The Scribe
03-23-2007, 01:53 AM
14th Region Baseball Preview
By Pat Dad
Perry Central is returning a bunch of great players from last season. Perry Central was 54th District Champions with a record of 21-12 overall and 12-5 in the region.
Returning for Perry Central are John Couch, Jon Bowling, Brandon Napier, Scott Watts, Josh Ray, Chance Ashworth, Ronnie Noplis, John Yancy Amis, and Roy Gay.
Perry Central will compete in the Queen City Classic and the Paintsville Bash.
Powell County’s Chris Varney guided his Powell Pirates to the 14th Region Championship in 2006. Leslie was picked to win the region, but Powell beat the Eagles in the championship game.
In sectionals, Powell faced a very tough South Laurel team. The Pirates hope to get to the sectionals again in 2007. The Pirates had an overall record of 23-14. And in the region they finished 15-3.
Returning for the Pirates are Corey Benningfield, Matt Reed, Logan King, Cory Brewer, Devon Pelfrey, Seth Profitt, and Daniel Kinser.
Powell will compete in the Queen City Classic, Broughton’s Milk Classic, and the Tanner Dodge Classic.
Leslie County won their first 17 games and finished with a record of 27-6 before getting upended in the 14th Region title game by Powell County.
The Eagles have several holes to fill on the mound and on offense, but head coach Russell Melton should have Leslie County in the thick of the 14th Region race.
Expected to lead the way are catcher Timmy Baker and second baseman Gavin Wells.
Letcher County Central is coming off a great inaugural season by winning the 53rd District Championship and posting a record of 18-14, 11-7 in the region, and 10-0 in the 53rd District.
They return players Mike Hogg, Schyler Sexton, John Adams, Jonathon Tucker, Colton Cook, and McKenzie Smith.
Letcher will compete in the Tiger Baseball Classic in Paintsville, the Tomahawk Classic at Madison Central, and the Yellow Jacket Classic at Woodford County.
Knott County Central played well last season, but had a few stumbling blocks towards the end of the season. Knott Central lost their starting catcher to a thumb injury and some illness proved to be too much to overcome.
The Patriots are looking to rebound this season and get some quality wins early.
Returning for the Patriots are seniors, Matthew Everage, Matt Gayheart, Zach Gibson, Ryan Hall, Cory Ritchie, Danny Rose, and Brandon Smith.
Other starters are Evan Potter, Zach Mullins, Cody Smith and Ryan Mosley.
Knott County will travel to Johnson County for the Broughton Milk Classic, host the popular Patriot Wood Bat Classic, and are in the 14th Region All “A” Tournament for the first time.
Estill County had a rough first season in the 14th Region. Estill is in the 56th District with powerhouses Lee and Powell. Estill did have a winning record, though. Overall, Estill was 18-12 and 5-4 in the region.
Estill is returning three seniors, Tyler Sewell, Cody Berryman, and Eric Kirby. Other returning starters are, Blake Christopher, Drew Freeman, and Ryan Boian.
Estill will compete in the Queen City Classic and the Yellow Jacket Classic.
Hazard head coach John Meehan will be the first to tell you the Bulldogs had an offseason in 2006. Hazard’s record was 10-22 overall and 7-9 in the region. In 2007, Hazard hopes to do better with a tougher schedule and being in six tournaments.
Returning for Hazard are seniors Colby Hoskins, A.J. Spare, Jared Meehan, T.J. Searcy, and Justin Hicks. Also, some notables are Tyler Olinger, Justin Jones, and Cameron Bailey.
Hazard will compete in the 14th Region All “A” Tournament, Pikeville Invitational, Queen City Classic, Foothills Tournament, Ernie Evans Memorial, and the Tanner Dodge Classic.
Hazard will host the 14th Regional “All-A” Semi finals and Finals March 28th and 29th.
The Lee County Bobcats will start young this season under new head coach Jason Jewell.
In 2006 Lee County were runner ups in the 56th district and made it to the second round of the 14th Region tournament. The Bobcats had an overall record of 17-7 and were 13-4 in the region.
Returning for Lee are Matt Perkins, Nick Schuler, Josh Drake, and Ty Combs.
