WEEK TWO
1. Whitley County (10-1)
The Colonels are the lone team with at least 10 wins. They won eight in a row before Great crossing defeated them this past week, 13-3. Whitley County responded with two big wins. The Colonels have been winning thanks to their hitting, and pitching. Defensively, they’re looking to get better after allowing 20 unearned runs so far this season. Mason Croley, and Bradyn Bargo each have three wins apiece while Croley possesses a 2.93 ERA, and Barho’s is 3.32. Grant Zehr has been tremendous on the mound. He’s garnered two wins, and has struck out 25 batters in 20 innings of work. He also has a 1.05 ERA. Zehr leads Whitley County with a .465 batting average along with 15 hits. He’s driven in 11 runs, and scored 13 times. Hunter Wilson is batting .423 with one home run, a team-best 18 RBI, and 11 hits. He also leads the team with 10 walks. Sam Harp is batting .400 while delivering 12 hits, and 10 RBI. He also has scored 12 times.
2. Corbin (6-3)
The Redhounds have played a tough slate, starting with a 4-0 mark, but have put together a 2-3 record since. This is a team that’s going to be a thought out once postseason play begins. Cody Philpot’s squad is talented, and has Everything he needs for his team to repeat as region champions. Only five stat reports have been sent into the KHSAA, so Corbin’s stats aren’t completely updated. With that said, Noah Cima has been swinging a hot bat, going 7-for-10 while batting .700. Walker Landrum hit a huge two-run homer on Friday to lead Corbin past Florida’s Niceville High School. He’s batting .467 while Kade Elam is hitting .444. The Redhound pitching staff has been solid with Cruz Cima, Cameron Combs, Jeremiah Gilbert, Lucas Tarvin, and Bradric Helton each impressing so far this season.
3. South Laurel (8-3)
The Cardinals are a team to watch. Trey Smith possesses a lot of talent, and that could be an understatement. He has 10 pitchers at his disposal with Cole Harville leading the way with a 3-0 record, and 26 strikeouts. He also has a 3.68 ERA. Noah Smith has tossed six and one/third of an inning, allowing only three hits while owning a win, and a 0.00 ERA. Freshman Waylon Hensley is 2-1 with 18 strikeouts, and a 0.98 ERA. Senior Ashton Garland has had a fantastic season so far, batting .581 with 20 hits, 26 runs, six RBI, and a perfect 17-of-17 when attempting to steal a base. Ayden Smith is batting .447 with 17 hits, 15 RBI, and six doubles. Hunter Bundy is batting .375 with 12 hits, 14 RBI, and 13 runs scored.
4. Clay County (4-3)
The Tigers are beginning to heat up after starting the season with a 1-2 mark. They’re 3-1 since with wins over Leslie County (17-0), South Laurel (8-6), and Bell County (10-0). Errors have hurt the Tigers so far this season. Fourteen of Clay County’s 26 runs have been unearned. The Tigers possess three pitchers with a 0.00 ERa. Luke Hillard is one of them. He has a 1-0 record while striking out 12 batters, and allowing only two hits in nine and two/thirds innings of work. Talan Marcum is another that has a 0.00 ERA. He has a save and six strikeouts in four and one/third innings of work while Tyson Wagers also possesses a 0.00 ERA while fanning five batters, and allowing only one hit. Brandin Crawford leads Clay County with two wins, and 18 strikeouts in eight, and two thirds innings of work. He also has a 3.23 ERA. Ethan Jackson leads the Tigers with a .524 batting average along with four home runs, 15 RBI, 11 hits, 10 runs scored, and five doubles. Crawford is batting .368 with two home runs, and eight RBI.
5. North Laurel (5-3)
The Jaguars are going to continue to get better as the season progresses. Coach Darren McWhorter put together a tough slate, and his team gets better each game for playing some of the toughest teams around. Four Jaguar players already have at least 10 hits or more, including Corey Broughton, whose 13 hits lead North Laurel. He also has the team’s best batting average at .464 while Walt Hellard is batting .417, and Blaize Jones is hitting .393 along with four stolen bases. Cooper Robinson has also been a threat on the base paths with nine stolen bases in 10 tries. EJ Allen leads North Laurel with two saves and a 0.88 ERA. He also has a win under his belt. Corey Broughton is 1-0 with a 1.75 ERA while Jones leads the team with two wins, and 14 strikeouts. His ERA is 3.00.
6. Williamsburg (6-2)
How about those Yellow Jackets? They started the season with three wins then dropped two in a row, and has now won three in a row again after sweeping through three opponents to capture the 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic championship for the first time since 2019. Sydney Bowen is batting a red-hot .762 while going 16-of-21 at the plate. He has one home run, 16 hits, 16 runs scored, 14 RBI, and six stolen bases. Casey Kysar has logged a .412 batting average with a home run, seven hits, 12 RBI, and nine runs scored. Coach Bryan Hopkins has thrown 11 pitchers so far this season with Kysar coming up huge in Saturday’s 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic Title game.
7. Knox Central (3-3)
The Panthers have reeled off two wins in a row after defeating Bell County (9-3), and Cumberland Gap, Tenn. (10-6). Mile Bright’s squad is beginning to catch fire after starting with a 1-3 mark. Steve Partin leads the Panthers at the plate with a .412 average, four home runs, and 13 RBI while Austin Bargo is batting .400 with a team-best eight hits, 10 runs scored, and five stolen bases. Bright has used nine different pitchers so far this season. Zach Carroll has stood out with a 2-0 mark, and an impressive 1.68 ERA. Jaden Broughton is 1-0 with a 1.68 ERA. Knox Central has allowed 42 runs this season with 18 of those unearned. Defense will be to continue to improve if the Panthers want to make a deep postseason run.
8. Middlesboro (3-2)
Many thought the Yellow Jackets were going to win the 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic championship after they defeated Williamsburg earlier in the season, 14-11. But Bryan Hopkins’ turned the tables, and eliminated Middlesboro this past week with a 4-3 win. With only two stat reports reported, John Smith’s squad is led by Conner Winterberger’s .714 batting average. He’s 5-for-7 at the plate. Both Brady Carrell, and Case Bayless have a win apiece.
9. Harlan County (5-3)
The Black Bears started the season with five wins, but have now lost three in a row after falling to Letcher Central (12-2), Thomas Walker, Va.(2-1), and Whitley County (16-0). Harlan County has been outscored 30-3 during its three game losing skid.
Isaac Kelly has been a bright spot at the plate for the Black Bears, leading the team with a .476 batting average, 10 hits, and five steals. Brayden Blakley is batting .350 with a team-best six RBI.
Pitcher Tristan Cooper is 2-1 with a microscopic 0.41 ERA. He’s given up only one run in 17 innings while striking out 24 batters. Karsten Dixon is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA.
10. Barbourville (3-3)
The Tigers have started off pretty good, reaching the finals of the 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic Tournament but we’re shut out by Williamsburg in the title game on Saturday. No player stats can be provided due to the Tigers’ stats not being updated.
