[15thRegionIdol]

Any reason they aren't playing a fall schedule?

[108 Stitches]

As of this past Sunday, about 10 players from Johnson County were introduced to the 90mph fastball by Rowan Counties Cam Planck! Most of the kids battled well but a couple wanted no part of 90. It seemed Rowan had more trouble with the 86mph that they saw verses the 90mph JC saw. JC won and later beat Lewis County!

[GAP1]

Who did Johnson County have that was throwing 86mph?

[108 Stitches]

Tate Meade, threw 52 pitches, at least 12 were at 86, most other fastballs were 82-84 average. Eagles will have 4, and possibly 5/6 kids over 80mph on the bump on next years staff. At least 3 of those will pitch, near the mid 80's by mid season barring injury. Looks to be an exciting spring for those of us that love baseball.

[TigerBlues]

^^^ that's impressive for this side of the state, don't see anybody around here being able to win against a staff like that if they've got control and movement.

[Bob Seger]

That's a heck of a Lou Holtz imitation you've got there TB.:biggrin:

[108 Stitches]

Lou who!!!!! Haha jb!!!!

[TigerBlues]

That's a heck of a Lou Holtz imitation you've got there TB.:biggrin:

Just sayin' Segar that's quite impressive for around here and to compete with a staff that can bring it mid 8's but to have that many is something. Lou Holtz :biglmao: that's a dandy !

[Bob Seger]

Just sayin' Segar that's quite impressive for around here and to compete with a staff that can bring it mid 8's but to have that many is something. Lou Holtz :biglmao: that's a dandy !

lol......You know dang well you've got the same thing....nicker:

[Bob Seger]

Lou who!!!!! Haha jb!!!!

Nevermind, he was way before you're time there junior!!!!.....nicker:

[108 Stitches]

You may be surprised!!!!!! I'm not that far behind you!!!!! Never cared much for Lou until he left the Irish!!!! Hope we have a warm, short winter but I doubt it!!!!
Head down to Rowan CO. City Park this weekend and a baseball game or two may break out this weekend. May be 6 teams show up and dust it up a bit before the frost flies. They are having a 16u tournament Saturday and Sunday is what I've heard

[Bob Seger]

You may be surprised!!!!!! I'm not that far behind you!!!!! Never cared much for Lou until he left the Irish!!!! Hope we have a warm, short winter but I doubt it!!!!
Head down to Rowan CO. City Park this weekend and a baseball game or two may break out this weekend. May be 6 teams show up and dust it up a bit before the frost flies. They are having a 16u tournament Saturday and Sunday is what I've heard

I know that I may look like I'm still 16 stitch, but if I have to show my birth certificate, I know they wont let me play.nicker:



BTW, I think they are saying this winter is supposed to be worse than last winter.:yikes::yikes:

[baseball1974]

