The Scribe
03-20-2008, 10:06 PM
Seventh Region Baseball Preview
(Special to Bluegrasspreps.com)
The Seventh Region may be one of the most top heavy in the state outside of the Lexington-based 11th Region with five of the top 25 teams in the preseason poll.
With any of these teams able to beat the other on a given day, the region will likely be won by the team playing their best baseball at the end of the season.
Ballard (25-12) is the defending Seventh Region champs and the pre-season number 16 in the coaches’ poll. Ballard is a tradition-rich program and is led by head coach Greg Gilbert.
Ballard lost their leading hitter and pitcher from last year, Aaron Deatherage, who was also very much the leader of the team. Ballard also lost good run production from their batters.
However, the Bruins have a lot of young talent returning. The challenge might be whether the Bruins can consistently produce enough runs at the plate to give their young pitching staff a chance.
Seniors Chris Bloch and Taylor Bugh should be the leaders at the plate and on the mound. Bloch recorded a 2.44 ERA and 48 strikeouts last year, while Bugh hit .370 with 31 RBIs and struck out 64 batters on the mound.
Junior Pete Travisano hit .359 last year, and John Fidanza is a talented sophomore catcher that could contribute both this year and in the future.
Veteran coach John Morris returns between the lines for Eastern, who won 30 games last year but was upset by CAL in the district title game and bounced from the region tournament in the first round by St. Xavier.
The Eagles (30-8) return six starters from last year’s team, including University of Cincinnati signee Kiley Jones at third base. Jones was an All-State selection last year after hitting .529 with 17 doubles, seven homers, and 55 RBIs. He also had an OBP of .618.
Senior Jake Wise (.372) returns at shortstop, and senior Jordan Toby (.350) returns behind the plate.
The Eagles should be strong on the mound with the return of junior Tyler Dunaway (10-2, 1.30 ERA), who struck out 108 batters in just 65 innings.
He’ll be joined in the Eastern rotation by junior Chris Toombs (7-0, 1.28 ERA) and senior Shawn Frederick (3-1, 2.97 ERA).
“We should have a very strong pitching staff with three experienced guys and a few others that will help out,” said Morris. “Other than Jones, hitting will be our weakness as we need to get better offensively and have some guys step up there. Our defense will be just average.”
Morris thinks Eastern, winners of 30 games for three straight years, should be right in the mix in an improved Seventh Region.
“It’s the most balanced region I can remember. I think six teams are at the same level,” he said.
Todd Driscoll has coached at Male High School for a number of years and has followed in the footsteps of his dad as the head coach.
Male (22-15) is the preseason number 12 team in the coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs were eliminated in the first round of the region tournament last year while making it to the finals the year before. Male won the region in 2003 and made it to the state final that year.
The Bulldogs are led by senior Mike Estes, who is a preseason All-State selection. Estes is a left-handed pitcher who had quality wins last year against Ballard, St. X, and Trinity.
Senior Brad Marlow, along with Estes, could give Male a strong 1-2 punch on the mound.
Grisham, Metry, and Wilson lead a group of juniors that will play an important role in Male’s success this year. Male has a lot of young talent waiting in the wings and talented sophomore Kameron Mason may start at shortstop.
St. Xavier (25-10) is the number 13 team in the state pre-season coaches’ poll. John Jefferson is in his second year as the head baseball coach at St. X and is working hard to build the program.
St. X’s new baseball stadium is also in its second year of use. The stadium is state-of-the-art, much like the University of Louisville’s Patterson Stadium, and is part of a $30-million building project at the school.
Seniors Ben Zoeller (3B) and Kal Scheler (1B) return to the Tiger infield, and David Clark and Kevin Brinkman return to the outfield.
Junior centerfielder Brent Sweeney moves into the leadoff spot, which could prove to be the key to the St. X offense.
Jefferson has five pitchers returning with varsity experience, highlighted by seniors Justin Amlung and Kyle Just and junior left-hander Nate Grayson.
