South Sumter High School Baseball Player Malakhi Boone Named ITG Next Florida Male Athlete of the Month for March 2024
South Sumter High School baseball player Malakhi Boone has been voted the ITG Next Florida March 2024 Male Athlete of the Month, which comes over three additional finalists. Resulting from his on-field play during February, Boone received 50.68% of the possible votes over Tampa Catholic basketball player Isaiah Campbell-Finch, Doral Academy baseball player Jadyn Nunez, and Rockledge basketball player Ryan Blount.
With the 2024 baseball season having started across Florida in February, there were simply few players in the state who had a more impressive start to the year than Boone.
While the sample size was certainly small, Boone helped lead South Sumter to a combined 3-1 record during February, with the lone loss coming to Weeki Wachee by a final score of 4-2. The Raiders’ three victories came in their first three games of the season against Gulf, Pasco, and First Academy, with South Sumter averaging 11 runs per game during that span.
As for Boone, the junior got off to a hot start offensively to help lead the way for the Raiders, going 7 for 10 (.700 batting average) at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, and three stolen bases. Boone also scored seven runs during that span, did not strike out at all, and drew two walks.
During that four-game stretch, Boone’s most impressive single performance came in a 7-2 win over Pasco on Feb. 23. In the victory, Boone went 2 for 2 at the plate with two home runs and four RBIs.
Boone, who is rated by 247Sports as a three-star linebacker in the Class of 2025 for football, has continued this level of stellar play well into March and is a big reason behind South Sumter’s success so far.
Across his first seven games of the year, Boone slashed a combined .588/.750/1.500 for the Raiders at the plate, while also hitting four home runs with 10 RBIs. Boone also has a pair of doubles and six stolen bases on the basepaths so far this season.
Of those seven games, a span in which South Sumter is 4-3, Boone has also collected at least two hits in four of the contests, three of which came in February.
Congratulations once again on a strong February and a strong start to the year to South Sumter’s Malakhi Boone, the ITG Next Florida March 2024 Male Athlete of the Month.
