LONDON — Trey Smith’s South Laurel Cardinals continue to make a positive trend forward after posting a 20-15 record last season.
The Cardinals had the third best RPI (.558) in the 13th Region, but the problem was the two teams that had better RPIs were in South Laurel’s district — state champion Whitley County and 50th District champion Corbin.
With that said, the Cardinals are heading in the right direction and is considered as one of the threats to make a run at the 50th District and 13th Region crown.
“This season we return nine players that have had 50 varsity at-bats or more over the last two years,” Smith said. “This is the most experienced team I have had since I started coaching. We also return four pitchers with over 30 innings pitched from last season. This is led by Cole Harville, our returning senior pitcher.
“I think experience should play a big role for us this season,” he added. “We have 10 upperclassmen on the roster, which is more than I have ever had. I am excited to see them play together again and see what they can accomplish. Our district is once again loaded with a ton of talent across all the teams. I feel like our district is one of the more challenging in the entire state. It will be exciting to see how those games play out this post season.”
Smith is excited about what he returns to the mix when it comes to his roster.
The Cardinals return seniors Hunter Bundy and Cole Harville along with a junior class that’s loaded with talent.
“I have so many that I could talk about, but we have two returning seniors on this roster that have played varsity for several years now,” Smith said. “Hunter Bundy and Cole Harville bring alot of leadership to our team. Hunter will play catcher and outfield for us this year. He brings a lot of speed and a great bat to our lineup. Cole is one of our top pitchers and he will also be a big presence for us in the middle of our lineup to drive in runs. My junior class returns several starters from last season as well, and I am excited to see them play with a full year of varsity innings under their belt.
“We return almost all of our staff from last season,” he added. “Our top four guys that threw most of our innings a year ago are Cole Harville, Will Aslip, Keaton Creech and Waylon Hensley. They all compete really well on the mound with multiple pitches that they can throw in the zone. I have also been pleasantly surprised by several other pitchers that have thrown well in our scrimmages up to this point. Our staff should be very deep and versatile for this upcoming season.”
So where does South Laurel fit in what many, including Smith, believes is one of the toughest districts in the state.
“I am biased towards our district, but after the season Whitley had last year, I think a lot of people would agree we have one of the hardest districts in the entire state,” he said. “We have multiple teams that can win a region title. The level of baseball has only improved since I have been coach and I think that is because we all push each other every year to be the best just to reach the region tournament. Whitley and Corbin both will be a tough battle this year. It should be a really fun season.
“I feel like I have a team that can make a run,” he added. “Like I said earlier, just to get out of our district is an accomplishment in itself. But I do feel like we have the experience and pitching depth to make a run if everything can come together at the right time this season. I really like my team. I try every year to make sure we have a tough schedule. With our district opponents and the teams, we face over our spring break trip we will be prepared going into the later part of the year.
“I feel like Whitley and Corbin are going to be very solid this season,” Smith continued. “Clay will also be a good team. Our region will be very competitive all season long. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. My team just needs to continue to grow and improve. Don’t get too high or too low. Baseball is a game of failure and the great teams learn from failure. This is how you play your best baseball at the right time.”
