Prep Baseball Kentucky Pre-season Top 25

[DevilMayCare]

It's that time of year.... gloves are popping, bats are pinging, the smell of fresh cut grass is in the air, and the folks at PBR Kentucky have unveiled their Top 25 teams in the state to kick off the season.

🔗: PBR Rankings on X

 

⚾️ PBR KY Top 25 ⚾️

1. Trinity Shamrocks ☘️
2024: 38-5 | State Semifinalist | 7th Region Champions | 27th District Champions

2. Lyon County Lyons 🦁 
2024: 22-7 | Lost in the 2nd Region first round | 5th District Champions 

3. Sayre Spartans ⚔️
2024: 17-16 | 42nd District Runner-up 

4. Saint Xavier Tigers 🐯
2024: 24-16 | 7th Region Runner-up | 26th District Champions

5. Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers 🐈‍⬛
2024: 40-3 | State Champions | 6th Region Champions | 21st District Champions

6. Ballard Bruins 🐻 
2024: 28-6 | 7th Region Semifinalist | 28th District Champions

7. Somerset Briar Jumpers 🐇 
2024: 23-12 | Lost in 12th Region first round | 47th District Champions

8. University Heights Blazers 🇬🇫
2024: 25-12 | 2nd Region Runner-up | 8th District Champions 

9. Lexington Catholic Knights 🛡
2024: 27-12 | 11th Region Champions | 43rd District Champions | State Tournament Quarterfinalist 

10. Corbin Redhounds 🇵🇪
2024: 30-11 | 13th Region Champions | 50th District Champions | Lost in the state tournament first round 

11. Taylor County Cardinals 🇾🇪
2024: 29-6 | 5th Region Semifinalist | 20th District Champions

12. Greenwood Gators 🐊
2024: 27-10 | 4th Region Semifinalist | 14th District Champions 

13. South Warren Spartans ⚔️
2024: 18-18 | Lost in 4th Region first round | 14th District Runner-up 

14. Ryle Raiders 🏴‍☠️
2024: 32-10 | State Quarterfinalist | 9th Region Champions | 33rd District Champions 

15. Pikeville Panthets 🐾
2024: 25-10 | 15th Region Champions | 59th District Champions | Lost in state tournament first round 

16. Owensboro Catholic Aces ♠️
2024: 31-8 | State Semifinalist | 3rd Region Champions | 9th District champs

17. Covington Catholic Colonels 🇫🇮
2024: 31-6 | 9th Region Semifinalist 

18. Bowling Green Purples 👾
2024: 29-7 | Lost in 14th district first round 

19. McCracken County Mustangs 🐎
2024: 34-10 | State Runner-up | 1st Region Champions | 2nd Region Runner-up 

20. LaRue County Hawks 🇸🇻
2024: 19-18 | 5th Region Champions | 18th District Champions | Lost in state tournament first round 

21. Whitley County Colonels 🇾🇪
2024: 28-11 | 13th Region Runner-up | 50th District Runner-up 

22. Beechwood Tigers 🐯
2024: 22-14 | 35th District Champions | Lost in 9th Region first round 

23. George Rogers Clark Cardinals 🇾🇪
2024: 23-12 | 40th District Champions | 10th Region Semifinalist

24. Madison Central Indians 🏹 
2024: 23-12 | 44th District Champions | Lost in 11th Region first round 

25. Spencer County Bears 🐻 
2024: 19-11 | Lost in 30th District first round 

[DevilMayCare]

Notes and Observations

• Top ranked Trinity (☘️) leads a top heavy 7th Region behind Nolan Hosking (UofL commit and T's leader in average, home runs, doubles, and RBIs last year) and Gray Davis' right arm, which produced an 11-0 record and 1.43 ERA in 2024.

The X-Men (🐯) will be in hot pursuit with the trio of Jaxon Coomer, Brodie Benefield, and Donnie Sinkhorn (all over .300 last year) at the plate and Colton Zuege and Kaden Ford (2.00 ERA or lower for both) on the mound. 

Perhaps the most intriguing of the 7th region contenders, is Ballard (🐻). The Bruins return almost all of last year's lineup and rotation intact from a team that was 26-3 against in-state competition. Kaine Roberts (.439/5 HRs/36 RBIs/1.93 ERA) and Lukas Niemeyer (1.74 ERA in 68 innings) are the headliners.

 

• If the 7th is the marquee region this year, the title of top district belongs to the 14th. It's hands down the most crowded district in the state, with three of its four members ranked among the top eighteen teams in the preseason poll.

Bowling Green (👾) entered postseason play with the 4th Region's best record (29-6), but were one and done in the district tournament. Evan Shallert (.398 avg.) is BG's leader at the dish, while Drew Isenberg (52 IP/1.35 ERA) and Jackson Idlett (40 IP/0.86 ERA) head up the pitching rotation.

Rival South Warren (⚔️) returns five full time starters that batted .324 or better, led by WKU commit Ethan Reynolds' .455 avg, 9 HRs, and 38 RBIs. Mikey Coradini (9-1/63 IP/1.78 ERA) is back as the staff ace.

