By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports writer
It’s safe to say that Beechwood two-sport standout Cameron Boyd has made a smooth transition from basketball to baseball this spring.
Through the first five weeks of the season, the senior outfielder is hitting a torrid .533 (24 of 45) with 13 extra base hits, including five home runs. He also has 13 stolen bases without being thrown out once.
Beechwood senior outfielder Cameron Boyd
Boyd’s basketball stats were equally impressive. He had team-high averages of 19.4 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Tigers, who made it to the 9th Region tournament last March. He also surpassed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring.
Boyd hasn’t made a college commitment. The right-hander has received baseball offers from Transylvania University and Centre College, according to his posts on Twitter.
He’ll probably draw more attention from recruiters if he remains among the leading hitters in Northern Kentucky. In two games last week, he was 5-for-8 at the plate with a homer, double and five RBI for the Tigers.
The only local player with a better batting average is Covington Catholic senior catcher Jonathan Fitz. He entered the week hitting .538 (21 of 39) after going 4-for-7 in his team’s last two games.
Beechwood (10-3) will play a home game against Bracken County (11-3) in the sectional round of the All “A” Classic state tournament at 4 p.m. Sunday. Bracken County defeated Brossart, 12-8, in the 10th Region final to earn its first berth in the small school state baseball playoffs.
In another All “A” Classic sectional game, Walton-Verona (10-3) will visit 7th Region champion Highlands Latin (5-8) of Louisville at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The sectional winners advance to the eight-team state championship bracket on April 29-30 at Campbellsville High School.
Basketball players announce commitments with in-state colleges
Two local high school basketball players recently announced their commitments with Landen Hamilton of Conner going to Centre College and Grace Brewer of Walton-Verona headed to Midway University.
Grace Brewer
Brewer was named the top senior player in the 8th Region by members of the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. She ended up averaging 19.0 points and 11.6 rebounds for Walton-Verona. She had the highest rebounding average in the region and ranked 12th in the state in that statistic.
Hamilton is a guard who averaged a team-high 17.3 points last season and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring. He was one of three Conner seniors named to the Division I all-star team by Northern Kentucky coaches.
Centre competes on the NCAA Division III level in men’s basketball and posted a 5-20 record last season. Midway is an NAIA member and the women’s basketball team lost in the first round of the national playoffs last March to finish with a 23-9 record.
Former high school football players invited to Bengals workouts
Three former Northern Kentucky high school football standouts are among 31 draft-eligible college players invited to on-field workouts with the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff on Tuesday at Paycor Stadium.
Every NFL team is permitted to conduct workouts with players from high school or college teams in their regional area. The Bengals extended invitations for Ryle graduates Tanner Morgan and Jacob Chisholm and Cooper graduate Dante Hendrix.
Morgan played quarterback for the University of Minnesota and Chisholm was a running back for the University of Dayton. Both of them set team records during their college careers that ended last season. Hendrix was a wide receiver for Indiana State. He had career totals of 2,500 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in four seasons.
