Baseball

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...

With an 8-4 loss against South London last Wednesday, this year’s 11-12 year-old Corbin All-Stars baseball team was eliminated from area tournament competition. The Williamsburg 11-12 year-old All-Stars fell in an elimination game last Wednesday as well, losing to Middlesboro by the final score of 11-10. That means two Little League All-Star teams are left standing in our coverage area – the Corbin 9-10 year-olds, and the Corbin 11 year-olds. Corbin 9-10 All-Stars Cayden Barton, Clayton Botner, Lucas Brittain, JP Carmichael, Cody Gibson, Peyton Hamilton, Gary Hubbs, Eli Pietrowski, Landen Rose, Isaiah Smith, Keaton Smith, Cole Stevens and Cam Estep After finishing up area tournament competition as champions of the loser’s bracket last week,...

It’s that time of year again… In towns all over the country Little League baseball players are coming together to compete in annual All-Stars tournaments. There are a total of four All-Stars teams in our coverage area this summer – the Corbin 9-10 year-old All-Stars, the Corbin 11-year-old All-Stars, the Corbin 11-12 year-old All-Stars and the Williamsburg 11-12 year-old All-Stars. The following will introduce you to those teams, as well as provide you with an update on their progress. Corbin 9-10 All-Stars Cayden Barton, Clayton Botner, Lucas Brittain, JP Carmichael, Cody Gibson, Peyton Hamilton, Gary Hubbs, Eli Pietrowski, Landen Rose, Isaiah Smith, Keaton Smith, Cole Stevens and Camden Estep The Corbin 9-10 year-old All-Stars team,...

The 2017 News Journal All-County high school baseball and softball selections are as follows... OVERALL COUNTY MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS Baseball - Cole Brock, Sr P/INF (Corbin) - The senior leader for the Redhounds had a monster year, striking out a total of 77 batters with a 1.897 ERA. He also got the job done at the plate, recording 56 hits, including 13 home runs, knocking in 36 runs in the process. His batting average and on base percentages were among the highest on the team. Thanks in large part to Brock’s efforts, Corbin was able to win 25 games and successfully defend their 50th District championship crown in 2017. Softball - Halia Stidham,...

The Lynn Camp Wildcats were not able to qualify for the 13th Region baseball tournament this year, but they were still able to finish with a winning record, including victories over region opponents Harlan, Bell County, Red Bird, Pineville, Oneida Baptist and Williamsburg. This week, in the final Senior Spotlight feature of the spring 2017 season, we meet the senior Cats that have led the way for the Lynn Camp baseball program over the past few months. Dylan Brown has played baseball all of his four years at LCHS. He has been counted on to provide consistency on the pitching mound in recent years, but has also put time in behind...