SHINING ON THE DIAMOND

In the past 14 days, Kyle Skipworth's varsity baseball season came to an end. He took home state player of the year honors presented by Gatorade, then, five days later, the national award. He was taken sixth overall in the baseball draft by the Florida Marlins and will soon sign a professional contract.

Today he'll be among the first class of seniors to graduate from Patriot High School. Now, add one more modest achievement to the list.

Skipworth has been chosen the HS GameTime Boys Athlete of the Year.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride," Skipworth said.

In most years, The Press-Enterprise honors an athlete of the year who excels in multiple sports. Previous winners include Norco's Toby Gerhart and Big Bear's Kriss Proctor. Skipworth's dominance in baseball provided an exception.

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The 6-foot-3, 195-pound catcher helped lead Patriot to the CIF Division 4 semifinals. He batted .543 with 13 home runs and had 47 RBI. The trifecta of arm strength, a left-handed hitting stroke and power at the plate made Skipworth one of the top high school prospects in the draft.

"I hate to single out a guy above anybody else, but he was our team catalyst," Patriot coach Tim Kleveno said. "If we looked to somebody, he was our leader, our captain, the guy we looked up to."

Insiders expect Skipworth to move quickly through the Marlins organization, a farm system considered bereft of top catching talent.

"He's intelligent, he's aware of the game, he's a baseball guy," said Jim Fleming, Marlins vice president of player development and scouting. "We like guys who have a baseball background."