Homerun

I've heard really good things about Team Cincy, but there also is a difference of depth and playing a series of games in one week in a tournament versus one game.

Any predictions for the Newport Central Catholic vs Lawrence County game?

Congratulations.

The Boston Red Sox drafted Matt Spalding in the 29th round. With the money that he was asking for and the opportunities that he had to go to college, the Red Sox want to evaluate him further this summer before they make him an offer. The Red Sox want upper level management people and their scouting director to see him play. They invited him to Fenway Park for a workout. They said that even the rainy weather in the spring made it harder for their organization to fully evaluate the players that they were following. The Red Sox scout came to his home in the off-season for a home visit. A scout from another team did call around the fifth round and asked if he would consider taking considerably less money. Spalding considers it a learning opportunity and still a win/win situation for him. If a player is going to be drafted under these circumstances, it’s best that it’s by a big market organization like the Red Sox. Spalding’s focus has been on the high school season and he really thought that the season would be over before he would have to think about the draft. He wants to help St. X bring home a state championship.

“They got to Chandler early with base hits, we didn't blotch it up with errors. Chandler was a different kid after he came back out on the mound after we put 8 runs on the board.” Lawrence County Coach Travis Feltner “Dawgs roar back from deficit -- take Pikeville down for crown” http://www.thelevisalazer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=50&Itemid=235

According to this article, Hamilton is a freshman. "Pikeville held a 6-1 lead in the 15th Region championship game on Thursday night in Prestonsburg, but the Bulldogs enjoyed a triumphant inning at the plate against Panthers freshman lefty Jacob Hamilton." Daily Independent (Ashland, KY) "Dawgs’ Klaw it out to 15th title: Senior Balaklaw delivers clutch hit in eight-run sixth" http://dailyindependent.com/localsports/x1315239222/Dawgs-Klaw-it-out-to-15th-title

How many people were at the game?

http://catholicsportsnet.com/louisville/articles/2011/6/2/tigers-bound-for-lexington- Baseball: St. X survives late scare, tops Eastern 4-3 C-J article: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110602/SPORTS05/306020089/St-X-survives-late-scare?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

11th Region Final: Lexington Catholic 3 – Tates Creek 1 Lexington Herald-Leader article: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/02/1760609/lexington-catholic-nips-tates.html

I found this question from a high school player on the internet. I list several answers given. Any thoughts? “I’m a freshman pitcher from Nevada and i am left handed and 6'1 180 and have hit 85mph. How fast will i have to be throwing by the time im a senior to go in the 1st-5th rounds?” – Southpaw9 Some answers: “There is no definite answer to your question but for sake of discussion we can address velocity and the draft. Velocity is only one portion of the total package professional scouts look for in a pro prospect. Your current velocity is more than enough to be drafted in the top five rounds. On projecting velocity: I have heard some indicate that a pitcher’s velocity normally increases about 3 mph per year during his high school years. You indicate you “have hit” 85 mph but that probably not your average FB. Take your AVERAGE fastball velocity; add three miles per hour, per year, during the high school years. If this rule of thumb holds true with you, you can have a fairly good estimate of your velocity as a senior. Allow me to give a little advice. If you focus ONLY on velocity, you will fail to develop as a viable pro prospect. While velocity gets most of the attention, there is much more to being a great pitcher. Best of luck,” - Fungo “Lefthanders get interest soon after their 3rd birthday. If you can throw the MLB minimum of 86 in high school and you're a lefthander, you'll get some bird dogs looking at you. If you have size and are lefty (over 6'3"), you'll get lots of looks in high school. They usually start following kids in Cali, Fla and Texas after their sophomore year. In other areas of the country after their junior year. If your dad and uncles are all 6'3" and taller and you're a lefthander at 6'0" as a sophomore in high school, you'll get plenty of looks. Work on two things: velocity and velocity. Forget command and all the other bs that they talk about. Velocity gets you noticed. They'll teach you want they want you to learn in pro ball.” - BeenthereIL “Southpaw - BeenthereIl is right, velocity is the bottom line. There is more to being a pitcher than velocity but size & velocity are the keys to being a prospect. I have seen a few pitchers so far this year who can't get out high school hitters on average teams yet are garnering quite a bit of draft scrutiny due to velocity. You can have a great cb/change/command repertoire & good stats - this may get you some looks from colleges if you work hard at exposure. If you want interest from big-time schools and mlb lighting up the gun is what it's all about. They THINK they can teach you the rest of the art of pitching, with some kids they can and others they can't but they know they can't teach you 90.” - denisr400

I do love it. I think that it is great to see the state of Kentucky have so many qualilty players. I would love nothing more to see so many of them do well at the college level and behond!

Scouts had Spalding hitting 96 mph in the first inning last night in the win against Trinity.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this young man bat. He does have excellent plate discipline. He also just has a real nice swing and a smooth stroke. He's a tough out.

