The future of BluGrass Baseball

I’m proud to announce BluGrass Baseball is joining a new central Kentucky-focused news website called KyForward, which launched yesterday. I will be working full-time for KyForward as the website’s sports editor and will be bringing BluGrass Baseball with me. What does this mean for BluGrass Baseball readers? Your favorite BluGrass Baseball features, including the “Ky in the Minors” and “Ky in the Majors” databases, are moving to KyForward as well. I will still post daily baseball updates on the KyForward “Our Sports” page. That page will have a special category for BluGrass Baseball content, which can be accessed here. The BluGrass Baseball archive of posts published before May 1, 2011, will remain at http://www.bluegrassbaseball.wordpress.com. The BluGrass Baseball Twitter page will remain the place for up-to-the-minute breaking baseball news, but I encourage you to also follow my KyForward Twitter account, @jonkyforward, for other sports updates.

When I launched BluGrass Baseball almost two years ago, my goal was to fill a gaping hole in the media coverage of Kentucky baseball. It is that motivation that attracted me to KyForward, which hopes to fill the gaps in media coverage of all issues in central Kentucky. By moving to KyForward I will be able to devote my full effort to sports coverage. That means, in addition to the features you have become accustomed to from Bluegrass Baseball, I will be publishing in-depth stories about your favorite Kentucky baseball players and teams, including this one about Mount Sterling native Drew Lee. Baseball is not the only sport I will cover for KyForward, but you can expect to see the same level of baseball coverage there that BluGrass Baseball has made a name for.

I encourage you to become not just a regular reader of the KyForward sports coverage, but also the website’s coverage of all things Lexington and Central Kentucky. We boast an extremely talented staff that will cover the region in a way that has been lacking in the past. The KyForward team is committed to being your number one cyberspace stop for local news and information, interesting – even offbeat – stories well told, and overt “community-building.” You can see the early examples of the work you can come to expect from the website at http://www.KyForward.com. Beginning later this week, BluGrassBaseball.com will automatically re-direct you to the BluGrass Baseball posts on KyForward.

Jon Hale

BluGrass Baseball Founder

KyForward Sports Editor/Reporter

Madison Central is No. 1 in latest KHSBCA poll

High School Baseball

The Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its weekly top 25 poll. Check out the rankings below:

Madison Central
St. Xavier
Eastern
Central Hardin
Lafayette
Lexington Catholic
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Male
Apollo
Pleasure Ridge Park
Covington Catholic
Tates Creek
Hopkinsville
Ballard
Bryan Station
Harrison County
Allen County Scottsville
Woodford County
Lawrence County
Danville
Ryle
Pikeville
Trinity
Henderson County
Warren East

You can see the other schools receiving votes here.

Cowgill named PCL player of week; Soloman named OVC player of week; Wellemeyer hopes to contribute with Cubs

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Lexington native and former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was named the player of the week in the Pacific Coast League after batting .640 with 2 HR, 7 RBI and 8 runs last week.
Eastern Kentucky University freshman infielder Bryan Soloman was named the co-Ohio Valley Conference player of the week.
Madison Central High School dropped its first game of the season last night with a 5-0 loss to Bryan Station High School.
Aaron Fitt of Baseball America highlights Western Kentucky University senior catcher Matt Rice in his weekly “Golden Spikes Award” spotlight.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun -Times reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer missed an opportunity to start for the Cubs early this season due to a hip injury, but is close to returning to game action with the Iowa Cubs and still may fill an important role for the MLB team.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated ranks University of Kentucky junior right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer the No. 20 prospect in the 2011 draft, noting he could go anywhere from a top five pick to the sandwich round.

Webb’s velocity down during rehab appearance; Miller struggling; Wellemeyer to return to action this week

High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Brandon Webb; Photo by SD Dirk via Flickr

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb was at 78 to 81 mph during the first two innings of his latest extended spring training appearance.
Jason Frakes of the Courier-Journal runs down the high school top 25 matchups at this week’s Louisville Invitational Tournament.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Louisville native Trever Miller has been struggling recently as the Cardinals’ only left-handed reliever. Miller has not recorded an out in his last five appearances.
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer is scheduled to pitch this week for AAA Iowa.
Thomas Harding and Nick Kosmider of MLB.com reports Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook, who was born in Ft. Campbell, will throw a simulated game on Wednesday as he rehabs from a broken finger.
Mike Fields of the Lexington Herald-Leader profiles 16-0 Madison Central High School in his most recent high school notebook.
Herald-Leader columnist Mark Story also talked to me this week about BluGrass Baseball for his latest column.

