16th Region baseball preview: Teams set to shine at region: Rams ready to defend title; several contenders await

RUSSELL The four district winners have earned their share of success this season.

The champions have a combined 105 wins this year, including a 54-8 mark against region competition.

The 16th Region Tournament spotlight shines the brightest. It doesn’t mean coaches and players are wearing blinders when it comes to the other four teams in the field after the baseball bracket was announced at Russell High School on Saturday morning.

Raceland plays the role of defending region champion. The Rams claimed their second crown in three seasons last year and got their first taste of a state tournament game without a semi-state round getting in the way.

Raceland coach Marty Mills wants the focus to be on the fundamentals and the next team on the schedule. The future will take care of itself.

“It’s always a good feeling but there’s always a lot of strategy involved,” Mills said of a defending champion’s mindset. “It still boils down to throwing strikes and making outs when you play anybody on any week. All eight teams are capable of advancing and at least four or five have a good chance at winning it.”

The spotlight has followed Boyd County all season. The Lions remain near the top of the state rankings and boast a deep pitching rotation that’s tailor-made for tournament play. Boyd County wants a return trip to Lexington after a 2022 visit and coach Frank Conley hopes the mindset will join his team during the region tournament.

“We will see and we will find out Monday morning,” Conley said. “We have been playing for it all year. Hopefully, they will be ready.”

Boyd County vs. Fleming County, Today, 10 a.m.Boyd County doesn’t mind the early wake-up call on Monday when the Lions meet Fleming County to open the four-game schedule on Memorial Day.

Boyd County (29-3) enters the tournament with an 11-game winning streak and has only lost one game since April 1. The pitching staff has a combined 1.43 ERA and four different hurlers have an ERA under one. Peyton Jackson (0.63) has a record of 8-0. Ryan Brown (0.83), Grant Slater (0.40) and JK McKnight (0.98) are a combined 14-1 on the hill. Brown added three saves this year.

The Panthers garnered just one hit, according to KHSAA statistics, in their 61st District semifinal against Bath County but still found a way to win the game, 1-0, and be part of the region field. Adam Hargett led Fleming County (13-20) with a nine-strikeout, four-hits-allowed performance. Dylan Doyle has a .406 average and nine doubles for the Panthers.

Boyd County and Fleming County have not met on the diamond since 2022.

“I don’t know a lot about them,” Conley said. “With all the teams available that we could have played, we know less about them than any of them. We will take the next couple of days to learn as much as we can. If we play the way we can play, and worry about our guys, I think we will be alright.”

Raceland vs. West Carter, Today, 1 p.m

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Raceland knows the experience of playing West Carter in a tournament atmosphere. The two teams have met several times in the 16th Region All “A” Classic and will vie to take another step forward to achieving another region crown.

Brayden Webb has shown his power on the bump and at the plate this season. He has six wins on the mound. The senior leads the team with eight home runs and 37 RBIs. Kadin Shore has an 8-1 pitching record and has collected seven doubles.

“We played (the Comets) in the second game of the year,” Mills said. “We saw three different types of pitchers that day. They have some talent and have played pretty well. You look at the tournament format and see where people are. You just have to prepare for a few things.”

Brady Boggs has a .423 batting average and has scored 24 runs for West Carter (9-15).

Rowan County vs. Greenup County, Today, 4 p.m.Rowan County (28-7) won’t get caught looking past the Musketeers and probable starter Kasey Gammon. The sophomore has shown he’s ready to take a bigger role in the postseason, one that Carson Wireman held for so long.

Gammon has a 2.16 ERA, a 5-2 record and collected 45 punchouts for Greenup County (16-22).

“He’s definitely done his part as a sophomore to fill Carson’s shoes,” Greenup County coach Steve Logan said. “He’s a couple of years away from being that dominant. But with Kasey on the mound, and you look at his numbers like ERA and walks, he’s definitely comparable.”

“The strikeout ratio is not what Carson had,” he added. “He’s our best. We don’t know what order we will throw them in but we are going out there and try to play on Wednesday (in the final).”

The Vikings defeated the Musketeers, 15-6, on May 15. Rowan County leads the region in runs scored with 329 and it was three batters with a .400 average or better. Hayden Mains (.449) posted 44 RBIs this year. Chance Furnish (.447) knocked in 43 and Abram Norton (.400) drove in 29.

Logan set up a strong schedule for the moments his team will face this week. The Musketeers are up to the challenge.

“We will be ready to face whatever pitcher they will throw,” Logan said. “I believe we will be ready to roll.”

East Carter vs. Ashland, Today, 7 p.m.Ashland took everything No. 2 Boyd County could throw at it in the 64th District final last week. The Tomcats didn’t post a hit but the game was tied in the sixth inning before the Lions prevailed 2-1.

Ashland coach Shane Marushi sees his team’s potential and they’ve put it on display in the postseason. It gives them extra motivation for the region tournament.

“I think it was good for our confidence,” Marushi said. “Obviously, you want to win that game. It’s not any kind of moral victory. Considering where we were four to five weeks ago to where we are at now, we are a totally different ball club. Confidence will do that for you. That game was a huge shot in the arm for us.”

LJ Murphy guided Ashland (9-25-1) to a semifinal victory and maintained his durability on the mound this year. He has three wins and 49 strikeouts. Brady Marushi has a .320 average, three homers and 32 hits so far this season.

East Carter (19-6) and the Tomcats played on May 15 and the Raiders took home a 9-2 win. The Raiders have tallied several quality region wins, including over Boyd County and Rowan County.

“In the last few weeks of the season, we’ve seemed to put it together,” East Carter coach Jeremiah Shearer said. “We got healthy and we put some runs on the board. We are playing well at the right time.”

“It’s always tough because you can’t look past anybody,” he added. “You want your guys ready to go. We’ve had three guys on the hill that have been pretty steady. I don’t know what order they will go in but you will be seeing Andrew Tomolonis, Colton McGuire and Tate Scott in some order.”

Tomolonis (1.54) and Scott (1.24) boast ERAs well under two. Blake Hall leads East Carter with a .493 batting average, including 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 51 RBIs.

Marushi envisions seeing Tomolonis again to open region tournament play. He led the Raiders to victory at Alumni Field.

“The good thing is that we saw him two weeks ago,” Shane Marushi said. “We know what he’s about. He’s a senior who throws it well and he’s got a good secondary pitch. It will be a good challenge for us and we will have to grind out every at-bat.”

Shearer feels the same about the matchup against an improving Tomcats team.

“We played them late in the season and it was competitive for several innings,” Shearer said. “We saw the Raceland score (an Ashland 2-1 win). Coach Marushi has done as good a job as anybody in the region with a young team from beginning to end. They’ve improved more than anybody in the region.”

The semifinals are slated for Tuesday at 5:30 and 8. The championship is scheduled for Wednesday at 6. All games will be played at Russell High School.