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Gamecock Baseball 2001 by Kyle Almond The Gamecock After compiling a 17-1 record, winning four Na tional Player of the Year awards, claiming the SEC Male Athlete of the Year award and being drafted by Major League Baseball, one might think Kip Bouknight is ready to move on. Think again. South Carolina’s ace pitcher decided to shun the majors, stay at South Carolina for his senior year and aim once again for that elusive trip to the College Vkbrld Series. “I came back for a National Championship - point-blank,” the right-hander said. “I came back because I wanted to, because I love the University of South Carolina and I love my teammates and the coaching staff. It’s a great situation here and I’m just very thrilled I can be a part of it.” Bouknight’s decision to return makes the Game cocks a legit threat in college baseball, which makes USC head coach Ray Tanner a happy man. “I don’t know if you can put it into words what it means to me personally and to our pro gram to have him back,” Tanner said of his ace. “He was a young man that was the National Player of the Year and certainly very deserving. You almost cer tainly plan losing a guy like that to the Major League draft and not having him back.” Bouknight was chosen in June’s Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland A’s, but he felt dis respected by his low draft position. • Needs two wins to break the USC career wins record (36, set by Tun Lewis in 1976). • Needs 40 strikeouts to break the USC career strikeout record (392, set by Earl Bass in 1975). • 2001 Baseball America preseason SEC Pitch er of the Year • 2001 Baseball America preseason AU-SEC • 2001 Baseball America preseason Ail-Ameri ca-first team • 2000 Sullivan Award Finalist - presented to the nation’s top amateur athlete • 2000 Golden Spikes Award winner • 2000 ABCA Player of the Year • 2000 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year • 2000 Rotary Club National Player of the Year • 2000 Baseball America All-America-first team • 2000 SEC Male Athlete of the Year • 2000 SEC Player of the Year • 2000 preseason All-America - third team • W)n Gamecock outstanding pitcher awards in 1998-99 • Set a USC record with 18 victories in first two seasons • 1998 Freshman All-America • 1998A11-SEC “It certainly was disappointing from my standpoint,” Bouknight said. “I was realistic about it, and I knew that my size (6 feet) and the fact that I don’t throw 90 (mph) each time would factor into the equation. But to drop that far, I really didn’t think I deserved that.” Bouknight had the option of returning to college for another year or take the six figure deal the A’s offered him. But with a trip to Omaha still in mind, the pitcher decided the majors could wait. “Hopefully there’s still a place for me in Major League Baseball,” he said. “But my place right now is with the South Carolina Gamecocks.” That’s bad news for the rest of the SEC. Last season, the Gaston, S.C. native dominated oppo nents, compiling a 17-1 record in 19 appearances with a 2.81 ERA. He struck out 143 batters in 144 innings and batters hit just .227 against him. For his outstanding season, he was named National Play er of the Year by four different organizations, and he also took SEC Player of the Year and Male Ath lete of the Year honors. If there is anything Bouknight can do this season to top that, Tanner can’t imag inc il. “I don’t know how you can improve upon the type of season that he had,” Tanner said. “That was just remarkable, a tremendous year for him.” To Tanner, the statistics aren’t all that matter. “Not only does he help us as a pitcher, but he’s a great influence on the team, especially on the young players,” Tanner said. “And from a coaching stand point, he is the epitome of what you want all your student-athletes to be about.” While Bouknight decided to come back to USC, two of Carolina’s best pitchers, Peter Bauer and Scott Barber, didn’t. Bauer was selected in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays and Barber was tak en in the sixth by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The loss of Bauer and Barber, who with Bouknight com bined last year to form the “Killer B’s” rotation, makes this season’s rotation a big question mark. Ac cording to Tanner, Bouknight is the only pitcher who has a permanent spot in the rotation. “That seems to be the big question,” Tanner said “I guess the concern is we don’t know who those next three or four pitchers are going to be. The good news is I think we have some people that are very capable. Wfe have some people that can be very good Chris Spigner appears to be healthy; he can be a guy that can be a force for us. Brett Price has had some great innings for us in his two years here. He can be a guy that breaks out. Matt Wilson had some key innings for us last year. Gary Bell, Tony Adler, David Marchbanks and Chris Carter, both freshmen, and Steven Whetstone can break out. Wve got some guys that can emerge, we’re just waiting to see who they are.” Bouknight will have to carry the ro tation until it gets settled, but he says he doesn’t feel any added pressure on him. “Any pressure is self put-on and I’m certainly not going to put pressure on myself,” he said. “We have got a great Ip group of guys that have plenty of talent and can step it up a notch.” “Individually, in my opinion, the best thing I can do is to give my team a chance to win each time out. If I can give my team a chance to win 80 or 90 percent of the time I’m out on the field, then I’m in good shape.” 5 f Tanner agrees that pressure won’t be a problem. i “1 think that (pressure) ; could be a factor with a lot of people, but not Kip Bouknight,” Tanner said. “He thrives in those situations. He just likes to be out there. He’s grateful for the op portunity to be a baseball player here at Carolina. This is what makes him go, that is what it’s all about. And although he had an incredible year last year with 17 wins, he knows he doesn’t have to surpass that or even match it. He’s just going to try to do what he’s capable of do ing and help this team win. T) * - II . __1 _i l ui iiui at ail auvjui how he’s going to handle this situation.” Bouknight enters this season as a pre season All-American and as Collegiate Base balFs preseason Player of the Year. But ac colades mean little to Bouknight, who remembers last season’s bitter ending and will try to do all in his power make sure it doesn’t happen again. “(Last year) was disap pointing,” he said. “It was ab solutely a phenomenal year for the whole team, it was wonder t t t << I < I t • I t - V - r . , ’ ,1 _ > * . ~ - ful to be a part of and it ^ was a lot of fim. It just happened to end on I a bad note. Hope ■ fully this year we K can end it with a W9 littlebitofasweet W er ending.”