Spring storms cancel Wednesday Kentucky baseball action

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Minor League Baseball

A couple of early evening notes to pass along:

Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Morehead State University all canceled their Wednesday games due to rain.
The Lexington Legends, Bowling Green Hot Rods and Louisville Bats were also rained out on Wednesday.
KHSAA has released its the regional matchups for the 2011 state baseball tournament.
Baseball America profiles WKU junior outfielder Kes Carter in its latest “Draft Tracker,” noting Carter could be selected as high as the second or third round in the 2011 draft.

Corey Hart returns to Brewers; Scott Downs hopes to be back Friday; Jordan Cooper continues dominance over UofL

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Corey Hart; Photo by manning999 via Flickr

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart was not expected to be activated from the Milwaukee Brewers’ disabled list until Wednesday, but a batting-practice injury to Erick Almonte forced Hart off the DL on Tuesday. He grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance in his season debut.
Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs, who is on the Angels’ disabled list with a gastrointestinal disorder, will throw a bullpen session Wednesday before being activated in time for Friday’s game.
Chuck Jones of The News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown reports the 2011 high school season has been the “year of the hitter” in the greater Elizabethtown area, with 19 players still batting over .400.
Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal focuses on University of Kentucky sophomore right-handed pitcher Jordan Cooper‘s career success against the University of Louisville in his recap of the Cats’ 7-1 win over the Cards.
University of Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell told Mark Maloney of the Lexington Herald-Leader he was “kind of getting tired of seeing that guy [Cooper].”
The College Baseball Blog has no Kentucky teams in its latest NCAA field of 64 projection.

Downs returns to the DL; Hart close to returning to Brewers; Madison Central is last undefeated high school team

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reports the Los Angeles Angels placed Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs back on the 15-day disabled list with a gastrointestinal virus that has caused him to lose around 10 pounds.
Todd Rosiak and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart will be back in uniform for the Brewers as early as Tuesday.
Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb will pitch in an extended Spring Training game on Monday as the next step in his rehabilitation process.
University of Louisville junior right-handed pitcher Tony Zych has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year award.
Jason Frakes of the Courier-Journal reports Madison Central High School is the last remaining undefeated Kentucky high school baseball team and could be the first team in 29 years to finish the season without a loss.

St. X remains No. 1 in latest KHSBCA top 25 poll

High School Baseball

The Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association has released an update on its top 25 high school poll. Check out the rankings below, noting ties at No. 18 and No. 25:

1. St. Xavier
2. Madison Central
3. Eastern
4. Lexington Catholic
5. Paul Laurence Dunbar
6. Ballard
7. Male
8. Pleasure Ridge Park
9. Apollo
10. Central Hardin
11. Lafayette
12. Harrison County
13. Hopkinsville
14. Tates Creek
15. West Jessamine
16. Woodford County
17. Danville
18. Covington Catholic
18. Daviess County
20. Butler
21. Pikeville
22. Lawrence County
23. Clay County
24. Trinity
25. Allen County Scottsville
25. Bryan Station

St. X remains No. 1 in latest KHSBCA top 25

High School Baseball

The Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its latest top 25 ranking last week. Check out the rankings below, noting the ties at No. 4 and No. 9:

1 — St. Xavier
2 — Lexington Catholic
3 — Eastern
4 — Male
4 — Paul Laurence Dunbar
6 — Apollo
7 — Harrison County
8 — Ballard
9 — Central Hardin
9 — Pleasure Ridge Park
11 — Madison Central
12 — West Jessamine
13 — Lafayette
14 — Trinity
15 — Daviess County
16 — Hopkinsville
17 — Henderson County
18 — Clay County
19 — Beechwood
20 — Somerset
21 — Tates Creek
22 — Danville
23 — Covington Catholic
24 — Pikeville
25 — Woodford County

You can see the other schools receiving votes here.

Blanton says mechanical problem affecting performance; Lawrence Co. ace rebounds from Tommy John surgery

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Joe Blanton; Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton said Tuesday he had identified a mechanical problem that was leading to his early season struggles, but Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said he did not know of any problem.
Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times reports the Angels are enjoying the added flexibility brought to the bullpen since Louisville native and former UK left-handed pitcher Scott Downs returned from the disabled list, giving the team two left-handed relievers.
George Von Benko of MLB.com reports Bowling Green native Corey Hart took batting practice on the field with the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time on Thursday.
Western Kentucky University will retire the jersey of former catcher Jack Glasser, who batted .326 in his three-year career. Glasser is the first WKU baseball player to have his jersey retired.
Mark Maloney of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the baseball side-show in Lexington early this week in the form of 2010 No. 1 pick Bryce Harper.
Mike Fields of the Herald-Leader reports Lawrence County High School right-handed pitcher Chandler Shepherd, a UK signee, has rebounded from Tommy John surgery to put himself in consideration for Mr. Baseball honors.