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2025 High School Team Previews: Volume I

February 19, 2025
Carter Floyd | Jamie Tessoff
KY Social Media Director | KY Scouting Director

Opening day for the KHSAA baseball season is officially less than a month away! Our preseason events have concluded, and our staff has shifted the focus to preparing for the 2025 season. We’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the state. Their responses have been flooding in, and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis! Read along for our first handful of team previews.

Christian County: Colonels 

Region: 2

District: 8

Head Coach: Cole Isom

2024 Record: 12-20

Postseason Finish: District 8 semifinalists

Team Strengths: "Pitching and defense should both get back to our standards. I don't see there being much difference our offense from last year. We have an older pitching staff that should be hunger to prove people wrong." - HC Cole Isom

Newcomers:

Impact Players:

Martha Layne Collins: Titans 

Region: 8

District: 30

Head Coach: Mike Hammond

2024 Record: 16-20

Postseason Finish: District 30 quarerfinalists

Team Strengths: "Pitching depth, speed"

Newcomers: 

Impact Players: 

Highlands: Bluebirds

Region: 9

District: 36

Head Coach: Brian Benzinger

2024 Record: 22-17

Postseason Finish: District 36 champions

Team Strengths: "Losing 12 seniors to graduation will be a challenge. We are counting on this year's seniors to provide the needed leadership for the many first year varsity players on the team" - HC Brian Benzinger

Newcomers: 

Impact Players: 

Spencer County: Bears 

Region: 8

District: 30

Head Coach: Stuart Dill

2024 Record: 19-11

Postseason Finish: District 30 semifinalists

Team Strengths: "Experience and depth should be a strength as we return all of our lineup. We have 13 guys who played at the varsity level for us last year. We have a chance to be very good offensively with most of our lineup returning. Our pitching is the most significant question mark, but it has the potential to be solid if the guys continue to improve and stay healthy. If that happens, we believe we will have a good team that can compete in the always-tough 30th District and 8th Region." - HC Stuart Dill

Newcomers: 

  • 2025 Noah Cropp - OF

Impact Players: 

Frederick Douglass: Broncos 

Region: 11

District: 42

Head Coach: Braden Johnson

2024 Record: 24-10

Postseason Finish: District 42 semifinalists

Team Strengths: "The Broncos will look to build upon our greatest strength, which has always been our speed. We will continue to be aggressive on the bases, but will focus on other elements of small-ball to manufacture runs. With the combination of speed and power in our lineup, we could have another potent lineup in 2025." - HC Braden Johnson

Newcomers: 

Impact Players: 

Paintsville: Tigers 

Region: 15

District: 57

Head Coach: Tommy McCormick

2024 Record: 19-9

Postseason Finish: Region 15 quarterfinalists

Team Strengths: "We graduated one senior from last years team,  so we return a lot. We are a year older and are a year more experienced. We return all of our pitching from last season who posted a 2.69 ERA." - HC Tommy McCormick

Newcomers: 

  • 2028 Lukas Stewart - OF/RHP

Impact Players: 

South Oldham: Dragons 

Region: 8

District: 29

Head Coach: Troy Blakely

2024 Record: 17-14

Postseason Finish: Region 8 semifinalists

Team Strengths: Pitching, experience

Newcomers:

Impact Players: 

Muhlenberg County: Mustangs 

Region: 3

District: 10

Head Coach: Greg Shelton

2024 Record: 28-8

Postseason Finish: Region 3 finalists

Team Strengths: "I feel like our pitching from our top 3 or 4 guys will be a strength for us. We have some guys who are potentially good hitters, but we must prove ourselves early on. Due to graduating 9 guys from our last year's roster, we will have some new faces getting the opportunity to play for us. They are a good hard working group of guys who want to win." - HC Greg Shelton

Newcomers: 

Impact Players: 

  • 2025 Talan Cartwright - RHP/3B
    • .302 AVG, 29 H, 21 R, 18 RBI, 13 XBH, 14 BB
    • 4-2, 40.0 IP, 15 ER, 16 BB, 47 K, 2.62 ERA
  • 2025 Dalton Brigance - RHP/CF
    • .224 AVG, 22 H, 19 R, 14 RBI, 16 BB, 12 SB
    • 4-3, 38.2 IP, 8 ER, 18 BB, 51 K, 1.45 ERA
  • 2025 Colton Carver - C
  • 2025 Madix Brannon - RHP/UTL
    • .250 AVG, 10 H, 7 R, 8 RBI, 7 BB

Prestonsburg: Blackcats 

Region: 15

District: 58

Head Coach: Bryce Tucker

2024 Record: 16-21

Postseason Finish: Region 15 finalists

Team Strengths: "Hard nosed bunch that will play the game the right way and do the things that it takes to win. Still building and lost a lot last season, but have a good young group that, if they want, has the ability to fill those shoes and take the reins to lead the team where we want to go." - HC Bryce Tucker

Newcomers: 

  • 2027 Alex Johnson - IF

Impact Players: 

  • 2025 Kaden Allen - RHP
    • .288 AVG, 30 H, 18 R, 19 RBI, 7 XBH, 18 BB, 16 SB
    • 55.0 IP, 34 ER, 62 K, 4.33 ERA
  • 2027 Barrett Hunter - OF
    • .318 AVG, 35 H, 25 R, 11 RBI, 22 BB, 34 SB
  • 2027 Luke Hall - IF
    • .400 AVG, 38 H, 20 R, 27 RBI, 10 XBH, 11 BB, 14 SB
    • 38.1 IP, 23 ER, 31 K, 4.20 ERA
  • 2025 Brayden Tussey - RHP/IF
    • .273 AVG, 21 H, 19 R, 14 RBI, 15 BB
    • 2-1, 21.2 IP, 12 ER, 8 BB, 16 K, 3.88 ERA

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