LEXINGTON — Whitley County enters Friday’s 2023 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament semifinal matchup with Henderson County as favorites, but the Colonels are experienced enough to know that means nothing once the first pitch is thrown.
Jeremy Shope’s squad enters the Final Four matchup with the best RPI rating out of the four teams remaining while Henderson County’s RPI Rating ranks fourth.
But that didn’t stop Henderson County from upsetting both Pulaski County, and Harrison County last week.
Adam Hines’ squad defeated the Maroons, 6-1, while surprising the Thorobreds with a 7-4 win.
“Henderson County is a really good baseball team who is peaking at the right time,” Shope said. “They are a huge school with a lot of baseball tradition. They are also very well-coached. They have some really good arms that have pitched well in the big games.”
Henderson County has struggled at the plate at times this season, but has come through with big hits once postseason began.
The Colonels (20-17) are only batting .261 as a team with only a handful of players batting over .300.
Dru Meadows leads Henderson County with a .343 batting average while delivering two home runs, 37 hits, 16 RBI, and six doubles. He has scored 43 times this season, and is dangerous on the base paths, leading the Colonels with 37 stolen bases.
Brennan Cates has a .304 batting average while collecting four home runs, 28 RBI, and 31 hits while scoring 24 times. He has 28 stolen bases.
Teammate Alec Satterfield is batting .300 while driving in 12 runs. He also has 24 hits, and 29 runs scored while stealing 19 bases.
Henderson County isn’t shy once getting a runner on the base paths. The Colonels have 209 stolen bases (including seven at during the first two games of the state tournament) on the season, but as a team has struck out 249 times.
Coming into the game, pitching is the strength for Hines’ squad.
The Colonels’ team ERA stands at 2.91 while Meadows leads the way with an 8-1 record along with a 0.92 ERA, and 68 Ks in 61 innings. Cates is 5-3 with a 1.75 ERA.
Shope was quick to say he has leaders on the team that makes sure his team keeps focused on the matter at hand despite the media attention his team has received.
“There’s been a lot of outside noise that the boys get to hear on a daily basis,” he said. “We talk about that, and how excited people are for our success this far. They have done a pretty good job of coming back to work to get ready for the next task at hand. It’s exciting for everyone but it’s not over yet. We can celebrate the successes when it’s all over. Our school and community have been nothing but supportive. I can’t praise them enough.
“We’ve got some great leaders on this team to make sure that we stay focused on the task at hand,” Shope added. “We will get out of town on Thursday to get our minds right.”
Whitley County will counter Henderson County with a team batting average of .343.
The Colonels are led by Sam Harp’s .419 effort at the plate. Harp also has one home run, 48 RBI, 52 hits, 43 runs scored, and 16 stolen base. Bryce Anderson is batting .412 with four home runs, 39 RBI, 56 hits, 50 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases. RJ Osborne has a .373 batting average while collecting 37 RBI, 47 hits, and 22 runs scored.
Mason Croley leads the way on the mound with a 13-1 record, and a 1.63 ERA. He earned a win last week against LaRue County. Grant Zehr was 1-0 with a save last week while improving to 9-2 on the season.
Even though his team looks to be the favorite, Shope said the Colonels won’t be overlooking anyone while taking the same blue-collared approach to Friday’s game like they have to every game this season.
“We focus on one game at a time, one pitch at a time,” he said. “This team has been very good at that. Our guys have been disciplined in preparing for the state tournament. We practiced early to prepare for that first early game of the tournament. Our mindset has been great. We just want to play with a lot of energy and have fun competing.
“We’re just a bunch of blue collar guys that have put in a lot of work,” he added. “We just want to be steady no matter the situation. When you put in a lot of work then you don’t want to lose. 10. The keys to success is to just make sure that we be us. Play with energy, do our individual jobs, and play to have no regrets no matter the outcome. We hope that our community and region packs the stands and cheers for this special team. We are honored and humbled to represent 606.”
