Baseball

Most coverage area high school baseball and softball teams were in action on Tuesday, March 27. Read on for a full list of results… In a matchup between two rivals in the 50th District, the Corbin Lady Hounds traveled to Williamsburg, handing the Lady Jackets their first loss of the year, 6-2. Senior Lady Hound Madison Hicks hit a two-run homer in the game that helped lift her team to the victory. In the 51st District, the Lynn Camp Lady Cats fell on the road to Knox Central 13-5 after a big five-run fifth inning by the Lady Panthers. In 13th Region All “A” baseball tournament action Tuesday, the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets...

Both the Corbin Redhounds baseball team and the Corbin Lady Hounds softball team are coming into the 2018 season as defending champions in the 50th District, where the competition is almost always fierce. Despite that fact, however, both Corbin teams will enter the spring season ready to defend their district crowns. Both will feature a large cast of returning starters, as well as some talented younger players that are eager to show they have what it takes to make an impact at the varsity level. As for the baseball Hounds, they will be led by a large senior class that includes Blake Botner, Matthew Hart, Braden Dickerson, Josh Hash, Michael Scott,...

First-year Whitley County High School Baseball Coach Jeremy Shope has the same goal this season for the Colonels as he has had for his prior teams. “I want our goal to be go win a state championship. It is so much more than winning, but ultimately that is why you play the game to try to go win ball games,” Shope said Friday, less than 24 hours after tryouts on the first official day of spring practice. “I am excited about the coming weeks. I am excited about this bunch. I think we have a lot of ability there. They have really grown in the offseason. We have had many open...

The Williamsburg High School baseball program is about to enter its fifth season with head coach Bryan Hopkins at the helm. In that time, the baseball Jackets have seen a lot of improvement, going from a 3-24 record in 2014 to a 12-win season in 2016. Last year the team won nine games, including an appearance in the 13th Region All “A” championship, and two district victories over Whitley County and South Laurel. In 2018, Williamsburg has their sights set on double digits in the win column once again, as well as an opportunity to compete in the 13th Region championship tournament this May. And with the right personnel in place,...

On Wednesday, Williamsburg High School senior Jake Harrison became the first Yellow Jacket baseball player in 20 years to sign with a college program. “Getting the opportunity to go on to the next level is every kid’s dream that plays baseball,” said Jackets Head Coach Bryan Hopkins. “I can’t think of anyone else that deserves it more. We’ve put tons of work in, and I’m just excited that he’s going to get to play at the next level. We’re all just super-proud of him.” As for where Harrison will be playing his college ball, that would be Roane State Community College. Located in Harriman, Tenn., the Roane Raiders compete in the...

This summer has been a busy one for many local athletes, including Williamsburg baseball player Jake Harrison. Harrison, who just recently finished up his junior season with the Yellow Jackets, has been competing for the Knoxville Stars travel baseball team for the past several weeks. He has played in many different locations during that time, including Atlanta, GA, Charleston, SC and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He also got the opportunity to play in Sevierville, TN at the home of the Smokies minor league baseball team. Harrison, who was the only Kentuckian on his travel team’s roster this summer, said that he has picked up a lot of knowledge about...

We are now approaching late-July, and that means that Little League All-Star baseball tournaments in our area are beginning to wrap up. After a 2-1 record in area tournament play and a perfect 4-0 record in their district tournament, the Corbin 9-10 year-old All-Stars looked to keep their hot streak alive this past week in the state championship tournament at Middlesboro. The Corbin 9-10’s kicked things off in pool play Saturday, losing a heartbreaker by just one run to Russell-Flatwoods, 13-12. They were able to bounce back just a day later, however, defeating North Laurel 5-4 on Sunday. This win was extra special for the team, because it avenged a 9-4 loss...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the July 19, 2017 edition of the News Journal: First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the Corbin 11-year-old All-Stars baseball team on advancing to the semifinal round of their state championship tournament at Rotary Park. We did not have results from their semifinal game against Warren County South before press time Tuesday, but if they were victorious they will be playing for a state championship tonight (Wednesday) at 6:00 p.m. That is all certainly very exciting for those players and coaches, but what about the Corbin 9-10 year-old All-Stars? Well, they were eliminated from their state championship tournament in Middlesboro earlier this...

Earlier this summer it was announced that longtime Whitley County High School baseball head coach Kyle Adams would be resigning. Now the Colonels are about to begin a new era under the guidance of former Mercer County head coach Jeremy Shope. Shope, who said he wasn’t really looking to get back into coaching after taking the last season off, said that he got the call from WCHS Principal Bob Lawson, who had played football with his brother years ago at University of the Cumberlands. Lawson had seen Mercer County play in the 2013 state tournament, liked what he saw, and now wished to bring Shope to Williamsburg to lead the...

Last Thursday afternoon I had a very interesting, and very enjoyable, conversation with former Cumberland College baseball player and coach Terry Stigall. This was the first time we had met, and it didn’t take him long to leave a lasting impression on me. For starters, his office down at the University of the Cumberlands, where he is still employed as a health instructor, is truly something to behold. Coach Stigall’s business card lists his name, title, contact information and it also includes the accolade “World’s #1 Red Sox Fan.” It’s absolutely true. Before you even enter his office you will notice that the walls on either side of his doorway...