Nevada pitcher Kingham signs with Pirates

Former Sierra Vista pitcher picks pro baseball over Oregon; Virgin Valley's Morris gives non-binding girls basketball commitment to Utah.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
By: | MaxPreps.com
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Nick Kingham, the first high school player from southern Nevada to be selected in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft in 2010, has signed a pro contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher from Sierra Vista chose the professional route after being selected in the fourth round in June. Kingham previously signed a letter of intent with Oregon.

Kingham received a signing bonus of $485,000, according to Baseball America, which makes him the first of the Pirates' draft picks to be paid more than the MLB-recommended bonus for the No. 117 overall selection. Kingham's bonus is roughly the same as a second-round pick.

The Pirates had until midnight Monday to sign Kingham.

Kingham was a Class 4A first-team all-state selection as a senior, going 6-3 record with a 2.01 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. Kingham transferred to Sierra Vista from Calvary Chapel Christian and sat out his junior season due to Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association transfer rules.

Kingham is the second prep player from the Vegas valley to sign a pro contract. Fourth-rounder Drew Robinson of Silverado signed with the Texas Rangers shortly after he was selected with the No. 136 pick overall. Robinson was a second-team all-state selection as a senior after batting .500 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs for the Skyhawks. He signed with both Nebraska and the College of Southern Nevada.

Robinson is playing for the rookie-level Arizona League Rangers and, as of Monday, he was hitting .284 with with no home runs, nine RBIs and six stolen bases in 33 games.

Las Vegas' Henderson shines during 7-on-7 tournament
Junior quarterback Hassan Henderson finished 10-for-14 for 141 yards and three touchdowns as Las Vegas rallied for a 22-15 win over Basic in the final of the UFL 7-on-7 Passing Tournament at Green Valley last week.

The 6-foot-4 Henderson, one of the state's top prospects from the Class of 2012, hit junior running back Farrell Victor for a 40-yard touchdown on the second play of the game. Victor, who is also expected to be a FBS recruit, caught four passes for 72 yards as the Wildcats displayed the speed at the skill positions that should again make them one of the favorites in the Sunrise Region.

Basic quarterback Vince Carducci went 14-for-21 with two touchdowns to Darian Spencer. The Wolves led 15-13 with 10 minutes remaining before Las Vegas scored nine straight points.

Morris Chooses Utes
Rachel Morris, a senior center for the Virgin Valley girls basketball team, gave a non-binding verbal commitment to Utah.

Morris also had scholarship offers from UNLV and Utah State, and was receiving interest from North Carolina State, Pepperdine and Portland after having a strong summer playing with Salt Lake Metro. The first day Morris can sign a letter of intent is Nov. 10.

"She's familiar with the area. She's excited about being in the Pac-12," Morris' mother, Bernice, told Nevadapreps.com.

The 6-foot-4 Morris averaged 11.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game last season as she was a first-team Class 3A all-state pick and led the Bulldogs to the 3A Southern League title.

Morris is already the state's all-time leader in blocked shots with 474, according to the NIAA record book. The previous mark of 426 was set by Ashlee Omdorff of Mineral County from 1997 to 2000.

David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.

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