Lee County will compete in the 14th Region All “A” tournament.
Breathitt County and head coach Glen Napier looks to rebound this season. The Bobcats will return five starters. Last season Breathitt was 55th District runner-ups with a record of 11-16 (7-11 region).
Some returning starters for Breathitt are, Justin Combs (signed to play at Alice Lloyd), Wes Epperson, Dakota Ritchie, Oscar Marshall, and Tanner Lawson.
The Bobcats have speed and should get better as the season goes along. They look to be 55th District champs again. Breathitt will be playing in the Queen City Classic.
The Crusaders of June Buchanan are rebuilding with a new coach, Randy King, who has coached in the Knott County AABC and the Babe Ruth 13-15 leagues. He has had success on both levels. And he looks to be successful on the high school level.
Last season JBS had an overall record of 6-13 and was 5-12 in the 14th. JBS have two seniors returning, Ryne Conley and Ben Black. However, if they are counting on some roster spots to be filled by basketball players, they will have a longer learning curve given the school’s first-ever trip to Rupp Arena this month.
JBS will compete in the All “A” Tournament in April.
Owsley County hopes to continue on a 2006 season where they beat some good teams such as Breathitt County, Wolfe County, and Hazard. Owsley had an overall region record of 7-9.
The Owls are retuning six starters this season. They are Trey Congleton, Dustin Wilson, Nathan Norris, Lucas Taylor, Jeremy Pierson, and Kyle Bobrowski.
Jenkins didn’t win a game last year, but head coach Scott Anderson is hoping some field upgrades and seven new players in the starting lineup will help turn things around.
The school has approved $13,000 worth of improvements to the backstop and other places.
Senior first baseman Casey Childers and freshman centerfielder Matt Gross return, and Anderson will have four new junior players in the pitching rotation.
14th Region Rankings
1. Perry Central
2. Powell County
3. Leslie County
4. Letcher Central
5. Knott Central
6. Estill County
7. Hazard
8. Lee County
9. Wolfe County
10. Cordia
11. Breathitt County
12. Lee County
13. Buckhorn
14. June Buchanan
15. Jenkins
16. Jackson City
By Pat Dad
Perry Central is returning a bunch of great players from last season. Perry Central was 54th District Champions with a record of 21-12 overall and 12-5 in the region.
Returning for Perry Central are John Couch, Jon Bowling, Brandon Napier, Scott Watts, Josh Ray, Chance Ashworth, Ronnie Noplis, John Yancy Amis, and Roy Gay.
Perry Central will compete in the Queen City Classic and the Paintsville Bash.
Powell County’s Chris Varney guided his Powell Pirates to the 14th Region Championship in 2006. Leslie was picked to win the region, but Powell beat the Eagles in the championship game.
In sectionals, Powell faced a very tough South Laurel team. The Pirates hope to get to the sectionals again in 2007. The Pirates had an overall record of 23-14. And in the region they finished 15-3.
Returning for the Pirates are Corey Benningfield, Matt Reed, Logan King, Cory Brewer, Devon Pelfrey, Seth Profitt, and Daniel Kinser.
Powell will compete in the Queen City Classic, Broughton’s Milk Classic, and the Tanner Dodge Classic.
Leslie County won their first 17 games and finished with a record of 27-6 before getting upended in the 14th Region title game by Powell County.
The Eagles have several holes to fill on the mound and on offense, but head coach Russell Melton should have Leslie County in the thick of the 14th Region race.
Expected to lead the way are catcher Timmy Baker and second baseman Gavin Wells.
Letcher County Central is coming off a great inaugural season by winning the 53rd District Championship and posting a record of 18-14, 11-7 in the region, and 10-0 in the 53rd District.
They return players Mike Hogg, Schyler Sexton, John Adams, Jonathon Tucker, Colton Cook, and McKenzie Smith.
Letcher will compete in the Tiger Baseball Classic in Paintsville, the Tomahawk Classic at Madison Central, and the Yellow Jacket Classic at Woodford County.
Knott County Central played well last season, but had a few stumbling blocks towards the end of the season. Knott Central lost their starting catcher to a thumb injury and some illness proved to be too much to overcome.
