PREP SPORTS OPIONION: Bouthilette, Nash and Mayfield named to All-State baseball team (06/18)

By GREG CREWS gcrews@thenewsenterprise.com A few random thoughts on the world of sports while reviewing my fantasy football mid-year newsletter. Only 64 days left until draft day. The numbers that Sean Bouthilette, Joe Nash and Aaron Mayfield put up this season were just plain ridiculous. The Elizabethtown, Central Hardin and LaRue County senior pitchers/sluggers, respectively, stood head and shoulders above the rest of the area this season in baseball, dominating from on the mound as well as at the plate. And with this week’s release of the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches’ Association’s 2008 All-State Team, it appears that more than just the 5th Region took notice. Bouthilette was named to the 20-man first team, while Nash and Mayfield were named to the 18-player second team. Bouthilette, who has signed with the University of Kentucky, posted an 8-2 record this season with a 1.07 ERA, while batting .346. Nash went 10-2 with a microscopic 0.71 ERA and 98 strikeouts, while notching a .369 batting average. Mayfield went 11-2 with a 1.25 ERA, 92 strikeouts and a .360 batting average. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I refuse to believe that it is solely a coincidence that the three just happened to each post those monstrous numbers this season. It was competitive drive. I have no doubt that when each pitcher stepped to the mound, he was looking to do whatever would be best for his team. But perhaps in the back of their minds during each outing was the knowledge of what the other two had just done, what kind of numbers the other two had just posted. Maybe that drive to be better than the other two — even if it was subconscious — was what gave them that little bit extra when the game was on the line. And maybe that’s what helped them post the kind of numbers it took to make the All-State team. ON THE GRIDIRON Matt Denham knows he has the talent to make it in Division-I football, and he’s out to prove it. The recently graduated John Hardin running back, who accrued 22 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards of total offense last season (1,588 rushing, 424 receiving), says he is trying to get out of his commitment to Kentucky State University so he can walk-on at the University of Kentucky. “I haven’t talked to (Kentucky State) recently, but we are trying to get that appeal it so I can walk-on my freshman year,” Denham said. If Kentucky State does not grant him a release, Denham will have to redshirt his freshman year with the Wildcats. Not sure if Denham has what it takes to make it in the Southeastern Conference? Take this into consideration. In Friday’s East vs. West All-Star Football Classic, there were 15 players that had committed to BCS schools, yet it was Denham who stole the show and garnered MVP honors while leading the West to victory. Denham ran for 147 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry against an All-Star defense that had seven Division-I players. Funny thing is, that was actually below the average of 9.9 yards per carry that the speedy and slippery runner set during the regular season. The point I’m trying to get across is: Don’t be too surprised if you see Denham standing in the end zone at Commonwealth Stadium in a few years. Greg Crews is a sports writer for The News-Enterprise. He can be reached at 505-1754 or at gcrews@thenewsenterprise.com