High school softball: Tates Creek among hopefuls in wide-open playoff field
The high school softball postseason begins Monday and with it, Tates Creek has a chance to advance to a district championship and the following week’s region tournament for the first time since 2017.
That’s hard to believe for a program that has two Division I college players in that period in Peyton Plotts (Kentucky) and Tinley Easton (Minnesota).
“We’ve had great players here since I’ve been here. We just couldn’t put it together and play as a team,” said Tates Creek coach Mike Thomas, in his fifth season. “We have two seniors, three juniors and the rest of them are sophomores and below and they’re starting to play as a team. I really believe in this team.”
Tates Creek, like most softball teams around the state, relies on just one player in the circle. Commodores sophomore Alexis Sempsrott is 14-9 with 164 strikeouts and a 4.66 ERA. She’s also among the team’s top offensive threats. Senior Madison Bowman and junior Alexis Bazzell are also big run producers.
“We set a goal at the beginning of the season,” Thomas said. “They want to win districts, and they want to go to region. … That’s going to be history for them.”
As the season wore on, a number of the 11th Region’s top teams have faltered, and the chase for a district and region title appears wide open.
Entering postseason play on Monday, No. 13 Madison Central is the region’s only top-25 team, a stark contrast to past years when Lafayette, Lexington Catholic, Douglass and Bryan Station seemed to have a permanent place.
In the first Kentucky Prep Softball coaches poll March 29, the 11th Region had five teams in the state’s top 25 — No. 7 Frederick Douglass, No. 12 Great Crossing, No. 14 Lafayette, No. 15 Madison Central and No. 17 Scott County. Bryan Station made a brief appearance in the poll a few weeks later.
At Lafayette, standout juniors Addi Combs, a Kentucky commit, and Skylar Davis, the opening-day catcher, have missed half the season due to injury. Coach Chris Hould said both are out for the year. At Lexington Christian, sophomore catcher Madison Wertzler is also questionable after missing the last two games.
Without Combs, Lafayette’s Kenzie Harney, a senior College of Charleston commit, has stepped up as the Generals’ top offensive threat with a .442 average and seven home runs.
In the 42nd District, defending 11th Region champion Scott County suffered its lone district loss at Frederick Douglass on March 24. Douglass claimed last season’s district title, but the Cards will host this season’s tournament. And the Broncos will have to beat heated rival Bryan Station in the other semifinal to reach them. The Defenders and Broncos split their regular season series.
Here’s a glance at the softball postseason for the teams in the 42nd and 43rd districts. Records are through Thursday, May 14. Statistics are through Wednesday, May 13.
The 42nd District’s softball contenders
SCOTT COUNTY CARDINALS
District seed: No. 1.
Record: 16-10, 5-1 in district play.
Coach: James Wagoner.
District losses: At Frederick Douglass, 9-4, on March 19.
Best win: Douglass, 16-3, April 23.
Big hitters: Hadley Swint, So., .540 AVG, 7 HR, 32 R, 32 RBI; Aubrey Wigginton, Sr., .383 AVG, 28 R, 13 SB; Gracie Strong, Jr., .403 AVG, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 18 R.
Ace: Mackenzie Leidecker, Fr., 5-3, 3.09 ERA, 72 K.
Knockout game: Scott County plays Henry Clay at 6 p.m. Monday in the district semis as tournament host.
BRYAN STATION DEFENDERS
District seed: No. 2.
Record: 11-14, 3-3.
Coach: Hector Urbaneja.
District losses: Scott County, 1-0 and 5-4, March 31, May 12; Douglass, 11-4, April 30.
Best win: At Douglass, 6-0, April 2.
Big hitters: Mia Urbaneja, 7th, .366 AVG, 1 HR, 19 R, 13 RBI; Karsyn Rockvoan, Sr., .377 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI; Adrienn Acure, Jr., .338 AVG, 2 HR, 17 R, 11 RBI.
Ace: Rockvoan, 9-10, 2.29 ERA, 247 K.
Knockout game: Bryan Station plays Douglass at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the district semis at Scott County.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS BRONCOS
District seed: No. 3.
Record: 21-11, 3-3.
Coach: Tim Toler.
District losses: Bryan Station, 6-0, April 2; at Henry Clay, 13-10, April 21; Scott County, 16-3, April 23.
Best wins: No. 13 Madison Central, 2-1, March 26.
Big hitters: Haley McGuire, Jr., .505 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 33 R; Jarynn Bowman, Jr., .417 AVG, 13 HR, 31 RBI, 37 R; Emma Dunn, Jr., .299 AVG, 29 R, 9 RBI.
Ace: McGuire, 9-3, 5 SV, 3.99 ERA, 90 K.
HENRY CLAY BLUE DEVILS
District seed: No. 4.
Record: 9-17, 1-5.
Coach: Alysha Sakamura.
Best win: Douglass, 13-10, April 21.
Big hitters: Elise Pearson, So., .443 AVG, 26 R, 11 RBI; Jayne Skaggs, So., .492 AVG, 2 HR, 16 RBI; Kathryn Skaggs, So., .418 AVG, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 15 R.
Ace: Ella Smith, Sr., 4.29 ERA, 94 K, other stats incomplete.
The 43rd District’s softball contenders
LAFAYETTE GENERALS
District seed: No. 1
Record: 15-12, 7-1.
Coach: Chris Hould.
District losses: At Tates Creek, 12-8, on April 30.
Best win: No. 24 Oldham County, 13-10, on April 6.
Big hitters: Kenzie Harney, Sr., .442 AVG, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 28 R; Anna Clay Denton, Sr., .381 AVG, 29 R, 16 RBI, 20 SB; Brynna Harris, Sr., .316 AVG, 31 R, 28 RBI.
Ace: Lyla Hould, Sr., 14-5, 2.90 ERA, 69 K.
Knockout game: Lafayette will play the winner of Lexington Catholic-Paul Laurence Dunbar at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 43rd District semifinals as tournament host.
TATES CREEK COMMODORES
District seed: No. 2
Record: 15-9, 6-2.
Coach: Mike Thomas.
District losses: At Lafayette, 7-6, March 31; LCA, 7-5, April 16.
Best wins: Lafayette, 12-8, on April 30.
Big hitters: Alexis Bazzell, Jr., .439 AVG, 27 R, 20 RBI; Alexis Sempsrott, So., .423 AVG, 20 RBI, 10 R; Madison Bowman, Sr., .397 AVG, 21 R, 15 RBI.
Ace: Sempsrott, 14-9, 4.66 ERA, 164 K.
Knockout game: Tates Creek will play LCA at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 43rd District semifinals at Lafayette.
LEXINGTON CHRISTIAN EAGLES
District seed: No. 3
Record: 11-9, 4-4.
Coach: Chris Waits
District losses: At Tates Creek, 12-3, May 1; Lafayette, 5-2 and 15-0, on May 5, 11; Lexington Catholic, 20-2, May 12.
Best win: Tates Creek, 7-5, April 16.
Big hitters: Madison Wertzler, So., .536 AVG, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 10 R; Mackenzie Waits, Sr., .492 AVG, 27 R, 13 RBI; Emery Trogdon, 7th, .414 AVG, 29 R, 13 RBI.
Ace: Ella Deaton, Fr., 9-7, 3.15 ERA, 161 K.
THE SPOILERS
Monday’s first round game: Lexington Catholic (12-8, 3-5) vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar (9-14, 0-8), 6 p.m. at Lafayette.
Notes: The Knights swept Dunbar during the regular season and beat Douglass 7-5 on May 1, when the Broncos were still in the top 25.
