Softball, baseball, track athletes honored

SOFTBALL

Hailey Cannon of Boyle County has been named the Class 2A Co-Player of the Year by the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association.

Cannon, a senior second baseman-shortstop, also was chosen to play for the Kentucky All-Star team in the annual Kentucky-Tennessee All-Star Series.

She was one of four players who earned all-state recognition from a Boyle team that went 28-7 and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Cannon hit .400 from the leadoff spot for Boyle and stole 38 bases in 39 attempts. She will play at the University of the Cumberlands next season.

Cannon and Kayleigh White were named to the Class 2A first team and Kyndall Honaker and Summer Ray were named to the Class 2A second team by the KSCA, which recognizes all-state players and players of the year in three enrollment classes.

Cannon and Honaker played for the East seniors and Ray played for the East juniors in the Kentucky East-West All-Star series last week in Bowling Green. Boyle coach Brian Deem was a coach for the East junior team.

The Kentucky team that will play in the Kentucky-Tennessee series was chosen from the seniors in the East-West series.

The Kentucky and Tennessee all-stars will play a best-of-3 series Wednesday in Bowling Green.

BASEBALL

Four Danville players received all-state recognition from the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association.

One player from Boyle County and one from Mercer County were also recognized by the KHSBCA.

Christian Howe and Ethan Wood of Danville were named to the all-state first team.

Howe, a Kentucky signee, batted .547 and led the state in home runs with 21 and RBIs with 81, and he went 9-1 on the mound with a 0.80 earned-run average and 103 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings. Wood, a Louisville signee, hit .483 with 17 home runs — the third-highest total in the state — and 58 RBIs, and he went 9-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings.

Brady Baxter of Danville was named to the second team, and Luke Gaffney of Boyle County and Brady Morse of Danville were named to the third team. Evan Hart of Mercer County received honorable mention.

TRACK AND FIELD

Nine Mercer County athletes and relay teams were among a total of 15 local track and field athletes and teams who earned first team all-state honors from the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Twelve athletes and relay teams received second team recognition from the KTCCCA, which recognizes all-state athletes by event in three enrollment classes.

The all-state list includes athletes from Boyle County, Danville, Garrard County and Lincoln County as well as Mercer, which won the Class 2A boys team championship and was runner-up in the 2A girls team competition.

The list of local all-state athletes by school, with the events for which they were honored:

CLASS 1A

BOYS

First Team

Danville — Gabe Suarez, 800

CLASS 2A

BOYS

First Team

Boyle County — Andrew Hardwick, shot put

Mercer County — Beau Brown, 200; Noah Davis, 400; Jalen Lukitsch, 300 hurdles; 800 relay team (Lukitsch, Davis, Riley Peavler, Brown)

Second Team

Boyle County — Hardwick, discus; Alex Lockhart, pole vault

Mercer County — Matthew Mays, long jump and triple jump; Thaddeus Mays, triple jump; Bryce Walton, pole vault; 400 relay team (Lukitsch, R. Peavler, Jackson Peavler, Brown); 1600 relay team (Lukitsch, R. Peavler, James Johnston, Davis)

GIRLS

First Team

Boyle County — Hennessy Ison, shot put

Garrard County — Emma Lawrence, long jump and triple jump

Lincoln County — Abigail Bastin, 1600; Lucy Singleton, 800

Mercer County — Jai Maria Piazza, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles; Timberlynn Yeast, 200 and 400; 1600 relay team (Harlee Settles, Piazza, Teigh Yeast, Ti. Yeast)

Second Team

Boyle County — Ison, discus; Molly Wise, triple jump

Mercer County — Clayra Darnell, 3200; Kendall Edelen, discus