OPINION: Checking in on former baseball standouts (5/14)

 A few thoughts on several former standouts from the area and how they are doing this season in college.

This area has been known for producing outstanding baseball players. If you don’t believe me, check out the rosters of colleges across Kentucky. I apologize now if I missed anyone. I tried to check every school. Zach Pitts and B.J. Rosenberg are both in their final season at the University of Louisville, which has a record of 34-18. The Cardinals close out the regular season this weekend against Rutgers. Pitts, the former Elizabethtown standout, is 5-5 with a 4.71 earned run average. He has appeared in 15 games, making 12 starts. In 65 innings, Pitts has struck out 65, while allowing 74 hits and 18 walks. Rosenberg, the former Meade County standout, is 5-4 with a six saves and a 4.44 ERA. He has appeared in 21 games, including five starts. Rosenberg has registered 56 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings. He has given up 56 hits and 16 walks. Both players are expected to be selected in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft. David Owens, a former Central Hardin standout, has a 2-0 record with a 7.41 ERA at Eastern Kentucky University. He has appeared in 12 games, tossing 17 innings and striking out 10. Levi Hardin, a former standout for John Hardin, is enjoying a solid freshman season at Union College. The Bulldogs are the No. 7 seed for the NAIA World Series as it gears up for the South Central Super Regional, which begins today. Hardin has played in 42 games, including making 20 starts. He is batting .264 with 17 runs scored and 10 RBIs. Hardin has three doubles, one triple and one homer. He has not made an error this season. Former North Hardin standouts Jared Yates and Evan Doub are enjoying success this season at St. Catharine College, which is one win away from the school’s first-ever regional championship. Yates, who left the University of Louisville, was batting .438 with nine doubles and one homer through April 27. He has scored 38 runs and drove in 22. Yates has stolen 18 bases. Doub, a tall right-hander, was 3-0 with three saves in 12 appearances, including one start. In 21 2/3 innings, he has struck out 20 and has a 0.42 ERA. Nathan Quesenberry, Nick Smith, Alphanso Kahn and Drew Stankiewicz helped Campbellsville to a 27-19 mark. The Tigers lost in the NAIA Region XI Tournament. Quesenberry and Smith are both Central Hardin products, while Kahn went to John Hardin and Stankiewicz Meade County. Quesenberry batted .273 with 11 runs scored and 13 RBIs. He has one double and two triples. Smith batted .182 this season. Ace Adcock, a former North Hardin standout, wrapped up his career at Lindsey Wilson, which finished the season 19-30. Adcock batted .310 and had a .438 on-base percentage. He had six doubles, two triples and two homers. Adcock scored 36 runs and 22 RBIs. He also stole nine bases. