When Gunnar Hendricks stepped into the box in the bottom of the fifth with runners on first and second, the Apollo catcher couldn’t execute on a bunt call. Looking to redeem himself, he extended for a pitch, pulling it over the leftfield fence into the bullpen for a three-run homer.
The blast was all the Eagles needed to take care of business, beating one of the top contenders in the state Whitley County 5-3 to advance to the second round of the 2026 KHSAA Baseball State Tournament.
“Coach took of the bunt call and I knew I had to do something for the team,” Hendricks said. “I knew that I had to come through in a big way and he threw that pitch low and in. That’s where I like the ball. I just got out on it a little bit and took it for a ride. It felt amazing. I’m still kind of riding that high, but it’s back to work tomorrow morning.”
Facing one of the tournament favorites and a team ranked as high as No. 2 in the state but multiple publications, Apollo never gave Whitley County a chance to find their grove. Ross Milburn got the start on the mound and retired the first six batters he faced.
He hit Dee Parker to start the bottom of the third, but the senior was quickly thrown out trying to steal second. Milburn got Caden Mountjoy to fly out and struck out Spencer Bargo to end the inning.
The Colonels are known for their speed on the bases, having swiped 165 bags heading into the tournament, but Hendricks kept them in check.
“It felt like a sense of accomplishment for me because I showed them that I’m not like the other teams that they have played,” Hendricks said. “I am not going to let you take advantage of me and I think I did a good job of keeping them off the bases.”
Apollo finally broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth thanks to Hendricks’s three-run homer. Millburn led off the fourth with a double to centerfield, and Ty Lillpop reached base after being hit by a pitch. Hendrick’s drove them both in with his homer, but the Eagles weren’t finished. Jackson Carder recorded a one-out single, advanced to second on a sacrificed bunt and scored on a Jagger Pate base hit.
The Colonels answered back in the top of the fifth when Mountjoy scurried home on a wild pitch. Ryleigh Logan pushed the Eagles lead back to four in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single that scored Geordyn Stevens.
Whitley County’s best opportunity of the afternoon came in the sixth, scoring two runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Cooper Parman and Luke Hillard. With runners on first and second and no outs, Apollo Head Coach Heath Hicks turned to his top reliever in Isaac James.
Unfazed by taking over with runners on base, the sophomore quickly retired the next three batters to escape the jam unscathed. James stayed in to pitch the seventh, closing out the game on eight pitches.
“This feels great. To beat a team in the State Tournament and get a chance to get to the second weekend and play for a State Championship. That is why we are here,” Hicks said. “I thought Ross did an excellent job. We had some big knocks, and we played the game well. We executed mostly offensively and took advantage of our opportunities.”
Millburn allowed three earned runs and struck out five over five plus innings, while James pitched two perfect innings in relief. At the plate, Hendricks finished 1-2 with three RBIs, Carder went 2-2 with a walk, and Pate was 2-3 with an RBI.
This marks the first time since 2023 that the Eagles have advanced to the second round of the State Tournament and awaiting them is Campbell County.
“We just have to keep doing the same thing,” Hicks said. “It’s baseball. We go play baseball because baseball is fun.”
