Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Wednesday, June 14, 2000 HullC 09TH£C0Ck Page 9 Sean Rayford Sports Photo Editor Kip Bouknight was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 21st round of the major league baseball draft on June 6. Bouknight was named the National player of the year by the American Coaches Association. Bouknight could return for 2001 by David Cloninger Senior Writer Major League Baseball Draft Tuesday, he wasn’t quite sure how to feel. He had been drafted, capping a stel lar season, albeit much later than ex pected. But, the terms the Athletics posed to him weren’t very flattering - at all. “Basically, they told me to ‘Take it or leave it,”’ Bouknight said. The A’s said they had meant to draft Bouknight earlier, but they would sign him immediately then if he agreed to be their draft pick. The only catch would be giving up a final year at Carolina, and one other small item. Oakland told the reigning SEC and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year to decide right then, over the phone, what his future would be. Bouknight was faced with one of the most difficult decisions of his life, and went with his gut feeling. “I’ve got too good a thing going here,” Bouknight said. “I don’t think there’s go ing to be an offer that would keep me from coming back to USC.” It appears that Bouknight, after one of the most amazing seasons ever by a col legiate player, let alone a USC pitcher, will be returning to Carolina in the fall. / / I’ve got too good a * thing going here. I don’t think there’s going to be an offer that would keep me from coming back to USC. ^ ^ Kip Bouknight, USC pitcher However, Bouknight hasn’t ruled out the possibility of leaving school early for professional baseball. He explained that although he did technically refuse Oakland’s first offer, the A’s can always come in with a bet ter offer that would take him out of a Gamecock uniform. The situation Bouknight now faces is similar to that of teammate Drew Meyer, who turned down a second-round draft pick from the L.A. Dodgers in favor of USC, but was still eligible to play pro ball until he started classes last August. “Sometimes you can’t explain why things happen,” Bouknight said. “I thought I’d be picked higher.” Bouknight wasn’t the only person who thought he should have been draft ed higher, especially after a season where Bouknight tied a school record for wins (17), was named all-SEC and All-Amer ican and put together one of the best sin gle seasons in history. While compiling a 17-1 record in 19 starts, the Gaston native led tljp SEC in strikeouts and took his place in Game cock history by defeating nine of the 10 SEC regular-season opponents he faced, and also defeating non-conference opponents Clemson, Wake Forest and Louisiana-Lafayette. With head coach Ray Tanner, father Rick Bouknight and every Carolina fan sitting on the edge of their seats expect ing the call, the first day of the draft slipped by with no news. BOUKNIOHT see rage 10