LEXINGTON — A new school and spring training space give the Scott County baseball team ample room to hang bulletin board material, and the rest of the state has provided plenty of it in March.
Despite the return of nine seniors and seven starters, Cardinal names were nowhere to be seen on a coaches’ association watch list released this week.
“I nominated some guys, and we didn’t get any on there,” Scott County skipper Scott Willard said. “That’s going up in the locker room Wednesday.”
By then, SC had won a fashionable six of its first seven games, including an 8-2 victory Monday at Lafayette.
The Cardinals topped the Generals for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in their past nine meetings, among them 11th Region tournament battles back in 2017 and 2018.
“It was 80 degrees Saturday, and we’re down here and it’s in the 40s,” Willard said. “It’s kind of one of those things where I thought we might struggle a little bit today, but they surprised me. They did a really good job.”
Will Rose was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and stolen base to lead the Cardinals.
The senior shortstop entered the game with nine hits in his first 16 at bats after leading the team with a .354 clip in 2025.
“He was hitting .560 going into today with two home runs, a double and nine RBI,” Willard said. “It’s hard when you’re hitting .560 to bring your average up, but somehow he did. He’s just been lights out.”
Lafayette couldn’t solve Jacob Skinner all evening. The sophomore parlayed his four plate appearances into two singles, two walks, two RBI and a stolen base.
Keagan Hurt also singled for Scott County, which was out-hit seven to six but took full advantage of eight walks and seven steals.
Parker Dotson and Colt Fields each knocked in a run. Duncan Stevens and Garrett Sparks drew a combined four free passes.
“I thought the strengths of our team would be pitching, we’d throw strikes, we’d be able to catch the ball, and we have team speed and can steal bases,” Willard said. “We didn’t catch it great today, but up until this game we made one error in the first four games.”
SC never trailed. The Cards scored twice in the top of the second inning and added another in the third.
Single runs from the Generals in the third and fourth frames tightened it up before SC secured insurance with two in the fifth and three in the sixth.
“They got it back to 3-2, and then we scored five unanswered, kind of pulled it on out there,” Willard said. “I thought that was big for us.”
It was redemption for Scott County’s two pitchers, both of whom were hit hard in the Cardinals’ lone loss of the opening week.
Working on two days’ rest after the abbreviated stint, Austin Davis scattered five hits over five innings, did not allow an earned run, struck out one and issued only one walk.
Hurt struck out two and worked around two Lafayette singles in two scoreless relief innings.
“I thought today would be tough,” Willard said. “Austin hasn’t got a lot of experience on the mound. He and Keagan didn’t throw very well Friday night up in Grant County. They came back and did a great job today.”
SC used nine arms in its first five games and will need them all in what shapes up as a busy second week.
After Tuesday’s win at Woodford County, 15-5, the Cards outlasted Paul Laurence Dunbar, 14-12, on Wednesday. They make the short trip Friday to Lexington Catholic and host Shelby County on Saturday afternoon.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had district games before we go to Florida,” Willard said, noting that spring break is essentially a week later than it was last season. “We’ve got to try to get our pitching setup to go against Douglass on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.”
Tyler Wands and Dotson are expected to start those two contests for Scott County, which graduated its top pitcher of the past several years, Jack Willhite, to Division I Evansville.
The Cardinals can put another disrespect card on the table as they roll into 42nd District play.
“Henry Clay, Douglass and Sayre are in there. Three teams from our district are in the top 25,” Willard said. “They think we’re No. 4 in the district.”
Some of that, the coach acknowledged, might be due to the list of ranked teams Scott County will play this season.
No. 7 Lexington Catholic, a team the Cardinals have beaten three of the past four years, is first in line.
“I thought we’d do OK. The only thing that scared me a little bit, and it’s all spring training until you get to district games, but our schedule is tough,” Willard said. “We play nine of the top 25 in the preseason (poll).”