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Five local teams to begin journey in region tournament

jacob pratt, commonwealth journal, somerset, ky.
·5 min read

May 24—The 12th Region baseball and softball tournaments are soon to begin, with action kicking off on Memorial Day Monday. The baseball tournament will be held at the winner of the 48th District in Wayne County, while the softball tournament will be held at the winner of the 46th District in Mercer County. Five of our local teams will be representing the area, with one dreaming of a regional repeat.

Somerset took home the 47th District baseball title for the third-straight season with a resounding 10-3 victory over Pulaski. The Jumpers won the 12th Region All "A" title this season and came into the season with massive hype, being ranked in numerous preseason state polls. A mid-season lull led way to them winning six of their last seven as the Jumpers finally look the part of a regional contender. Their lineup features numerous great hitters in Kole Grundy, Blake Abbott, Caynon Sizemore and Griffin Loy. The Jumpers also feature a strong rotation of pitchers, with Cayden Cimala, Isaiah Lewis, Raygan New, Grundy and Loy all having multiple wins this season. Somerset begins their postseason run against Garrard County on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Pulaski, the defending 12th Region champion, once again was the runner-up in the 47th District Tournament. The Maroons again come into the postseason after an up-and-down season, with a mid-season stretch that made Pulaski look once again like the team to beat. However, they lost five of their past eight heading into the region tournament. Last season, they lost five of their final seven games heading into region, with the Maroons then turning it around and outscoring their regional opponents 33-5 to claim the title, so another Pulaski run can not be discounted. Bryce Cowell has been their leading hitter with 25 RBI's and seven home runs on a .384 batting average, but Chase Farmer, Keegan Measel, Chance Todd, Braden Hampton, Jacob Todd, Mason Acton and Wessen Falin all have over 10 RBI's on the season. Pulaski also features a solid pitching rotation, with Trey Hornsby, Chance Todd and Acton all having an ERA under two. The Maroons will begin the postseason against Boyle County on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

Southwestern, the runner-up from the 48th District, struggled to begin the 2024 season after making a regional semifinal appearance last year, winning just two of their first 10 games. However, the Warriors have dug deep and came close to upsetting Wayne County in their district final, with hopes of another run in this year's regional tournament at, you guessed it, Wayne County. Despite having the lowest RPI of any team in this year's regional tournament, the Warriors feature several solid players. Jonah Brock, Jonas Gallagher, Jayce Gager, Wyatt Morgan, Jackson Couch, Cameron Shipp, Michael Miller and Daniel Case all have 10 or more RBI's on the season. On the mound, the duo of Shipp and Morgan have pitched very well, with both having ERA's under three and over 40 strikeouts. The Warriors will kick off the 12th Region Tournament on Monday at 10:30 a.m. against East Jessamine.

The Pulaski County Lady Maroons have largely dominated their competition this season, with a record of 28-6 and the highest RPI in the region, and have seemed to be on a collision course with the 12th Region title after going 22-2 in their last 24 games. They have lost to just one regional opponent this season, with that being Mercer County way back in the first week. The hitting of the Maroons has been their strong suit, with Bella Ellis totaling 59 RBI's and Brooklyn Thomas totaling 39, while Ryann Sowder, Claire Hamilton, Rilee Ross and Shelbie Sellers all totaling 20 or more RBI's. Thomas has added eight home runs, with Ellis ranking sixth in the state with 15 home runs on the season. Thomas and Ellis have been commanding the mound as well for the Lady Maroons, with Thomas truly being one of the best pitchers in the state as a sophomore. She has a 1.29 earned run average, good enough for ninth in the state, and 255 strikeouts, good enough for 12th in the state, as well as a record of 18-2 with one save. Pulaski will await to see who they draw in the first round of the region tournament, but will play either Boyle County, Garrard County, East Jessamine or Wayne County.

Southwestern, after making it to the regional final the last three years in a row, will attempt to make that four years after surviving some early struggles. With just one senior on the roster, the Warriors are finally trending the right way, winning 13 of their last 16 games. Southwestern also landed an impact transfer in the middle of the season in sophomore Chloe Carroll, who can play a multitude of positions. They also have numerous talented hitters, led by freshman Kylie Dalton, who is fourth in the state in batting average with a .629, sixth in the state in hits with 66, 11th in hits with 66 with just nine strikeouts and 11th in RBI's with 56. The Warriors also have Abigail Whitescarver with 52 RBI's, while Macie Gwin, Brynn Troxell, Zoie Lowery, Arabella Lowery, Jordyn McDonald and Lexi Martin all having more than 20 RBI's. The Warriors rotate three pitchers on the mound, led by Jayla Singleton with an 8-4 record and a 4.01 ERA and McDonald with a 12-2 record and 4.07 ERA. Southwestern will begin their regional tournament journey against either Boyle County, Garrard County, East Jessamine or Casey County on Monday.

Jacob Pratt is the Sports Editor of the Commonwealth Journal and can be reached at jpratt@somerset-kentucky.com.