Kip Bouknight
Encyclopedia
Kip McKey Bouknight is an American professional baseball
pitcher
with the Somerset Patriots
of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
. He
and graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School in 1997. He was selected as an All-Star by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association in his senior year. During a playoff match-up against Union High School that year, he threw a no-hitter
.
In 1995, his sophomore year, he was named as an honorable mention from South Carolina in the All-USA High School award.
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. With his 45 wins, Bouknight is tied with Jeff Brantley for the all-time SEC
record.
Bouknight finished the 1998 season 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. In honor of his break-out season, the University baseball team awards the Kip Bouknight Award to the best freshman pitcher each season.
As a junior in 2000, he earned the most wins of any collegiate pitcher with 17 that year, only lost one game, and posted a 2.81 ERA. He was named a consensus All American. He was named to the first-team All-SEC team, SEC Pitcher of the Year and SEC Male Athlete 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.
In 2007, he was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
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.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
with the Somerset Patriots
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American professional baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
. He
High school career
Bouknight was born in Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
and graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School in 1997. He was selected as an All-Star by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association in his senior year. During a playoff match-up against Union High School that year, he threw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
.
In 1995, his sophomore year, he was named as an honorable mention from South Carolina in the All-USA High School award.
College career
Bouknight was a four-year starting pitcher at the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
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. With his 45 wins, Bouknight is tied with Jeff Brantley for the all-time SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
record.
Bouknight finished the 1998 season with a record of 6-1 and a 2.21 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. In that season, he earned first-team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman Team and Freshman All-American honors. In honor of his break-out season, the University baseball team awards the Kip Bouknight Award to the best freshman pitcher each season.
As a junior in 2000, he earned the most wins of any collegiate pitcher with 17 that year, only lost one game, and posted a 2.81 ERA. He was named a consensus All American. He was named to the first-team All-SEC team, SEC Pitcher of the Year and SEC Male Athlete of the Year.
Bouknight also won several national Player of the Year honors in 2000 including the Golden Spikes Award
Golden Spikes Award
The Golden Spikes Award is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player. It is awarded by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Though the award can be presented to any amateur player, it has always been given to a college baseball player.-Past...
as the nation's top amateur player and the Rotary Smith Award
Rotary Smith Award
The Rotary Smith Award was created in 1988 to honor the most outstanding college baseball player of the year. The award was founded by the Greater Houston Sports Association. In 1996, the Rotary Club of Houston joined the award committee...
as the most outstanding collegiate pitcher.
In 2007, he was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
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 RockiesColorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
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
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
system. Bouknight spent most of 2005 and 2006 with the Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
, the Nationals' AA affiliate in the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
, and had brief stints with the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. He began the 2007 season with the Pirates affiliate, the AA Altoona Curve
Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a minor league baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve . The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club...
and was promoted to the AAA Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
in late June. Kip Bouknight pitched 16 games for the AA Reading Phillies
Reading Phillies
The Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
in 2008 until being released by the Phillies on July 3, 2008.
Career Achievements
- In the 2006 Eastern League All-StarAll-starAll-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
game, Bouknight was the winning pitcher for the South division after 3 shut-out innings of relief.
- On August 8, 2001, Bouknight threw a combined perfect gamePerfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
for the Class-A Tri-City Dust DevilsTri-City Dust DevilsThe Tri-City Dust Devils are a minor league baseball team in Pasco, Washington, United States. The Dust Devils are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since their inception in 2001. The Devils play home games at Gesa...
. Bouknight pitched the first six innings and Pat Lynch finished the game, completing the first 9 inning perfect game in Northwest LeagueNorthwest LeagueThe Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
history.
- On August 7, 2002, Bouknight threw a no-hitter for the High Class-A Salem AvalancheSalem AvalancheThe Salem Red Sox are a minor league baseball team in Salem, Virginia, USA, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. They are a Class High-A team in the Carolina League and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox...
.