Baseball All-State Honors 2024

Five baseball players representing San Juan County earned All-State honors for the 2024 spring season.
The Deseret News released its annual lists of All-State student-athletes on June 13, 14, and 18 based exclusively on coaches’ votes from a list of nominated players from each team.
The San Juan Record is proud to present each of the honorees along with photos and comments from their respective coaches.

Cooper Palmer
2A baseball First Team
San Juan Junior - First Base
.455 Avg • .515 OBP • 40 Hits • 40 RBI 12 Doubles • 2 Triples • 1 Home run

Head Coach Jens Nielson: “First Team All-State was well deserved for Cooper. He had a very good season and led our team in most categories offensively. He is an easy kid to coach; he will correct himself before we have to do any type of coaching. He is motivated, driven, and determined to be a great baseball player.
“Oftentimes defense goes unnoticed in All-State selections. Cooper is a great first baseman. He rarely misses a ball and makes difficult plays look easy. I am proud of Cooper and appreciate his hard work, his coachability, and his being a good teammate. We eagerly look forward to seeing what he accomplishes during his senior season.”

Parker Snyder
2A baseball second team
San Juan Senior - Catcher
.379 Avg • .491 OBP • 33 Hits • 28 RBI 7 Doubles • 2 Triples • 1 Home run

Head Coach Jens Nielson: “It’s no secret that Parker is a stud in all aspects of his life. He is a good young man, he works hard, cares about his teammates, and is driven for success. Parker has been a contributor to San Juan baseball for four years.
“He has really good instincts along with a desire and passion for everything he does. He was our only senior this year and will be greatly missed. I am very proud of him, all he has accomplished during his high school career, and all he will accomplish in the future.”

Branten Bethea
2A baseball second team
San Juan Junior - Utility
.388 Avg • .509 OBP • 33 Hits • 18 RBI 40 Runs • 5 doub • 6 trip • 27 Sb

Head Coach Jens Nielson: “Branten is an absolute beast. He’s one of the toughest outs in 2A. I describe him as a menace because of what he can do to opposing pitchers and what he does on the base paths. Branten works hard. He puts time in after practice, during the summer, and works hard to be great.
“He had great numbers this season but those don’t tell the whole story. Branten hit the cover off the ball this year. He had many well-hit balls that didn’t fall and were right at the defender.
“Had a number of those hits found a hole his numbers would have been much higher. Look for Branten to wreak some havoc in 2A next year. We are excited to have him back.”

Triston Felix
2A baseball second team
Monticello Freshman - Pitcher | Shortstop
5.22 ERA • 108 k • 57.2 Inn Pitched 286 Bf | .393 Avg • .477 OBP • 22 Hits 19 RBI • 5 Doubles • 1 Home run

Head Coach Josh Keyes: “Triston had a great season on the mound and finished off his freshman campaign with a school record in strikeouts with 108. He finished second in the state in this category. He also finished with a .393 batting average and one home run and was a formidable competitor at the plate. Triston kept us close in every game he pitched and allowed us to pick up some big wins for the program including a playoff win against Millard.
“It’s an honor to have two players recognized for their achievements during the season. Monticello is one of two schools competing up a division in baseball since the 1A classification plays in the fall.  Both [Triston and Jackson Keyes] have worked extremely hard at their craft, dedicating most of their free time to baseball all year. They have invested in becoming great players and it’s well deserved for them to be recognized for that effort.”

Jackson Keyes
2A baseball Honorable Mention
Monticello Sophomore - Pitcher | First | Center Field
.417 Avg • .708 Slugging • .582 OBP 20 Hits • 9 RBI • 5 Doubles • 3 HR

Head Coach Josh Keyes: “Jackson led our squad in nearly every offensive category which included a .417 batting average, .708 slugging percentage, and three home runs. He also led the team in on-base percentage, runs, and walks.
“Jackson finished in the top five in the state in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and home runs. He also played golf for MHS as the same time he was playing baseball and was selected to the 1A Golf Honorable Mention team as well.”