Buford High School Student-Athlete named Georgia Baseball player of the year by Gatorade
BUFORD, Ga.,- Today, Dylan Lesko of Buford High School was announced as the 2020-21 Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year. 

Lesko is the first Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Buford High School.

Lesko was honored to receive this award. Lesko said, "It's definitely a great honor to have my name on the list with so many of the past athletes who have gone on to do great things. It means a lot, especially since I am a junior."

Recognizing not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, the Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year award distinguishes Lesko as Georgia’s best high school baseball player.

Lesko went on to add, "I am looking forward to next year; the last three years have been nothing less than exceptional. The players, the coaches, and the community support make me look forward to my senior year." 


Lesko is now one of the finalists for the prestigious Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award to be announced in July.

A member of Buford High’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, Lesko has volunteered locally at the North Gwinnett Co-Op, which provides food and services to the needy. He has also donated his time packing, loading, and delivering food to underserved families each Thanksgiving. 

In addition, he has raised funds to support the underprivileged during the Christmas holidays.

“Dylan Lesko is, without a doubt, the most talented player I have coached in 30 years,” said Buford High head coach Stuart Chester. “His greatest quality is his character and ability to lead and make everyone better and feel important. He always puts others first.” 

Lesko has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He has made a verbal commitment to play baseball on scholarship at Vanderbilt University beginning in the fall of 2022. 

Lesko joins recent Gatorade Georgia Baseball Players of the Year;
  • Jordan Walker (2019-20, Decatur High School),
  • C.J. Abrams (2018-19, Blessed Trinity High School),
  • Kumar Rocker (2017-18, North Oconee High School),
  • Drew Waters (2016-17, Etowah High School)

Through Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Lesko has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of their choosing. He said he would be open to donating it to the Buford Youth Leagues if he can.

Lesko is also eligible to submit a 30-second video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year.


About the Gatorade Player of the Year 

Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners, and educators.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants has totaled more than $2.7 million across 1,117 organizations. Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners, and educators.