SG ESQ

Will buy you a cold one at Bambooz next door. Then we can see who has the highest velo on the radar gun. Win/win! Hope to see you there. #bigbluewreckingcrew

I had to look this up to figure out what it meant. St. Paul would be proud of you...and Coach Eviston.

I don't believe he recruited Pelle at SG when NKU was still D2. He went to West Liberty and was a key player on their NCAA tournament teams. I'm not saying that he has an issue with NK players, but not recruiting Pelle was a head scratcher.

In an attempt to get this thread back to something other than the Eurostep, I have an issue with the fact that an offensive charge seems to only be called when the defensive player falls to the ground. Too often I see the offensive player lower his shoulder and uses it to clear space against the defender. Because the defender is large and/or does not fall to the ground, the offensive charge is not called. IMO, this contributes to the "flopping" that we see at all levels. With that said, you could not pay me twice as much as basketball referees are paid and perform that job. Major respect to the guys/girls who wear the stripes.

Solid schedule. Coach Huff did a great job at SG and has continued that at BC. He doesn't get mentioned when folks discuss 9th region coaches, but he does an excellent job.

I think 2B is Heck's to lose. He'll get first shot. However, I see Mayhew (as well as Kreeger as I think he could play IF) fighting for the 2B spot. I don't think Doty will see many varsity at-bats. I think they will handle him the same way as they did Jones as Frosh/Soph. He will pitch varsity and play JV otherwise. He has a decent bat, but he needs to be more consistent. The only way to get there is to get more AB's, and that won't happen with the varsity on a day-to-day basis. One other thing, as good of a pitcher he is, his catching days may largely be done at HHS. I think the Juniors (Walkenhorst, Dougherty, and Kreeger) and Noe fight it out for the RF spot. Whoever shows the most consistent bat, gets the gig. I think you will see Noe in the role of reliever that was handled in past years by Liggett and Vermeil. Regarding Noe, he has the best change up on the staff. The pitching staff is so deep that you will likely see them use one of their lefties to get one or two outs against quaiity left handed hitters. Not many high school teams can do that. Finally, just because a player doesn't start the season with the varsity (or playing regularly) doesn't mean that he won't become a contributor. Neither Ramey in 2013, nor Raisor in 2014 were on the varsity roster initially. They did not travel to MB in those seasons, however, by the end, they were key contributors. There will be a heck of a battle at DH. Mills and Ball both hit well last year, and if Martin is at first (which he will be most days he doesn't pitch), that means a solid hitter is on the bench available to PH. The first few weeks will see a wide variety of line ups. Especially in MB given that the JV will also be going. JB is going to give the boys the chance to win spots. #bigbluewreckingcrew

Mustang, you are a solid poster, but your "facts" are a series of opinions. C'mon man most of them begin with "I think". By the nature of that preface, those aren't "Facts" IMO, you would have been better off in your post with the first sentence and letting it go.

Mom played this as well in the 1950's at Newport HS.

Awesome! Go Big Trains!

And he's working on the GCL Co-Ed. HHS scrimmages McNick on 3/14. It will also serve as the training session for NKBUA. 4 of the 5 games have been scheduled for Myrtle Beach: * 3/31 v. Elmira (NY) @ 10AM - this game will be at the home field of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Class A minor league team affiliated with the Cubs) * 4/1 v. Olentangy (OH) @ 8:30PM * 4/2 v. Pittsford Sutherland (NY) @ 3PM * 4/3 v. Elmwood (OH) @ 6PM One more game for MB is yet to be added.

He's got a live arm. I would not be surprised to see them handle him as they did Jones as a sophomore. Play him JV as a non-pitcher and use him on varsity as a pitcher. Raisor came up late in large part due to Jones' injury last year. I think they'll use Doty sooner.

