[jetpilot]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

[HatfieldMccoy]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

[jetpilot]

Agree with this but Pikeville has plenty of good arms.

[pirateforlife]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

Who is the transfer Belfry got? Hadn’t heard of that

[HatfieldMccoy]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

Who is the transfer Belfry got? Hadn’t heard of that

Former Belfry boy who returned from Lexington area

---

Agree with this but Pikeville has plenty of good arms.

Aside from duty there isn’t many big game pitchers coming back.   Duty and Thompson had all the “big” games last year and Was  aided by one of the best defenses I’ve seen in awhile at the high school level.  There was a big drop after those two arms    Ryan may step up and take one of those spots but scoring will be the major issue with Pikeville

[jetpilot]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

Who is the transfer Belfry got? Hadn’t heard of that

Former Belfry boy who returned from Lexington area

---

Agree with this but Pikeville has plenty of good arms.

Aside from duty there isn’t many big game pitchers coming back.   Duty and Thompson had all the “big” games last year and Was  aided by one of the best defenses I’ve seen in awhile at the high school level.  There was a big drop after those two arms    Ryan may step up and take one of those spots but scoring will be the major issue with Pikeville

We disagree. Wait and see, Pikeville pitching will be top notch and deep.

[Harry Dawg]

Lawrence County has a solid group returning and was the second best team in the region last year. I'm not sure they've got the pitching depth to win the regional tournament, but on any given night they're as good as anybody in the 15th.

[HatfieldMccoy]

Lawrence County has a solid group returning and was the second best team in the region last year.  I'm not sure they've got the pitching depth to win the regional tournament, but on any given night they're as good as anybody in the 15th.

Lawrence will be in the mix but like Pikeville their seniors of last year were special.  I just think Pikeville has better replacements in those positions but Lawrence will be in the mix.

[BCF4L]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

[HatfieldMccoy]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

[BCF4L]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Pitching:

1. Duty
2. Allen
3. Varney
4. Kincheloe
5. Ryan
6. Luke Hall (Prestonsburg)
7. Lauffer
8. Montgomery (JC)
9. Johnson (Pburg)
10. Bentley (SV)

Field/Hitting:

1. Fletcher
2. Stanley
3. Hall
4. Sheppard (can’t believe I forgot him above)
5. Preece
6. Horne
7-10 I’m not as well versed on some other programs and what they lost vs. what’s coming back.

[Truewords]

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

Belfry’s coach is being inducted into KHSBCA Hall of Fame.

[baseball1974]

Pikeville outscored their opponents 43-2 in the district and region last year and only got beat by Trinity 2-0 at the state tournament. Those 2 they gave up were unearned. Unless someone just gets really hot at the right time, I can’t see anyone beating them.

[HatfieldMccoy]

Pikeville outscored their opponents 43-2 in the district and region last year and only got beat by Trinity 2-0 at the state tournament. Those 2 they gave up were unearned. Unless someone just gets really hot at the right time, I can’t see anyone beating them.

Pikeville lost their ace and some key pieces.  I have them as the favorite but it’s gonna be a battle in the 15th

---

Will Pikeville three-peat and if not who will knock them off? Should be a few very good teams in the hunt in the 15th.

Three-peat is a possibility but I believe Pburg and Johnson Central will have a legitimate shot.  Also, Belfry received a transfer who will help and has a pitcher that has picked up some velo.
Pikeville has a lot to replace and may not have enough arms but their struggle will be at the plate aside from Hall and Stanley (both Belfry transfers.) Defensively they will shine in the OF and for the most part infield.   Biggest struggle will be at catcher. Duty is the best pitcher in the region but Thompson and wright will be tough to replace. 
Prestonsburg will be a force with Allen on the mound.  The new transfer helps a bunch and will help defensively and as the number 2 pitcher.  Young coach has fire and the boys will go to war for him 
Paintsville returns nearly the whole team and replaces only an OF to my knowledge.  Dixon K can beat anyone when he’s on and Horne is better than most give him credit for.  Losing the arm to pburg hurt 

JC will compete.   A lot of returning players and very well coached.  Shepherd is a force and Montgomery is a true ace.   

my order has it 
1 Pikeville 
1a jc
3 pburg
4 Paintsville 

everyone else.  Belfry would be my dark horse 

Going to be a very competitive region

Belfry’s coach is being inducted into KHSBCA Hall of Fame.

