Baseball

Both the Whitley County baseball and softball teams are looking strong as we approach the midway point in the month of April. The baseball Colonels recently went 4-0 during a Spring Break trip to play in the 2018 Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, SC. In their first game back Monday, they continued their winning ways with a dominating 24-0 shutout victory over visiting Harlan that improved them to 9-2 on the year. As for the Lady Colonels, they have won their last two contests over McCreary Central and Wayne County by a combined score of 17-0, putting them at 5-3 on the year. When asked about the team’s progress so far this...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the print edition of the April 4, 2018 News Journal as part of special coverage from the 2018 13th Region All "A" baseball and softball tournaments, as well as the upcoming 2018 All "A" state championship tourneys... It has been a big school year for coverage area teams in regional All “A” competition. Things started back in the fall with the addition of the brand new Williamsburg Lady Jacket volleyball team to the annual 13th Region All “A” championship tournament. Also in the fall, Lady Jacket golfer Morgan Owens-Lewis qualified to appear in the 2017 All “A” state championship invitational. This past winter we saw...

Last week the Williamsburg High School softball team became 13th Region All "A" champions, and on Wednesday the baseball Jackets followed suit by defeating visiting Barbourville 13-6 to also win an All "A" regional title in 2018. As reported in Wednesday's print edition of the News Journal, the Yellow Jackets took down Pineville 12-2 on Monday to pick up their first win in this year's 13th Region All "A" tournament. Then, as detailed in a previous web post (see "Tuesday Night Highlights"), the Jackets defeated Harlan Indpendent 10-0 in the tournament semifinals. That set up a championship game at Briar Creek Park Wednesday against the Barbourville Tigers, who picked up...

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...