[Stardust]

Henry Clay

Coach: Chris Hould (second year)

Last year: 15-18 (lost to Lafayette in regional tournament finals)

Top players: Sarah Mathis (sr., rhp); Shandra Williams (sr., 1b/3b/rhp); Riley Stokes (jr., cf); Brittany Sears (jr., lf); Emily Miller (8th, c); Beth Ann Hamilton (fr., ss/rhp); Sarah Parsons (8th, 2b/ss); Rachael Curnutte (jr., rf).

Outlook: MacKenzie Claus (jr., rf) suffered a torn ACL during basketball season and will miss the softball season, but Hould says his team will persevere. Keys, he says, will be continued hard work on offense while improving the day-to-day pitching and defense. Offensive threats include Williams (.426, 6 HR), Stokes (.396), Hamilton (.349) and Sears. Miller was all-district and all-region as a seventh-grader. Pitchers include Mathis (2.99, 143 innings, 145 strikeouts, perfect game), Hamilton (4.50, 37 innings, 48 strikeouts) and Williams (.682, 12 innings, eight strikeouts).

Blue Devils' schedule

March 29—East Jessamine, 7:30; 30—vs. Boyle Co., 7:30, and vs. Ballard, 9, at Ballard Invitational; 31—vs. TBA at Ballard Invitational

April 6—vs. TBA at Clarksville, Tenn., 5:30; 7—vs. Rossview (Tenn.) at Clarksville, Tenn., 8 a.m.; 9—Dunbar, 7:30; 12—Scott Co., 7:30; 16—at East Jessamine, 6; 17—Bryan Station, 7:30; 23—at Bryan Station, 7:30; 24—Clark Co., 6; 25—at Scott Co., 6; 27—vs. TBA at Western Hills Invitational; 28—vs. TBA at Western Hills Invitational; 30—at Grant Co., 6

May 1—at Dunbar, 7; 3—Lafayette, 7:30; 4—Western Hills, 7:30, and at Clark Co., 9; 9—Woodford Co., 7:30; 12—at Mercy, 2, vs. Roncalli, Ind.; 14—Madison Southern, 7:30; 15—Tates Creek, 6; 17—at Pulaski Co., 8:30; vs. North Laurel

Lafayette

Coach: Shane Weaver (first year)

Last year: 26-12 (lost to Pleasure Ridge Park in losers' bracket semifinals of state tournament)

Top players: Emily Kincaid (sr., p); Brittany Sims (sr., ss); Katelyn Mitchell (so., c); Jamie Vescio (jr., cf); Sarah Cooley (so., 1b); Abbie Bowling (jr., 2b); Kellie Payne (so., 3b); Sarah Wiggins (so., of); Aimee Mudd (8th grade, of); Madison Burke (7th grade, of); Kayla Franklin (jr., of).

Outlook: The strength of the Lady Generals will be the return of an experienced senior pitcher in Emily Kincaid (11-6, 2.39, and .357, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 21 runs). Experienced and talented Brittany Sims (.389, 46 runs, 15 RBI, 15 stolen bases) will anchor the infield defense, with Abbie Bowling. Katelyn Mitchell (.378, 18 runs, 17 RBI) will be behind the plate. Jamie Vescio (.267, 22 runs, 9 RBI, 6 stolen bases) has the speed to cover a lot of ground in center field and will be relied on to use that quickness at the plate, too. Weaver says it may take time to find the right combinations, but he has a nice balance of power, speed and crafty base-runners, and team chemistry is excellent.

Generals' schedule

March 29—at Bryan Station, 7:30

April 3—at Canterbury School (Fla.), 5; 4—at Pinellas Park (Fla.), 7; 5—at St. Petersburg (Fla.), 4; 6—at Shorecrest Prep (Fla.), 4; 11—Lexington Catholic, 6, and Dunbar, 8; 14—Chardon (Ohio), 11 a.m., and Lakota West (Ohio), 4; 17—at Tates Creek, 6; 20—Pleasure Ridge Park in General Invitational, 5; 21—Garrard Co., General Invitational, 10 a.m., and Lakota East (Ohio), 1:30; 23—at LCA, 7:30; 25—at Dunbar, 7; 26—Tates Creek, 7:30; 30—at Lexington Catholic, 7:30

May 1—at Woodford Co., 6; 3—at Henry Clay, 7:30; 4—vs. Daviess Co. at Owensboro Catholic Classic, 6:30, and vs. Hopkins Co. Central, 9:30; 5—vs. Male at Owensboro Catholic Classic, 10 a.m.; 8—Louisville Holy Cross, 8; 10—Mercy, 6; 14—Madison Central, 7:30; 15—Montgomery Co., 6; 18—at Eastern, 8; 19—vs. Central Hardin at Mercy Thrill In the Ville, 9 a.m., and vs. Greenwood, noon

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/03/28/21301...rylink=cpy