[Black Bear Cuz]

Should be a very good year for baseball in the 13th region. Should have 7 or 8 quality teams starting with defending region champs - North Laurel, also Harlan County, South Laurel, Clay, Corbin, Knox Central and Middlesboro should all be very solid teams. Bell and Harlan Independent will be improved also. Overall, there will be several teams that will be able to compete with the rest of the state very well.

[rawlingsfan]

For the last four years (besides Pineville knocking off Barbourville 6-5 in the dist. last spring) it's been the same 8 team field in the 13th region tournament.

Regional tournament (W-L) record 2010-'13:
North Laurel (7-3)
Clay County (7-2)
South Laurel (5-3)
Middlesboro (4-4)
Harlan County (2-4)
Knox Central (0-4)
Barbourville (0-3)
Pineville (0-1)

[HDE]

Where is Middlesboro Parent 4 life? It's time to hear about what the Jackets are doing.

[SEKYFAN]

For the last four years (besides Pineville knocking off Barbourville 6-5 in the dist. last spring) it's been the same 8 team field in the 13th region tournament.

Regional tournament (W-L) record 2010-'13:
North Laurel (7-3)
Clay County (7-2)
South Laurel (5-3)
Middlesboro (4-4)
Harlan County (2-4)
Knox Central (0-4)
Barbourville (0-3)
Pineville (0-1)

You left out Corbin, who has gone 3-4 in the regional tournament during this period.

[rawlingsfan]

You left out Corbin, who has gone 3-4 in the regional tournament during this period.

I sure did. Thanks. They made it to the finals in 2010, semi-finals in 2011, and lost 2-1 to North in the first round in 2012. Always competitive come tournament time.

[Hitters_Count]

The boys from KC should make their presence known this year.

[Black Bear Cuz]

The boys from KC should make their presence known this year.

They will be a solid team, but not a threat to win the region IMO....

[BellCOUNTYfaithfull]

bobcats look to be a contender this

[Black Bear Cuz]

bobcats look to be a contender this

Not likely sir....

[Hit N' Run]

North Laurel has an excellent core of players returning.

[Hitters_Count]

They will be a solid team, but not a threat to win the region IMO....

Winning a region is as much about luck as it is talent. They will be solid, and if you have the arms they have, you will always have a shot at winning a region. They have gotten much bigger and stronger during the off season in the weight room. Dark Horses and a legitimate threat IMO...

[Van Hagar]

A little early no doubt, but five months out I would rank them in this order going in to the year:
1. North Laurel--defending champs had only one senior. Of course, that one senior was the best player in the history of the school. Not trying to be a homer here, I just think with what they have returning they have to be at the top of the first rankings.
2. Knox Central--they have a lot of really good young players, I think this will be the year, like Harlan Co. last year, when they learn to win some postseason games.
3. Harlan Co.--lost a little more overall than North did, but will still be good and Leisge is one hell of a pitcher, will always give them a solid chance.
Gets a little murkier to me after that, although I would probably go Clay, South, Corbin, Middlesboro, then who knows? Don't forget, this time a year ago some of us were worried that South was getting ready to make it 2 titles in a row with a real chance to maybe get as many as four. As always in baseball, pitching will write the story.

[HDE]

1. North Laurel
2. South Laurel
3. Harlan County
4. Clay County
5. Middlesboro
6. Knox Central
7. Corbin
8. Whitley County

[RunItUpTheGut]

Whitley was extremely young last year.
They should be imrpoved. Did lose the good pitcher though.

[Bob Seger]

Where is Middlesboro Parent 4 life? It's time to hear about what the Jackets are doing.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to hearing his radar readings for North Laurel's pitchers this year.....They should be able to hit at least 75-77 this year....nicker:

[Black Bear Cuz]

1. North Laurel
2. South Laurel
3. Harlan County
4. Clay County
5. Middlesboro
6. Knox Central
7. Corbin
8. Whitley County

Corbin IMO will clearly be a top 5 team, they have 3 very good Senior pitchers and some good young players around them. I would preseason rank them like this.

