Black, Ijames, Davis, Rice among Kentucky draftees who turned down professional contracts

Matt Rice bats for WKU: BluGrass Baseball photo

While Louisville native Zack Cox and Danville native Blake Perry signed professional contracts before Monday’s midnight draft signing deadline, 16 other Kentucky draftees did not and will head to college in the coming weeks. UK shortstop Taylor Black, UofL outfielder Stewart Ijames, WKU right-handed pitcher Rye Davis, NKU left-handed pitcher David Middendorf and WKU catcher Matt Rice were the Kentucky collegians who elected to return to school rather than sign deals with their professional clubs. Lexington native Casey Lucchese, the Cubs’ 39th round pick, will return to the College of Charleston for his senior season in 2011.

Ohio high school right-handed pitcher Dace Kime, the Pirates’ eight-round pick, was the highest drafted Kentucky player to choose college and will attend the University of Louisville this fall. UofL signee Chad Green, an Illinois right-handed pitcher and Blue Jays 37th round pick, also will play for the Cards in 2011. (Update 8/23: This item has been updated to correct previous error about UofL signee Joel Bender, who did sign with Reds)

Mr. Kentucky Baseball and Western Hills High School infielder/right-handed pitcher J. T. Riddle, the Red Sox’ 35th round pick; Lexington Christian Academy outfielder Lucas Witt, the Dodgers’ 38th round pick; and Trinity High School left-handed pitcher Corey Littrell, the Nationals’ 42nd round pick, will each play for the University of Kentucky in 2011 rather than sign pro deals. UK out-of-state commitments Jonathan Bobea, a New York right-handed pitcher and Angles’ 19th round pick, and Matt Reida, an Indiana infielder and White Sox 47th round pick, will also suit up for the Cats in 2011.

Hopkinsville High School right-handed pitcher Justin Hageman, the first Kentucky high schooler selected in the 2010 draft as the Royals 32nd round pick, will follow through on his commitment to Western Kentucky University. Former Boone County High School outfielder Ronald Cotton, the White Sox’ 45th round pick, will play for the University of Cincinnati next season. In all 31 of 48 players with Kentucky ties selected in the 2010 draft have signed professional contracts as well as six non-drafted free agents. Former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton, the Mariners’ fourth-round pick, has yet to sign a pro deal but wasn’t restricted by the Monday deadline as he pitched in independent ball in 2010.

Several high school draftees look likely to attend college

College Baseball, High School Baseball

With the weekend deadline for MLB draft picks to sign looming, several of the Kentucky high school prospects selected in the 2010 appear ready to head to college. Ohio prep left-handed pitcher and University of Louisville signee Dace Kime, the eighth round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, told Tim McDonough of The Crescent-News in Defiance, Ohio, that he would follow through on his committment to UofL instead of signing with the Pirates. “The more I waited around (for the Pirates) and the more I was around Louisville, the more persuaded I became to go to school,” Kime told McDonough. “My mom didn’t know about my decision, my dad (Jay Kime) didn’t know about my decision, I just made it and let Louisville know I was coming. Then I told my parents.”

Similarly Mr. Kentucky Baseball, J. T. Riddle, the Western Hills High School shortstop/pitcher and Boston Red Sox 35th round selection, told Linda Younkin of The State Journal in Frankfort he would follow through on his commitment to the University of Kentucky. “After being drafted there was some thought about not going [to UK], but the Red Sox had come back and said that where my shoulder was injured they couldn’t offer what I was asking and so that really put that down the drain, and I just decided to go on to UK,” Riddle told Younkin. In July the Courier-Journal also reported Trinity High School right-handed pitcher Corey Littrell, the Nationals’ 42nd round pick and Louisville Slugger player of the year, would attend UK.

Indiana prep infielder Matt Reida, the White Sox 47th round pick, told the Kokomo Tribune in Indiana after the draft he was likely following through on his commitment to UK and has given no indication to the contrary since. Boone County High School outfielder Ronald Cotton, the White Sox 45th round pick, committed to play collegiate ball at the University of Cincinnati in July, one month after the draft. I’ve found no media reports about the status of Hopkinsville High School right-handed pitcher and WKU signee Justin Hageman, Lexington Christian Academy outfielder and UK signee Lucas Witt or UofL signees Joel Bender and Chad Green. Since each of those players was drafted after the 25th round the chances of them attending school are good.

The Kentucky high school player who appears most likely to sign a professional contract is Danville native Blake Perry, a right-handed pitcher who signed with UK but was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round. Perry told The Advocate-Messenger in late July he still had no idea whether he would sign or not, but he figures to garner a six-figure signing bonus if he choses to go to Arizona. Earlier this week Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported the Diamondbacks were still working to sign Perry.

