LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky junior catcher Marcus Nidiffer finished his summer as the Valley Collegiate Baseball League leader in home runs, cranking out 13 round-trippers while leading his sixth-seeded Covington Lumberjacks team to the league finals.
Nidiffer, one of UK?s two everyday backstops in 2008, finished the summer season with a .305 average (40-for-131) in 42 games. Nidiffer, who ranked third in the league with 35 runs scored, was one of only four players in the league to hit 10 or more home runs, launching 13 while pacing the club with 31 RBI and 25 walks. Nidiffer added four doubles and a triple, reaching base at a .440 clip and slugging for a .649 percentage. Nidiffer also ranked third in the league in slugging and on-base percentage.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder was named to the Most Valuable Player during the Valley League All-Star game in July, after going 2-for-5 with a home run and a game-high three RBI.
Regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in the Southeastern Conference, Nidiffer threw out 10-of-13 would-be base stealers for Covington. During UK?s 2008 season, Nidiffer fielded .993, throwing out 15-of-29 attempted stealers, good for fourth in the SEC.
While splitting time with senior catcher Tyler Howe in 2008, Nidiffer saw action in 47 of UK?s 63 games, starting 34. Nidiffer hit .216 (25-for-116) on the year, with five homers, five doubles and 17 RBI. Nidiffer started out hot, hitting for an average above or near .300 until a late-April 0-for-21 slump. Minus the slump, Nidiffer hit for a .263 average with five homers and 16 RBI.
Nidiffer had the game of his career in a Friday-night win at then-No. 7 ranked South Carolina, launching two homers and batting 2-for-5 with three RBI in a 15-3 win. Among the other highlights for the catcher in 2008, included a walk-off homer vs. Purdue and a 3-for-4 game vs. Mississippi State that saw Nidiffer hit a triple and a home run.
Nidiffer, a native of Bristol, Tenn., helped lead the Lumberjacks (27-24, 18-7 home) to the Valley League finals, falling to second-seeded Luray (37-15). Nidiffer hit .333 (3-for-9) during the three-game final series, belting a homer, two RBI and three walks.
Fellow UK returnees, outfielders Kevin Bishop and Kevin Thulin and pitcher Jonathan Huff also played for Covington.
Among the other players in the Valley League to crank 10 or more homers was LSU second-baseman Ryan Schimpf, who finished third in the league with 11 homers, while earning Playoff MVP honors for Luray. Schmipf played in only 27 games, hitting for a .392 average.
