Have we mentioned the Second Region baseball race is wide open? Well, it is. Teams are being careful not to tip their hand too much, sometimes throwing off in key matchups or not rushing back injured players too soon. While pitching always holds the key to the region, who can stay healthy may be close behind.
1) Henderson County (17-10) – Henderson jumps Christian County this week for two reasons, and neither have to do with their season sweep. For one, Henderson is absolutely raking at the plate. The Colonels are hitting .347 as a team and have hit 15 home runs. The fact they are averaging over seven runs a game offsets their 5.54 team ERA. Second, they have seven players who have thrown at least 10 innings this year and have continued to build depth all season. A game worth watching is Henderson’s game at Lyon County Friday.
2) Christian County (14-7) – For the first time this year, Christian County falls out of the top spot. They have been bitten by the injury bug that has also affected their pitching staff. When healthy, the Colonels are the top team in the region. However, they have shown to be a tad vulnerable in recent weeks. When the Colonels get healthy and throw their top three, they will likely move back into the top spot.
3) Lyon County (18-8) – The Lyons swept a twinbill from Madisonville and played Marshall County, one of the top teams in the First Region, to a season split. They still have games remaining with Henderson County and Union County that should give them a good idea of where they stand among the region’s elite.
4) Union County (15-11) – The Braves have been an up-and-down team all year. Like Christian County, they have the top-tier pitching to win a region title. But do they have enough to make a deep run in the region tournament? They have a tough schedule over the final two weeks that should get them ready for a postseason run.
5) Hopkinsville (14-7) – The Tigers have allowed the fewest runs (74) of any team in the region, but that will be put to the test over the final two weeks of the regular season with 10 games scheduled. Friday’s 4-0 loss to Henderson County ended a string of four straight games allowing two or less runs. As Hoptown’s defense goes, so go the wins.
6) Madisonville (13-11) – The Maroons are another of the Jekyl-Hyde teams in the region. They haven’t won more than two straight games all season. Nearly have of their games have been decided by one run. The Maroons are 6-4 in those games.
7) Caldwell County (12-10) – The Tigers have shown to be a huge offensive threat all season, scoring ten or more runs in five of their last six games. They will see some good pitching in the coming weeks with games against Paducah Tilghman, Christian County, Union County, and Marshall County.