bjim

If the kid that is transferring from another school is allowed to play the Bird's stock rises very quickly. Two excellent pitchers can do wonders in a regional tournament.

Hamilton Joe you are a great fan and if other schools had such supportive fans their programs would be better.:thumb:

If Highlands plays Simon Kenton again it will be in the state tournament in March. I'm not sure how you come to your conclusion that Simon Kenton wins by 20. It’s doubtful the game will be called by 8th region officials and there probably won't be a 29-12 free throw disparity. I'm not sure if that is exactly what the difference was, but it was close to that. To say that Highlands won't make a run at the 9th region title in March based upon a 10-point loss to an 8th region team in December under those circumstances doesn't make a lot of sense. Who in the 9th is better? The only team you can probably say is better is Boone County. Remember last year's region when Highlands was in the semi-finals. They were a half away, though a big half from reaching the finals, which would have been against Holmes or NC, two teams they beat handedly earlier. Given the circumstances of this year with Boone County losing key players, NC losing their division one player and Notre Dame losing the two girls that shouldered most of the work against Highlands last year, I don't see how you can say with a straight face that Highlands is a year away from making a run at the 9th region tournament. Your statement quite frankly defies logic especially since Highlands has their same team back.

This should be a pretty good game. If Highlands can push the tempo they'll have a chance.

20/20Hindsight depending on what you define as top teams in the 9th it looks as if Ludlow has one game left with a top region team and that is Boone. They have games left with Ryle and Holmes, but I don’t see those teams as being top region teams, at least not now. Certainly they're the class of their district, but to exalt them as one of the best in the region is reaching a little. I agree with you in that they will certainly have future successes. They will probably end up with the best record in the 9th, but I just don’t see them as a contender for the 9th region championship.

If you define "for real" on the basis of huge victories over Newport and Dayton then I guess they're for real.

There is a pitcher from CovCath who is reportedly transfering to Highlands after the Break...This may change some things....

Couldn't agree more.:thumb:

Perhaps it's time to quit beating a date horse. What I was trying to say is that the comment, " Ryle has 3 or 4 that were clocked at the 82-85 range during summer tryouts and I am sure that Cov Cath has some that throw in that range," offers no support for Diamond Dandy's comment that the average speed in high school baseball is in the mid 80's.

My comment was made on Diamond Dandy's quote that "Pitching on average is in the mid 80's in high school." I took that comment to mean that if you went to every high school game and clocked every pitcher the average speed would be, give or take a mile 85mph. This means that if you go watch Bellevue play Newport or Lloyd play Heritage the average speed for the pitcher is going to be in the mid 80's. My comment was that there were very few who consistently hit the 85mph mark. Being clocked at a tryout between 82-85 doesn't equate to having a consistent range of 85mph. When you comment that the average velocity of a pitcher in high school is in the mid 80's most would assume you're including every high school not just just a select few. If you went to Ryles coach, Covington Catholic's coach or Dixie's coach and asked them what the average velocity is for every pitcher on their team who will pitch in a varsity game this year, I guarantee you it will not be in the mid 80's.

I agree the pitching is better, but an average in the mid 80's in not accurate. I doubt that it's even 80. A pitcher that throws 85mph in high school will completely dominate the game in most instances. I am aware of only four pitchers in the 9th region that will hit 85mph this year on a regular bases. Matt Nichols, Thomas Towles, Cody Elliott and Zach Adams.

This will be Highland's first game of year. I believe Holy Cross has already played twice if not three times. Highlands beat them by 14 last year at Holy Cross. I believe Highlands has their top players coming back, what's the status with Holy Cross?

Didn't make it to the game. Any word on a score?

It games like these that make your program good. This game will give 9th region fans like me a good idea how good Notre Dame is. Montgomery County is a solid as you can get. They aren't ranked 10th in the state for nothing. Knowing what Notre Dame lost from last year I dont see how they come within 15 points of Montgomery County. If they can keep the differential under 10 they are the team to be beat in the 9th region with out a doubt. Some will say they're the team to be anyway because they were (are) 9th region champs from last year. I'll give ya that.

It sounds as if Bishop Brossart played Ludlow pretty tough. Not bad for a team that returns only two starters and has only one girl over 5 '8.

With the exception of the folks that authored the basketball preview this wasn't really a suprise. Conner has a good team and is very balanced, which the box score indicates. If I were Conner my only concern might be that most of Holmes's points came from close to the basket. This is based on the Coach's comments that Conner had trouble with Holmes's bigger girls. Anyway their balance carried the day for them. Good luck to both teams!

I was referring to their personnel situation. The player that left the other day I believe was supposed to be a pretty good player though I cant recall her name right now. Tabor is a 6 footer and without her they're pretty small with the exception of Cundiff. To win big games against bigger teams it's my opinion that Tabor is going to have to play considerable minutes.

Based on what I know about NC's situation I dont see how they could sit Tabor. If she learns anything from Cundiff it's going to be while she's standing next to her helping her rebound.

I'm not sure about your comment about Sandfoss. You dont make a case for a pre season pick by arguing the player belongs if the player has a good upcoming season. With respect to Daughtery I'm sure she's a nice player. Picking pre season standouts is a lot like picking the winner of a horse race. When deciding between two or three horses that are similiar you look at the company they have been running with. I would say the lack of a competititve schedule from last year was taken into consideration. I have not seen Ludlow's schedule this year, though I've heard it has gotten tougher. Augusta Beechwood Dayton Heritage Patrick Scott Gallatin Co. St. Francis Owen Co. Carroll Co. St. Henry Calvary Christian Villa Madonna Dixie Heights Beechwood Holy Cross Bellevue Bellevue Beechwood Heritage Calvary Christian Gallatin Co. Villa Madonna Bellevue Dayton Newport Lloyd Dixie Heights Highlands

I heard the Birds looked pretty good. From what I've been told Iroquois only lost two games the entire year last year and returned 4 starters. A nice way to start things off.

I understand that Highlands and Conner are playing tomorrow in Lexington. The Birds are playing Iroquois and the Cougars are playing Lex. Cath. If you want to be the best you have to play the best. Both teams will face no tougher competition the rest of the year with maybe the exception of Montgomery County, which I believe Highlands has on their schedule. Highlands also has Dunbar next week. Obviously both coaches see the importance of playing competitively early in the year and will benefit tremendously from this type of competition. Do any of the other schools in the region play a pre season schedule like this?

Highlands is really even in a stranger position. They will probably have three sophmores that play varsity only, two of which will probably start. The JV team might be all juniors with an exception of maybe one or two.

Am anxious to watch Towles pitch this year. I've heard he's consistantly in the mid 80's right now.

E.J. Murrey (Scott) Brady Slusher (Beechwood) Thomas Towles (Highlands) Mike Sullivan (Holy Cross) David Oetchide (Sp?) (Ryle) Thats all that I know of...

HHS-48 Ryle-7 Not even a game...Highlands is the real deal this year!