Greenwood faces off with 6th Region champion Mercy on Thursday evening
By Perry Swack
One of the most successful programs in KHSAA softball history, Greenwood won three state championships and six region titles in nine seasons between 2006 and 2014. However, the Lady Gators failed to make it back to the state tournament in each of the last seven seasons, falling in the region finale twice (2016, 2022). An exciting 2023 season saw first-year manager Rodney Bush get the program back to the Sweet 16 for a twelfth time, ranking in the top five among all Kentucky high schools.
Nothing about the 2023 campaign came easy for the Lady Gators, who played five games against other state tournament teams and also four games against its crosstown rival, South Warren, who spent the entire season ranked in the state’s top 3.
Greenwood is led by one of the state’ top pitchers, senior Kayden Murray. The Lindsey Wilson commit is 13-6 with 207 strikeouts and holds a 1.47 ERA, among the state leaders in both categories. In the 4th Region Tournament, Murray threw consecutive no-hitters in the opening two rounds, fanning 34 batters in the process. In the title game, the right hander helped cool one of the state’s best teams at the plate as the Lady Gators won 2-1 over the Lady Spartans. In that region finale, GHS managed five hits, none bigger than a two-run home run by Cali Huff that proved to be the game-winner.
Coach Bush’s lineup features three hitters batting around or above .400, led by Savannah White at .439. Lydia Kirby is also batting .439 with eight home runs 21 RBI, and a team-best 43 hits and 12 doubles. Elise Kirby is hitting .385 with 37 hits and 23 RBI. Huff leads the team with nine home runs and 27 RBI. To make a deep run in the state event, the Lady Gators will need both their bats and their ace on the tops of their games.
Greenwood’s opening round opponent is sixth region champion, Mercy (27-6). The 4th Region champions are 4-2 all-time against the Jaguars. A win over Mercy would propel the Lady Gators into a quarterfinal meeting with 8th Region champion, Woodford County, or the #1 team in the state, Ballard on Saturday at 11:00 AM EST. Ballard – also ranked #2 nationally – eked out a 1-0 victory over Greenwood in mid-April that lasted 11 innings. Although the Lady Bruins seem unbeatable with their 32-1 overall record, the Lady Gators would at least believe that they have a chance to make some noise. The semifinals and finals will be played on June 9 and 10 back in Lexington.
Greenwood and Mercy play at John Cropp Stadium on the campus of the University of Kentucky on Thursday, June 1 at 6:00 PM EST.
