LEXINGTON — Jeremy Shope’s Whitley County Colonels will face LaRue County in the first round of the Clark Pump-N-Shop State Baseball Tournament on Friday at 10 a.m. with hopes of advancing to the Elite Eight.
The Colonels are the heavy favorites, and for good reason.
They have played one of the toughest schedules in the state and have an impressive 35-4 record. Their 35 wins are the most among all 16 teams in the tournament, with Harrison County’s 31 wins ranking second.
Whitley County’s four losses are the least of any state tournament team, while Beechwood and Harrison County’s eight losses are tied for second.
“The keys to success is to just be us,” Ahope said. “We’re blue collar, who plays with a lot of energy — stay steady and everyone do their job.”
Another interesting stat — the Colonels rank No. 1 among all state tournament teams with an RPI rating of .68319, while Lexington Catholic’s .63515 ranks second.
“I’m happy for our team,” Shope said of his team getting another opportunity to play in the state tournament. “Sometimes it seems a little bit unfair to be judged by what you do in the postseason. This team had a great year no matter what they did. We were happy to get it done so that we can still do what we love.
“Spend time with each other and play the game we all love,” he added. “It’s so special in so many ways. I love it for our school, community, alumni, families, and fans. We have an unbelievable following.”
LaRue County’s RPI rating of .52065 ranked eighth in the 5th Region, but the Hawks managed to knock off two of the top three teams in the region to capture the regional crown.
Despite being the heavy favorites for Friday’s game, Whitley County coach Jeremy Shope is quick to point out that everything is thrown out the window once the two teams square off on Friday.
“LaRue County is a very good baseball team,” he said. “Their middle school team just won the state tournament. Their high school team just won a tough region. They will be ready to play. They have some really good arms on the mound. We have to get after it this week.
“We will train for the early start time,” Shope added. “We are out of school and we have to be disciplined. We have to get rest early and stay hydrated with good fluids. We have to understand the moment.”
If the Colonels are going to get past the Hawks, and make a run at the state crown, they must continue to get solid hitting, and pitching efforts.
“Our lineup can be really good one through nine,” Shope said. “A pitcher is never really able to relax out there. Bryce (Anderson) is able to start the lineup out. He can hit and run. Grant (Zehr) has batted second and just finds a way. Sam (Harp) can flat out hit. He’s someone you want up when it matters.
“Hunter (Wilson) is another great bat behind him,” he added. “Followed by a red hot Mason Croley. Matthew (Wright) is another guy that you want up when it matters. RJ (Osborne) has been Mr Steady. He can hit it to all fields. Andrew (Stack) has struggled some this year but has been big for us at the same time. We’ve tweaked his stance and it’s getting ready to pay off. Dee (Parker) has not played like a freshman. He finds a way to get on for the top of the order coming up.”
Shope has a solid group of arms he can depend on when it comes to pitching.
Mason Crowley is 12-1 with a 1.54 ERA while Grant Zehr is 8-2 with a 2.05 ERA, and Bradyn Bargo is 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA.
“Our pitching staff has been pretty consistent this year,” he said. “Our guys know that if we can fill up the strike zone then we have guys who can make plays behind them. We have a long list of guys that helped us out on the mound this year. It’s always fun to watch a different guy step up to help us.”
The Hawks are led by Sean Rivera’s .349 batting average. He also has 38 hits, and 29 RBI. Carson Childress is batting .327 while Jaxson Thomas has a .301 batting average. LaRue County isn’t considered a power hitting team with only one home run and a total of 39 extra base hits.
The Hawks’ strength is pitching.
They possess a team ERA of 2.55, as Brayden Singleton leads the team with seven wins. He also has a 2.77 ERA. Jameson LaRue has six wins, and a 2.18 ERA while Brady Skaggs has two wins, and five saves along with a 1.13 ERA.
“We will go into this state tournament with one goal in mind — win,” Shope said. “Baseball is a tough sport in a single elimination tournament. We just want to make sure that we have no regrets when it’s all over. We’re going to play our guts out.”
