The high-school baseball season isn’t officially over yet for Gabriel Pegues. He has at least three more games to play.
A few weeks ago, the McLean Highlanders’ junior outfielder helped the team win its first public-school state baseball championship. As a result of his performance throughout the season and playoffs, Pegues was nominated, then chosen to play as a member of the North team in this weekend’s annual Commonwealth Games in Lynchburg, representing the Highlanders.
The baseball rosters for the four all-star squads at the games consist of players who were top 2024 underclassmen in Virginia for both public and private schools.
McLean head coach John Dowling nominated Pegues for the games.
“He was really good the first quarter and last quarter [of the season],” Dowling said.
For the campaign the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Pegues batted .294, having 30 hits. Those hits included six doubles and two triples. Pegues drew 15 walks, drove in 13 runs, scored 36 times and stole nine bases.
Pegues was moved into the leadoff batting position for the three state-tournament-playoff games because of an injury to another player.
Pegues had two hits and scored two runs in McLean’s first-round state-tournament road victory over Lake Braddock. He added a big three-run double in the top of the seventh in McLean’s victory over Glen Allen in the Class 6 state-tournament semifinals.
In a key semifinal win over Madison in the preceding region tournament, Pegues scored McLean’s first run by walking, stealing second, then eventually getting home on a sacrifice fly. He then walked and scored again in the later innings.
Pegues is the only player from the Liberty District and 6D North Region chosen to participate in the Commonwealth Games.