LEXINGTON, KY — Trinity wasted little time taking control of the KHSAA Baseball State Tournament championship game. The Shamrocks scored three runs in the first inning and added seven more in the second to defeat Boyd County 12-0 in five innings Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park.
View game photos: https://photos.10thregion.com/bsb-trinity-boydcounty-061326
Trinity finished 41-3 and became the first Kentucky baseball team to repeat as state champion since Harrison County in 1997 and 1998. The Shamrocks closed the season with 24 straight wins and were undefeated against Kentucky competition.
Grayson Willoughby, Kentucky’s 2026 Mr. Baseball, earned the win and was named state tournament MVP for the second straight year. He threw a one-hitter, struck out seven and walked none. Boyd County’s only hit came from Kaleb Kelley in the fifth inning.
Willoughby finished the season 12-0 and closed his Trinity career with a 21-1 record.
Trinity set the tone in the first inning. Max Phillips was hit by a pitch to start the game, Grayson Davis singled, and Phillips scored on a balk. Willoughby followed with an RBI single to left, and Hudson Meredith added an RBI double down the right-field line to give the Shamrocks a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, Phillips was hit by a pitch again, Davis walked and Nolan Hosking delivered a two-run single up the middle. Trinity continued to mount offensive pressure on walks and hit batters. Wyatt Graeter drew a bases-loaded walk, Brock Cannady-Miller was hit by a pitch to force in another run, Phillips added a two-run single, and Davis doubled home another run to make it 10-0.
Hosking went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Davis was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, two runs and a walk. Phillips went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases. Meredith had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run.
Trinity added its final two runs in the fifth. Hosking singled, Nicholas Yorgy doubled, and Jaxson Jett singled through the left side to score both runners.
Boyd County finished 29-8. The Lions, ranked No. 19 in the state, were held to one hit and left six runners on base. Jace Manning took the loss.
The championship was Trinity’s third state title in six seasons. The Shamrocks also entered the week ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps.
Box Score
Trinity 370 02 — 12 10 0
Boyd County 000 00 — 0 1 0
WP — Grayson Willoughby. LP — Jace Manning.
Trinity hitting: Max Phillips 1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI; Grayson Davis 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B; Nolan Hosking 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; Grayson Willoughby 1-2, RBI; Hudson Meredith 2-2, R, RBI, 2B; Nicholas Yorgy 1-1, 2B; Jaxson Jett 1-1, 2 RBI; Wyatt Graeter RBI; Brock Cannady-Miller R, RBI.
Boyd County hitting: Kaleb Kelley 1-2.
Pitching: Trinity — Grayson Willoughby 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 HBP, 7 K. Boyd County — Jace Manning 1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Isaac Leeper 0.2 IP, 4 R, 4 ER; Brayden Nunley 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R; Alex Maynard 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER.
MVP: Grayson Willoughby, Trinity
All-Tournament Team
Konnor Stargel, Trinity
Harper Haywood, Trinity
Kaleb Kelley, Boyd County
Jace Manning, Boyd County
Grant Slater, Boyd County
Ross Milburn, Apollo
Gunnar Hendricks, Apollo
Lucas Gagnon, McCracken County
Caden Kern, McCracken County
Sawyer Carlisle, Beechwood
Tyler Schumacher, Campbell County
Cadence Gibson, University Heights
Gary Gibson, Sayre
