BERTLING SCHOLARSHIP ATTRACTS STUCKEY TO SE

For the last seven years, Kelly High baseball coach Mike Scott has watched recent graduate Denver Stuckey develop into possibly the best all-around athlete in Southeast Missouri.

The loss of Stuckey's considerable athletic skills to Southeast Missouri State University's baseball program next year, might be a little more than Scott can take.

"We'll continue in our program and be successful, but we won't be able to replace (Denver)," Scott said fondly. "Next year will be the first time in seven years I won't be coaching him. I might be going through withdrawal."

With Stuckey moving on to play for the Indians, at least Scott won't have to go far for a quick fix.

After being awarded the first-ever Joe Bertling Scholarship for incoming freshman baseball players at Southeast, Stuckey will only be a short trip away from the Benton baseball field he starred on for the Hawks.

"I wanted to stay kind of close to home and SEMO was one of my top choices," Stuckey said. "It worked out to where I got a good offer so it seemed like the right thing to do. It's a real honor to get (the Bertling Scholarship)."

Southeast baseball coach Mark Hogan couldn't agree more.

"It's a tremendous honor and a great thing for Denver," Hogan said. "He's very qualified and will be a great representative for the scholarship, particularly being the first one selected.

"He's an outstanding student athlete ... he's just a guy that really fits the bill for this award. He's a tremendous competitor and a guy we think will have a fine career at Southeast."

Stuckey, a two-time Class 2A all-state baseball selection at shortstop, batted over .420 the last two seasons and compiled a 15-6 pitching record over his four-year prep career. Stuckey's expected to add depth to the Indians' infield next year and could possibly take over for senior shortstop Steve Lowe after next season.

"We had Denver in our baseball camp over the winter and I really liked what I saw," Hogan said. "I thought he had good action and in our business what we call a `high ceiling' as a player on our level. We think he's going to be a good everyday player."

Stuckey, one of the most outwardly confident prep athletes in the area, might tend to agree with Hogan. Considering Stuckey's success at Kelly, he has every right to.

With Stuckey leading the way, the Hawks placed third at last year's 2A state baseball championships with a 16-10 record. Kelly's surprising finish, coupled with a few outstanding plays in the field, helped earn Stuckey some well-deserved exposure. Entering this season, Stuckey was named an honorable mention All-American by College Baseball Magazine.

"I could have had the same numbers, but if we would have lost in districts hardly anybody would have noticed me," Stuckey said of his junior year. "Our team going to state helped all of us and I'm so thankful for it."

Stuckey continued to excel his senior year, leading Kelly's basketball and baseball teams to school-record victory totals. The basketball team went 24-4 and the baseball team finished 20-5, winning its second straight district title.

"He meant a great deal to us," said Scott. "Not just because of his stats, but here's a kid that comes in and works hard every day in practice to get better."

Whether he was shooting 20-foot jumpers with the game on the line or coming through with clutch hits on the diamond, Stuckey displayed his competitive nature in every game he played. Some might misinterpret his confidence as arrogance, but Stuckey has a simple explanation for how he plays the game.

"You kind of have to have a little swagger out there," said Stuckey with a slight laugh. "If you don't think you're one of the best, I don't think you're ever going to be. To me, you can't do it unless you positively think you can.

"Sometimes I might have gotten carried away, but I just wanted to compete so bad. I want to have the attitude. . . `I'm the best out there and nobody's going to beat me.'"

Stuckey turned down an opportunity to walk-on at Missouri and some basketball offers from smaller schools to play baseball at Southeast. He plans to major in secondary education and might coach someday, saying, "I love the competition."

But for now, he's gearing up for what he hopes will be a long baseball career.

Said Stuckey with a laugh: "I'm going to go until somebody tells me to quit."