[Mister D]

Who starts for JC is a very interesting question in my opinion. Obviously you have your ace Braxton Kelly who has been the go to pitcher all year long and rightfully so. He's 8-1 with 1 ERA in 70+ innings. He's been very successful against big teams as well (St. X, Lex Cath, Campbell Co.)

The other option is Tate Meade who pitched great as an 8th grader in the state tournament and pitched well in last years tournament too. However, he is coming off an injury where he didn't pitch for 6 weeks and has only pitched in a couple of games at the end of the year starting one. In his one start he was sharp through 4 innings but then you could tell he was getting tired in the 5th and gave up some hits and walks turning into 5 Paintsville runs. I think it is safe to say that he won't throw a complete game against a really tough opponent such as PRP or Franklin Simpson in the 2nd round (if JC advances). The bullpen is solid but I don't know if they can pitch extended innings if Tate struggles though.

I know some of you will disagree because if you don't throw your ace first game he may never get to throw but I would rather pitch Tate/the bullpen against a weaker Highlands team that they beat last year than against PRP/Franklin Simpson. What is everyone else's thoughts?