Video: Kip Bouknight reflects on having jersey retired by Gamecocks baseball
Friday night, South Carolina baseball great Kip Bouknight will have his jersey retired. An honor that will put the pitcher in an elite Gamecock company.
“It’s amazing. I think back to when I was in college we were a close-knit bunch,” Bouknight told Gamecock Central. “We played for name on the front of our jersey and not the back. Michael Jordan said it best. ‘Individual accolades come when your team is successful.” There’s no way this is possible for me if I didn’t have great teammates.”
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Bouknight’s No. 14 jersey will appear on the outfield wall along with jersey former Gamecock pitcher Earl Bass’ No. 13 jersey and former head coach and current Athletics Director Ray Tanner’s No. 1 jersey.
The winningest pitcher in South Carolina history, Bouknight compiled a career record of 45-12 with a school record 482 innings. He also started 66 games, which remains a Carolina best. in addition, Bouknight holds school records for strikeouts (457) and decisions.
“I know for me personally, when I look at Earl Bass’ (jersey) I think of all of the former teammates that Bass had and all of the great names that he played with. The Hank Smalls, the Tim Lewises. I think it’s gonna be pretty neat for the fans to go, ‘oh yeah, who was his catcher? Oh yeah, it was Branden Pack,’ They’re gonna be able to relate back to that era.”
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In 2000, Bouknight went 17-1 in a year that saw the Gamecocks go a program best 55-10 while winning an SEC championship. He’d go on to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award and was also named a consensus All-America by the ABCA, Baseball America, and Collegiate Baseball. This helped USC earn back-to-back Super Regional appearances in 2000 and 2001.
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“One of the thing I hope that the fans are able to do when they see my name out there I want them to think about is the turnaround of South Carolina, Ray Tanner, and what our program was able to do between 1998 and 2001. We got South Carolina back and going in the right direction. Then boom, 2002, 2003, 2004, they go to the College World Series.”
The ceremony will take place on Friday night prior to South Carolina’s April 28 home contest against Auburn. First pitch for the game is set for 7:00 p.m. EST.
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Per South Carolina’s press release:
By policy, there is a five-year waiting period after a former Gamecock student-athlete’s final season of participation before their jersey can be considered for retirement. As part of the policy, the University will retire jerseys, but will not retire numbers. Those numbers previously retired will continue to be in a retired state.
The first 800 fans at Friday’s game will receive a Kip Bouknight rally towel.