1. N Laurel
2. HC
2. S Laurel
4. Corbin
4. Clay
6. Knox Central
6. Middlesboro
Dont know enough about Whitley or Williamsburg to rank them, but these are the top 7 teams pretty clearly and outside of NL being ranked 1, the other 6 could be ranked a variety of ways!

[LongDong]

Middlesboro lost one player and beat every team ranked above them besides North Laurel, solid pitching staff and the return on Cole Frazier behind the plate definitely makes them a top 3 contender for the region

[LongDong]

Corbin IMO will clearly be a top 5 team, they have 3 very good Senior pitchers and some good young players around them. I would preseason rank them like this.

1. N Laurel
2. HC
2. S Laurel
4. Corbin
4. Clay
6. Knox Central
6. Middlesboro
Dont know enough about Whitley or Williamsburg to rank them, but these are the top 7 teams pretty clearly and outside of NL being ranked 1, the other 6 could be ranked a variety of ways!

HC nowhere near the number 2 team

[Hitters_Count]

1/2 North/South
3 Harlan Co.
4-6 KC, Clay, M'Boro in no particular order
7 Whitley
8 Corbin
9 ??

[HDE]

Corbin IMO will clearly be a top 5 team, they have 3 very good Senior pitchers and some good young players around them. I would preseason rank them like this.

1. N Laurel
2. HC
2. S Laurel
4. Corbin
4. Clay
6. Knox Central
6. Middlesboro
Dont know enough about Whitley or Williamsburg to rank them, but these are the top 7 teams pretty clearly and outside of NL being ranked 1, the other 6 could be ranked a variety of ways!

You could be right. Corbin did look good against Harlan County last year. They just didn't have a real good season overall.

[SEKYFAN]

An interesting tidbit is the number of players playing D-1 baseball that played in the 13th Region.
1. Zach Storm - NL, UK
2. Vinnie Hoover - Corbin, Pepperdine
3. Trace Vorbeck - Corbin, UK
4. Tyler Sears - SL, Louisville
5. Marcus Carson - NL, UK

[MHS Parent4Life]

Where is Middlesboro Parent 4 life? It's time to hear about what the Jackets are doing.

I'm back!

The Jackets have been working very hard this offseason. That being said, their are some major health concerns. I've been told that center fielder Jake Brock has suffered a shoulder injury in football and it is still unclear was has happened but apparently, he is experiencing quite a bit of pain.

Cole Frazier, who would have been the starting catcher last year but suffered a torn labrum before the season, has been rehabbing and looks to be on track for a great junior season. That being said, it is still something to keep an eye on.

The Jackets return a lot of experience and a great amount of talent. They feel pretty good about their chances going into this season. That being said, my preseason top 5 would be:

1. North Laurel
2. South Laurel
3-5 in no particular order Middlesboro, Harlan County, and Knox Central.

I think Corbin and Clay County are just barely on the outside looking in.

And to the Bell County poster, now that Dylan Cox cannot pitch, there is zero chance of them advancing to the regional tournament.

[Bob Seger]

I'm back!

The Jackets have been working very hard this offseason. That being said, their are some major health concerns. I've been told that center fielder Jake Brock has suffered a shoulder injury in football and it is still unclear was has happened but apparently, he is experiencing quite a bit of pain.

Cole Frazier, who would have been the starting catcher last year but suffered a torn labrum before the season, has been rehabbing and looks to be on track for a great junior season. That being said, it is still something to keep an eye on.

The Jackets return a lot of experience and a great amount of talent. They feel pretty good about their chances going into this season. That being said, my preseason top 5 would be:

1. North Laurel
2. South Laurel
3-5 in no particular order Middlesboro, Harlan County, and Knox Central.

I think Corbin and Clay County are just barely on the outside looking in.

And to the Bell County poster, now that Dylan Cox cannot pitch, there is zero chance of them advancing to the regional tournament.