I agree with you on how impressive that is. I know from just recruiting on the NAIA level that having pitchers that can throw hard are not easy to find. If their 90 or above their looking at D1. So our main target were crafty guys that could throw in the upper 80's. I always would look in KY for those type of pitchers, but they're hard to find, especially in eastern KY. JC has had some great staffs, and so have Paintsville. I think around six or seven years ago the entire 57th district was stocked full of pitchers. Paintsville had a couple, with the lefty(forgot his name) being their ace. It was so competitive I don't even think Paintsville made the regional tournament? You all may be able to provide names? JC had Fyffe, and they also had a Blanton kid that could hit his spots and was a very smart player. However, I think LC had the best staff during that time, and they really only had one kid that could get it up and over mid 80's in the Chandler kid. I watched their tournament in Lexington when they went to the state tournament. They had a huge kid that threw against Lexington Catholic and shut them out. He could barely get it over 80, and I'll never forget this game because the umpire was a pitcher's umpire and that kid took advantage. The ump behind the plate was giving the pitchers that day three or four inches on the outside of the plate. LC's pitcher picked up that in the 1st inning and he had close to double digit backward K's because every two-strike count he was throwing it in the other batters box with the catcher set up there. If the catcher didn't move, he would call it strike. Lexington Catholic pitcher is who I originally went to see that day, and he just could not hit his spots like the LC kid. I'm not sure if it was him being a really smart kid or the person calling pitches tapped into it, but it was very impressive to watch a high school pitcher who was that intelligent. LC has several questionable things happen in sports, but I was really impressed with that team and their staff. Something else that blew my mind was when their shortstop took the mound in the championship game. Besides the kid that went to KY, he was the only one that could get close to 90, but they were just overly matched that game. I think he walked the first 3 batters of the game, and he was looking at the Cox kid coming up. He composed himself, started out away and stayed there the whole at bat, and Cox kept fouling pitches off. After around a 15 pitch at-bat of breaking balls away away away, he caught Cox leaning over the plate with an 88 MPH fastball inside and struck him out looking. He was really impressive for a kid that you could tell was not a pitcher. I've watched every state championship since retiring, and that entire tournament was impressive. I got lucky with the rain that year because I was able to see LC play the semi and finals in the same day. I was covering the game for a paper, but I was in ear shot of the broadcasters. They kept saying how many kids on that PRP team that were being looked at by D1 colleges and I was amazed. I kept hearing all year about the Cox kid and he didn't do much hitting that game but he came in to close the game, and you could tell LC hadn't seen 94 MPH before. This game is when i became an advocate for a clear class system in baseball. I hope it happens, but like basketball with 16 teams, the money is too good to pass up. Thats the only reason they took away the section. Its not a fair system. Eastern KY would need to start recruiting in order to bring things up to an even syatem. think eastern KY has gems like these kids in every town, and I'd like to see them get more recognition? I'm definitely planning on going to a few JC and Paintsville games this year. Is there anyone else in the 15th that has any pitchers that will compare? Is LC dried up with talent?

[baseball1974]

Sitting in the booth I also got to hear conversations between KHSAA executives. They were unhappy about LC ruining what they thought would be a Lexington V. Louisville state championship game. That would've generated much more revenue than LC and their 100 fans. It was sad to listen too. You'd think they'd be excited, but like basketball sweet sixteen, its all about the monetary benefit.

[TigerBlues]

lol......You know dang well you've got the same thing....nicker:

I don't know about that, I would bet Off the Hook knows best if we have anybody that can push it in the mid 8's for sure

[jetpilot]

Paintsville and JC might both be in the Top 25 at the same time. That wouldn't be bad for a small town and county.

http://www.bobseger.com/tour/

[Bob Seger]

I don't know about that, I would bet Off the Hook knows best if we have anybody that can push it in the mid 8's for sure

I'm quite sure that Hook could answer that, but I can tell you that based on last year and the year before that I am quite comfortable that Miller, Rice, and Daniel will be right there .

[Bob Seger]

Paintsville and JC might both be in the Top 25 at the same time. That wouldn't be bad for a small town and county.

[URL]http://www.bobseger.com/tour/[/URL]

Heck, this is all news to me, I didn't have a clue where I was going to be for the next few months..and you can bet the little woman is gonna be thrilled about this...lol Thanks for the heads up JP, I'll see if I can get you some back stage passes for the party.:biggrin:

[108 Stitches]

I think they both will have great seasons and whom ever peaks at the right time may make some noise at the State level if they can get a decent draw! There is a lot of luck with baseball but you have to have some talent to go with it!!!!!!!!

[Joneslab]

Just thought I would try and change the course of the thread a little bit since it has went all JC and Paintsville. Don't get me wrong, I think those two teams are the definite favorites! We tried to list a preseason top 5 and got some good response. Can any other teams compete with the two from Johnson County? I hope some other fan bases can jump in this discussion. Can some of the younger teams from last year like Lawrence County, Allen Central or Pikeville make the strides to compete? Good thread, keep it going.

[TigerBlues]

Lawrence Co was very good last year and I really liked the tall slim kid that pitched for them, from what I saw in district and regional tourneys it's Johnson Central, Paintsville , and Lawrence Co not in that order but think Johnson Central is a clear favorite and no disrespect to the other teams in the region these are the ones that stood out to me.

[108 Stitches]

That's the neat thing about baseball and high school sports in general. There are always a surprise team or two! You never know what a bunch of 14 - 19 year old young men will do or are capable of. A transfer here, a move in there, could change the whole out look. Teams are so close that one or two average players can change a team completely. And again, some of these talented young teams may not live up to their potential and fall flat on their behinds!

