Nature Boy

In Griffin, Ga., last week, a lanky high-school senior struck out his 18th batter in seven innings, and clinched the ballgame, 6-4. Pitcher Hugh Frank Radcliffe, 19, was pitching the kind of ball that had already brought major-league scouts to his doorstep. It was his fourth victory in four starts, and boosted his current season's record total to a sizzling 86 strike-outs in 33 1/3 innings (an average of 2.6 strike-outs an inning). A week earlier he struck out 28 men in nine innings (the catcher couldn't handle Radcliffe's fast drop on one third strike), allowing only one hit in a 10-0 shutout.

Radcliffe, who pitches for the Robert E. Lee Institute in Thomaston, Ga., has a very fast ball, a sharp curve, and an unruffled disposition. He is also cleanup man in the batting order, and is currently hitting a fat .450.

In his spare time Radcliffe is all-state football end, the best high-school kicker in Georgia, a guard on the all-state basketball team, and a champion pole vaulter. Radcliffe expects to sign a big league baseball contract when he graduates in June, but says he has no favorite among the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. Says his coach: "He's still one of the boys. They kid around with him just the same and tussle with him. When he needs rolling, we roll him."

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