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3rd Region Baseball: Who's the favorites?


Eagle3

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With 2 of the stronger 9th District schools running deep in Boys basketball in Catholic and Apollo, all teams have enjoyed some spring weather for practice. Who's the front runners to compete for the 3rd Region title in May?

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I would have to think Muhlenberg would be the favorite to repeat with a lot of their roster back. A buddy of mine who lives in Owensboro has a nephew on the Owensboro team, and he says they have a lot of young talent who got a lot of time at the varsity level last year. He expects them to be very good.

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Without giving it a ton of thought, Muhlenberg and Daviess County should be the favorites. They both return strong pitching staffs, but I would give the Stangs the slight edge in the order. After that I would say Ohio County, Owensboro and Apollo should all be pretty good. No one will want to face Gillim in the tourney. Owensboro has a great young roster, if they can find some consistent pitching and Apollo is always in the mix with Mantooth at the helm.

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Owensboro hadn't won a district for several years until last year when they beat Apollo at home. They played a very strong game when they met for the second time but were blown out in the first round of the district tournament. Questionable moves by the coaching staff may have contributed to the loss. With that being said, there is no doubt that the devils are a talented team, I have heard about how young and talented they are for the past two years (no seniors last year, everybody back, loaded with juniors and sophomores); time to live up to the hype. IMO Coach Johnson has people playing in the wrong position, but he's the coach and I am just a spectator. I just hope that he declines to send the same pitcher to the mound 3 times against the same team. Might be a different outcome in the tournament this year if he mixes it up a bit.

 

It's been quite a year for Apollo (football and so far in basketball). I wonder if they keep the magic going. I am looking forward to see how it goes.

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Great input by all, and yes I agree with the top teams. Don't sleep on on Breck Co. They probably have the most talented pitcher in the 3rd who's only a sophomore in Brock Lucas. Kid can flat throw the baseball with great secondary pitches. Very live arm with a ton of movement. Breck only has 1 returning Senior on this team, but, several sophomores who saw a lot of Varsity time last year as freshman. Baseball is different. Grade wise, if you're a player, you're a player, doesn't matter if you are a freshman or a senior. My take on the 9th District, for what it's worth, County and OHS appear to be the front runners. All four local teams have 1 pitcher who can win 1 game on a given night......remember the year OHS only won 5 REGULAR SEASON GAMES, yet, played in the State Championship game!!!! This season would be that same very scenario for Catholic, who know one is giving a snowballs chance in .... to win 5 games! They have 6 starting seniors returning, but, pitching will be fair. Daviess County will be solid in all phases of the game, pitching, hitting. But, like OHS, coaching will be their biggest crutch. If Dennis would just let the kids play baseball and stop all the headgames he plays with the kids, DC will be fine. Totally agree with the OHS comment earlier, Logan Johnson is playing several kids in wrong positions. Its funny how the "average" baseball fan clearly sees it, but, coaches refuse to acknowledge it. Apollo is going to be a different team without Hopewell in the lineup. Plus, the fact Ryan Mantooth is no longer with the team, he's at KWC. He was a huge part of Apollo's success. Interesting to watch how "Pops" will steady the ship without his man in the dugout. Only time will tell. Bring on the sunshine!!

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Plus, the fact Ryan Mantooth is no longer with the team, he's at KWC. He was a huge part of Apollo's success. Interesting to watch how "Pops" will steady the ship without his man in the dugout. Only time will tell. Bring on the sunshine!!

 

Bob Mantooth is closing in on 1,000 career wins. The overwhelming majority of these were without Ryne Mantooth in the dugout. He will be fine.

