The Scribe
03-23-2007, 01:57 AM
7th Region Baseball Preview
Ballard is poised to make their first state tournament appearance in six years but must tread through the tough Seventh Region in order to do so.
The Bruins (23-12) returns seven starters from last year’s squad that lost to Trinity in the 27th District finals and to St. Xavier in the semifinals of the region tournament.
Senior Aaron Deatherage got the job done at the plate (.460) and on the mound (1.39 ERA, 8 complete games) and will be the centerpiece of the Bruin offense and rotation.
Taylor Bugh will join Deatherage in the Bruin rotation, which should be among the deepest in the region.
Zach Noonan, Greg Glasscock, Sam Gillespie, and Mike Cummings are among the starters back in the Bruin lineup.
Trinity (30-8) won the 27th District but lost to Male in the region semis.
University of Louisville signee Nate Holland will try and compensate for the loss of .400 hitters Erich Holland and Braxton Graven to graduation. He is one of four starters returning.
Stephen Shackleford (Savannah College of Art and Design) returns to anchor a rotation that could include Tyler McCune and Nick Lawson.
Male (31-4) saw a 23-game winning streak come to an end at the worst time possible – the finals of the region tournament. St. X pulled the upset and sent Male home for the season.
Senior Nick Crady won eight games and posted a miniscule 1.12 ERA last year, which makes him the ace of the Bulldog staff and among the region’s elite pitchers.
An experienced St. Xavier team (27-10) peaked at the right time and advanced to the state semifinals but will have to replace 12 seniors and six starters from that team.
The two returning starters have both signed to play at college.
Pitcher Damon McCormick (.330, 23 SB, 6-1, 1.66 ERA - Valparaiso) and Brian Erie (.323 - Northern Kentucky) will be joined by a talented but inexperienced cast that includes junior Ryan Mosby, senior Andrew Herberger, and senior Nick Dewees (.370). Pat McDonald was 4-1 with a 1.34 ERA last year as well.
DuPont Manual (19-16) return just two starters, and head coach Ren Pittman must replace his entire pitching rotation.
Junior All-Region shortstop Matt Healey returns along with junior first bagger Nick Consigli, who batted .345 and belted nine homers.
Pittman expects Jeff Williamson, A.J. Howlett, freshman Brian Doering, and Parker Atkins to battle for spots in the rotation.
This year marks the final year before Manual is slated to move into their new home at Derby City Field in 2008.
Eastern (32-7) was expected to make a strong run to the region title but was bounced in the first round by Ballard.
With only two starters returning, head coach John Morris expects to rebuild, although others view his task as simply reloading.
Junior third baseman Kiley Jones (.393, 4 HR, 27 RBI) is already one of the region’s top hitters and is drawing looks from several D-1 schools.
Senior Blake Drake hit .301 with 19 RBIs, but is more valuable on the mound where he posted a 0.75 ERA in nine innings and struck out 15.
Juniors Shawn Frederick and Jordan Toby along with sophomores Chris Toombs and Tyler Dunaway should play key roles in the 2007 season.
Seneca (17-13) and Kentucky Country Day (16-8) are among the teams returning a lot of players from last year and could sneak up on some people this year.
Another team to watch is Waggener (10-12), led by All-District catcher Daniel McDonald (.429) and Thomas Brooks (.325).
Brooks and Erik Karaglanis will headline the rotation.
Visitors to Waggener’s field will also notice some upgrades, including work to the infield and dugouts.
Seventh Region Rankings
1. Ballard
2. Trinity
3. Male
4. St. Xavier
5. DuPont Manual
6. Eastern
7. Seneca
8. Kentucky Country Day
9. Waggener
10. Fern Creek
11. Jeffersontown
12. Christian Academy
13. Atherton
14. Moore
15. Whitefield Academy
16. Collegiate
Ballard is poised to make their first state tournament appearance in six years but must tread through the tough Seventh Region in order to do so.
The Bruins (23-12) returns seven starters from last year’s squad that lost to Trinity in the 27th District finals and to St. Xavier in the semifinals of the region tournament.
Senior Aaron Deatherage got the job done at the plate (.460) and on the mound (1.39 ERA, 8 complete games) and will be the centerpiece of the Bruin offense and rotation.
Taylor Bugh will join Deatherage in the Bruin rotation, which should be among the deepest in the region.
Zach Noonan, Greg Glasscock, Sam Gillespie, and Mike Cummings are among the starters back in the Bruin lineup.
Trinity (30-8) won the 27th District but lost to Male in the region semis.
University of Louisville signee Nate Holland will try and compensate for the loss of .400 hitters Erich Holland and Braxton Graven to graduation. He is one of four starters returning.
Stephen Shackleford (Savannah College of Art and Design) returns to anchor a rotation that could include Tyler McCune and Nick Lawson.
Male (31-4) saw a 23-game winning streak come to an end at the worst time possible – the finals of the region tournament. St. X pulled the upset and sent Male home for the season.
Senior Nick Crady won eight games and posted a miniscule 1.12 ERA last year, which makes him the ace of the Bulldog staff and among the region’s elite pitchers.
An experienced St. Xavier team (27-10) peaked at the right time and advanced to the state semifinals but will have to replace 12 seniors and six starters from that team.
The two returning starters have both signed to play at college.
Pitcher Damon McCormick (.330, 23 SB, 6-1, 1.66 ERA - Valparaiso) and Brian Erie (.323 - Northern Kentucky) will be joined by a talented but inexperienced cast that includes junior Ryan Mosby, senior Andrew Herberger, and senior Nick Dewees (.370). Pat McDonald was 4-1 with a 1.34 ERA last year as well.
DuPont Manual (19-16) return just two starters, and head coach Ren Pittman must replace his entire pitching rotation.
Junior All-Region shortstop Matt Healey returns along with junior first bagger Nick Consigli, who batted .345 and belted nine homers.
Pittman expects Jeff Williamson, A.J. Howlett, freshman Brian Doering, and Parker Atkins to battle for spots in the rotation.
This year marks the final year before Manual is slated to move into their new home at Derby City Field in 2008.
Eastern (32-7) was expected to make a strong run to the region title but was bounced in the first round by Ballard.
With only two starters returning, head coach John Morris expects to rebuild, although others view his task as simply reloading.
Junior third baseman Kiley Jones (.393, 4 HR, 27 RBI) is already one of the region’s top hitters and is drawing looks from several D-1 schools.
Senior Blake Drake hit .301 with 19 RBIs, but is more valuable on the mound where he posted a 0.75 ERA in nine innings and struck out 15.
Juniors Shawn Frederick and Jordan Toby along with sophomores Chris Toombs and Tyler Dunaway should play key roles in the 2007 season.
Seneca (17-13) and Kentucky Country Day (16-8) are among the teams returning a lot of players from last year and could sneak up on some people this year.
Another team to watch is Waggener (10-12), led by All-District catcher Daniel McDonald (.429) and Thomas Brooks (.325).
Brooks and Erik Karaglanis will headline the rotation.
Visitors to Waggener’s field will also notice some upgrades, including work to the infield and dugouts.
Seventh Region Rankings
1. Ballard
2. Trinity
3. Male
4. St. Xavier
5. DuPont Manual
6. Eastern
7. Seneca
8. Kentucky Country Day
9. Waggener
10. Fern Creek
11. Jeffersontown
12. Christian Academy
13. Atherton
14. Moore
15. Whitefield Academy
16. Collegiate