Sr., San Joaquin Memorial<\/p>\n
Maddie Davila, Sr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Jentzen Dunn, Sr., CVC<\/p>\n
Nick Escandon, Sr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Brody Frazier, Sr., Corcoran<\/p>\n
Tanner Garnett, Sr., Exeter<\/p>\n
Hawk Garcia, Sr., Mendota<\/p>\n
Esteban Garduno, Sr., Edison<\/p>\n
Logan Georges, Sr., Clovis<\/p>\n
Brandon Gonzalez, Sr., Orange Cove<\/p>\n
Trevor Harper, Sr., Clovis North<\/p>\n
Marcus Jackson, Jr., Clovis West<\/p>\n
Hayden Keeney, Sr., Hanford<\/p>\n
Jonah Kalustian, Jr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Kaleb Koelewyn, Sr., Sierra Pacific<\/p>\n
Alexander Lizaola, Sr., Orange Cove<\/p>\n
Zach Lloyd, Sr., Sierra<\/p>\n
Miguel Lopez, Sr., Edison<\/p>\n
Matt Luna, Sr., Selma<\/p>\n
Sam Makely, Sr., Bullard<\/p>\n
Chaz Merrell, Jr., Dos Palos<\/p>\n
David Meza, Sr., Roosevelt<\/p>\n
Josiah Ortiz, Sr., Madera South<\/p>\n
Alex Pirok, Sr., Clovis West<\/p>\n
Adam Plascencia, Sr., Buchanan<\/p>\n
Manuel Ponce, Jr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Gilbert Ramirez, Jr., Dos Palos<\/p>\n
Jordan Ramirez, Sr., Corcoran<\/p>\n
Aden Robles, Jr., El Diamante<\/p>\n
Wyatt Rosenthal, Sr., Bullard<\/p>\n
Tonie Rosas, Sr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Max Rusk, Soph., San Joaquin Memorial<\/p>\n
Jacob Sais, Sr., Edison<\/p>\n
Dylan Slakey, Sr., Clovis North<\/p>\n
Bohden Smith, Sr., Garza<\/p>\n
Cain Soria, Sr., Garza<\/p>\n
Torin Spier, Jr., Bullard<\/p>\n
Jovani Tovar, Jr., Selma<\/p>\n
Jordan Va, Jr., Fresno<\/p>\n
Trevin Vincent, Sr., Dos Palos<\/p>\n
Dillon Watkins, Sr., Chowchilla<\/p>\n
Davis Wilson, Jr., Clovis North<\/p>\n
This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM.<\/p>\n
Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n
Anthony Galaviz<\/a><\/p>\n The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Anthony Galaviz writes about sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He\u2019s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.\u00a0
\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\n Support my work with a digital subscription<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kingsburg High senior Jensen Hirschkorn was an intimidating presence on the mound \u2014 the kind of pitcher opposing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-390374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}