CHICAGO — Billings Central junior Paxton Prill has been named the 2026 Gatorade Montana baseball player of the year, the organization announced Monday.
Prill, who plays first base and outfield but especially shines at pitcher, helped the Rams win the Eastern A/B division title and place third at the first-ever Class A/B state tournament.
On the mound through 18 games, Prill, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound lefty, went 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA with 50 strikeouts and six walks over 24 innings. Opponents batted .027 against him, and he pitched five shutouts and three no-hitters.
At the plate, he hit .417 with 19 RBI. He had a fielding percentage of 1.000.
“Paxton Prill is a top-tier competitor on the mound, no matter what the situation he is put in,” said Billings West coach Kyhler Thomson. “He prepares every single day whether he’s starting in five days or starting the next day and he flat out gets after it. He doesn’t take a single pitch off until he comes out of the game.
"Prill deserves Gatorade player of the year in my mind and he’s just going to get better and better. It’ll be awesome to see how he grows in the near future and into his college career."
Prill has already made a verbal commitment to play baseball at Notre Dame.
Off the field, he has maintained an A-plus average in the classroom, participated in HOSA Bowl, volunteered with Special Olympics and youth baseball camps, and is a member of Billings Central's Vision Club.
HOSA Bowl tests competitors' knowledge and skills about various health topics, and Vision Club helps students coordinate community service and charity projects.
Prill is the third Gatorade Montana baseball player of the year in the state's short high school baseball history. Cayde Stajcar of Butte won the 2024 award, and Cash Lawrence of Hamilton won last year.
