Prep watch: Focus on professional prospects may miss point of school sports

The discussions on this blog about which baseball players are recruitable or draftable have been interesting.

But we might be missing the point.

Are high school sports really about college scholarships or professional athletic careers?

Perhaps for the gifted few. The vast majority of athletes, however, are playing high school ball just for the enjoyment of it.

Mt. Spokane High School activities coordinator John Miller made a presentation (see my Prep Page column in today’s Spokesman-Review) pointing out the value of high school sports in rounding out the person rather than for chasing state titles and scholarships.

And Miller noted that for every $1 in athletic scholarship money available, $75 is available for academic achievement.

We should be more focused on the teams and the enjoyment of watching high school athletics. The other stuff is merely peripheral and will take care of itself.

Odds ‘n’ ends

Things that may have escaped notice as sports seasons have blended together:

Last week’s Greater Spokane League baseball stats omitted league hitting leader Connor Moore of Mead.

Moore was hitting an even .600 (21 for 35) with 17 runs scored, 11 RBIs, two doubles, four triples and a home run plus six stolen bases.

While cleaning up this year’s basketball stats:

Shadle Park’s Lexi Bishop moved into second place in league career points with 1,032, only the second girl to surpass 1,000 in GSL history.

She also stands seventh in overall career totals with 1,186 points.

Bishop is the only one of the top seven without the luxury of having at least one state tournament to add to the totals.

Also this year, Kelli Valentine of Mead became the 14th GSL girl to surpass 1,000 points in all games during her career, finishing with 1,008.

Bishop’s 356 points (in 20 league games) this year were third-best in a season. Rogers’ Denisha Whitehead moved into fifth with 337.

There are several boys to keep an eye on next year. Among them are Zack Humphrey of Shadle Park, who has 749 career league points and 935 overall, so he’ll make a run at the leaders.

And Mead’s Brendan Ingebritsen is in line to crack 1,000 points for his career and move onto the league’s top 10 lists.

Shadle surges

Unbeaten Shadle Park (11-0) begins the stretch run of the GSL softball season.

The Highlanders, ranked 21st nationally by USA Today in its weekly poll (a new one comes out today), shouldn’t be tested until the final two games of the season. By then, they’ll have the No. 1 4A district playoff berth and a spot in the regionals sewed up.

The team finishes the season May 4 and 7 at home against the current GSL second-place team, North Central, and third-place team, University.

¡Voice update: Highlander star pitcher Sam Skillingstad entered the week 13-0 with 164 strikeouts in 73 innings (roughly 16 per 7-inning game) and a 0.38 earned run average. She also shares the league lead with 27 runs batted in.

Highlander Allie Burger leads in runs scored and stolen bases, while Tressa Predisik leads in home runs with six.

Mead’s Katie Kine is the league’s top hitter, going 29 for 48 for a .604 average.

Titans Michelle Wells (six home runs, five triples, 27 RBIs) and Ali Warren (nine doubles) also are leading the league. Alyssa Hawley has scored 27 runs.