Michael Hagy is a great guy and a great honor for the Pirate coach

---

Pikeville outscored their opponents 43-2 in the district and region last year and only got beat by Trinity 2-0 at the state tournament. Those 2 they gave up were unearned. Unless someone just gets really hot at the right time, I can’t see anyone beating them.

if I’m not mistaken both of trinity’s runs were earned.

[Tigers Fan]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Lots of good players in the 15th region. 

Pitchers to watch include Duty, Allen, Montgomery and Varney.
Strong position players also including Fletcher, Crum, Preece, Sheppard. HatfieldMcCoy I disagree with you on Crum. He is Pike Centrals best player and had a very strong summer season/camp circuit. He also holds multiple impressive college scholarship offers already.
Should be a fun season.

[HatfieldMccoy]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Lots of good players in the 15th region. 

Pitchers to watch include Duty, Allen, Montgomery and Varney.
Strong position players also including Fletcher, Crum, Preece, Sheppard. HatfieldMcCoy I disagree with you on Crum. He is Pike Centrals best player and had a very strong summer season/camp circuit. He also holds multiple impressive college scholarship offers already.
Should be a fun season.

We can agree to disagree.   If you have watched PCC as much as I have, you would know that Crum is not strong in the field.  
Also, he is not dominate in the mound against any team that has a pulse.  
Preece is a liability in the field and had to be moved from third to first to limit his errors in the field.  
I will agree that Fletcher and Shepherd are for for real.  
what schools have made the impressive scholarship offers?

[Tigers Fan]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Lots of good players in the 15th region. 

Pitchers to watch include Duty, Allen, Montgomery and Varney.
Strong position players also including Fletcher, Crum, Preece, Sheppard. HatfieldMcCoy I disagree with you on Crum. He is Pike Centrals best player and had a very strong summer season/camp circuit. He also holds multiple impressive college scholarship offers already.
Should be a fun season.

We can agree to disagree.   If you have watched PCC as much as I have, you would know that Crum is not strong in the field.  
Also, he is not dominate in the mound against any team that has a pulse.  
Preece is a liability in the field and had to be moved from third to first to limit his errors in the field.  
I will agree that Fletcher and Shepherd are for for real.  
what schools have made the impressive scholarship offers?

I am not sure we are talking about the same player. Crum has started at SS for Pike Central since his Freshman year (started in the infield for them as an 8th grader also). He does not pitch for PC or his summer/travel team. One of the best hitters in the 15th region for years.

I have watched this young man play for years including in the summer circuit against elite competition where he has excelled defensively and offensively. His play has certainly caught the attention of college coaches. Although mine and your opinion of him as a player may differ, college coaches are paid to look at players objectively and I can tell you there are multiple college coaches that feel he will be a big time player at the college level.

I am friends with a college coach who is currently recruiting him. They have offered him a full scholarship. They love his game including his versatility including his ability to play multiple positions defensively and his offensive game. I was told by this coach and other contacts that he has multiple current college scholarship offers from other schools as well. I do not know this young man personally but do not feel it is my place to name the schools on a public message board. I am sure he will let us know when and where he chooses to play college ball. Not a lot of kids from the 15th region have multiple scholarship offers to play baseball at the next level but he is one of them.

[Ring'Em Up]

.291 last season in the 15th is legit

[NEXT]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Varney is a career .350ish hitter and very good 3rd basemen who has to play SS out of sheer necessity.

