Kentucky baseball and softball state draws
While a team from the Ninth Region -- Covington Catholic -- made a run to the boys' state basketball championship this season, whichever team wins the Ninth Region baseball title may have to knock off the defending state champion in the quarterfinal round to win a state title, too.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association held its draw for both the baseball and softball tournaments on Thursday at its offices in Lexington. The state baseball tournament is scheduled for June 2-7 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington and the state softball tournament is scheduled for June 5-7 at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro.
In the baseball draw the Ninth Region drew the 16th Region in the first round and the winner will face the Sixth Region/Fifth Region winner in the quarterfinal round. Defending state champion Pleasure Ridge Park is in the Sixth Region and after being ranked No. 2 in the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association preseason top-25 poll is 19-6 so far this season.
There was no 16th Region team ranked in the top 25 in the preseason state poll. West Carter has the best record of any team in the region at 15-2, including 10-2 against 16th Region opponents, while Boyd County is 6-1 against regional foes and 14-11 overall.
Taylor County has the best record of any Fifth Region team at 23-2, including 14-2 against regional opponents, but the top-rated team in the preseason was Central Hardin, which earned a No. 3 state ranking after advancing to the state semifinals last season where it lost to PRP. Central Hardin is 15-8 this season, including 8-2 against Fifth Region opponents, but hasn't played Taylor County.
The Eighth Region, which has several teams in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coverage area, drew the 12th Region in the first round. There were three teams from that region ranked in the preseason state top 25: No. 9 Mercer County, which is 18-4 a year after finishing as state runner-up; No. 15 Danville, which is 16-9 and No. 17 West Jessamine, which is 21-3.
The 10th Region, which also has several teams in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coverage area, drew the 13th Region. North Laurel was the top-rated team from that region in the preseason at No. 25 in the state poll and it has the best record in that region at 16-7. It won the regional title last season.
The softball tournament is a double-elimination format.
In the softball draw, the Ninth Region drew the 14th Region in the first round. There is no team from the 14th Region ranked in the most recent Kentucky High School Softball Coaches' Association top-25 poll, which was released on Tuesday. Jenkins has the best record at 18-4, including 10-0 against regional opponents, but Estill County, which is 15-8 against a significantly tougher schedule, was the top-rated team in that region in the preseason.
The Eighth Region drew the 15th Region in the first round. There were no teams from the 15th Region ranked in the most recent state coaches' top-25 poll. Magoffin County was picked as the preseason regional favorite, and while it is 12-7 overall, it is also 10-1 against regional opponents, with the lone loss coming to Johnson Central, which is 14-6 overall and 7-0 against regional foes.
The 10th Region drew the 13th Region in the first round. South Laurel is ranked No. 22 in the most recent state coaches' top-25 poll and is 21-3 this season, including 8-1 against regional opponents, while South Laurel is 14-9 overall and 5-0 against regional teams.
Here are the complete draws for each tournament:
Kentucky State Baseball Tournament at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, Lexington
Monday, June 2
Upper Bracket First-Round Games (times TBA)
Region 8 vs. Region 12
Region 14 vs. Region 1
Region 4 vs. Region 3
Region 13 vs. Region 10
Tuesday, June 3
Lower Bracket First-Round Games (times TBA)
Region 6 vs. Region 5
Region 16 vs. Region 9
Region 11 vs. Region 15
Region 7 vs. Region 2
Wednesday, June 4
Upper Bracket Quarterfinals
Region 8/12 winner vs. Region 14/1 winner, 6 p.m.
Region 4/3 winner vs. Region 13/10 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 5
Lower Bracket Quarterfinals
Region 6/5 winner vs. Region 16/9 winner, 6 p.m.
Region 11/15 winner vs. Region 7/2 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, June 6
Semifinals
Upper Bracket winners, 6 p.m.
Lower Bracket winners, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 7
Championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
Kentucky State Softball Tournament
June 5-7
at Jack C. Fisher Park, Owensboro
(Double-elimination format)
First-Round Games
(all time Central)
Thursday, June 5
Region 4 vs. Region 7, 5 p.m.
Region 2 vs. Region 6, 5 p.m.
Region 16 vs. Region 1, 5 p.m.
Region 8 vs. Region 15, 5 p.m.
Region 5 vs. Region 3, 7 p.m.
Region 14 vs. Region 9, 7 p.m.
Region 11 vs. Region 12, 7 p.m.
Region 13 vs. Region 10, 7 p.m.
Friday, June 6
Winner's Bracket games and Consolation Bracket games throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 7
Consolation Bracket final, 9 a.m.
Winner's Bracket final, 9 a.m.
Consolation Bracket winner vs. Winner's Bracket loser, 11 a.m.
Championship game, 1 p.m. (if consolation bracket winner wins this game then second game will be played immediately after to determine champion)