Baseball

The world of minor league baseball is full of unexpected twists and turns. Just ask Chase Estep. Before graduating from Corbin High School in 2019, he helped lead the Redhounds to a pair of regional championships on the baseball diamond and back-to-back appearances in the Class 3A football state championship game.   Estep moved on to Lexington after graduation, where he played baseball for the University of Kentucky. After his first season as a Wildcat got cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned for what he described as a “down year” for him personally in 2021. It was at this point that things really began to turn around.   “I switched...

This week, the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets varsity baseball team hosted a youth baseball camp at Briar Creek Park. In addition to teaching young players the basics of the game, Head Coach Brennen Patrick said that it’s also about establishing relationships that will benefit the program in the years to come. “We want to give something back to the community, and give something to these kids who will be coming up soon,” said Patrick. “These kids will be our future.” Patrick and his assistants, including some current Yellow Jacket players, have welcomed in between 30-40 campers this week. Some of those attending were part of this summer’s recently concluded Little League season. “I...

On Monday, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) announced some rules changes via its social media accounts and on the khsaa.org website. One rule change dealt with high school baseball, and read: Players using non-wood bats will have greater flexibility in using substances to enhance their grip on the bat with a change that brings consistency to Rule 1-3-2. This rule revision was one of two proposed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee after its annual rules meeting held June 2-4 at The Alexander hotel in Indianapolis. The rules changes were accepted by the NFHS Board of Directors and are effective with the...

It took two extra innings for them to get the job done, but the Owensboro Catholic Aces were able to pull off a 5-4 victory over the 13th Region champion Corbin Redhounds Friday in round one of this year's Kentucky High School Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament, played at Legends Stadium in Lexington. With the loss, Corbin wraps up their 2024 campaign with an overall record of 30 wins and 11 losses. The Hounds got on the board first Friday thanks to an inside-the-park home run from Noah Cima. The Aces would score a run in the bottom of the inning, though, tying the game up at 1-1. The score remained...

As many expected it would, this year’s 13th Region baseball tournament once again came down to 50th District rivals Corbin and Whitley County. Last year, it was the Colonels who defeated the Redhounds in the regional finals before going on to win a program-first KHSAA state championship. This time around, Corbin was able to return the favor by punching their tickets to the 2024 state championship tournament in Lexington. The Colonels got out to an early lead in Friday’s regional championship contest, played at Knox Central High School in Barbourville. After going up 2-0 in the top of the first inning, Redhound Noah Cima hit a solo home run in...

Memorial Day will be full of softball and baseball action in Knox County as this year's 13th Region championship tournaments are scheduled kick off at Lynn Camp and Knox Central high schools. Lynn Camp will host this year's regional softball tournament, with the following contests scheduled for Monday-through-Wednesday: Lynn Camp (23-11) vs South Laurel (26-9) - Mon. at Noon Harlan (14-18) vs Jackson County (23-10) - Mon. at 2 PM North Laurel (24-9) vs Harlan County (14-19) - Mon. at 4 PM Corbin (18-15) vs Pineville (14-7) - Mon. at 6 PM Winner of Lynn Camp/S Laurel vs Winner of Harlan/Jackson Co - Tues. at 6 PM Winner of N Laurel/Harlan Co vs Winner of...

The Corbin Redhounds successfully defended their 50th District championship crown Tuesday evening, while the Corbin Lady Hounds played their way into Wednesday's softball district finals. After wins over Williamsburg and South Laurel, respectively, the Whitley County Colonels and the Corbin Redhounds met up on the baseball diamond at Briar Creek Park to determine this year's 50th District champion Tuesday evening. The Colonels managed to get out to an early lead, but some big at-bats midway through the contest allowed the Hounds to take control. They would not look back, going on to secure a 6-2 victory that improved them to a region-best 27-10 overall win-loss record on the season. With...

If you are a casual baseball fan, then you may or may not know the name Josh Gibson. He is considered by many historians to be one of the best catchers that the game has ever seen, but the fact that he spent his career in the Negro League means that many “best of” lists will not include his name. Once you learn more about Gibson’s accomplishments in baseball you begin to truly understand what a travesty this is. Unfortunately, his is just one of many examples of black players not getting the recognition that they deserve because they had the misfortune of living during a time when segregation kept...

With the spring sports season now just days away, Whitley County Colonels Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Shope is well aware of his team’s situation as the defending Kentucky High School Athletic Association state champions. “Any time that your program reaches that pinnacle, and you are playing at that level, it is going to push other teams up against the wall,” Shope said recently. “They are all going to come out swinging, so we have to be ready for that fight. We have to work harder than ever.” Indeed, there is zero chance that Shope’s Colonels will be able to fly under anyone’s radar in 2024. Last season, they were one victory...

As we enter into the month of March, the official start to the 2024 high school baseball season is now just days away. Among the area teams chomping at the bit to get back out onto the diamond are the Corbin Redhounds, who will once again be considered a top contender in the 13th Region. “The guys are excited, and ready to get on the field,” said Head Coach Cody Philpot recently, adding that, although work to install a new turf playing surface has been running a little behind schedule, his players have still been able to get reps in at the school’s football stadium. “We’re getting a lot of work...