[baseball1974]

Just thought I would try and change the course of the thread a little bit since it has went all JC and Paintsville. Don't get me wrong, I think those two teams are the definite favorites! We tried to list a preseason top 5 and got some good response. Can any other teams compete with the two from Johnson County? I hope some other fan bases can jump in this discussion. Can some of the younger teams from last year like Lawrence County, Allen Central or Pikeville make the strides to compete? Good thread, keep it going.

Obviously just my opinion, but I think its probably a Johnson County's team to lose? LC lost their best and most effective starter, Allen Central doesn't have much of a shot, and unless Pikeville is overloaded with talent Priode will shoot them in the foot. I've heard good things about PBURG's head coach, and you never know, a sleeper team could show up due to some of the new coaches? If Paintsville and JC are that stacked at the pitching position, then I don't see anyone with a chance in the post season to knock them off.

[pugsley79]

Keep an eye on East Ridge who made a run in the 15th region tournament last year. Great coach and if they find that ace pitcher they have a god supporting cast: Miller, Chaney, Hagy, Smith, Taylor, etc.

[rawlingsfan]

Come regional tournament time, high school baseball is Kentucky is single elimination. A surplus of quality pitchers is definitely an advantage in the regular season, and if you are fortunate enough to make it to the regional finals obviously. But it only takes one bad game offensively, defensively, or sometimes just leaving a pitcher in for one too many batters and you go home in the first round or semi-finals.

There's several well-coached teams in the 15th that could knock off anyone on one day. Should be another good, competitive year of baseball.

[HornetFan5]

I'm not in any way saying that Phelps will make any noise in the 15th Region Tournament, but I'm excited to see how they do this season. When I sit and think of the line-up for them this season, I'm shocked. They still have 2 out of 3 of their first 3 batters in their line-up from last year. They still have lead-off hitter, Bailey Hurley, who is a Junior and can make contact with the ball and send it somewhere (All District Player last year), and Dalton Prater, who is also a Junior and can also send a ball to the outfield at any point in time AND be a threat every pitch that he's on base (also had an amazing sliding catch last season in the District Tourny). But I also realize that unfortunately, both of these guys were hurt in football this season (Hurley had shoulder surgery, Prater tore his meniscus and had surgery also). Kyle Sneed, the Hornet's homerun hitter returns as a Senior this year after being clean-up as a Junior last year. The Pitching for the Hornets won't be bad either. They have lost 0, I repeat "0", Pitchers out of their rotation from last year. They still have Kyle Sneed, Zack Francis, Bailey Hurley, and Gavin Wolford to throw this season. I look for these boys to give Belfry a fight this year. Once again, the young stars Hurley and Prater are just Juniors. And as Sophomores, they played HARD ball in the 60th district. Anybody else agree with me on this? Especially after fighting the adversity of not having a field for so long, these kids are decent. In no way are they frontrunners, but they're competitive and they will continue to be this season.

[baseball1974]

I'm not in any way saying that Phelps will make any noise in the 15th Region Tournament, but I'm excited to see how they do this season. When I sit and think of the line-up for them this season, I'm shocked. They still have 2 out of 3 of their first 3 batters in their line-up from last year. They still have lead-off hitter, Bailey Hurley, who is a Junior and can make contact with the ball and send it somewhere (All District Player last year), and Dalton Prater, who is also a Junior and can also send a ball to the outfield at any point in time AND be a threat every pitch that he's on base (also had an amazing sliding catch last season in the District Tourny). But I also realize that unfortunately, both of these guys were hurt in football this season (Hurley had shoulder surgery, Prater tore his meniscus and had surgery also). Kyle Sneed, the Hornet's homerun hitter returns as a Senior this year after being clean-up as a Junior last year. The Pitching for the Hornets won't be bad either. They have lost 0, I repeat "0", Pitchers out of their rotation from last year. They still have Kyle Sneed, Zack Francis, Bailey Hurley, and Gavin Wolford to throw this season. I look for these boys to give Belfry a fight this year. Once again, the young stars Hurley and Prater are just Juniors. And as Sophomores, they played HARD ball in the 60th district. Anybody else agree with me on this? Especially after fighting the adversity of not having a field for so long, these kids are decent. In no way are they frontrunners, but they're competitive and they will continue to be this season.

