Kip Bouknight

Kip McKey Bouknight (born November 16, 1978 in Columbia, SC) is a right-handed starting pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies (AA Reading) baseball organization.

High school career

Bouknight was a 1997 graduate of Brookland-Cayce High School. He was selected as an All-Star by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association in his senior year. [ [http://www.scbca.net/all_stars.htm SCBCA All-stars] ] During a playoff match-up against Union High School that year, he threw a no-hitter. [ [http://thediamondprospects.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=446 "Where are they now? Part I"] ] In 1995, his sophomore year, he was named as an honorable mention from South Carolina in the All-USA High School award. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/sbusa5.htm "All-USA high school baseball", USA Today] ]

College career

Bouknight was a four-year starting pitcher at the University of South Carolina and set career records at the university in innings pitched (482.0), strikeouts (457), games won (45) and games started (57). He finished with a 45-12 career record. [ [http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/080902aaa.html "Former Carolina Hurler Kip Bouknight Throws No-Hitter"] ] With his 45 wins, Bouknight is tied with Jeff Brantley for the all-time SEC record. [ [http://thediamondprospects.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=449 "Where are they now? Part II"] ]

Bouknight saw success as a freshman in 1998, finishing with a record of 6-1 and a 2.21 ERA. In that season, he earned first-team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman Team and Freshman All-American honors. [ [http://www.baseball-news.com/allamericans/archives/1998/freshmenallamericans1998.htm Louisville Slugger 1998 Freshman All-Americans] ] In honor of his break-out season, the University baseball team awards the "Kip Bouknight Award" to the best freshman pitcher each season. [ [http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/111502aaa.html "2002 South Carolina Banquet Held" (Aaron Rawl wins Kip Bouknight award)] ]

As a junior in 2000, he amassed the most wins of any collegiate pitcher with 17 that year, only lost one game, and posted a 2.81 ERA. His strong play kept South Carolina near the top of the rankings for much of the season and earned him consensus All American honors. He was named to the first-team All-SEC team, SEC Pitcher of the Year and SEC Male Athlete of the Year. [ [http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=0&url_article_id=1781&change_well_id=2 SEC National Players of the Year] ]

Bouknight also won several national Player of the Year honors in 2000 including the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player and the Rotary Smith Award as the most outstanding collegiate pitcher. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2001-02-28/2001-02-28-colleges.htm USA Today, "Some big men on campus shake off pro dollar signs"] ]

In 2007, he was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.goupstate.com/article/20070706/NEWS/707060333/-1/BUSINESS "Five named to USC Athletic Hall of Fame", "Spartanburg Herald-Journal", July 6, 2007] ]

Professional career

Bouknight was drafted by the Oakland A's in 2000 but opted to remain in college for another year. The following year, he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the amateur draft. He remained in the Rockies organization through 2004. That year he also spent time in Toronto Blue Jays system. Bouknight spent most of 2005 and 2006 with the Harrisburg Senators, the Nationals' AA affiliate in the Eastern League, and had brief stints with the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League. He began the 2007 season with the Pirates affiliate, the AA Altoona Curve and was promoted to the AAA Indianapolis Indians in late June. Kip Bouknight pitched 16 games for the AA Reading Phillies in 2008 until being released by the Phillies on July 3,2008.

Career Achievements

*In the 2006 Eastern League All-Star game, Bouknight was the winning pitcher for the South division after 3 shut-out innings of relief. [ [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2006_07_12_elnaax_elsaax_1&did=milb&sid=milb 2006 Eastern League All Star box score] ]

*On August 8, 2001, Bouknight threw a combined perfect game for the Class-A Tri-City Dust Devils. Bouknight pitched the first six innings and Pat Lynch finished the game, completing the first 9 inning perfect game in Northwest League history. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-46166241.html "Dust Devils Pitch Perfect Game"] ]

*On August 7, 2002, Bouknight threw a no-hitter for the High Class-A Salem Avalanche. [ [http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/080902aaa.html "Former Carolina Hurler Kip Bouknight Throws No-Hitter"] ]

Links

* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Kip-Bouknight.shtml Professional Career Statistics]

References