Wareham Gatemen slugger Tyler Horan (Virginia Tech) earned the 2012 John J. Claffey Top New England Prospect Award for his accomplishments at the plate and on the field.

The Middleborough native hit 16 home runs in the Cape League regular season, tying the wood bat home run record set in 1988 by Dave Staton of Brewster. The modern day record of 22 round-trippers was set by Corey Snyder of Harwich using aluminum bats in 1983.

The 6’1", 225-pound Horan was ranked second in the league for RBIs, with an impressive 39. Horan’s .342 batting average was fifth best in the league. In 151 at bats, Horan compiled 51 hits; 23 of those were for extra bases.

Horan was selected to the 2012 Cape League All Star squad for the Western Division, where he started in left field. During his sophomore year with the Hokies, Horan played in 37 games, batting .289 with nine home runs.

Horan is a product of Boston College High School, where he helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back state championships. Horan was also an accomplished football player.