Kip McKey Bouknight (born November 16, 1978) is an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...
who most recently played with the
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
.
High school career
Bouknight was born in
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...
and graduated from
Brookland-Cayce High School
Brookland-Cayce High School is a public high school located in Cayce, South Carolina, United States.
History
The school was built in 1932. Named for the cities of Brookland (now West Columbia) and Cayce which it originally served, the school no ...
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 baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
.
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 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.
[''Former Carolina Hurler Kip Bouknight Throws No-Hitter''](_blank)
/ref> With his 45 wins, Bouknight is tied with Jeff Brantley
Jeffrey Hoke Brantley (born September 5, 1963) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, from to . Brantley currently is a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds.
Early care ...
for the all-time SEC record.
Bouknight finished the 1998 season with a record of 6-1 and a 2.21 ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
. 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. After the 1999 season, he played collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the Chatham A's
The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...
of the Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
.
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-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n. 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
The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...
as the nation's top amateur player and the 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. Prior to ...
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
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
in 2000 but opted to remain in college for another year. The following year, he was selected by the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
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
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
system. Bouknight spent most of 2005 and 2006 with the Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...
, the Nationals' AA affiliate in the Eastern League, and had brief stints with the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
of the Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. He began the 2007 season with the Pirates affiliate, the AA Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...
and was promoted to the AAA Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
in late June. Kip Bouknight pitched 16 games for the AA Reading Phillies
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
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.
*On August 8, 2001, Bouknight threw a combined perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
for the Class-A Tri-City Dust Devils
The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...
. Bouknight pitched the first six innings and Pat Lynch finished the game, completing the first 9 inning perfect game in Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
history.''Dust Devils Pitch Perfect Game''
/ref>
*On August 7, 2002, Bouknight threw a no-hitter for the High Class-A Salem Avalanche
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouknight, Kip
1978 births
Living people
Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from Columbia, South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players
Chatham Anglers players
Golden Spikes Award winners
Tri-City Dust Devils players
Salem Avalanche players
Tulsa Drillers players
New Hampshire Fisher Cats players
Syracuse SkyChiefs players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
New Orleans Zephyrs players
Harrisburg Senators players
Altoona Curve players
Indianapolis Indians players
Reading Phillies players
Somerset Patriots players
All-American college baseball players