Both clubs had successful seasons on the diamond with the Knights 18s recording a 39-13 mark while the Knights 17s posted a 24-15 record.
Former Major Leaguer Jack Cressend founded the Knights’ program last year. Cressend, who was hired by Tulane University last month as the Greenies’ pitching coach, had to remove himself from the Knights program.
  
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Following Saturday’s meal, Pool opened the recognition portion of the ceremony, thanking the players and parents for a great summer.
“We take pride in our players playing the game the right way. It’s a credit to the kids. They trusted their coaches and played as hard as they could. Our players are very committed. They want to be successful both on and off the field. That is a credit to their parents,” Pool said.
“Jack (Cressend) started something special. I definitely don’t want to let him down. We are going to try and take the program further. He did a lot of work starting up the Knights with his vision so we owe it to him to keep it going. It will be a group effort to make it better than what it already is,” Pool added.
Each Knights team presented players with five individual awards voted on by the players. Knights 18s shortstop Garrett Cannizaro, a senior at Mandeville High, was rewarded for his superb play garnering the MVP Award. He was also selected as the Golden Glove recipient. Cannizaro batted .374 with an on base percentage of .473. He led the Knights 18s in five offensive categories with 42 RBI, 42 runs, six homers and 13 doubles. His slugging percentage was an impressive .611.
“Being named the MVP by my teammates is a tremendous honor,” Cannizaro said. “All of my teammates were MVP caliber players so this is really special. Anybody on the team could have won the honor. We had a really good summer. Our team is like a fraternity. We are like brothers because we are together throughout the summer playing the game we love.”
Cannizaro said it was a challenge facing quality competition.
“There is no better way that I could have spent my summers than by being part of the Knights. It has been a great baseball experience, facing some of the best competition from around the country,” Cannizaro added.
Cannizaro played for coach Cressend along with his dad Gary, who served as an assistant coach. When asked which coach was tougher on him, he said probably coach Jack.
“He expected a lot out of me. He wanted me to play solid shortstop and he needed me to drive in runs. He is a great coach and he will fit in really well at Tulane,” Cannizaro said.
Cannizaro has verbally committed to play baseball for the Green Wave when he graduates from MHS.
“I’m looking forward to going to Tulane and being there with coach Jack for the next four years.”
Coach Cannizaro, who served as an infield instructor with the Green Wave in 1985-86, said the Knights’ program has helped put the players in a situation to be successful. “College coaches and big league scouts are coming in to see us play. They know we put a good product on the field, which is a tribute to what Jack has done with his idea of putting this thing together. Our players want to play ball at a high level, and it shows there is a need for this type of program here on the Northshore. This area has become a hot bed for baseball talent. Colleges are really getting interested in what’s going on with the Knights,” assistant coach Cannizaro said.
The Knights 18s Zac Hawkins, a junior at Northlake Christian School, earned the Silver Slugger Award. The “Hawk” batted .385 (35-for-91) to lead his team. Hawkins ripped two homers, eight doubles and one triple. He drove in 27 runs, tying him for second.
“It was a great honor to be selected to receive the award playing on such a fantastic team like the Knights,” Hawkins said. “We had a very talented team. This is a special group of players. It was a great bunch of guys. I love playing baseball and just being able to play that many games was tremendous.”
Hawkins said he was grateful that coach Cressend had faith in playing him as one of the younger players.
Outfielder/pitcher Bryan Picou, an NCS junior and teammate of Hawkins, won the Hustle Award. Picou batted .274 with 12 runs batted in and scored 22 times. He also posted a 5-2 record with a 2.91 ERA.
Matty Ott, a 2008 Holy Cross graduate who signed with LSU, was named the Cy Young Award winner. Ott went 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA. He led the staff with 56 and two-third innings allowing 47 hits. He fanned 66 batters while walking 20.
The Knights 17s selected shortstop Daniel Brockhoeft, a senior with Fontainebleau High, as the MVP. Brockhoeft also received the Golden Glove Award. Brockhoeft batted .359 with a .505 on base percentage. He led the team with five home runs and was second with 28 runs batted in, while scoring 31 times.
“Being named the MVP on such a talented team is an honor,” Brockhoeft said. We had a great summer, facing some really tough competition. We were a younger team, playing against teams with college players. Everybody expected they would jump on us, but we handled ourselves really well.”
Brockhoeft said the Knights 17s had great team spirit.
Catcher Chad Fortenberry, a senior at Northshore High, won the Silver Slugger Award, batting .500 going 41-for-82 with 24 runs batted in. Sean Kennel, who transferred from Pope John Paul II to Northshore High, earned the Cy Young Award. Kennel posted a 3-4 record with a 2.32 earned run average. Kennel led the Knights 17s with 42 and a third innings, striking out 35 with 18 walks.
Robert Boudreaux, who attends Fisher High, picked up the Hustle Award. He batted .281.
Knights 17s batboy Felix Allen (7), a new addition, was presented with an autographed baseball by coach Pool.
Lee Cannizaro, older brother of Garrett and son of coach Gary, was presented with an autographed Knights jersey, representing one of the teams’ sponsors, Integra Lending Group.
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