Duty can hit and is a solid 1st basemen but has had some better players play first in front of him.

[Truewords]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Varney is a career .350ish hitter and very good 3rd basemen who has to play SS out of sheer necessity.

Duty can hit and is a solid 1st basemen but has had some better players play first in front of him.

Duty and Varney best when on the mound. Varney’s batting average is deceptive due to Belfrys routine weak schedules(not his fault). Duty faces top competition. I’d like to see Varney go against better team it would only make him better. Pikeville is region favorite to start season.

[BCF4L]

Duty and Ryan will be tough for Pikeville. Varney will be tough for Belfry. Lawrence will be good as they always are. Prestonsburg will compete with Allen, Luke Hall and now Johnson on the mound. I think JC will be decent but I think Paintsville will win the 57th.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

57th: Paintsville, JC
58th: Prestonsburg, Lawrence
59th: Pikeville, Shelby Valley
60th: Belfry, Pike Central

I think the 58th district championship could be a war with Pburg and Lawrence.


Top 10 Players (this is hard due to pitching vs. offense/defense):

1. Duty - Pikeville
2. Fletcher - Lawrence
3. Allen - Prestonsburg
4. Varney - Belfry
5. Stanley - Pikeville
6. Hall - Pikeville
7. Kincheloe - Paintsville
8. Lauffer - Paintsville
9. Preece - JC
10. Crum - Pike Central

Again, you almost have to have two separate rankings just because of the pitching vs. offense/defense differential.

Not sure about this order of players but you are right about needing two lists.  I’d have a list for pitchers and base the other list on the five tools of baseball. 

duty, Allen and varney pitching list.  They can hurt you in the field and don’t hit very well but can hurl it
preece is a defensive liability but has ton of power
fletcher hall and Lauffer can do it all
Stanley is mediocre in the field but has a good arm and okay speed.  
crum doesn’t deserve to be on the list.  Hicks kid is better on his team 


a lot of others could be top 10
valley has Bentley who is good in the field and can pitch but not a great hitter
horne  from paintsville
sheppherd and Montgomery from JC
johnson from pburg is legit 
burgett kid that transferred from Floyd to pike high will open some eyes and may compete for ss at his new school
Ryan from Pikeville has a case
Taylor from valley

just a few of the kids who are top ten worthy

Varney is a career .350ish hitter and very good 3rd basemen who has to play SS out of sheer necessity.

Duty can hit and is a solid 1st basemen but has had some better players play first in front of him.

Duty and Varney best when on the mound. Varney’s batting average is deceptive due to Belfrys routine weak schedules(not his fault). Duty faces top competition. I’d like to see Varney go against better team it would only make him better. Pikeville is region favorite to start season.

Varney has played with us for several summers and he can hit. He can also defend. Varney is a very well rounded player.

[pirateforlife]

Who are some of the top catchers in the 15th region? I've read a lot about great pitchers but anyone who knows baseball knows that a great pitcher means nothing without a great catcher.

[Mr. D]

JC has a very good top 4 at the plate in Shepherd, Callaham, Callaham, and Preece. The Callaham brothers really improved last year and I expect them to have big sophomore years at the plate. Lots of question outside of that especially in the outfield and behind the plate. The one addition that could be big is if Logan Morrow plays this year after being out all of last year with a football injury. He really came on toward the end of his freshmen year and showed some pop at the plate. The pitching should be solid with Montgomery and Rose as 1-2. You always know with JC they are going to play a difficult schedule and they are going to be well coached with Coach Hall in the dugout.

Paintsville has a really deep pitching staff with Kincheloe, Horn, Stratton and Lauffer. That is going to be a big strength for them this year. They are solid at the plate too. I thought I read in the offseason that Alex Johnson was transferring to Pburg for football. How is that going to affect baseball this spring? Has he already transferred or will he be in the field for the Tigers come March? LOL. He hit over .300 last year so that would be a big loss for Paintsville and big pickup for Pburg.