Draft Update: 18 Kentucky draftees have yet to sign

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Zack Cox; University of Arkansas photo

We’re just over three weeks from the Aug. 16 deadline for Major League teams to sign their non-college senior draft picks, so I thought we’d look at the remaining Kentucky draftees who have yet to sign. Remember over-slot deals aren’t announced until the deadline so some of these players may have agreed to deals that haven’t been announced yet:

3B — Zack Cox — Louisville (University of Arkansas) — 1st Round — St. Louis Cardinals
LHP — James Paxton — University of Kentucky (Ind. League) — 4th Round — Seattle Mariners
RHP — Blake Perry — Danville (Pendleton Academy, Fla.) — 6th Round — Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP — Dace Kime — Ohio HS (University of Louisville Signee) — 8th Round — Pittsburgh Pirates
LHP — Joel Bender — Ohio HS (UofL Signee) — 27th Round — Cincinnati Reds
SS — Taylor Black — University of Kentucky — 28th Round — St. Louis Cardinals
OF — Stewart Ijames — UofL — 29th Round — New York Yankees
RHP — Justin Hageman — Hopkinsville High School — 32nd Round — Kansas City Royals
SS — J. T. Riddle — Western Hills High School — 35th Round — Boston Red Sox
RHP — Rye Davis — Western Kentucky University — 36th Round — Cleveland Indians
RHP — Chad Green — Illinois HS (UofL Signee) — 37th Round — Toronto Blue Jays
OF — Lucas Witt — Lexington Christian Academy — 38th Round — Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP — Casey Lucchese — Lexington (College of Charleston) — 39th Round — Chicago Cubs
LHP — Corey Littrell — Louisville Trinity — 42nd Round — Washington Nationals
LHP — David Middendorf — Northern Kentucky University — 44th Round — New York Yankees
OF — Ronald Cotton — Boone County High School — 45th Round — Chicago White Sox
INF — Matt Reida — Indiana HS (UK Signee) — 47th Round — Chicago White Sox
C — Matt Rice — WKU — 50th Round — New York Yankees

Rice has already gone on record with his intentions to return to WKU for his senior season, but the final destinations for the other players are at least relatively uncertain. It’s probably safe to assume most of the high schoolers drafted in the later rounds will follow through on their college commitments, barring a team paying way over the slot recommendation to sign them.

Day One State Tournament Roundup

High School Baseball

The first four games of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state tournament are in the books. Check out brief recaps and awards from those games below and remember Lone Oak, LCA, Male, Warren Central, Hopkinsville, Daviess County, Harrison County and Clay County play their first-round games today.

Region 15 champion Pikeville High School came back from an early deficit and held off a late rally to defeat Region 14 champion Perry County Central High School in game one of the KHSAA state tournament. Pikeville junior second baseman Stephen Layne was 3-5 with one run scored and one RBI, and sophomore shortstop Gavin Miller was 2-4 with a home run, three RBI and one run scored. Junior starting pitcher Layne Cecil earned the win after surrendering six runs in five innings. Perry County senior left fielder Tyler Mullins was 2-4 with a run scored. (Box Score)
Region 16 champion Greenup County High School rode an outstanding pitching performance from senior starting pitcher Ethan Hardin en route to a 5-2 victory over Region Five champion Central Hardin High School. Hardin surrendered two runs on five hits in seven innings and struck out five while walking none. Greenup County senior left fielder Juan Staten was 3-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Five different Central Hardin batters recorded one hit in the game, and junior starting pitcher Dylan Schoffner took the loss despite allowing just two runs in four innings. (Box Score)
Region 12 champion West Jessamine High School, the highest ranked team in the tournament at No. 4 in the KHSBCA top 25, overcame an early 6-1 deficit to defeat Region Eight champion Shelby County High School 8-6 in its first-round game. West Jessamine reliever Alex Lester was almost unhittable as he allowed no runs on three hits in five and one-third innings for the win. Lester struck out 11 and walked none. Designated hitter Gus Sherrow was 3-4 with three runs scored, and third baseman Tyler West was 3-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Shelby County scored six runs in the first two innings with the help of five West Jessamine errors. Senior catcher John Hunter was 2-4 with a run scored. (Box Score)
Region Six champion Butler High School senior starting pitcher Kyle McGrath turned in the best pitching performance of the young tournament to lead Butler to a 7-2 win over Region Nine champion Boone County High School. McGrath struck out 16 batters in seven innings and allowed just two unearned runs on three hits. Butler junior left fielder Dwight Bigbee was 3-4 with a run scored, and senior shortstop Zach Lucas was 2-2 with two RBI and one run scored. Boone County sophomore starting pitcher Doug Teegarden took the loss after surrendering four runs in four and two-third innings but did strike out six batters. Chicago White Sox draft pick Ronald Cotton was 0-3 with a strikeout for Boone County. (Box Score)

