Nick butts is, in fact, a 14u eligible player. He doesnt turn 15 until late spring or early summer (i believe july but i might be a couple weeks off). He can absolutely hang with the 18u crowd and will very likely contribute immediately as a freshman. He hung just fine playing up on our 16u team last fall (at RBA South) and will be competing with our 17u team this summer and then joining the virginia cardinals in the fall of 2012 (he played for the cardinals at uva in september of 2011 and performed well)
The dominion district is certainly a competitive proving ground for a freshman but i am more than confident that he will do just fine. When considering recent freshman impact players (luke lowery, bryce harman, mac caples , augie ayers) who i knew quite well going into their first high school spring - nicholas is definitely in that class.
This kid can play. The general aversion to pointing out freshman this early is understandable but there are a handful of players in the start each year who warrant the early recognition. Kyle macphearson this past year, or tyler allen and luck scherzer the year before come to mind. We need to leave room for appreciating and discussing the truly exceptional player from time to time.