University Heights Academy’s baseball team has a chance to do something no other Blazers’ baseball team has done before on Thursday when it takes on Wolfe County in the first round of the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament in Lexington.
UHA can win its first state baseball tournament game and a victory would give the seventh-ranked Blazers their first 30-win season in school history.
Heights’ Head Coach, Michael Crow said his team can’t get caught up in the ‘firsts’ when it meets Region 14 champion Wolfe County at Legends Field.
The Blazers enter the game at 29-8 and winners of the Region 2 tournament by way of a 12-1, five-inning win over Christian County.
The Wolves are 24-10 and defeated Hazard 4-2 to win their second straight region crown.
Crow said he knows the Wolves will be a tough opponent, but for the Blazers it’s about handling their own business.
Wolfe County has eight seniors including Jayden Molands, who hits .378. Sophomore Landon McWhortor leads the team in hitting at .388. Seniors Camden Oliver and Chance Fallen both hit over .300.
Meanwhile, senior Max Whisman is 6-1 on the mound with a 2.94 ERA and 51 strikeouts.
Crow said the Wolves are a senior-laden team that will present a tough challenge.
UHA has eight seniors and is led at the plate and the mound by senior Hayden Hunt, who is hitting .510 at the plate and is 5-2 with one save and a 2.67 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 22 walks. Senior Jaiden Miles has had a good season with a 4-1 record and 2.78 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 15 walks.
Senior Jackson Flynn could also see time on the mound. He has battled injuries much of the season but is 5-0 with a 3.27 ERA.
Crow said his team is taking an all-business approach to Thursday’s game as it tries to reach its goal of making it to the second weekend.
The two teams have one common opponent this season. Frederick Douglass defeated the Wolves 11-1 in five innings and UHA defeated Frederick Douglass 12-10.
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets ahead of time at Gofan.com as the tickets will be $3 more at the gate. Here is the link to purchase tickets for Thursday’s game: https://gofan.co/event/6592757
Thursday’s game is set to start at 4 p.m. with airtime at 3:30 p.m. on 95.3 The Farm and 953thefarm.com.
A victory on Thursday would sent the Blazers into the quarterfinal round to play either No. 15 South Oldham or Boyd County at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
File Photo