Part One — Baseball and Softball
By Perry Swack
The KHSAA dead period is alive and well as we enter into the month of July. For many coaches and athletes, it’s the only time off they will have all year. Before we dive into fall sports later this month, we wanted to recap an eventful spring around the Greater Bowling Green Area. Keep reading for some of the top headlines from baseball, softball, tennis, track & field, and lacrosse. It was another banner season for many of our area teams.
Baseball – Russell County wins second region title in three seasons against packed field
After reaching the state finals in 2022, the Russell County Lakers made it back to the state tournament after winning its second region championship in three seasons. The 16th District champions were led by Mayes Gosser and Trace Stringer at the plate. The junior Gosser led the team with 46 runs, 57 hits, 50 RBI, and a .426 batting average. The senior Stringer had 55 hits, 39 RBI, scored 43 runs, and batted .394. He also led the team on the mound with nearly 60 innings pitched, going 9-1 with a 2.62 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Three pitchers (Stringer, Austin Bartrug, and Lincoln Helm) combined for a record of 19-3. The Lakers overcame two regular-season losses to Warren East in the regular season to defeat them 12-3 in the region championship game and reach the state tournament.
The Raiders had a great season on the diamond, winning their first district title since arriving in the 15th District. Senior Maddox Tarrence led the way with 46 hits, third-best in the 4th Region. Greenwood won its first 14th District championship since 2013 behind one of the top pitching staffs in the state. Junior Nathan Howard paced the Gators with a record of 8-1 and 62 strikeouts to go along with a 1.62 ERA. Greenwood’s team ERA of 2.07 was among the state’s best. Elsewhere in the 14th District, Ethan Reynolds of South Warren had an outstanding season at the plate, ranking among the state’s best in hits (45), home runs (9), RBI (38), batting average (.455), and slugging percentage (.889).
Bowling Green missed the region tournament for the first time since 2017; however, the Purples started the season 16-0 and won nearly 30 games. Senior Ethan Madison led the way with 16 doubles, six home runs, 37 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .755. Jackson Idlett posted one of the top earned run averages in the state at 0.86 in over 40 innings of work. Drew Isenberg was right behind at 1.35 in over 50 innings on the mound. Idlett, Isenberg, and Max Buchanon combined for a record of 18-3. Franklin-Simpson won the 13th District for a second-straight season and reached the region semifinals.
Softball – South Warren reaches state semifinals for third time in program history
South Warren was considered the best softball team in the state of Kentucky for much of the 2024 season and came painstakingly close to appearing in the one game that has eluded the Lady Spartans: the state championship. Coach Kelly Reynolds’ club began the season 18-0 en route to a school-record 39 wins. Junior McLaine Hudson set the state record for hits in a season with 93, to go along with 81 runs, 67 RBI, 14 doubles, 22 home runs, and a batting average of .620. Kinleigh Russell and Hadley Borders also posted batting averages above .500 as Russell hit .598 with 55 runs and a team-best 21 doubles, while Borders scattered 60 hits, drew 32 walks, and hit .504. Layla Ogden knocked in 65 runs at the plate and went 20-0 with a 1.11 ERA on the mound. The sophomore struck out 144 batters in over 100 innings of work. Teammate Courtney Norwood went 16-3 with an ERA of 1.36, compiling 139 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 98 innings. The Lady Spartans will bring back virtually its entire team in 2025, making them an easy favorite to capture the elusive state title next spring.
Barren County had a banner year on the diamond as well. The Trojanettes reached only their third region title game in the last 25 years (2004, 2010) and nearly sprung the upset on the Lady Spartans in the region finale, before falling 4-2. Senior Katie Murphy led the way with a batting average of .570 with 65 hits, 64 runs, 59 RBI, 23 doubles, and seven home runs. Her slugging percentage of 1.044 was also among the state’s best. Freshman pitcher Shea Bogue went 22-4 on the mound in nearly 150 innings pitched with 76 strikeouts. Logan County won its fourth 13th District title in five seasons behind Emerson McKinnis’s 14 home runs and .536 batting average, while Clinton County captured its first 16th District championship since 2009. Three Lady Bulldogs tallied more than 50 hits as Lily Hickman (53), Lauren Winningham (51), and Lexi Messer (50) led the way.
Warren East and Greenwood were among the state leaders in various hitting categories, with the Lady Raiders’ Lydia Jones batting .488 with 61 hits, 43 runs, 43 RBI, and 15 doubles. Teammate Jordan Brooks tallied 57 hits to go along with a .460 batting average. Greenwood’s Cali Huff batted .447 with 46 hits, 47 RBI, 43 runs, and a whopping 16 home runs, while Savannah White hit .453 with 45 runs and 34 RBI.
