Coming as a result of his on-field performance during the 2023 season, Bolles junior baseball player Chayce Kieck has been voted the ITG Next Northeast Florida Male Athlete of the Year, sponsored by the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.
To receive the honor, Kieck compiled 77.93% of the possible votes over a list of three additional finalists: Bolles lacrosse player Daylin John-Hill, Andrew Jackson football player Grayson Howard, and University Christian football/basketball player Orel Gray.
In leading the Bulldogs to a 15-13 record and a Class 3A regional quarterfinal appearance, Kieck was a major impact player on the mound for the Bolles baseball team throughout the 2023 campaign.
The Clemson commit was the leader in multiple statistical categories for a Bulldogs pitching staff that held a combined 2.20 team ERA; he posted a 5-5 record with a 1.92 ERA and 98:13 K:BB ratio across 65.2 IP. The right-hander also held opponents to a .238 AVG against, and he posted seven scoreless appearances, five games with double-digit strikeouts, and three complete games.
“He was our go-to guy all year long,” Bolles head baseball coach Mike Boswell said. “Very, very competitive on the mound. Every outing he had, he’s a bulldog when he’s out there. He wants the ball in big situations, and I want him to have the ball in big situations.”
Having already impressed as a freshman and sophomore for the Bulldogs, Kieck only continued that success in 2023, taking yet another step forward on the mound.
“I think the biggest thing was experience,” Boswell said. “Learning to pitch, rather than throw. He really dominated the zone with three pitches. The bulldog mentality of, ‘I can beat anybody at any given time,’ that’s where he’s growing as an individual.”
Looking ahead to next season, Kieck will be a senior on an experienced Bolles baseball team, as well as one of the Bulldogs’ top arms again.
“He’s going to progress, and I say that as his stuff is going to get better,” Boswell said. “I think he’s continuing to work to get bigger and stronger, so we’re hoping for velocity to continue to rise, which it has every year. If he gets it up to 90 [mph], which is where his goal is for next year, he’s going to be more dominant than he has been the last couple of years.”
Once again, congratulations to Bolles baseball player Chayce Kieck, the ITG Next Northeast Florida Male Athlete of the Year sponsored by the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.
