Having returned to the State Tournament for the first time since 2023 with their recent 3-1 win over Meade County in the 3rd Region Championship, Apollo baseball has a daunting task in their way – Whitley County. Sitting at 38-3 and viewed as one of the tournament favorites, the Colonels boast one of the top pitching staffs in the state.
“They like to live away. They aren’t going to come in and are going to try to get you out on away stuff,” junior Ty Lillpop said. “But they are also really good. They’re 38-3, and we have to be ready to go and get the job done.”
Per KHSAA, the Colonels lead the state in ERA (1.04) and are sixth in strikeouts (301), thanks in large part to Ethan Allen. The senior is tied for the state lead in wins with 10, and is sixth in ERA (0.82). Behind him is a pitching staff that includes Luke Hillard (50 1/3 IP, 2.23 ERA, 59 Ks), Kip Allen (39 1/3 IP, 0.36 ERA, 49 Ks), Cooper Parman (35 1/3 IP, 1.58 ERA, 53 Ks), Eli Powers (14 2/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 14 Ks), and Trey Walton (14 2/3 IP, 0.95 ERA, 21 Ks).
The Eagles are no strangers to top-tier pitching, having faced Owensboro Catholic (1.70 ERA) three times and Meade County twice (1.94 ERA) this season.
“When it comes to hitting, we just need to put the ball in play and make them work,” senior Ryleigh Logan said. “We have a lot of guys on the team that have a lot of pop. If they just touch it, it’s going to be hit pretty hard.”
The Eagles enter the State Tournament hitting .303, with 154 RBIs, 52 doubles, and 204 runs scored. Logan is a catalyst at the top of the lineup, as he leads the team in batting average (.382), hits (42), doubles (13), and triples (5).
Behind him are Lillpop (.348, 34 RBIs), Gunnar Hendricks (.308, 33 RBIs, 6 homers), Jagger Pate (.302, 17 SBs), Jackson Carder (.270, 8 doubles), Ross Milburn (.341, 20 RBIs), and Geordyn Stevens (.314, 13 SBs).
“We need to put the ball in play and make them make plays,” Milburn said.
Apollo’s pitching staff will be put to the test against a Colonels offense that is second in batting average (.377) and hits (383), third in RBIs (316) and doubles (89), fourth in runs scored (375), and eighth in triples (18). They are also a massive threat on the base paths, having stolen 165 bags in 188 attempts – a challenge that Apollo catcher Gunnar Hendricks is looking forward to.
“Part of my job is to go out there and shut teams down that like to run,” Hendricks said. “I feel like this season I have been pretty effective at it, and I think our pitchers do a great job at keeping runners close to the bag to help me out.”
Apollo enters the tournament ranked 10th in the state in ERA (2.15), with Milburn and Lillpop leading the way in the rotation. The duo have combined for 106 of the team’s 233 strikeouts and have only allowed 25 runs across 93 2/3 innings. Isaac James has primarily pitched in relief, posting a 1.39 ERA, while Logan (1.91 ERA), Gage Logsdon (2.26 ERA) and Pate (2.23 ERA) have all excelled when handed the ball.
“Our pitchers this year have more strikeouts than innings pitched, which is good, but that isn’t really our forte,” Apollo Head Coach Heath Hicks said. “We can go get one if we need it, but pitching the weak contact, trusting the movement of our pitches, and mix our pitches well. Our pitching coach has done a great job of calling pitches this year, and our staff has done an excellent job of executing those pitches.”