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Great input by all, and yes I agree with the top teams. Don't sleep on on Breck Co. They probably have the most talented pitcher in the 3rd who's only a sophomore in Brock Lucas. Kid can flat throw the baseball with great secondary pitches. Very live arm with a ton of movement. Breck only has 1 returning Senior on this team, but, several sophomores who saw a lot of Varsity time last year as freshman. Baseball is different. Grade wise, if you're a player, you're a player, doesn't matter if you are a freshman or a senior. My take on the 9th District, for what it's worth, County and OHS appear to be the front runners. All four local teams have 1 pitcher who can win 1 game on a given night......remember the year OHS only won 5 REGULAR SEASON GAMES, yet, played in the State Championship game!!!! This season would be that same very scenario for Catholic, who know one is giving a snowballs chance in .... to win 5 games! They have 6 starting seniors returning, but, pitching will be fair. Daviess County will be solid in all phases of the game, pitching, hitting. But, like OHS, coaching will be their biggest crutch. If Dennis would just let the kids play baseball and stop all the headgames he plays with the kids, DC will be fine. Totally agree with the OHS comment earlier, Logan Johnson is playing several kids in wrong positions. Its funny how the "average" baseball fan clearly sees it, but, coaches refuse to acknowledge it. Apollo is going to be a different team without Hopewell in the lineup. Plus, the fact Ryan Mantooth is no longer with the team, he's at KWC. He was a huge part of Apollo's success. Interesting to watch how "Pops" will steady the ship without his man in the dugout. Only time will tell. Bring on the sunshine!!

 

If Logan Johnson would listen to the "if you are a player, you're a player" statement OHS would have a much better team. There are a lot of opinions along that line, but I'll just say this. Players in wrong spots, kids on the bench that should be (at the very least) given an opportunity to show what ability they may have, way to much listening to parental input (IMO), are reasons that Owensboro will continue to be in the same boat they've been in for the past couple of years. Unless the situation changes, it won't be them making a run in district. Though, hope springs eternal.

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Great input by all, and yes I agree with the top teams. Don't sleep on on Breck Co. They probably have the most talented pitcher in the 3rd who's only a sophomore in Brock Lucas. Kid can flat throw the baseball with great secondary pitches. Very live arm with a ton of movement. Breck only has 1 returning Senior on this team, but, several sophomores who saw a lot of Varsity time last year as freshman. Baseball is different. Grade wise, if you're a player, you're a player, doesn't matter if you are a freshman or a senior. My take on the 9th District, for what it's worth, County and OHS appear to be the front runners. All four local teams have 1 pitcher who can win 1 game on a given night......remember the year OHS only won 5 REGULAR SEASON GAMES, yet, played in the State Championship game!!!! This season would be that same very scenario for Catholic, who know one is giving a snowballs chance in .... to win 5 games! They have 6 starting seniors returning, but, pitching will be fair. Daviess County will be solid in all phases of the game, pitching, hitting. But, like OHS, coaching will be their biggest crutch. If Dennis would just let the kids play baseball and stop all the headgames he plays with the kids, DC will be fine. Totally agree with the OHS comment earlier, Logan Johnson is playing several kids in wrong positions. Its funny how the "average" baseball fan clearly sees it, but, coaches refuse to acknowledge it. Apollo is going to be a different team without Hopewell in the lineup. Plus, the fact Ryan Mantooth is no longer with the team, he's at KWC. He was a huge part of Apollo's success. Interesting to watch how "Pops" will steady the ship without his man in the dugout. Only time will tell. Bring on the sunshine!!

 

Ohio County is young but pretty good. We have already discussed Blaine who is the most talented pitcher in the region without question....mature and experienced....and getting invitations to pre-draft workouts. I hope to see the kid from Breck...sounds like a good one, but experience and maturity in big games....he definitely doesn't have. That will have an effect. It all going to be fun to watch.

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Eagle3 says a player is a player. Wow! Many variables separate equally skilled players... Coaching, mentality, experience, etc, etc. Not everyone who can play well does when challenged at a high level.

 

And Apollo...solid every year....proven.

Edited by dlunsford1
Forgot something
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Eagle3 says a player is a player. Wow! Many variables separate equally skilled players... Coaching, mentality, experience, etc, etc. Not everyone who can play well does when challenged at a high level.

 

And Apollo...solid every year....proven.

 

What you said is true. But I wasn't necessarily talking about equally skilled players. Skill is only part of being a player. "Players" are kids that rise to the occasion and do the things that need to be done to put his team in a position to win. Previous coaching, mentality, experience, etc all go into making a kid a player. If one cannot rise to the occasion when challenged, he/she is not a "player" in my book.