Let's get some discussion going. Baseball is right around the corner. What do folks think about HHS in 2015? * Experienced group. By my count, they return at least 15 players with varsity experience. * IMO, the deepest pitching staff in the region. They have hard throwers, righties, lefties, even a knuckleballer. Jones (SR), Martin (SR), Raisor (JR), Bunning (SR), Noe (SR), Ball (SR), Heck (SR), Kreeger (JR) all saw varsity action last year. Look for Doty (SOPH) to challenge for a spot in the rotation. * HHS has another unique aspect with their rotation. Virtually, all of them are PO's for the most part. Not always a common thing with high school teams. As a result, they don't have to move position players each game on defense depending on who is pitching. * Returning starters as position players: Hennigan (Catcher - SR - 5th year as varsity starter), Whitford (SS - SR - 4th year); Ramey (3B - SR - 3rd year); Martin (P/1B - SR - 2nd year); Mills (1B/DH - SR - 2nd year); Ball (1B/DH - SR - 2nd year); Murray (LF - SR - 2nd year); Venneman (CF - SR - 2nd year). * 2B and RF seem to be wide open in terms of playing time. Will be interesting to see who steps up and takes those spots. Look for many of the juniors to have a say about those positions. They won the Freshmen Regional in 2013 and the JV championship last year. Look for them to challenge at other spots as well. * As usual the schedule is loaded. They start with Beechwood right off the bat. The schedule as of today (does not include Myrtle Beach games). DATE OPPONENT SITE SCORE Mar 23, 15 Beechwood away 5:00 PM Mar 25, 15 Ryle home 5:00 PM Mar 26, 15 Conner away 5:00 PM Mar 28, 15 Lloyd Memorial 9:00 AM Apr 6, 15 Newport away 5:00 PM Apr 7, 15 Elder (Cincinnati), OH away 5:00 PM Apr 8, 15 Holy Cross (Covington) home 5:00 PM Apr 10, 15 Dayton home 5:00 PM Apr 11, 15 Henry Clay 1:00 PM Apr 11, 15 Campbell County away 3:00 PM Apr 15, 15 Bellevue away 5:00 PM Apr 16, 15 Scott away 6:00 PM Apr 17, 15 Lexington Catholic 6:00 PM Apr 18, 15 Boyle County 11:00 AM Apr 20, 15 St. Henry away 7:00 PM Apr 22, 15 Newport Central Catholic home 5:00 PM Apr 23, 15 Campbell County home 5:00 PM Apr 25, 15 La Salle (Cincinnati), OH away 12:00 PM Apr 27, 15 Bishop Brossart away 5:00 PM Apr 28, 15 Simon Kenton home 5:30 PM Apr 30, 15 Walton-Verona home 5:30 PM May 1, 15 St. Xavier (Cincinnati), OH home 5:00 PM May 2, 15 Archbishop Moeller, OH 1:00 PM May 2, 15 Covington Catholic away 4:00 PM May 4, 15 Boone County away 5:00 PM May 5, 15 Cooper away 5:00 PM May 6, 15 Holmes home 5:00 PM May 12, 15 Covington Catholic home 5:00 PM May 13, 15 Dixie Heights home 5:30 PM May 15, 15 Conner home 5:00 PM May 16, 15 Trinity (Louisville) away 2:00 PM * IMO, the biggest issue is defense. This team did not play at the level that they should or could last year. * This is a good hitting club. They will score runs. Where they get into trouble on occasion is by getting themselves out in hitters counts. I think their experience will be key to avoiding swinging at those borderline strikes on 2-0, 3-1. If they can do that, they'll rake. * Nice blend of power and speed. They can play small ball, they can steal bases, and they have guys who can find gaps. * This team is a legitimate favorite. 2 out of 3 years as regional runners up will hopefully spur them to take the next step and win the 9th. Do they have the talent? Yep. Can they be beat? Absolutely. Looking forward to it. #bigbluewreckingcrew

Next Level Academy

Good job Birds! They continue to play hard and get better.

Would like to see my alma mater (SG) added to that hypothetical school. Another river town with very similar dynamics socio-economically.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Agree 1000% as to JUCO. We just don't think about them in this area. However, many major D1 schools recruit a significant portion of their guys from JUCO. I know that 4 pitchers in the 2015 class have all committed to play at John Logan in Illinois. Kudos to them for thinking outside the box that KY kids often do not consider. To that end, there is D1 and D2 JUCO. Kids can get a great deal with JUCO (low tuition - scholarship isn't going to cover everything), get your core stuff in, and you demonstrate that you can (not might) be able to play college baseball. If you are getting it done at a D1 JUCO, someone is going to give you a scholarship.

Oh when the SG boys all fall in line...(still remember all the words) Nice job Big Trains!

I'm going to pick on you a little bit The jump between NAIA and D3 can be significant. I know it's anecdotal, but I personally watched two NAIA pitchers at a school here in KY touch low 90's in a simple fall workout. Thus, they weren't at their peak velos as they would be in April. Not many D3 schools can trot that out. And the aforementioned NAIA school did not even qualify for the post season. Point is, there is (usually) a big difference between NAIA and D3. Sorry for the interruption...

Nice job Birds!

Next Level Academy. Not sure if they didn't want to run the risk that the fieldhouse would not be ready.

Highlands is having Midnight Madness to kick off the new season. Coach B and the boys are ready to get at it right away. #bigbluewreckingcrew

I have no dog in the fight, but I just wanted to correct an incorrect statement. Hickory High had 8 players on its roster. Buddy - who quit after the first practice - initially transferred to Terhune. However, he had a change of heart, and asked Coach Dale for a second chance. The scenes of him transferring and asking Coach Dale to return to the team were cut from the movie. Thus, they had 8 on their roster when they upset heavily favored South Bend Central The Deleted Scenes on the DVDs | The Hoosiers Archive

They're going. I don't believe Coach B enters those games on the KHSAA site until Ripken informs him who HHS will play.

Yes, they are going back to Myrtle Beach. I agree with you that since this trip was implemented (2012), it has been a major benefit to the program. They see great competition, and it's a great team building experience. HHS' schedule is loaded this year. In addition to the NKY competition and what they see in MB, they play Moeller, Elder, Cincy St. X., LaSalle, Trinity, Lex Cath, Henry Clay, and Boyle County. I'll give Coach B major credit for his schedule. Even when the program was struggling, he played a tough schedule. Iron sharpens iron.

Silver Grove v. Bellevue (1985) because it was the only game in my varsity career that I scored double figures (17) :walk: In all seriousness, I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but Highlands' late comeback in the 1986 9th region final against Walton was one heck of a game.