With the high school baseball season on hold until April 13, we took a Twitter poll on whether our followers wanted us to release our Preseason Power 25 now, or wait until a few days before the season. The decision was overwhelmingly in favor of releasing it now.

Over the course of the next few days, we will release five teams at a time and highlight some key players from each squad. This will lead up to revealing our Preseason No. 1

 

21 Boyle County
Saying the injury bug hit the Rebels in 2019 would be an understatement as they lost two Division I commits for nearly the entire season. Catcher Drew Baker and outfielder Grant Hotchkiss, a pair of Wright State recruits, had a combined 29 AB’s (all coming from Hotchkiss) which left a big void in the middle of the Boyle County lineup. Those two are back their senior season, along with senior Karson Thompson who led the Rebels with a .346 batting average and a 3.00 ERA in 56 IP. Other top returners include junior RHP/UTL Eli Glasscock, RHP Blake Samons, and one of the top players in the 2022 class in catcher Luke Gaffney.

22 Johnson Central
You want offense? The Golden Eagles will have plenty from last year’s 32-6 squad, led by Louisville recruit Seth Williams, Morehead State recruit Ryley Preece, senior 1B Hunter McCloud, junior IF Ryan Sartin-Slone. Johnson Central hit a staggering .386 as a team last year, and that was without Williams. Look for Preece and sophomore Connor LeMaster to lead the pitching staff.

23 Bowling Green
The Purples lose two players who moved onto Division I college baseball in RHP Jackson Haga and SS Joe Howard but return a solid nucleus from last year’s 30-11 squad including junior SS/OF Eli Burwash. Senior Evan Spader, and junior RHP/IF Maddox Burr. Burr and Geoffrey Ross should see key innings on the mound for Bowling Green.

24 Owensboro Catholic
Coning off a 23-15 season that saw them advance to the 3^rd Region Championship, the Aces return virtually their entire roster that was filled with underclassmen including a pair of highly-ranked sophomore’s in OF Sam McFarland and RHP/SS Luke Scales. Sophomore catcher Braden Mundy and MIF/RHP Luke Evans will also be big contributors both offensively and defensively. Junior RHP Hunter Small, who spent some time injured last season, should have a big year on the mound for the Aces.

25 Hopkinsville
Last year’s 2^nd Region champs return nearly all of their roster and have a surplus of good, young pitching. Senior Layne Jorgensen returns to lead the offense after hitting .364 with a team leading 30 RBIs. On the mound, a trio of talented sophomores in Preston Chaudoin, Timothy Cansler, and Jacob Dilday all posted effective innings last season, and junior Zachary Caudill will join them to provide a solid rotation. Jorgensen could be a wild card on the mound as the 6-foot-4 RHP’s fastball produced 19 strikeouts in just 9 innings last spring, but he will need to improve command to be most effective.