By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
In the 32nd District baseball championship game three weeks ago, Simon Kenton shortstop Trent Kincaid made a diving catch on a line drive, scrambled to his feet and threw out a base runner before he could get back to first.
Coach Troy Roberts said that double play by one of the team’s senior captains set the tone for the Pioneers’ successful playoff run. On Friday, they’ll take on Marion County in a state semifinal game at 11 a.m. at Whitaker Bank Park in Lexington.
“That double play really got us going,” Roberts said. “It just seemed like after Trent made that play everybody else kind of fed off that and they wanted to be the next one to make a big play.”
Kincaid is a four-year starter for Simon Kenton. With his steady fielding and hitting, he’s a mainstay in the starting lineup for the Pioneers, who are two wins away from claiming their first state title in baseball.
The varsity veteran will enter Friday’s game with a .345 (48 of 129) batting average and a team-high 41 runs scored. He plays defense so well that local coaches made him the shortstop on their Northern Kentucky Class AA All-Star Team this year.
“Trent is an impact player, there’s no other way to put it,” coach Roberts said. “You know you’re going to get his best every single day. He’s been playing that way since he was a freshman.”
Simon Kenton made it to the state championship game four years ago when Kincaid was the only freshman in the starting lineup. He remembers how disappointed he was after a 5-2 loss to Louisville St. Xavier in the title game.
He wants to get another shot at a state championship with this year’s team that’s taking a 26-15 record and nine-game win streak into Friday’s semifinal game.
“I’m not satisfied yet,” Kincaid said of his senior season. “I’m in the hunt right now. I want (a state title) really bad. I’ve been through it once and lost it. I want to get there again.”
Simon Kenton won its first two state tournament games behind good pitching performances by senior left-hander Mitchell Kreidenweis and junior Bailey Martin. The Pioneers made one error in each of those games, but the defense also turned in a pair of double plays, picked off runners on base and stranded several runners in scoring position.
“Our pitching is good and we’re going to have the pitcher’s back in the field,” Kincaid said. “When they know that on the mound, I think it gives them more confidence. They can throw the pitches they want and we’ll get the outs.”
At the plate, the Simon Kenton team batted .311 (14 of 25) in the two previous games. Martin and junior designated hitter Zane Fuqua had four hits each and Kincaid had three, including a double.
“Trent probably handles the bat better than anybody in our lineup, which is one reason he’s in the No. 2 hole (in the batting order),” coach Roberts said. “He gives us options whether to bunt or swing away on a hit-and-run when he steps up.”
Kincaid was also a starting defensive back on the Simon Kenton football team, but he decided to play baseball when he attends Thomas More College in a few weeks. If his senior year ends the way he wants, he’ll have a state championship ring to show his college teammates.
“I’m getting goose bumps now just talking about it,” he said. “But we’re not there yet. We’ve got to win Friday’s game first.”