Denton tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee while playing for Rye's basketball team midway through his junior year. Many of the colleges hot on his trail wished him well, but stopped calling.
.
.
.
"We probably recruited him as hard as anybody we've ever recruited," said Ritch Price, the Kansas baseball coach. "Left-handed starting pitching is a huge priority in a BCS conference like we play in."

Denton is 6-1 for Rye this season and hasn't allowed an earned run in 38 innings. Opponents have only six hits and a .051 batting average against him. He has struck out 97 and walked only five. Last Tuesday, he threw a perfect game. In Saturday's district rounds, he threw his fourth no-hitter of the spring.

He's also no longer afraid of the ball, and is hitting .510 with three home runs and 28 RBIs.

Pro scouts, though, are swarming to see him because of his arm. Denton usually throws 87 or 88 mph and tops out at 91.

He lives off his fastball, but has developed a reliable curveball and changeup. The family doesn't pay attention to draft speculation online — "I don't want to see it," Denton said — but he's projected to go anywhere from the third to the 10th round, according to various scouts.

How high he goes in the MLB draft also may depend on how serious teams view his interest in attending Kansas. For top prospects, their signability can affect their draft slot as much as potential.

Doyle has insisted on an adviser. He doesn't want to deal with the business side of his son's future. "He's always said, 'I'm going to be a fan and I'm going to be a father,' " Denton said.
.
.
.
Denton Keys has been wearing the same hat since his freshman season, and it has become something of a trademark. It's now too small for his head, and he wears it slightly off-center.

He has a pregame routine: Left sock goes on first, then right sock. Left pant leg, right pant leg. And so on.

He asks his mother to wear the same earrings, necklace and bracelets to each game.

Jax hit .400 with six home runs and 27 RBI and also was 7-1 on the mound with a 1.74 ERA in 40.1 innings pitching. He had 57 strikeouts against just two walks and held opposing batters to a .191 average. Cherry Creek lost in the Class 5A final four last weekend.

“He is a fantastic player and one of the top hitters — if not the top hitter — in our state,” Eaglecrest coach Tory Humphrey said in a release. “Also, he is dominant on the mound, purely dominant. And what I like more than that about him is he carries himself with class on the field and also treats opponents with respect. He is a quality kid.”

Athletic achievement: He led the Bruins to a 21-3 record and a berth in the Class 5A state semifinals against ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), scheduled for May 24. Jax owned a 7-1 record with a 1.74 ERA and 57 strikeouts against just two walks in 40.1 innings-pitched entering the postseason round of four. A returning First Team All-Colorado selection as named by The Denver Post, Jax batted .400 with six home runs and 27 RBI, recording a .512 on-base percentage and .862 slugging percentage through 24 games. He helped lead Cherry Creek to the 2012 Class 5A state championship as a junior.

Academic excellence: Jax has maintained a 3.85 weighted GPA.

Exemplary character: A member of his school’s physics club and the National Honor Society, he has volunteered locally as a peer tutor and on behalf of the Humane Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Food Bank of the Rockies.

BigEd76 wrote:Exemplary character: A member of his school’s physics club and the National Honor Society, he has volunteered locally as a peer tutor and on behalf of the Humane Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Food Bank of the Rockies.

School: Fruitland (Idaho)
Grade: Senior
Position: Linebacker and quarterback
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 230 pounds

THE PILLARS

Athletic achievement: He amassed 147 tackles and intercepted four passes this past season, leading the Grizzlies (11-1) to the Class 3A state championship game. Martarano completed 67 of 106 passes for 1,240 yards and 13 touchdowns, and also rushed for 551 yards and 10 TDs on 96 carries. A First Team All-State selection, he has played on state title teams in football, baseball and basketball.

Academic excellence: Martarano has maintained a 3.42 GPA in the classroom.

Exemplary character: He has volunteered locally on behalf of youth sports camps and an elementary school literacy-outreach program.

THE PRAISE

“Defensively, he’s tall, thick, strong and fast,” said Troy Gleave, head coach at Payette (Idaho). “He’s just a beast in the middle. It’s very hard to block him or run away from him. Offensively, he has a monster arm and he never goes down on first contact.”

THE FUTURE: Martarano has verbally committed to play football on an athletic scholarship at Boise State University beginning in the fall of 2013.

He looks like a middle of the order power hitter at the plate but I think he could loose some muscle, which would help him be more fluid in the field and at the plate. Maybe it could even make him more durable. His feet are quick and that could be an asset at third base. He has the arm for the hot corner but if he stays big, as he ages, he is likely to head over to first.

At the plate, Martarano has a long, strong swing. He has very good bat speed and gets good extension, which should allow him to hit for good average once he gets acclimated to better pitching. He will have a lot of swing and miss to start because of the long swing and the fact he is not a full time baseball player. The power potential from the swing and his strength could be impact tools. He is a good athlete, owning both power and speed that could impact at a star level if everything worked out.

Although I have a feeling Martarano will end up at Boise State playing football, my guess is he will do something similar to Anthony Alford and sign a baseball deal but it will still allow him to play on the gridiron. I really dislike this idea, and if he does it, I don't ever see him making an impact on a baseball field. There is just too much to learn to get to an elite level without fully committing to it where you are young. If he were to drop football, he truly could be an impact player.

JoeMartarano_2
Just got drafted to the phillies! Im still playing football but i can show up and play baseball whenever i want for 100k! #pumped

BigEd76 wrote:

JoeMartarano_2
Just got drafted to the phillies! Im still playing football but i can show up and play baseball whenever i want for 100k! #pumped

LPierce24
Still tryin to understand why Dan uggla is an everyday big leaguer...

Pierce leads the Trojans, and all players in the Tallahassee Regional, with a .373 batting average to go along with 23 doubles, a triple and eight home runs. The Troy, Ala., native ranks 20th in the country with a remarkable 62 RBIs considering he bats in the No. 2 slot in the lineup for the Trojans.

Pierce is 19th in the country in runs scored and 23rd with a .480 on-base percentage thanks in part to his 84 hits and 45 walks this season. He needs just two walks to become Troy's all-time leader in the category as he enters play this weekend with 124 over his three-year career. Pierce can also set the Troy career doubles record if he can find the gap three times; his 54 career two-baggers rank just two behind Jeff Javinett for first place.