Trinity (26-11) lost just twice in their final ten games last year – both times to Ballard, including a 10-inning battle in the Seventh Region final.
Head coach Steve Tompkins and the Shamrocks have a No. 11 preseason ranking and will be led by junior pre-season All-State shortstop Chris Berry.
Trinity may not have their typical senior-driven team this year and could start three sophomores in Anthony Carney, Corey Littrell, and Andrew Bowling.
Trinity will be tough to beat this year and has a lot of young talent that will make them a threat for the next few years.
DuPont Manual (23-12) has more National Merit finalists than any other high school in the state and is building their sports programs as well.
The Crimsons may be the sleeper team in the region, especially since they did not receive any votes in the pre-season coaches’ poll. Don’t be surprised if they do not beat some of the big boys in the region, though they play in one of the strongest districts in the state.
Nick Consigli can play a variety of position and is a preseason All-State selection.
Brian Doering is a strong-armed sophomore who started as a freshman and notched a victory on the mound against St. X last year, while senior Jeff Williamson was 8-1 on the mound last year.
Alex Oeshwein may be one of the most overlooked shortstops in Louisville, and Joey Harness pitches and was the starting quarterback on the football team as well.
Manual, too, has young talent in the wings that could contribute and makes the Crimsons a team to contend with in the future.
A lot of coaches are pointing to Seneca (21-12) as another possible sleeper team in the Seventh Region. The Redhawks made it to the region final in 2004 and might have their strongest team since then.
Austin Messersmith is a pre-season All-State selection, while infielder Bryan Cemmons has signed to play at Indiana-Southeast.
Seneca may hit the ball as well as any team in the region, with third baseman Zach Adams and outfielder Michael Wade also returning to the lineup.
Pitching holds the key to how far Seneca advances this year.
Waggener (7-20) has four position players returning from last year, including junior catcher Cody Williamson, sophomores C.T. Palmer and Sheldon Moore, and junior Jonathon Allard.
Allard and Palmer will lead the rotation, while Moore will close out games.
(Special to Bluegrasspreps.com)
The Seventh Region may be one of the most top heavy in the state outside of the Lexington-based 11th Region with five of the top 25 teams in the preseason poll.
With any of these teams able to beat the other on a given day, the region will likely be won by the team playing their best baseball at the end of the season.
Ballard (25-12) is the defending Seventh Region champs and the pre-season number 16 in the coaches’ poll. Ballard is a tradition-rich program and is led by head coach Greg Gilbert.
Ballard lost their leading hitter and pitcher from last year, Aaron Deatherage, who was also very much the leader of the team. Ballard also lost good run production from their batters.
However, the Bruins have a lot of young talent returning. The challenge might be whether the Bruins can consistently produce enough runs at the plate to give their young pitching staff a chance.
Seniors Chris Bloch and Taylor Bugh should be the leaders at the plate and on the mound. Bloch recorded a 2.44 ERA and 48 strikeouts last year, while Bugh hit .370 with 31 RBIs and struck out 64 batters on the mound.
Junior Pete Travisano hit .359 last year, and John Fidanza is a talented sophomore catcher that could contribute both this year and in the future.
Veteran coach John Morris returns between the lines for Eastern, who won 30 games last year but was upset by CAL in the district title game and bounced from the region tournament in the first round by St. Xavier.
The Eagles (30-8) return six starters from last year’s team, including University of Cincinnati signee Kiley Jones at third base. Jones was an All-State selection last year after hitting .529 with 17 doubles, seven homers, and 55 RBIs. He also had an OBP of .618.
Senior Jake Wise (.372) returns at shortstop, and senior Jordan Toby (.350) returns behind the plate.
The Eagles should be strong on the mound with the return of junior Tyler Dunaway (10-2, 1.30 ERA), who struck out 108 batters in just 65 innings.
He’ll be joined in the Eastern rotation by junior Chris Toombs (7-0, 1.28 ERA) and senior Shawn Frederick (3-1, 2.97 ERA).