For all the attention the BG/SW rivalry receives, it was Greenwood (🐊) that actually walked away with the district championship last year. Cannon Jaggers (.365 avg.) and Zachary Davis (.347 avg) lead the offensive efforts, with Nathan Howard (8-1/52 IP/1.62 ERA) as the standout of the pitching rotation. 

All three teams appear locked and loaded for strong 2025 seasons, making the 14th District the one to watch.

• Small schools with big potential: As evidenced by their placements right behind Trinity, Lyon County (🦁) and Sayre (⚔️) are expected to contend for a state title this year after being shown the door early in last year's postseason. 

The Lyons boast two D1 prospects in John Bingham (Miss St. commit) and Peyton Williams (WKU) and they didn't have a single senior on last year's roster. They'll be challenged for 2nd Region supremacy by #8 University Heights (🇬🇫), who returns a squad mostly intact following a region runner-up finish.

Sayre will be powered by the duo of Charlie Slabaugh (.356 avg./Columbia commit) and Robbie Jenkins (.360 avg), plus the pitching trio of Lucas Saatman (1.80 ERA), Owen Murphy (2.13), and Gibson Gary (2.60). If the Spartans are going to live up to their lofty billing, they'll have to navigate the treacherous 11th Region and unseat two-time reigning regional champ Lexington Catholic. 

• The 9th Region is well represented in the preseason rankings, with perennial NKY powers Ryle, Beechwood, and Covington Catholic, among others, vying for regional supremacy and beyond. The Raiders ended Beechwood's stranglehold on the region last year, becoming the first team other than the Tigers to win the 9th since 2018.

PBK and the NKY coaches association are in agreement on Ryle (🏴‍☠️) as the top team in the region. No doubt that has much to do with the return of Dylan McIntyre (6-0/1.82 ERA/ 85 Ks) and AJ Curry (571 avg./state leader in hits).

Beechwood (🐯) will look to regain its place at the top behind a pair of multi-sport stars, Tyler Fryman (.360 avg/47 runs/19 steals) and Chase Flaherty (51.2 IP/2.98 ERA).

CovCath (🇫🇮) was generally regarded as tops in the 9th last season until the postseason arrived. Beechwood clobbered the Colonels for the district and Ryle edged them in the region semis. Cincinnati commit Jackson Reardon (.463 avg./36 RBIs/15 doubles) will spearhead the effort to overcome the Raiders and Tigers to deliver CovCath's first region title in twenty years. 

• Can anyone challenge McCracken County (🐎) in the 1st Region? That's the million dollar question posed to the 1st Region every year. The Mustangs have been heavy handed in their rule of WKY baseball, winning every region title since the school opened its doors in 2013. 

Paducah Tilghman (🌀) ended McCracken's district dominance before the Mustangs got them back in the region final. McCracken has a great deal to replace at the plate and the mound, leaving the door cracked open for a new region champion for the first time in twelve years. 

Tilghman may be the team to walk through it, as the Blue Tornado return all but one major cog from last year's district champion and region runner-up. 

Graves County (🦅) should be in the mix, as well. The Eagles return most of their position players from a 26 win district champion.

 

• Corbin (🇵🇪) and Whitley County (🇾🇪) have run the 13th Region since 2018 and look primed to keep it in the I-75 corridor between them. The reigning champion Hounds return dual sport superstar and UofL commit Kade Elam (.372 avg./1.19 ERA), Noah Cima (.374 avg./31 SB), and Will Freeman (43 IP/1.30 ERA).

Two years removed from the 2023 state title, Whitley County's return to Lexington was foiled only by Corbin a year ago. The Colonels took both regular season meetings against the Hounds, but Corbin laughed last, winning the district and regional finals over Whitley. The Colonels return a deep pitching staff that also includes Ethan Allen (1.81 ERA/.407 avg.).

 

Those are the potential narratives that jumped out to me as another great season of baseball moves from the on-deck circle to the plate. The season officially begins tomorrow with a full slate of games.

[No Hiding Here....BC 21]

17 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

Notes and Observations

 

PBK and the NKY coaches association are in agreement on Ryle (🏴‍☠️) as the top team in the region. No doubt that has much to do with the return of Dylan McIntyre (6-0/1.82 ERA/ 85 Ks) and AJ Curry (571 avg./state leader in hits).

 

Not 100% on this, but I believe AJ Curry is no longer at Ryle.

He can flat out hit it.

[ChickenWyngz]

4 hours ago, No Hiding Here....BC 21 said:

Not 100% on this, but I believe AJ Curry is no longer at Ryle.

He can flat out hit it.

I heard he's back in Cali. 

[DevilMayCare]

PBK's Pre-season Honorable Mentions

Courtesy of X.

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The 11th Region looks loaded, with Sayre, LexCath, and Madison Central in the Top 25 followed by Douglass, Lafayette, and Henry Clay as HMs.

We can add St. Mary to the list of contenders in Region 1 and a possible threat to McCracken County.