Windham's Brady Afthim named state's top senior baseball player
Jun. 24—Windham High School righthander Brady Afthim, who struck out 23 batters in a game this spring, was named Maine's 2021 Mr. Baseball on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old Afthim, who is headed to the University of Connecticut on a baseball scholarship this fall, became the 29th recipient of the Dr. John W. Winkin Award, symbolic of the state's top senior player as presented annually by the Maine Baseball Coaches Association.
Afthim was presented the award during a break in the annual Underclass Showcase postseason game played at Saint Joseph's College in Standish.
The 18-year-old Afthim, whose fastball has been clocked as high as 94 miles per hour, struck out 125 batters and walked just five in 53 1/3 innings on the mound this spring while limiting opposing hitters to a .139 batting average.
He also posted a 0.525 earned run average for coach Cody Dube's Eagles.
Afthim's final game for Windham came in the first round of the Class A South playoffs, when the 16th-ranked Eagles, just 3-12 during the regular season, dropped a 1-0 decision at top-seeded Thornton Academy of Saco.
Afthim pitched a complete-game five-hitter in that contest while striking out 16 batters and walking one, with the only run of the game scoring without benefit of a hit in the fifth inning.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Afthim struck out 23 batters while walking no one during a 3-2 loss to Portland on May 29. He pitched 8 1/3 innings before reaching the pitch limit in the extra-inning contest.
Afthim also struck out 18 batters in another loss for the Eagles this spring.
Afthim also batted .473 with three home runs and 17 RBIs for coach Cody Dube's club.
Afthim also plays travel baseball for the Portland-based Maine Lightning.
Afthim signed his national letter of Intent to attend UConn last December, and will be the first Mainer to play baseball for the Huskies since Jim Penders became head coach in 2004.
Afthim joins a list of Winkin Award winners that includes 2017 recipient Jackson Coutts of Orono, now playing in the Washington Nationals organization; 2016 winner Trevor DeLaite of Bangor, who earned All-America honors while pitching this spring at Division I Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia; and former major leaguers Ryan Flaherty of Deering of Portland (2005), Mark Rogers of Mount Ararat of Topsham (2004) and Matt Kinney of Bangor (1995).
Outfielder Trejyn Fletcher of Deering received the honor the last year it was awarded in 2019. He was a second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals.