I congratulate Chandler Shepherd. Eighteen strikeouts is obviously a lot. He stands out among his peers on the baseball field. He has a very projectable body frame at the college level and beyond. He seems to be a very hard worker. I’ve heard good things about him personally. With that being said, I think it is important to look at the type of competition that he is facing when the above results are reported. Magoffin County’s record is 10-14 overall. As a starting point by using the latest Kentucky Coaches Poll, only three teams that Magoffin County has faced are ranked. They are: Pikeville (16th). Magoffin lost 10-0 in 6 innings to Pikeville. Lawrence County (19th). Magoffin lost 6-0 earlier in year. Butler (Butler is not numerically ranked, but would seem to fall to around the 29th spot). Magoffin lost to Butler 18-1. It’s just hard to fully evaluate Shepherd’s accomplishments based on the type of competition that he is facing. He is surely doing great things at Lawrence County. He obviously is totally outmatching his competition. He is doing exceptional things with what is put in front of him. He does not have control of what team that he is pitching against. Last summer and fall, I know that he played for the Midland Redskins, one of the best travel organizations in the country. At the same time, playing against quality, ranked Lexington, Louisville, or Owensboro teams might give a better indication objectively of the quality of his pitching at this time.

Very wise words. It’s common if you play sports to want to win. Sometimes a team might think or say to themselves "we’re good if we win." A coach might feel he’s a good coach if a team wins. Looking at progress may determine more about the value of the season versus wins and losses alone. Too, wins and losses may be influenced by the strength of schedule and a variety of factors outside the control of the players. How much talent the team has might also be a factor. A pitching coach once recommended to my son The Mental Game of Baseball, by H. A. Dorfman. The book is ultimately about playing from within and setting realistic goals. The coach that recommended the book said that in college, the players had a sports psychologist work with them about setting goals. He asked this player what his goals for the season were. He said “to make All Conference.” The psychologist asked the player “Who determines who makes All Conference?” After some thought, the player said that the coaches vote upon it. The psychologist then asked him if he could control ultimately how the coaches voted? The player said, “No.” The psychologist then proceeded to help the player set goals that would be helpful and ones ultimately the player had more control over.

The story about Rob Summers, I guess with the publication of the experimental surgery in The Lancet, is making international news and is in many major news media and publications. Here are just some of the news stories: CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20064675-10391704.html Associated Press/Yahoo News: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=25294072 British Broadcasting Company: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13444036 United Press International: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/05/20/UPI-NewsTrack-Health-and-Science-News/UPI-13561305927992/ Time, INC: http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/20/medical-breakthrough-paraplegic-man-stands-up/ Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/05/20/paralysis-research-breakthrough-points-to-combination-treatments/?mod=google_news_blog

Rob Summers has been a volunteer with the St. X baseball team. He helped coach a fall team last year as well as worked with some of the players. He pitched for a NCAA National Championship Baseball team, Oregon State. He was involved in a hit and run accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has been in a wheel chair since the accident—until recently. A front page story in today’s Courier-Journal summarized Summers’ involvement in a research project that is trying to help him walk again. He had a nerve stimulator placed in his spine and received extensive physical therapy to retrain his muscles. “Now, he can now push himself to a standing position and stand for up to four minutes on his own. He can also make repeated stepping motions with help, and voluntarily move his toes, ankles, knees and hips. His success is the subject of a study published Friday in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet.” (Story in Louisville Courier-Journal: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2011305200008 ) Rob is a remarkable young man with an unbelievable spirit and exceptional determination. He has overcome odds that few, if any, have been able to do. I am grateful that he has been a part of my son’s life and I wish him the very best in the future. He moved to California last fall after living in Louisville for the last few years. He will be sorely missed.

Tompkins Strikes Out 15 In Senior Night Win: http://catholicsportsnet.com/louisville/articles/2011/5/18/tompkins-strikes-out-15-in-senior-night-win "20 Key Questions" With Ian Tompkins - Louisville Catholic Sports: http://catholicsportsnet.com/louisville/articles/2011/3/17/-20-key-questions--with-ian-tompkins By the way, Ian Tomkins come from a great family.

Congratulations. The young man is pitching his best of the year.

St. X 7 - Danville 0 Central Kentucky News: http://articles.centralkynews.com/2011-05-15/news/29544531_1_kody-ross-casey-tiller-andrew-lasure

Good luck to the young man. Hate to hear about his injury and that he is out for the season.

Game 2: Cincy ST. X3 - Moeller 1 LinK: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110510/SPT0301/305100016/-No-2-St-X-beats-No-1-Moeller-again-?odyssey=nav%7Chead

I had heard that Martin is returning to form after being finished with baseball and that Arthur is continuing to pitch well. I did not realize that Carroll had a broken finger.

Thanks. I thought that Shephard might pitch against West Jessamine since they were the only ranked team in their group.

How was Shepard on the mound?