Ciuffo Named SC Gatorade Player of the Year

LEXINGTON, S.C. (LHS) — In its 28th year of honoring the nation‘s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Nick Ciuffo of Lexington High School as its 2012-13 Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year. Ciuffo is the first Gatorade South Carolina Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Lexington High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Ciuffo as South Carolina‘s best high school baseball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award announced in May, Ciuffo joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Roy Halladay (1994-95, Arvada West HS, Colo.), David Price (2003-04, Blackman HS, Tenn.), Chipper Jones (1989-90, Bolles School, Fla.), Derrek Lee (1992-93, El Camino HS, Calif.) and John Lester (2001-02, Bellarmine Prep, Wash.). The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior catcher led the Wildcats (28-5) to the Class AAAA state championship this past season. Ciuffo batted .468 with five home runs, 33 RBIs and a .723 slugging percentage. A 2012 Under Armour All-American and a 2013 Rawlings Preseason All-American, he is ranked No. 12 in the nation by Perfect Game USA and No. 14 by MaxPreps.com. Ciuffo has maintained a 3.31 GPA in the classroom. He volunteered locally as an elementary school student mentor, as a youth baseball coach and camp counselor and on behalf of multiple charity fundraiser initiatives. “Nick Ciuffo is the best high school baseball player I have ever coached,” said Lexington High head coach Brian Hucks. “He is a natural born leader and his make-up is off the charts. He is a winner and has always placed importance on team success rather than his own.” Ciuffo has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on an athletic scholarship at the University of South Carolina this fall but is projected as an early round selection in next month‘s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. South Carolina Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year winners 2013 – Nick Ciuffo (Lexington HS) 2012 – Jamie Callahan (Dillon HS) 2011 – Jordan Montgomery (Sumter HS) 2010 – Forrest Koumas (Lugoff-Elgin HS) 2009 – Madison Younginer (Mauldin HS) 2008 – Zac Fuesser (York HS) 2007 – Steven Neff (Lancaster HS) 2006 – Jason Place (Wren HS) 2005 – Reese Havens (Bishop England HS) 2004 – Brad Chalk (Riverside HS) 2003 – Nick Mershon (St. Joseph‘s HS) 2002 – Forest Beverly (Conway HS) 2001 – Roscoe Crosby (Union HS) 2000 – Steve Jackson (Summerville HS) 1999 – Drew Meyer (Bishop England HS) 1998 – Demetric Smith (Northwestern HS) 1997 – Matt Lowe (Walhalla HS) 1996 – Henri Stanley (Richland Northeast HS) 1995 – Reggie Taylor (Newberry HS) 1994 – Jacob Shumate (Hartsville HS) 1993 – Charles Peterson (Laurens HS) 1992 – Preston Wilson (Bamberg-Ehrhardt HS) 1991 – Pep Harris (Lancaster HS) 1990 – Kevin Woodall (Georgetown HS) 1989 – Earl Cunningham (Lancaster HS) 1988 – Bryce Florie (Hanahan HS) 1987 – Corey Holden (Westside HS) 1986 – John Hearn (Midland Valley HS)