The 2025 boys’ baseball season officially kicks off today. Area teams range from having some of the top rosters in the region to being in the middle of rebuilds. Here’s a look at what to expect from each team.
Apollo: A year ago, the Eagles finished the regular season 21-7 before dropping a heartbreaker to Owensboro Catholic 7-6 in the 9th District Championship. Their season came to an end when they lost to Muhlenberg County 2-0 in the semi-finals of the 3rd Region Tournament.
Gone are six seniors including ace Noah Cook, but Apollo returns a pitching staff that might even be deeper than a year before.
“Our pitching staff, while won’t have as much at the top end, we still have some incredible arms,” Apollo coach Brandon Dennis said. “A thing we have this year that maybe we didn’t have last year is that we have some real depth on the mound. We have a number of guys that are going to throw some innings for us and that will be gigantic.”
Early last year, senior pitcher Will Strode landed on the injured list and Carter Kimmel stepped up in his stead. Now a senior, he appeared in 11 games last year on the mound, posting an impressive 1.06 ERA across 46.1 innings, allowing only seven earned runs.
Grayson Smith, Garrett Lanham, and Mitch Milburn are expected to join Kimmel in the rotation. Milburn battled an injury last year, but Dennis believes the sophomore is poised for a breakout on the mound.
Seniors Smith, Lanham, and Sam Holder will provide plenty of veteran leadership, having spent the last few years as key position players. Another player Dennis believes will breakout is sophomore Riley Logan – eyeing him as a potential middle of the lineup. Other names to keep an eye on include sophomores Ty Lillpop, Jagger Pate, and Gunnar Hendricks.
Dennis wants his team to avoid complacency and show growth throughout the year.
To make sure that we are building throughout the year and putting ourselves in position to be playing our best baseball in the last couple weeks of May and early June,” Dennis said. “We don’t need to be world beaters coming out the first week of March and they either experience burnout, or not continue to grow at practice, or not continue to develop, and be the same team all year long. We don’t want to be complacent that way and we want to make sure were looking for the areas we can grow.”
Daviess County: A year ago, Daviess County entered the year with an inexperienced roster – multiple players received their first opportunity at the varsity level. Now a year bigger and with that experience under their belt, head coach Austin Clay believes his team can make some noise
“It all starts with us on the mound,” Clay said. “We had a bunch of guys last year pitch well and this year we have most of those guys back. We are not just looking for someone just to do a good job, but dominate the game.”
On the mound, Logan Mewes, Brett Poole, Brodie Tucker, Parker Wilson, and Weston Lawrence are expected to throw a majority of the innings. Mewes led the team in innings a year ago with 54.1, posting a 3.09 ERA, with 64 strikeouts.
At the plate, Brody Brubaker led the team in average, hitting .350 with 18 RBIs, while stealing 15 bases in 15 attempts. He alongside Poole and Cam Rickard will be patrolling the outfield and Clay raved about the trio’s athleticism. Other names to keep an eye on are Lucas Ward, Sean Page, and Mason Russelburg.
Clay and his team have their eyes on a district title and a deep run in the region tournament.
Hancock County: Fresh off of what they considered a disappointing season, the Hornets have been attending extra practices and weight training to set a new culture for 2025.
At the forefront are seniors Dec Lewko, Louden Fluharty, and Carson Clark. Lewko led the team in hits a year ago, batting .303, with three triples, and eight RBIs. On the mound, he posted a 1.73 ERA across 10 appearances. Fluharty also pitches and plays all over the infield, while Clark patrols the outfield and has quick hands at the plate.
Hancock County manager Tony Banta anticipates junior Porter Hay will be one of the top pitchers in the region. Behind the plate is junior Jack Roberts and Banta believes he and Porter are both in for big years.
“I think we will compete at a high level,” Banta said. “I believe the opportunity is there. With our pitching, I think we have the ability to win the district and go on a run in the region. We need to stay healthy on the field and in the classroom.”
McLean County: Despite winning 21 games, McLean County was upset by Ohio County in the first round of the district. The Cougars return their entire everyday lineup from a year ago and enter the season hungry to prove themselves.
“We are looking forward to having a very fine year,” McLean County head coach Darren Lynam said. “…I feel we have a really solid 12-13 guys we can stick in there at any given time. Our pitching will be really solid. We might not have a dominant number one that throws really hard, but we have a full host of guys that are very solid pitchers with veteran experience.”
A veteran roster, McLean County has five seniors in Jax Lee, Hayden Hudson, Connor Mitchuson, Ayden Rice, and Houston Whitaker. Lee posted a 1.30 ERA with 72 strikeouts while hitting .283 with 22 RBIs. Rice struck out 44 batters on the mound, while Hudson, Mitchuson, and Whitaker all hit over .300 and combined for 78 RBIs.
Juniors Layden Bozarth, Jaelin Groves, and Corbin Martin will also be leaned on for their leadership. Bozarth led the team in average a year ago, hitting .393, with 23 RBIs. Waiting in the wings are sophomores Nash Lee, Kaysen Bozarth, and Jordan Bailey and will be joined by a transfer student from Ohio County.