“We should have a very strong pitching staff with three experienced guys and a few others that will help out,” said Morris. “Other than Jones, hitting will be our weakness as we need to get better offensively and have some guys step up there. Our defense will be just average.”
Morris thinks Eastern, winners of 30 games for three straight years, should be right in the mix in an improved Seventh Region.
“It’s the most balanced region I can remember. I think six teams are at the same level,” he said.
Todd Driscoll has coached at Male High School for a number of years and has followed in the footsteps of his dad as the head coach.
Male (22-15) is the preseason number 12 team in the coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs were eliminated in the first round of the region tournament last year while making it to the finals the year before. Male won the region in 2003 and made it to the state final that year.
The Bulldogs are led by senior Mike Estes, who is a preseason All-State selection. Estes is a left-handed pitcher who had quality wins last year against Ballard, St. X, and Trinity.
Senior Brad Marlow, along with Estes, could give Male a strong 1-2 punch on the mound.
Grisham, Metry, and Wilson lead a group of juniors that will play an important role in Male’s success this year. Male has a lot of young talent waiting in the wings and talented sophomore Kameron Mason may start at shortstop.
St. Xavier (25-10) is the number 13 team in the state pre-season coaches’ poll. John Jefferson is in his second year as the head baseball coach at St. X and is working hard to build the program.
St. X’s new baseball stadium is also in its second year of use. The stadium is state-of-the-art, much like the University of Louisville’s Patterson Stadium, and is part of a $30-million building project at the school.
Seniors Ben Zoeller (3B) and Kal Scheler (1B) return to the Tiger infield, and David Clark and Kevin Brinkman return to the outfield.
Junior centerfielder Brent Sweeney moves into the leadoff spot, which could prove to be the key to the St. X offense.
Jefferson has five pitchers returning with varsity experience, highlighted by seniors Justin Amlung and Kyle Just and junior left-hander Nate Grayson.
Trinity (26-11) lost just twice in their final ten games last year – both times to Ballard, including a 10-inning battle in the Seventh Region final.
Head coach Steve Tompkins and the Shamrocks have a No. 11 preseason ranking and will be led by junior pre-season All-State shortstop Chris Berry.
Trinity may not have their typical senior-driven team this year and could start three sophomores in Anthony Carney, Corey Littrell, and Andrew Bowling.
Trinity will be tough to beat this year and has a lot of young talent that will make them a threat for the next few years.
DuPont Manual (23-12) has more National Merit finalists than any other high school in the state and is building their sports programs as well.
The Crimsons may be the sleeper team in the region, especially since they did not receive any votes in the pre-season coaches’ poll. Don’t be surprised if they do not beat some of the big boys in the region, though they play in one of the strongest districts in the state.
Nick Consigli can play a variety of position and is a preseason All-State selection.
Brian Doering is a strong-armed sophomore who started as a freshman and notched a victory on the mound against St. X last year, while senior Jeff Williamson was 8-1 on the mound last year.
Alex Oeshwein may be one of the most overlooked shortstops in Louisville, and Joey Harness pitches and was the starting quarterback on the football team as well.
Manual, too, has young talent in the wings that could contribute and makes the Crimsons a team to contend with in the future.
A lot of coaches are pointing to Seneca (21-12) as another possible sleeper team in the Seventh Region. The Redhawks made it to the region final in 2004 and might have their strongest team since then.
Austin Messersmith is a pre-season All-State selection, while infielder Bryan Cemmons has signed to play at Indiana-Southeast.
Seneca may hit the ball as well as any team in the region, with third baseman Zach Adams and outfielder Michael Wade also returning to the lineup.
Pitching holds the key to how far Seneca advances this year.
Waggener (7-20) has four position players returning from last year, including junior catcher Cody Williamson, sophomores C.T. Palmer and Sheldon Moore, and junior Jonathon Allard.
Allard and Palmer will lead the rotation, while Moore will close out games.