[BCF4L]

JC has a very good top 4 at the plate in Shepherd, Callaham, Callaham, and Preece. The Callaham brothers really improved last year and I expect them to have big sophomore years at the plate. Lots of question outside of that especially in the outfield and behind the plate. The one addition that could be big is if Logan Morrow plays this year after being out all of last year with a football injury. He really came on toward the end of his freshmen year and showed some pop at the plate. The pitching should be solid with Montgomery and Rose as 1-2. You always know with JC they are going to play a difficult schedule and they are going to be well coached with Coach Hall in the dugout.

Paintsville has a really deep pitching staff with Kincheloe, Horn, Stratton and Lauffer. That is going to be a big strength for them this year. They are solid at the plate too. I thought I read in the offseason that Alex Johnson was transferring to Pburg for football. How is that going to affect baseball this spring? Has he already transferred or will he be in the field for the Tigers come March? LOL. He hit over .300 last year so that would be a big loss for Paintsville and big pickup for Pburg.

He’s at Prestonsburg which will help replace what we lost with Nic Kidd graduating. AJ should slide right into the SS position and also help with pitching depth. On top of that, what he brings offensively will help Prestonsburg tremendously. Prestonsburg with Allen, Luke Hall and AJ as your top 3 with Brayden Tussey and Brody Napier as relief gives you decent depth at pitching. Offensively is where my concern is with Prestonsburg this year. We’ve lost a lot of offense the past couple of years due to graduation so how do they respond? AJ will help plus Luke Hall and Barrett Hunter returning keeps some fire power at the top of the lineup. We will need to see Allen, Stumbo, and Brady Allen really step up offensively this season to help carry the pitching. I like this years team though. Should be a good one.

[Panther1995]

Rumor has it that Pikeville has the answer to catcher on the way. Coming out of the 14th region and has a huge bat

[Mr. D]

JC has a very good top 4 at the plate in Shepherd, Callaham, Callaham, and Preece. The Callaham brothers really improved last year and I expect them to have big sophomore years at the plate. Lots of question outside of that especially in the outfield and behind the plate. The one addition that could be big is if Logan Morrow plays this year after being out all of last year with a football injury. He really came on toward the end of his freshmen year and showed some pop at the plate. The pitching should be solid with Montgomery and Rose as 1-2. You always know with JC they are going to play a difficult schedule and they are going to be well coached with Coach Hall in the dugout.

Paintsville has a really deep pitching staff with Kincheloe, Horn, Stratton and Lauffer. That is going to be a big strength for them this year. They are solid at the plate too. I thought I read in the offseason that Alex Johnson was transferring to Pburg for football. How is that going to affect baseball this spring? Has he already transferred or will he be in the field for the Tigers come March? LOL. He hit over .300 last year so that would be a big loss for Paintsville and big pickup for Pburg.

He’s at Prestonsburg which will help replace what we lost with Nic Kidd graduating. AJ should slide right into the SS position and also help with pitching depth. On top of that, what he brings offensively will help Prestonsburg tremendously. Prestonsburg with Allen, Luke Hall and AJ as your top 3 with Brayden Tussey and Brody Napier as relief gives you decent depth at pitching. Offensively is where my concern is with Prestonsburg this year. We’ve lost a lot of offense the past couple of years due to graduation so how do they respond? AJ will help plus Luke Hall and Barrett Hunter returning keeps some fire power at the top of the lineup. We will need to see Allen, Stumbo, and Brady Allen really step up offensively this season to help carry the pitching. I like this years team though. Should be a good one.

Good to know. That definitely changes how I view both Paintsville and Pburg. For Paintsville their pitching is going to be really strong, but they will struggle some games at the plate. Johnson was a good contact hitter for them and provided a lot of speed on the base paths. 