The Patriots are looking to rebound this season and get some quality wins early.
Returning for the Patriots are seniors, Matthew Everage, Matt Gayheart, Zach Gibson, Ryan Hall, Cory Ritchie, Danny Rose, and Brandon Smith.
Other starters are Evan Potter, Zach Mullins, Cody Smith and Ryan Mosley.
Knott County will travel to Johnson County for the Broughton Milk Classic, host the popular Patriot Wood Bat Classic, and are in the 14th Region All “A” Tournament for the first time.
Estill County had a rough first season in the 14th Region. Estill is in the 56th District with powerhouses Lee and Powell. Estill did have a winning record, though. Overall, Estill was 18-12 and 5-4 in the region.
Estill is returning three seniors, Tyler Sewell, Cody Berryman, and Eric Kirby. Other returning starters are, Blake Christopher, Drew Freeman, and Ryan Boian.
Estill will compete in the Queen City Classic and the Yellow Jacket Classic.
Hazard head coach John Meehan will be the first to tell you the Bulldogs had an offseason in 2006. Hazard’s record was 10-22 overall and 7-9 in the region. In 2007, Hazard hopes to do better with a tougher schedule and being in six tournaments.
Returning for Hazard are seniors Colby Hoskins, A.J. Spare, Jared Meehan, T.J. Searcy, and Justin Hicks. Also, some notables are Tyler Olinger, Justin Jones, and Cameron Bailey.
Hazard will compete in the 14th Region All “A” Tournament, Pikeville Invitational, Queen City Classic, Foothills Tournament, Ernie Evans Memorial, and the Tanner Dodge Classic.
Hazard will host the 14th Regional “All-A” Semi finals and Finals March 28th and 29th.
The Lee County Bobcats will start young this season under new head coach Jason Jewell.
In 2006 Lee County were runner ups in the 56th district and made it to the second round of the 14th Region tournament. The Bobcats had an overall record of 17-7 and were 13-4 in the region.
Returning for Lee are Matt Perkins, Nick Schuler, Josh Drake, and Ty Combs.
Lee County will compete in the 14th Region All “A” tournament.
Breathitt County and head coach Glen Napier looks to rebound this season. The Bobcats will return five starters. Last season Breathitt was 55th District runner-ups with a record of 11-16 (7-11 region).
Some returning starters for Breathitt are, Justin Combs (signed to play at Alice Lloyd), Wes Epperson, Dakota Ritchie, Oscar Marshall, and Tanner Lawson.
The Bobcats have speed and should get better as the season goes along. They look to be 55th District champs again. Breathitt will be playing in the Queen City Classic.
The Crusaders of June Buchanan are rebuilding with a new coach, Randy King, who has coached in the Knott County AABC and the Babe Ruth 13-15 leagues. He has had success on both levels. And he looks to be successful on the high school level.
Last season JBS had an overall record of 6-13 and was 5-12 in the 14th. JBS have two seniors returning, Ryne Conley and Ben Black. However, if they are counting on some roster spots to be filled by basketball players, they will have a longer learning curve given the school’s first-ever trip to Rupp Arena this month.
JBS will compete in the All “A” Tournament in April.
Owsley County hopes to continue on a 2006 season where they beat some good teams such as Breathitt County, Wolfe County, and Hazard. Owsley had an overall region record of 7-9.
The Owls are retuning six starters this season. They are Trey Congleton, Dustin Wilson, Nathan Norris, Lucas Taylor, Jeremy Pierson, and Kyle Bobrowski.
Jenkins didn’t win a game last year, but head coach Scott Anderson is hoping some field upgrades and seven new players in the starting lineup will help turn things around.
The school has approved $13,000 worth of improvements to the backstop and other places.
Senior first baseman Casey Childers and freshman centerfielder Matt Gross return, and Anderson will have four new junior players in the pitching rotation.
14th Region Rankings
1. Perry Central
2. Powell County
3. Leslie County
4. Letcher Central
5. Knott Central
6. Estill County
7. Hazard
8. Lee County
9. Wolfe County
10. Cordia
11. Breathitt County
12. Lee County
13. Buckhorn
14. June Buchanan
15. Jenkins
16. Jackson City