Softball

After recent victories in this year’s NAIA Opening Round competitions, the University of the Cumberlands baseball and softball teams are advancing to the final sites of the 2025 national championship tournaments. The baseball Pats (48-10) are scheduled to play in their first game this Friday, May 23, against Hope International University out of California. The HIU Royals were crowned champions of the Great Southwest Athletic Conference earlier this season before coming out on top of their NAIA Opening Round mini-tournament in Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston also serves as the final site for the NAIA National Tournament, so the team will be used to their surroundings when they suit up to...

Teams from seven different states will soon be gathering in Williamsburg for this year’s NAIA National Tournament Opening Round competition. On Wednesday, teams were announced for the 2025 NAIA National Baseball and Softball Championship Tournaments. The University of the Cumberlands will be among the host sites for Opening Round competition, which will kick off on Monday, May 12. In the baseball bracket, Mid-America Nazarene (33-16, from Kansas) will take on the host Patriots (45-10) Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. That will be followed by Missouri Baptist (40-9) versus Northwestern Ohio (40-13-1) at approximately 4:30 p.m. All games will be played at Doyle Buhl Stadium in Williamsburg. The eventual winner of the double...

Head Coach Brennen Patrick’s first year at the helm of the WHS baseball program was a tough one when it comes to wins and losses. With only two victories on the year, 2024 was full of difficult learning experiences for coaches and players alike. This year, Patrick says that the Yellow Jackets are looking forward to taking the next steps toward building a winning culture in their dugout. “It takes time,” Patrick said of establishing a winning identity. “I challenge them a lot. When it comes to both their school work and to being out on the field, we need to strive toward excellence in everything that we’re doing.” Patrick also...

The Corbin High School varsity softball and baseball teams will be among the most experienced in the region this spring, with both squads featuring strong veteran leadership in multiple positions on the field. The softball Hounds will be looking to successfully defend their 50th District championship crown and reclaim the 13th Region championship crown that they last won in 2022. “We have thoroughly enjoyed our offseason,” said Head Coach Crystal Stidham, explaining that the team has been reaping the benefits of incorporating a new, tailor-made training program courtesy of Tyler Ross and Grit 2 Great Sports Performance. In addition to a re-vamped training program, the softball Hounds are also enjoying their portion...

With extensive field renovations taking place at Whitley County High School, the baseball and softball Colonels are both eager to get back to action on newly installed turf playing surfaces. Things aren’t quite ready yet, but with some good luck when it comes to the weather (badly needed), games should be able to take place at WCHS later this spring. While coaches Jeremy Shope and Angela Singleton wait for the remodel job to finish up, they are keeping their teams busy with indoor workouts and, when able, the use of middle school facilities and the high school’s turf football field. The situation is less-than-ideal, but both squads are making the...

Earlier this week, the brand new athletic commons area at Corbin High School was officially unveiled to the community. For many current Redhounds and Lady Hounds, it was a chance to check out the facility that they will call home for the duration of their high school athletic careers. “It’s going to be great,” said tennis Coach Chris Jones. “The courts have been resurfaced, there are separate locker rooms for the boys and the girls, they have added bleachers, and then, of course, there is the tower.” The tower that Jones is referring to is a large structure located at the center of the commons area that provides coaches and officials...

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...

Sports fans in Whitley County have gotten to know the name of Lindsey Shope very well since she first arrived at Whitley County High School in 2018. As a sophomore and junior, she helped guide the Lady Colonels to new heights on the softball field, including a 50th District championship title in 2019. Unfortunately, Shope and her fellow Class of 2020 spring student-athletes were robbed of their senior seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but where one door closes another opens. Starting in 2021, Shope took her talents across town and began living out her dream as a college athlete at the University of the Cumberlands. As a Patriot softballer, she...

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...