Oakville Senior High School’s Ryan Huck will be honored as one of the area’s top baseball prospects Saturday, March 21, at the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame banquet at the Sheraton Chalet at Westport Plaza.

Huck, along with four other players, has been nominated for the Hall of Fame’s Rising Star Award.

“It’s a great honor,” Huck said. “With the people that have won the award in the past, it’s an honor just to be nominated.”

The senior starting catcher will be one of the cornerstones for the Oakville baseball team this year after hitting .427 with 24 RBIs during the 2008 season. Huck also recorded six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 13 walks.

“Last year, Ryan filled some big shoes with Dan Rohlfing getting drafted by the Minnesota Twins,” Oakville head coach Rich Sturm said. “We’re in a great situation with Ryan because not only is he a good hitter, but he’s also a good defensive player.”

After his graduation from Oakville this spring, Huck is set to play at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., this fall.

He’s carrying a 3.3 grade-point average and is leaning toward a degree in business, although he’s officially “undecided” on a major.

“I got a pretty good offer and I love the coaches down there,” Huck said. “I’ve also got a teammate from the St. Louis Pirates going down there.”

Huck attributes most of his success to his father, Steve, who was a catcher at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

“My dad’s one of the biggest role models in my baseball career,” Huck said. “He was a catcher all the way through college, so that’s where I get that from. I really loved having my dad as a coach just because he knows so much about playing the game.”