The Cougars have their eyes set on breaking the school’s wins record of 23, taking home the All-A title, and winning the region.
Owensboro: Holding a sixth-inning lead in their 9th district tournament game against the Aces, the game unraveled for the Red Devils – falling 8-5 to end their season early.
“We’re looking forward to kind of responding to that moment and finding ways to close out games as we have matured another year,” Owensboro head coach Jake Fiorella said.
The Red Devils return a veteran roster that includes seniors Cayden Ray, Trevor DeLacey, Will Rickard, Will Hume, Blake Kimbrell, Christian Miller, and Brady Benjamin. Playing center, Ray hit .451, with 17 RBIs, and also posted a 2.85 ERA on the mound in 46.2 innings. Brayden Toler will also be leaned on to eat innings.
Junior Evan Hampton led the team in average, hitting .470, with 20 RBIs, while his brother Eli Hampton is poised to take the next step. Only a sophomore, Ty Ashley is entering his third year on varsity and is fresh off of hitting .288 with 18 RBIs.
“We have been largely underclassmen for the last few years and this is our first veteran team. The up-and-comers were just hoping that the sophomore and junior classes continue to get better. Same with our freshman. The guys need to work hard and find a way onto the field at the varsity level.”
Fiorella acknowledges the level of competition in the 9th district, but believes his team has what it takes to go on a deep run.
“We want to compete for a 9th district championship, but at the end of the day, the goal is to give yourself an opportunity for a state championship. You can’t do that if you don’t qualify for the 3rd region tournament. The main goal is for us to find ourselves competing in the 9th district championship game, which means we will be playing in the 3rd region tournament. If you can make region, then you have a chance to make the state tournament and then anything can happen.”
Owensboro Catholic: A year ago, the Aces won the All-A tournament and then went on a deep run. They won the 9th district and 3rd region, before dropping a heartbreaker to McCracken County in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Gone are five seniors, four of whom are committed to play college baseball and the fifth is on an academic scholarship.
“We did lose quite a bit with those five seniors, but we don’t look to rebuild,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Jody Hamilton said. “I think we keep playing and the guys step up and take someone else’s place.
Replacing the leadership void are seniors Brady Atwell, Chris Burns, Luke Quinn, and Parker Heistand.
Committed to play at Western Kentucky, catcher Brady Atwell is fresh off of hitting .350, with four homers, six triples, and 33 RBIs. Burns splits time between first, behind the plate, and at DH, while Heistand was one of the team’s top hitters – finishing the season batting .351. Quinn made 10 starts on the mound a year ago, finishing 7-0, while also recording three saves.
“We return a good group of seniors, who are all great leaders,” Hamilton said.
The Aces also return Mason Moser, Barrett Evans, Lane Hundley, and Jaxson White. Gentry Atwell, Myles Grant, Chase Keller, Walker Crabtree, Jake Murphy, Jude Evans, Drew Miles, and Tucker Evans are all expected to take strides and be contributors.
Hamilton and the Aces want to win and have their eyes on winning the All-A and another deep run, but acknowledge the tough schedule in front of them.
“Our district is extremely tough,” Hamilton said. “No one in the state wants to play in our district. Year in and year out it is always very strong. The region will be very balanced this year. I think most of the teams have their players back and not too many teams lost more players than we did. It will be exciting.”
Trinity (Whitesville): New manager Matt Wright inherits a young roster that includes one senior in Connor Hatfield and no juniors. The team’s catcher, Hatfield will see some time on the mound this year and will be leaned to lead his young teammates.
The majority of the sophomores were on the roster from the year before and Wright is looking for them to take the next leap. Cale Boarman will spend time at short, but Wright is also looking forward to seeing him pitch. Fellow sophomores Rylan Cecil and Harrison Barnett will also be leaned on to take strides on the mound. Wright wants to see Grant Howard put together collective at bats to become a potential leadoff hitter.
Two names to keep an eye on are eighth grader Nate Terry and freshman Kayin Howard. Terry will spend time behind the plate when Hatfield pitches, while Howard provides impressive arm strength.
Due to a young roster, Wright acknowledged that their offense is still developing and that the team will have to rely on their strong defense and metal fortitude.
“Our strength is our mentality,” Wright said. “The boys come to practice to get better and want to get better. They listen and are not afraid to ask questions or make mistakes. They put their nose down to the grind and keep working. That is refreshing, especially for young players. Baseball is a very difficult sport and to have that mentality to go out and keep at it even if you make mistakes, they are strong at learning from those mistakes.”
In his first year as the Raiders manager, Wright has set plenty of expectations for himself – including helping his kids build a foundation.
“As a first-year head coach, I have a lot of expectations for myself and the players. We’re developing those expectations and pushing those out to the players on what I expect. How to practice, ask questions, how to go about the game, and how to learn the game… I have a good opportunity to build a solid foundation moving forward. A lot of emphasis is being put on foundations and knowledge of the game.”
Wright wants to develop pitchers, teach them fundamentals and to see his team stay competitive.
