Finally, after what seems like an eternity, high school baseball is upon us in the Bluegrass State as scrimmages have been in full force in preparation for the March 29 regular season start. Thus, the time has come for us to release our Preseason Power 25.

In 2019, the last season played in Kentucky, 3 of the 4 teams that made the State Final Four were ranked in the top 6 in our preseason Power 25 that year.

Wednesday we released No. 21-25 in our preseason rankings.

Thursday we released No. 16-20 in our preseason rankings.

As we get into the season, we will update the Power 25 each Monday.

For now, here is a look at No. 11-15 in this year’s Preseason Power 25.

11. Lexington Christian Academy – Pitching will be a strength for LCA as they will run five arms out to the mound who have mid-80’s velocity or better, led by Louisville recruit Jaxson Davis who runs his fastball up to the low-90’s. Other arms that will contribute heavily on the mound are senior RHP Josh Livengood, a College of Wooster recruit, junior RHP’s Hayden Collins and Elijah Hammond, and junior LHP Chance McGaughey. The Eagles won’t just pitch though, they will have some offensive firepower led by Davis and Collins, seniors Clay Matthews and Will Vernon, and juniors Wyatt Guilliams, Cole Ginter, and Matthew Maggard.

12. Lexington Catholic – The pitching staff starts with a pair of seniors in former Kentucky commit (currently uncommitted) LHP Isaac Milburn who features an 85-87 mph fastball and a sharp high 70’s slider that generates a lot of swing and miss. Frontier CC recruit Carson Caudill will see plenty of innigs behind Milburn with his mid-80’s fastball. From the left side, look for a significant contribution on the mound from junior lefty Jack Monday. It will be a senior-led offense with a pair of Frontier CC recruits in catcher Colson Perry, and 3B Jason Oviedo, and OF JD Woodall will likely use his speed at the top of the Knights order along with one of the top sophomores in the state, OF Griffin Cameron. Centre College recruit Colt Thomas should also contribute heavily to the offense as will 2023 3B Harrison Tibe who will be able to DH while still recovering from Tommy John surgery last fall.

13. Male – Western Kentucky commit Nic Schutte, one of the top arms in the 2022 class, will lead a pitching staff that also includes two of the top arms in the sophomore class in RHP’s Nolan Hood and Gavyn Childers. Schutte pitches in the high-80’s with a big breaking curveball, and Hood takes a bulldog mentality on the mound with his mid-80’s fastball and sharp breaking ball. Male should also see significant innings from 2022 RHP Bryce Felker whose fastball is approaching the mid-80’s. Look for big offensive contributions from juniors Andrew Daniel and Jackson Vize along with Felker, and sophomore Christian Neu.

14. Lafayette – The Generals pitching staff is deep with arms that pitch in the low to mid 80’s with solid secondary stuff that should give them the chance to win a lot of games this spring. That staff looks to be led by senior RHP Connor Arnold, a Transy recruit, senior 3B/RHP Micah Cowen, a Centre recruit, and a host of junior RHP’s in Ben Prather, Eric Enerlich, and Andrew Fultz. Also, keep an eye on sophomore RHP Jared Eisiminger. Offensively, look for Lafayette to be led by Cowen and Prather, senior SS Ethan Tuttle, a Spalding recruit, senior OF Landon Brown, and senior C Jack Harris among others.

15. Madison Central – The Indians should score some runs behind a strong offense led by senior SS and  Louisville recruit Brandon Anderson, and one of the top MIF’s in the 2022 class in Hayden Robbins. A host of juco recruits will also provide a lot of offensive firepower in the Madison Central lineup in IF Aiden Carter, C Tyler Brook, and OF Carter Ruffner, all Frontier Community College recruits, and OF Brady Vaughn, a Lincoln Trail recruit. The question mark for the Indians is their pitching. Keep an eye on 2023 RHP Bradley Poynter who should continue to develop into a power arm in the future.