I am hoping that OHS gets a shot at Ohio's and Breck's aces. Maybe we'll see how many of them rise to the occasion when there's a good pitcher on the bump. Would be nice if they could get a game in, Ohio Thursday, hope it comes off. I don't believe they'll see Ohio's number one. I can always hope though. Might be interesting for the devils.

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What you said is true. But I wasn't necessarily talking about equally skilled players. Skill is only part of being a player. "Players" are kids that rise to the occasion and do the things that need to be done to put his team in a position to win. Previous coaching, mentality, experience, etc all go into making a kid a player. If one cannot rise to the occasion when challenged, he/she is not a "player" in my book.

I am hoping that OHS gets a shot at Ohio's and Breck's aces. Maybe we'll see how many of them rise to the occasion when there's a good pitcher on the bump. Would be nice if they could get a game in, Ohio Thursday, hope it comes off. I don't believe they'll see Ohio's number one. I can always hope though. Might be interesting for the devils.

 

I expect Owensboro will get to see Gillim on Thursday. Owensboro is a very, very good team, and they can hit. It's early, and pitching is always ahead of hitting at this point in the year. I don't know about the Breck kid, but I have heard good things. I will believe it when I see it....What I know about Gillim is that he has developed from a thrower into a pitcher who will not try to throw out of his shoes to light up the gun. His velocity will be upper 80s when he wants it to be. His breaking pitches and change are more developed and wont be used on every hitter just to get strikeouts. Smart pitching and mechanics have been the focus since he began his rehab from Tommy John. Everyone will have their hands full on that kid....but for Ohio County it's all about team, and they are young but very good. By the end of the year, they have a chance to be a team that can head to Lexington....a chance.

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Bob Mantooth is closing in on 1,000 career wins. The overwhelming majority of these were without Ryne Mantooth in the dugout. He will be fine.

 

Absolutely correct. Coach Mantooth is premiere, and his program is proven to develop players. That's why they are very competitive every single year. Love watching him work, and always enjoy competing against them. You always know that you have to play very good baseball to win against Apollo on any day.

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Without giving it a ton of thought, Muhlenberg and Daviess County should be the favorites. They both return strong pitching staffs, but I would give the Stangs the slight edge in the order. After that I would say Ohio County, Owensboro and Apollo should all be pretty good. No one will want to face Gillim in the tourney. Owensboro has a great young roster, if they can find some consistent pitching and Apollo is always in the mix with Mantooth at the helm.

 

I like your analysis and order. When I look at the teams in the region that I have some knowledge, I see pluses on every team. Take Hancock County....better watch out for White and Singleton among others. Plus, HC is well-coached. They are my pick as the "sleeper" team. I have no knowledge of Meade, but I'm sure they will be good....always are. Butler, Grayson, Edmonson...I have no clue. So, who will be there at the end is a mystery to me, and that's why we love the game of baseball. Great thread! Thanks fellas...

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I expect Owensboro will get to see Gillim on Thursday. Owensboro is a very, very good team, and they can hit. It's early, and pitching is always ahead of hitting at this point in the year. I don't know about the Breck kid, but I have heard good things. I will believe it when I see it....What I know about Gillim is that he has developed from a thrower into a pitcher who will not try to throw out of his shoes to light up the gun. His velocity will be upper 80s when he wants it to be. His breaking pitches and change are more developed and wont be used on every hitter just to get strikeouts. Smart pitching and mechanics have been the focus since he began his rehab from Tommy John. Everyone will have their hands full on that kid....but for Ohio County it's all about team, and they are young but very good. By the end of the year, they have a chance to be a team that can head to Lexington....a chance.

 

Just another reason to hope for the game to be played. Might be a bit chilly, I'm hoping you're right about Gillim pitching. Might be good for them to see a top shelf pitcher this early. Could help them get their "minds" right. I agree that OHS can hit; but what scares me about them is their fielding at times. In the scrimmage against Warren South the left side of the infield had 3 or 4 errors. You aren't going to beat good teams with that. It's early and I hope they settle down, but when you have kids (right or not) with no pressure of being pulled, they can develop a lackadaisical attitude. IMO a little tension along those lines isn't a bad thing.

They've all been putting in the work (from what I've seen) so far so hopefully it's not going to happen........Stay tuned.

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