I think your support for your team is admirable, but I also think there needs to be a realistic side as well? You're talking about a team that only won four games and only played around 21 games. That's 15 games under the limit. A lot of things have to happen in order for them to be competitive. The school needs to buy in to baseball the same way they did girls basketball and hire a qualified coach. If you continue to hire people that have never been around a successful team, then they won't know what to change? A lot of it is mentally thinking you can compete and then having the tools to do it. Right now even if they change that attitude, they still don't have someone that can give them the skills to go forward. They can always start easy by playing more games. They can only get better the more games they play. If the state gives you a limit then you should schedule that limit and more to allow for rain outs. Last year Phelps played 21 games and half of them were mercy rule. I just think too much has to happen in a short time for them to compete with anybody other than Jenkins and the menifee county's of the world? I wish them luck though.

[Joneslab]

I'm not in any way saying that Phelps will make any noise in the 15th Region Tournament, but I'm excited to see how they do this season. When I sit and think of the line-up for them this season, I'm shocked. They still have 2 out of 3 of their first 3 batters in their line-up from last year. They still have lead-off hitter, Bailey Hurley, who is a Junior and can make contact with the ball and send it somewhere (All District Player last year), and Dalton Prater, who is also a Junior and can also send a ball to the outfield at any point in time AND be a threat every pitch that he's on base (also had an amazing sliding catch last season in the District Tourny). But I also realize that unfortunately, both of these guys were hurt in football this season (Hurley had shoulder surgery, Prater tore his meniscus and had surgery also). Kyle Sneed, the Hornet's homerun hitter returns as a Senior this year after being clean-up as a Junior last year. The Pitching for the Hornets won't be bad either. They have lost 0, I repeat "0", Pitchers out of their rotation from last year. They still have Kyle Sneed, Zack Francis, Bailey Hurley, and Gavin Wolford to throw this season. I look for these boys to give Belfry a fight this year. Once again, the young stars Hurley and Prater are just Juniors. And as Sophomores, they played HARD ball in the 60th district. Anybody else agree with me on this? Especially after fighting the adversity of not having a field for so long, these kids are decent. In no way are they frontrunners, but they're competitive and they will continue to be this season.

I saw Phelps once last year! They have a couple of really nice players but I think pitching will keep them away from a district championship! I love your optimism. I wish every fan base in the 15th would weigh in with an opinion and that type of optimism!

[HornetFan5]

I understand that. They have talent. And plenty of it. They have no coaching and the school does nothing to try to help in that area. They go through everything that they can with the "cheap" option. With coaching that would help these boys improve and learn, kids like Hurley, Sneed, and Prater could play college ball somewhere nice for sure. But with the coaching that they have, these kids are getting the bad end of the deal. If this team was under Coach Hagey from Belfry, I see them doing MUCH better. But like I said, the school won't ever put effort into athletic programs.

I don't know much about the limit on games? What's the set number for games in a season? The coach last year stated that he scheduled all that he could possibly schedule. I'm guessing that was a lie.... Just another thing to prove he's not the coach that these boys need. Coaches at Phelps are ALL about that extra cash for coaching. They're not actually in it for the kids and the wins for the program.

[baseball1974]

I understand that. They have talent. And plenty of it. They have no coaching and the school does nothing to try to help in that area. They go through everything that they can with the "cheap" option. With coaching that would help these boys improve and learn, kids like Hurley, Sneed, and Prater could play college ball somewhere nice for sure. But with the coaching that they have, these kids are getting the bad end of the deal. If this team was under Coach Hagey from Belfry, I see them doing MUCH better. But like I said, the school won't ever put effort into athletic programs.

I don't know much about the limit on games? What's the set number for games in a season? The coach last year stated that he scheduled all that he could possibly schedule. I'm guessing that was a lie.... Just another thing to prove he's not the coach that these boys need. Coaches at Phelps are ALL about that extra cash for coaching. They're not actually in it for the kids and the wins for the program.

Unless it has changed in the last couple years the limit is 35 or 36 regular season games. That doesn't count what you play in post season. Most coaches at descent programs will schedule around 40 just in case of rain outs. For example, Johnson Central ended up playing 42 games last year, 7 of those were post season games.