[Stardust]

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/preps/2010/0...-regional/


Bellevue back in regional Posted by tgroeschen May 28th, 2010, 4:12 pm Bellevue baseball coach Rob Sanders and his team are gearing up for the program’s first Ninth Region tournament appearance since 2003, led by a mixture of veterans and youngsters.

Senior shortstop Ricky Buckler, also a football star, is joined by classmates Alex Hegge, Tony Piper, Mike Young and Chad Thompson among team leaders.

The Tigers also have gotten key contributions from underclassmen including eighth-graders Dylan Huff, Tyler Ackerson and Zack Poinsett, who all start.

Bellevue (12-22) beefed up its schedule with the assumption that standout infielder Hunter Jones would return, but Jones transferred to a school in California. Jones, son of former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tracy Jones, is considered a professional prospect.

“We played a really difficult schedule, and it’s paying off,” Sanders said.

Bellevue comes off a 13-5 win over Newport in the 36th district finals. Before that, Bellevue surprised Highlands 6-5 to reach the district finals.