By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Beechwood baseball team that won the Kentucky All “A” Classic state tournament three of the last five years is a top contender for the small-school state championship once again.
The Tigers were ranked No. 8 in the state this week by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association. None of the teams ranked ahead of them compete in the All “A” Classic statewide playoffs so they’re considered the favorite.
Beechwood defeated Ludlow, 15-0, in the 9th Region All “A” Classic on Friday to advance its record to 11-0. The regional semifinal games on Monday at UC Health Stadium in Florence will be Beechwood vs. Bellevue at 4:30 p.m. and St. Henry vs. Newport Central Catholic at 7 p.m.
The regional final is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday with the winner playing the 10th Region champion to determine a berth in the eight-team state tournament that’s set for April 27 and 28 at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro.
Last year, Beechwood defeated Hazard, 3-1, in the All “A” Classic state final and added the championship trophy to the ones it brought home in 2016, 2014 and 2006.
Beechwood has outscored its first 11 opponents this season, 111-18, with three shutout victories. Going into Friday’s game, the Tigers had a .399 team batting average and the pitching staff had a 2.10 earned run average.
In his team’s first 10 games, Beechwood senior outfielder Logan Castleman, a Wright State University recruit, had a team-high .654 batting average with 12 runs scored and 16 runs batted in.
The Tigers also have a pair of .500 hitters in senior outfielder Devin Johnson (.586) and senior shortstop John Odom (.533). Odom, a Northern Kentucky University recruit, led the team in runs scored (20) and stolen bases (nine) after the first 10 games.
Local players, coach taking part in Ohio-Kentucky all-star game
Dieonte Miles of Walton-Verona and Makhi McGuire of Newport are the local boys basketball players on the roster for the 26th annual Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game to be played Saturday, April 13 at Thomas More University.
Courtney Hurst of Conner will play in the girls all-star game that’s part of the double-header between the top senior players from the neighboring states.
The girls game will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the boys game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The night before those games, players will compete in 3-point shooting, slam dunk and other skills contests at 7 p.m. Friday.
Miles, a 6-foot-11 center who was named 8th Region Player of the Year, will be playing with one of his future college teammates, Kyky Tandy of University Heights, in the all-star game. They were both recruited by Xavier University.
The Kentucky roster also includes Louisville Trinity senior David Johnson, who was named most valuable player in the state tournament after his team won the championship game against Scott County.
The girls all-star team will be coached by Katie Haitz, who guided Ryle to the girls state championship last month. Her roster includes Boyd County senior Savannah Wheeler, who had the highest scoring average (29.6) in Kentucky girls basketball this season.
Complete rosters for both all-stars games are available on www.oh-kyallstargame.com.
Top archers in Region 6 qualifier advance to state tournament
Calvary Christian senior Jonathan Stonis and Cooper sophomore Makenna Lanham posted the highest boys and girls scores in the Region 6 archery tournament and head the list of local qualifiers for the state tournament on April 30.
Stonis won the boys regional title with a 297 score that included 27 10-point arrows. He finished four points ahead of runner-up Mason Conrad of Ryle. Lanham’s winning score in the girls competition was 296 with 26 tens. She took the title by just one point over Simon Kenton sophomore Paige Robbins.
Simon Kenton won the girls regional team title with a 1,996 total to earn a return trip to the state tournament. Last year, the Pioneers won the first Kentucky state championship trophy ever awarded in girls archery.
Ryle qualified for the girls state tournament as the Region 6 runner-up. The Raiders had a 1,991 team total. The top two teams in the boys regional tournament were Ryle with a 1,999 total and Covington Latin at 1,951. Both of those teams advance to the boys state tournament.
The boys individual state qualifiers were Stonis, Brennan Eilers of St. Henry and Mitchell Keton of Conner. The girls individual state qualifiers were Lanham, Hannah Ubelhor of St. Henry and Alison Hunt of Conner.