Hitter of the day: SS Gavin Miller (Pikeville)

Stats: 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R
Honorable Mention: Stephen Layne (Pikeville), Tyler Mullins (Perry Co.), Juan Staten (Greenup Co.), Gus Sherrow (West Jessamine), Tyler West (West Jessamine), John Hunter (Shelby Co.), Zach Lucas (Butler), Dwight Bigbee (Butler)

Pitcher of the day: Kyle McGrath (Butler)

Stats: 1-0, 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 16 SO
Honorable Mention: Ethan Hardin (Greenup Co.), Dylan Shoffner (Central Hardin), Alex Lester (West Jessamine)

KHSAA State Tournament Schedule

High School Baseball

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association state baseball tournament is underway. I thought I’d pass along the schedule for the event with a few links to get you ready to crown the 2010 state champion:

Monday

GM 1 — Perry Central vs. Pikeville — 11 a.m.
GM 2 — Central Hardin vs. Greenup Co. — 1:30 p.m.
GM 3 — Shelby Co. vs. West Jessamine — 6 p.m.
GM 4 — Butler vs. Boone Co. — 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday

GM 1 — Hopkinsville vs. Daviess Co. — 11 a.m.
GM 2 — Male vs. Warren Central — 1:30 p.m.
GM 3 — Lone Oak vs. Lexington Christian — 6 p.m.
GM 4 — Harrison Co. vs. Clay County — 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday

Quarterfinal 1 — 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2 — 8:30 p.m.

Thursday

Quarterfinal 3 — 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4 — 8:30 p.m.

Friday

Semifinal 1 — 6 p.m.
Semifinal 2 — 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Championship — 7 p.m.

Links

Mike Fields of the Lexington Herald-Leader writes pitching depth will be key to the tournament as teams face the new “Sweet Sixteen” format for the first time in his preview of the action.
Fields will also be live blogging the action all week on his “Fields Notes” blog.
You can visit KHSAA’s tournament hub here.

MLB Draft Day Three Breakdown

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Matt Rice bats for WKU: BluGrass Baseball photo

Kentucky selections from the third and final day of the MLB amateur player’s draft:

31st Round (943) — RHP Matt Little — UK — Tigers
32nd Round (959) — RHP Justin Hageman — Hopkinsville High School — Royals
32nd Round (968) — LHP Jarrett Casey — NKU — White Sox
35th Round (1046) — 1B Tyler Oliver — Wabash Valley JC (LCA, UK verbal) — Nationals
35th Round (1068) — RHP Stephen Shackleford — Savannah College of Art & Design (Trinity HS) — Giants
35th Round (1073) — SS J.T. Riddle — Western Hills High School (UK signee) — Red Sox
36th Round (1080) — RHP Rye Davis — WKU — Indians
36th Round (1099) — LHP Dean Kiekhefer — UofL — Cardinals
37th Round (1116) — RHP Chad Green — Effingham, Ill. (UofL signee) — Blue Jays
38th Round (1138) — CF Jeremy Shelby — Grambling St. (Lexington) — Orioles
38th Round (1162) — OF Lucas Witt — Lexington Christian Academy (UK signee) — Dodgers
39th Round (1180) — RHP Casey Lucchese — College of Charleston (Paul Laurence Dubar) — Cubs
39th Round (1185) — LHP Bart Carter — WKU — Twins
41st Round (1229) — RHP Matt Ridings — WKU — Royals
42nd Round (1286) — LHP Corey Littrell — Trinity High School (UK signee) — Nationals
44th Round (1345) — LHP David Middendorf — NKU — Yankees
45th Round (1358) — OF Ronald Cotton — Boone County HS — White Sox
47th Round (1418) — 2B Matt Reida — Indiana (UK signee) — White Sox
48th Round (1452) — INF Patrick Brady — Bellarmine — Mariners
49th Round (1489) — LHP Bob Revesz — UofL — Cardinals
50th Round (1525) — C Matt Rice — WKU — Yankees

2010 KHSAA Regional Champions

High School Baseball

Last week we listed each of the KHSAA district baseball champions and now the state tournament has progressed through the regional round. With the new “Sweet 16” style state tournament set to start Monday, we’ll now look at each of the 16 regional champions:

Region 1 — Lone Oak
Region 2 — Hopkinsville
Region 3 — Daviess County
Region 4 — Warren Central
Region 5 — Central Hardin
Region 6 — Butler
Region 7 — Male
Region 8 — Shelby County
Region 9 — Boone County
Region 10 — Harrison County
Region 11 — Lexington Christian Academy
Region 12 — West Jessamine
Region 13 — Clay County
Region 14 — Perry County Central
Region 15 — Pikeville
Region 16 — Greenup County