There will be no shortage of Division I baseball talent taking the field when the KHSAA Region 6 and7tournaments begin on Tuesday and Wednesday and culminate Memorial Day weekend at the University of Louisville's Jim Patterson Stadium.
In fact, U of L coach Dan McDonnell could fill out nearly half of a lineup card with commits— from 2022 prospects and beyond— vying for a spot at the state tournament.
Thesenine players will play a big role in keeping their teams' postseasons alive.Check out the list of prospects in alphabetical order below:
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St. Xavier's Jake Bennett (C,San Jacinto College)
Jake Bennett isn't jumping into the Division I ranks after his St. X career comes to a close, but there's a chance he could find his way to a Power 5 program or hear his name called in the MLB Draft after some time playing for junior college powerhouseSan Jacinto in Texas.The senior enters the Seventh Region Tournament leading the No. 3 Tigers' startersin batting average (.435), home runs (11) and RBIs (53).
Trinity's Korbyn Dickerson (OF, Louisville)
Korbyn Dickerson will become very familiar with the outfield at Jim Patterson Stadium over the coming years, because it'll be hard forMcDonnell to keep him out of the lineup if he continues to swing the bat like he has during his final season with No. 2 Trinity.The senior is hitting .489 and leading the state with 56 RBIs through 36 games. He's also among the top five statewide in home runs (11) and runs scored (51).
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Southern's Alex Galan (SS/P, Louisville)
Alex Galan is a two-way player who committed to Louisville heading into his freshman year at Southern High School. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic,Galan came out swinging in 2021. The switch hitter batted.479 with 20 RBIs and went a perfect 12 for 12 on stolen base attempts.
Heading into the Sixth Region Tournament,Galan is hitting.277 with 17 runs scored and 10 RBIs in his second season with the Trojans. The 2023 prospect has posted just 4.1 innings on the mound, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and two walks to go along with six strikeouts.
St. Xavier's Jake Gregor (P/1B, Louisville)
Jake Gregor won't graduate from St. X until 2024, but the 6-foot-4 rightyearned an offer from Louisville after a strong freshman campaignin which he went 3-2 in nine starts with a 1.96 ERA and43 strikeouts in46 1/3innings. As a sophom*ore,Gregor is 2-2 in six starts with a3.43 ERA and 31 strikeouts in34 2/3 innings.
Although he's given up more runs on the mound during Year 2 with the Tigers,Gregor has made up for it by generating more offense at the plate. He's batting.293 with24 RBIs in 92 at-bats, good for second most on the team, after striking out in half of his eight plate appearances as a freshman.
Trinity's Matt Klein (C, Louisville)
The future of Louisville's battery should be in good hands if MattKlein can continue to develop his approach at the plate, which has made him one of the best hitters inTrinity's lineup. Klein'sbatting average jumped from .459 during his junior season to .489 as a senior, and 15 of his 45 hits have gone for extra bases— 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs.He also has walked (24) more than twice as much as he's struck out (11) in 92 plate appearances.
Male'sNic Schutte (IF/P, Western Kentucky)
Nic Schutte is a dual-sport athlete for Male, so it's fitting the Bulldogs' former starting quarterback is also a dual threat on the diamond. The WKU commit has shown flashes of dominance on the mound, including a complete-game shutout ofSt. Henry in April in whichhe struck out 11 batters, and racked up 87 Ks as a junior.He has a 2-3 record, a 2.84 ERA, 36 strikeouts and just 11 walks across five starts in 2022.
Schutte's offensive numbers have dipped from his junior season; he batted .371 with20 RBIs in 89 plate appearances in 2021 compared to his.247 average and three RBIs in 77 plate appearances as a senior heading into theSeventh Region Tournament.
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Trinity's Jake Schweitzer (IF, Louisville)
JakeSchweitzer committed to Louisville in August 2021 and appears ready to embrace a major role in Trinity's lineup with the departures of future college teammates Dickerson andKlein after the 2022 season comes to an end. As a sophom*ore,Schweitzer is hitting.333 with23 RBIs in 66 plate appearances. Nine ofSchweitzer's 22 hits have gone for extra bases— four doubles, three triples and two home runs. He's also stolen nine bases, good for second best on the team.
St. Xavier's Cooper Smith (Utility, Troy)
Cooper Smith is a big reason why St. X leads the state in triples, and his speed could be an X-factor in theSeventh Region Tournament.The junior has eight of the Tigers' 23 three-baggers of the season, so it's no surprise he also leads the team in runs scored (40) and stolen bases (16) across 34 games.
The Troy commit also boasts a .432 batting average and has struck out just 11 times in111 plate appearances.
St. Xavier's Ty Starke (P, Louisville)
Ty Starke announced his commitment to Louisville on April 27, just hours after the junior leftyimproved to 5-0 on the season with a strong start against rival Trinity.Starke held the Shamrocks hitless through five innings, and St. X cruised to an 8-2 victory in what was then a battle of the state's top two teams.
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After pitching just five innings in two starts for the Tigers as a sophom*ore, Starke enters theSeventh Region Tournament with a 6-0 record, a 1.27 ERAand a team-best 56 strikeouts in38.2 innings. The junior has allowed more walks (20) than hits (17).
