By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

While it’s unlikely any scheduled games get played due to the weather, today is the first day Kentucky high schools can begin regular season play.  That means it’s time to release our Preseason Power 25.  As it was last year, the Power 25 will be updated each Monday throughout the season.  Let’s hope the weather of yesterday returns quickly for some good early season action on the diamond.

The release of our Preseason Power 25 is the culmination of a number of things, including mulling over stats from last spring, looking at returning players, scouting games, performances of players at our events, and talking to coaches, to name a few. 

Below we take an in depth look at the preseason top five.  CLICK HERE to view the entire Power 25.

1. Paul Laurence Dunbar – Pitching wins at every level of baseball, and new head coach Seth Knight inherits a team with an absolute abundance of it.  Senior 6-foot-4 RHP Aaron Ochsenbein (Eastern Kentucky signee) was virtually unhittable last spring in allowing just 26 hits in 56 IP with 91 strikeouts.  Senior RHP Connor McHugh (Western Kentucky signee) will bring his mid to high 80’s fastball to the mound much more often than the 18 innings he threw last year, and junior 6-foot-5 RHP Zac Connor, while not yet committed to play at the next level, will undoubtedly be a Division I pitcher before all is said and done.  Senior Patrick Purrachio returns his 6-0 record from 2013, and there are two very solid RHP’s behind him in senior Jack Cress and junior Evan Nicoulin.  Dunbar, who finished 27-9 last season and No. 9 in our final Power 25, fired a whopping 11 shutouts, including shutting out two of the top offensive teams in the state in Lexington Catholic and Tates Creek.  As if that wasn’t enough, in addition to the 11 shutouts, the Bulldogs held opponents to 1 or 2 runs an additional 11 times, and this year’s staff is better than last year’s.  The big question is offense, but if this team can scratch out 3-4 runs a game, watch out.

2. St. Xavier – With 6 returning starters, the offense is loaded and led by Louisville signee Austin Clemons who hit .510 with 13 doubles, 6 triples while swiping 29 bags.  Juniors Trent Revelette and JD Mundt, and seniors Hayden Ford, Sam Springer, Miles Lee, Josh Osborne (Kentucky Wesleyan signee), and Tristan Purcell (Pikeville signee)will provide plenty of additional offensive firepower to the Tiger’s lineup.  On the mound, you would think St. Xavier is rebuilding with the loss of 3 Division I arms, but they are just reloading as Mundt and fellow junior Cam Revelette have been waiting in the wings, and LHP Lee looked has looked sharp in his return from injury.  Senior Connor Underwood (Kentucky Wesleyan signee) will move out of the bullpen and into the rotation this year while senior LHP Robby Skarvan provides solid depth as well.  With their returning offense, look for the Tigers to score plenty of runs to take some of the pressure off their younger arms as they get familiar with the varsity level early in the season.

3. Henderson County – Pitching will be a strength for the Colonels with senior RHP Marty Coursey and junior LHP Daniel Steiner.  The 6-foot-3 Coursey has picked up additional velocity over the winter and has multiple Division I offers on the table.  Steiner, who threw two scoreless innings for Team Kentucky at the PBR Midwest Future Games in August, will slide into the No. 2 spot in the rotation.  Senior OF Kaleb Duckworth (Western Kentucky signee) returns off a junior season that saw him post a .456 batting average with a state leading 11 home runs while using his 6.56 speed to swipe 36 bags.  Henderson County will need a pair of sophomores to produce offensively in Kole Gibson and Tyler Roberts.  Roberts should provide plenty of power from the left-side of the plate for the Colonels.

4. Tates Creek – The Commodores return arguably the top offensive team in the state that will feature plenty of speed and power.  Senior Devin Hairston (Louisville signee) leads the way and plays much bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame.  Hairston is the best MIF in the state and not only provides speed, but power as well, offensively.  Senior OF Luke Rouse (Evansville signee) will set the table with Hairston and provide plenty of RBI opportunites for a pair of left-handed hitters in junior 1B Jordan Fucci and senior 3B Blake Rose.  Senior Tanner Hart, and sophomore Jaren Shelby will provide big offensive contributions as well.  Hart will be the ace of the pitching staff, but the biggest question is who fills in the rotation after him.  If Tates Creek can get some younger arms to step up, their potent  offense will certainly score enough runs to make them a force to be reckoned with this spring.

5. Lafayette – The strength of this squad lies with its pitching, and while they don’t have a dominant arm from a velocity standpoint, the staff is full of low to mid 80’s guys who can flat out pitch.  It’s hard to say at this point how the rotation shakes out but look for senior RHP’s Jack Noftsger and Jalen Stith (missed junior season with injury), junior RHP’s Alex Daniel, Chance Madden, and Brandon Calia, and sophomore RHP’s Jacob Abbott and Jackson Boggs to all play key roles throughout the season.  One thing is for sure, they will be able to run arm after arm out to the mound capable of shutting down high school hitters.