Hey, and how bout their pitchers this year Big Guy? Reckon they'll have anybody that'll be able to break a pane of glass this year. I noticed you ignored my comment.....



I don't blame you though, I'd probably keep my mouth shut on that too, especially after getting egg all over your face last year.....nicker:

[insideinfo]

1/2 North/South
3 Harlan Co.
4-6 KC, Clay, M'Boro in no particular order
7 Whitley
8 Corbin
9 ??

You not going to give us a update on the transfer situation.

[MHS Parent4Life]

Hey, and how bout their pitchers this year Big Guy? Reckon they'll have anybody that'll be able to break a pane of glass this year. I noticed you ignored my comment.....



I don't blame you though, I'd probably keep my mouth shut on that too, especially after getting egg all over your face last year.....nicker:

I ignored your comment because there is no such thing as a rational discussion with you. We disagreed and apparently we still disagree and you simply can't take that. I still believe that your guys threw lows 80s consistently and reached mid 80s on several occasions. They didn't throw high 80s. You won't convince me otherwise.

That being said, I haven't been any more quiet than you were when we chased your Jaguars off the field two years ago. No one likes to talk after they've been eliminated.

Accept the fact that I ranked NL preseason 1 with a little class please. You're kids have class and your coach has class, perhaps it's time you got on board.

[Bob Seger]

I ignored your comment because there is no such thing as a rational discussion with you. We disagreed and apparently we still disagree and you simply can't take that. I still believe that your guys threw lows 80s consistently and reached mid 80s on several occasions. They didn't throw high 80s. You won't convince me otherwise.

That being said, I haven't been any more quiet than you were when we chased your Jaguars off the field two years ago. No one likes to talk after they've been eliminated.

Accept the fact that I ranked NL preseason 1 with a little class please. You're kids have class and your coach has class, perhaps it's time you got on board.

You are a freakin idiot buddy....I am not a North Laurel fan, where are you coming up with that?...I am a 15th region fan whose team beat NL at Whittaker Park, but I along with everybody else was not stupid enough to not be able to read the stadium gun as well as the gun I had in my hand ..Even though we beat them , I knew talent when I saw it, and knew when the season got going that they would shove it up your asses and make you like it.....BTW, how did you like it?.........Did it feeeeel good? ......lol

Low 80's to mid 80's? Well now that's a far cry from where you said they threw....I believe, according to you, they were 76-79 at best, maybe occasssionally hitting 80...Boy, you really had them pegged didn't you?.hh:..Come on now, I know it's got to be tough to tell everybody on here that "I was a real moron, and I really didn't know what I was talking about", but's it's time to man up daddy O...Lets tell it like it really is now bubby, they threw just exactly where I said they did...Fact is, I was right, and that's the part that YOU cant handle. It's got nothing to do with me.

BTW, I sat amongst all the scouts at the sophomore East/West all star game and saw Hurley light it up at 90 more than once.:Clap:

Class??? Well lets go about it this way dude, I'll get some class, when you get a clue ...How's that?irateSho

[Black Bear Cuz]

You are a freakin idiot buddy....I am not a North Laurel fan, where are you coming up with that?...I am a 15th region fan whose team beat NL at Whittaker Park, but I along with everybody else was not stupid enough to not be able to read the stadium gun as well as the gun I had in my hand ..Even though we beat them , I knew talent when I saw it, and knew when the season got going that they would shove it up your asses and make you like it.....BTW, how did you like it?.........Did it feeeeel good? ......lol

Low 80's to mid 80's? Well now that's a far cry from where you said they threw....I believe, according to you, they were 76-79 at best, maybe occasssionally hitting 80...Boy, you really had them pegged didn't you?.hh:..Come on now, I know it's got to be tough to tell everybody on here that "I was a real moron, and I really didn't know what I was talking about", but's it's time to man up daddy O...Lets tell it like it really is now bubby, they threw just exactly where I said they did...Fact is, I was right, and that's the part that YOU cant handle. It's got nothing to do with me.

