Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Westbrook player wins Gatorade award

Scott Heath, who was strong on the mound and at the plate, is named the state's top baseball player.

By Tom Chard tchard@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Scott Heath of Westbrook received good news Wednesday while resting his left arm after experiencing pain while throwing a pitch in the second inning Tuesday against Cheverus.

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Derek Davis/2011 Press Herald File Scott Heath, who was named the Maine Gatorade player of the year for baseball, not only didn’t give up an earned run on the mound, but batted .390 this season for Westbrook.

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Heath was named the Maine Gatorade high school baseball player of the year after going 5-0 in the regular season with a 0.00 earned-run average.

Heath has 41 strikeouts in 32 innings and batted .390 with 18 RBI.

The Blue Blazes finished with a 14-2 record after a 6-2 loss to the Stags and will enter the Western Class A playoffs as the No. 2 seed.

"That's awesome," said Heath of the award. "I've definitely worked pretty hard over the past four years to be the best player I can be. It's paying off. Hopefully I can be a good player for Maine over the next four years."

Last year, Heath signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Maine.

Heath, a left-hander, left the Cheverus game, then re-entered as a right fielder. He didn't have to make any strong throws from the outfield the rest of the game.

Heath, a senior, joins recent state Gatorade winners Matt Verrier of Oxford Hills (2010), Chris Bernard of Scarborough (2009) and Kyle Stilphen of Gardiner (2008).

As a state winner, Heath became a finalist for the Gatorade national player of the year award, which will be announced this month.

"Heath is just one of those special players," said Bonny Eagle Coach Mark Sawyer. "He's very intelligent. He throws in the high 80s and he can bust off an above-average curveball. He's a very competitive kid and he also swings the bat very well."

Westbrook didn't practice Wednesday. Heath remained at home, resting his arm, hoping that he will be able to pitch for the Blazes in the regional playoffs.

"I iced it as much as I could," said Heath. "I'm taking it easy. We'll see how my arm feels each day. I want to pitch in the playoffs because my team means a lot to me."

Heath said his arm didn't feel right after throwing a pitch in the second inning against the Stags.

"It started hurting and I knew I wasn't myself at that point. I was expecting to go out and pitch a game, but one pitch (a fastball) got me.

"My arm felt a little sore after pitching against Deering (May 21). I usually bounce right back. That's why I missed a start a week ago. I started throwing again and it didn't feel bad until that pitch. I've never experienced anything like this with my left arm."

Even though Heath hopes to pitch again for the Blazes, he doesn't want to do more damage that could affect his pitching future.

"I have a college career I have to be ready for," he said.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH