The 39th edition of the 10th Region Baseball Tournament gets started this week at the historic Mac Whitaker field at Harrison County High School. Admission is $5, and you can listen to all the games live on WCYN-Cynthiana.
Updated Bracket:
Mason County vs. Bishop Brossart
Game 1 – Monday, May 22 – 5:30 p.m.
The Royals (22-7) are coming off their best season since they won their first and only region championship in 1994. Junior Landon Scilley leads the team on the mound and at the plate. Scilley has 42 hits at a .433 batting average. He swings with power with 7 homeruns. He’s thrown 42.1 innings this year with a 1.16 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Eli Porter closely follows with 34 hits and a .358 batting average. Both Eli Porter and Roscoe Fite have thrown exactly 36 innings and have the same 1.94 ERA.
Bishop Brossart (17-17) had a rough month of April, with 5 wins and 11 losses. The Mustangs have improved this month, going 6-2. They are led by a core of seasoned seniors: Evan Moore has been the Mustangs’ ace with 57.1 innings pitched and a 1.83 ERA, striking out 84. At the plate, he has 38 hits and a .432 average. Robbie Verst has overcome a career filled with injuries to lead the team in hits with 41 and has a batting average of .414. Catcher and second in the pitching rotation is Colin Combs, who has thrown 41.1 innings at a 3.22 ERA.
These two met early in the season on March 21st in Maysville. Mason County came away with the 5-4 walk-off victory in 8 innings. Colin Combs started for Bishop Brossart and Westin Messer for Mason County. The Royals have not won a game in the region tournament since 2014.
Harrison County vs. Bourbon County
Game 2 – Monday, May 22 – 8:00 p.m
The Thorobreds (28-8) are looking for their first regional championship since 2013. The 10-year title drought is the longest in Harrison County history and of coach Mac Whitaker’s now 45 years at the helm. Corey Vaughn, a junior, is a dual threat on the field. On the mound, the lefty has thrown 61.2 innings with 82 strikeouts and a 2.27 ERA. At the plate, Vaughn leads the region in hits (50) and batting average (.476). Following Vaughn is lead-off man Elijah Harris. He has 36 hits but is also disciplined at the plate with 33 walks, the most in the region. The next four Breds batters, Smiley, Lewis, White, and McIlvain, all have 35 hits. Also on the mound is senior JD Kendall, who has thrown 44 innings with a 2.70 ERA, and junior Braxton Grubb, who has 38 innings at a 2.58 ERA.
Head coach Nelson Farris has been an assistant coach at Bourbon County since 1982 and the head coach since 2002. This year, his young Colonels (26-11) beat George Rogers Clark 2-0 in a pitchers dual to make the tournament. Their 1-6 hitters are all batting over .300 but under .400. Sophomore Xavier Baker leads the team with 42 hits and a .362 average. Freshman JT Ritchie and senior Clay Estes follow with 39 and 38 hits. JT Ritchie is also their ace. He has thrown 45.1 innings with just a 0.77 ERA. Senior Cain Flynn is their number two, with a 2.13 ERA in 42.2 innings.
The two rivals have met twice this season. Harrison County won 5-4 on March 28th and again on May 5th, 5-0. Harrison County started JD Kendall in the first game, with Bourbon County throwing Bradley Robinson and Aiden Earlywine. In the second game, Corey Vaughn threw a complete game shut-out, with Jake Scott taking the loss for the Colonels.
Montgomery County vs. Bracken County
Game 3 – Tuesday, May 23 – 5:30 p.m.
Montgomery County (27-6) undoubtedly has the best pitcher in the region with Matthew Rowlett. The senior has an astonishing 0.23 ERA across 62 innings pitched and has a perfect 9-0 record. Rowlett is also one of the best hitters in the region, with 39 hits with a .464 batting average. Seniors Davis Johnson and Spencer Johnson also have 39 hits a piece. Jarrett Stidham, also a senior, has thrown 34.1 innings with a 2.45 ERA. The experienced Indians have 10 seniors on the roster who have won 5 straight 40th District Championships.
The Polar Bears (16-10) are led by a core group of juniors. Josh Hamilton has thrown 47.0 innings and has 27 hits with a .409 batting average. Ross Lucas has thrown 33 innings with a 1.70 ERA, the lowest on the team. Lucas bats .371. Thomas Rudd leads the team in hits with 36 and has a .409 average. Rudd has also stolen 21 bases. Hank Krift has thrown 34.2 innings with a 3.60 ERA and has a .384 batting average.
These two did not meet this year. They did, however, meet in last year’s region tournament. Bracken County fought but fell 4-3 in Cynthiana. The Polar Bears are looking for their first regional tournament win since 1996.
Campbell County vs. Nicholas County
Game 4 – Tuesday, May 23 – 8:00 p.m.
The senior-laden Camels (27-9) are looking to win their 3rd straight 10th Region title. They are led by Kentucky commit Aydan Hamilton. Hamilton has 45 hits, 23 walks, and 5 homeruns at a .421 batting average. He has stolen 23 out of 24 bases and has struck out only 9 times in 130 plate appearances. Senior Jake Gross has 38 hits at .349, and senior Braden Kramer has 34 hits at a .340 batting average. On the mound is senior Max Lause who has thrown 51 innings with a 3.57 ERA. Sophomore Zach Franzen has thrown 41.2 innings with a 3.19 ERA. Freshman Tyler Schumacher has pitched 35 innings with a 2.00 ERA.
The Bluejackets (13-15) are led at the plate by WKU commit Ryan Johnson. Johnson has 29 hits at a .414 batting average, along with 29 walks which is 2nd in the region. On the mound, the lefty throws 85-88 and has pitched 37.2 innings with a 4.65 ERA. Senior Brayson Ring has 37.2 innings on the mound with a 3.95 ERA. Senior Tate Letcher has 29 hits at a .337 batting average.
These two teams did not meet in the regular season.
Semifinals
Game 5 – Tuesday, May 24 – 5:30 p.m.
Game 6 – Tuesday, May 24 – 8:00 p.m.
Championship
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 25 – 6:00 p.m.
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