You are right though AJ will really help replace Nic Kidd. I like Pburg's arms they having coming back but do they have true Ace to replace Welch? I still can't believe that you all threw Welch against Shelby Valley in the semi-finals instead of saving him for the championship. Especially considering you had beat SV a month before by 15 runs!

[BCF4L]

JC has a very good top 4 at the plate in Shepherd, Callaham, Callaham, and Preece. The Callaham brothers really improved last year and I expect them to have big sophomore years at the plate. Lots of question outside of that especially in the outfield and behind the plate. The one addition that could be big is if Logan Morrow plays this year after being out all of last year with a football injury. He really came on toward the end of his freshmen year and showed some pop at the plate. The pitching should be solid with Montgomery and Rose as 1-2. You always know with JC they are going to play a difficult schedule and they are going to be well coached with Coach Hall in the dugout.

Paintsville has a really deep pitching staff with Kincheloe, Horn, Stratton and Lauffer. That is going to be a big strength for them this year. They are solid at the plate too. I thought I read in the offseason that Alex Johnson was transferring to Pburg for football. How is that going to affect baseball this spring? Has he already transferred or will he be in the field for the Tigers come March? LOL. He hit over .300 last year so that would be a big loss for Paintsville and big pickup for Pburg.

He’s at Prestonsburg which will help replace what we lost with Nic Kidd graduating. AJ should slide right into the SS position and also help with pitching depth. On top of that, what he brings offensively will help Prestonsburg tremendously. Prestonsburg with Allen, Luke Hall and AJ as your top 3 with Brayden Tussey and Brody Napier as relief gives you decent depth at pitching. Offensively is where my concern is with Prestonsburg this year. We’ve lost a lot of offense the past couple of years due to graduation so how do they respond? AJ will help plus Luke Hall and Barrett Hunter returning keeps some fire power at the top of the lineup. We will need to see Allen, Stumbo, and Brady Allen really step up offensively this season to help carry the pitching. I like this years team though. Should be a good one.

Good to know. That definitely changes how I view both Paintsville and Pburg. For Paintsville their pitching is going to be really strong, but they will struggle some games at the plate. Johnson was a good contact hitter for them and provided a lot of speed on the base paths. 

You are right though AJ will really help replace Nic Kidd. I like Pburg's arms they having coming back but do they have true Ace to replace Welch? I still can't believe that you all threw Welch against Shelby Valley in the semi-finals instead of saving him for the championship. Especially considering you had beat SV a month before by 15 runs!

Kaden Allen will be the “ace” this year IF he can limit walks and show consistency. I think we saw flashes last year of what his potential can be by throwing 3 no-hitters. But then there were games he didn’t make it out of the 2nd inning. As long as he shows consistency and throws strikes, he will be fine. I think he’s finally healthy and free of elbow and shoulder pain. He took most of the summer off to only workout and build muscle so I’m hoping that will help improve everything for him going into this year. 

As for using Welch, I think it’s one of those situations where you play the odds. Matt had pitched against Pikeville before and they seemed to hit him fairly well. Coach Tucker thought switching it up was the best option. With the schedule they play, they’re used to seeing mid-80’s. Trying to slow it down a bit I felt like was a great idea and if I recall, Pikeville struggled the first couple times through the lineup but then they started teeing it up. Good teams do that. Unfortunately we didn’t have a ton of depth to go to after Hall started getting hit some. That’s been our downfall the last few years is pitching depth. I’m afraid that’s going to be somewhat of an issue this year too. We shall see.

[case international]

I look for the Prestonsburg Blackcats to be a regional contender this year.best of luck to coach Bryce Tucker and the blackcats.

[HatfieldMccoy]

I look for the Prestonsburg Blackcats to be a regional contender this year.best of luck to coach Bryce Tucker and the blackcats.

Pikeville and JC are the favorites.  Prestonsburg is a distant  third to them but in baseball they could win on any given day but Pile/JC win 80% of the time against pburg this year in my opinion