BTW, I sat amongst all the scouts at the sophomore East/West all star game and saw Hurley light it up at 90 more than once.:Clap:

Class??? Well lets go about it this way dude, I'll get some class, when you get a clue ...How's that?irateSho

The fact is that you initially said that NL had 4 guys throwing in the mid to upper 80"s which was wrong! They had one throwing in the mid to upper 80"s (Hurley) and two others throwing in the low to mid 80's (Mallory and Carson) so that is 2 in the low to mid 80's and only 1 in the mid to upper 80's, not 4 in the mid to upper 80's. Myself and MHS Parent didnt realize they had the 3 arms with the velocity they had, but you definitely exaggerrated by saying they had 4 kids in the mid to upper 80's. So why dont we all admit that we were not actually correct and move on sir. We realize that NL is very talented and have acknowledged that so why dont you give the harrassing attitude a rest and show just a little class if you are capable of that.

[Bob Seger]

The fact is that you initially said that NL had 4 guys throwing in the mid to upper 80"s which was wrong! They had one throwing in the mid to upper 80"s (Hurley) and two others throwing in the low to mid 80's (Mallory and Carson) so that is 2 in the low to mid 80's and only 1 in the mid to upper 80's, not 4 in the mid to upper 80's. Myself and MHS Parent didnt realize they had the 3 arms with the velocity they had, but you definitely exaggerrated by saying they had 4 kids in the mid to upper 80's. So why dont we all admit that we were not actually correct and move on sir. We realize that NL is very talented and have acknowledged that so why dont you give the harrassing attitude a rest and show just a little class if you are capable of that.

I did not say that they had 4 kids that could throw mid to upper 80's....If you want to go back and reread the former thread, you will see that I itemized each kid and told the range in which they threw in, AND, there were several other posters who backed up EXACTLY what I said as well. What you just stated as velocities is exactly what I said, Go back and look. It was a collective team range. But, both of you countered with the mid to upper 70's stuff... AT BEST!!!.....When I'm wrong, I'm wrong and I will readily admit it, but I was not wrong...Buuuuuut, I have yet up to this time to ever see either one of you guys say, oooops, I was wroooooog, sorry about that. Instead all I got was the initial blasting of not knowing what I was talking about..


And, as you can see M4Lifer still doesn't have a clue even as to the conversation...He thinks I am a NL fan....Sheeesh!!

[Van Hagar]

Well actually there is a fourth, Austin Thompson the regular right fielder, who was a low-80's man. He threw the game at Harlan Co. that the Black Bears won in the bottom of the seventh, but had some arm trouble and didn't throw a whole lot of innings. He will be a big key for North to repeat. Hurley, Mallory and Leisge from Harlan Co. played together on a summer team, (plus some others from this area), and Hurley did occasionally max out at 90 this summer. Reports I got about the team said he threw hardest, but Leisge was probably the best overall pitcher on the team. They had a great matchup in the regional finals, when Leisge, I felt, got pulled too quick. Would love to see them go head to head in the final game again this year.

[Bob Seger]

Well actually there is a fourth, Austin Thompson the regular right fielder, who was a low-80's man. He threw the game at Harlan Co. that the Black Bears won in the bottom of the seventh, but had some arm trouble and didn't throw a whole lot of innings. He will be a big key for North to repeat. Hurley, Mallory and Leisge from Harlan Co. played together on a summer team, (plus some others from this area), and Hurley did occasionally max out at 90 this summer. Reports I got about the team said he threw hardest, but Leisge was probably the best overall pitcher on the team. They had a great matchup in the regional finals, when Leisge, I felt, got pulled too quick. Would love to see them go head to head in the final game again this year.

Thank you Van Hagar, I always enjoy your posts.. As mentioned, I saw it with my own eyes this summer as well, and he was also hitting 89 at Whittaker Park in March.