Winona Christian’s Latham Hill has been gifted with what college coaches call a “plus arm.”
Hill was set to conclude his senior year with the Stars before the season came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He was going to be our No. 1 district starter,” Winona Christian coach Shannon Self said. “I was looking forward to seeing him throw this season. He’s had a lot of arm troubles and seemed to be really healthy going into this season. This was really going to be the first time that he was completely healthy going into the season.”
Self said Hill, who signed with Northwest Community College, has a fastball that runs in the upper 80s.
“He’s a big kid with a plus fastball, a good changeup and a good curveball,” Self said. “He’s going to keep you in the game by throwing strikes. He’s got that plus arm that the college coaches are looking for. He stays in the mid 80s but never really got into midseason form for us because he always came right from basketball. He signed as a pitcher only for Northwest but I really hope they will give him a chance to swing the bat because he has a lot of power at the plate.”
While Self said Hill’s “plus arm” got him recruited, it was Hill’s character that got him signed.
“Whenever I talked about Latham, I would always start the conversation with what kind of kid he is,” Self said. “He’s a good baseball player but he’s a better kid. He’s got a lot of ability but like a lot of college coaches, I have seen where character is more important than ability.”
Self said he thought being able to concentrate on one sport would help Hill develop.
“I think he has a tremendous upside,” Self said. “He’s going to get to be a baseball only guy. I think his fastball can easily get to the 90s because he’s going to get the rest and sport-specific training that he needs. I think when you add all of those things up, I think you see a kid with a tremendous future.”
Hill is also a standout in football and basketball for the Stars.
In football, Hill made the MAIS all-star football game as a wide receiver and had one of the biggest catches of the year with the two-point conversion catch against Carroll Academy that secured the district championship for the Stars.
“He’s a guy that was all-district for four years in a row and all-district in four different positions,” WCS head football coach Junior Graham said. “He’s another highly intelligent kid. He really flourished at defensive end this year. He also had to play some H-back for us on offense and some wide receiver. He had one of the biggest catches of the year with the two-point play that beat Carroll. There were some games that he didn’t come off the field. He gave us a lot of flexibility.”
In basketball, Hill played small forward for the Stars and averaged 13.5 points, eight rebounds and three assists a game and was an all-district selection.
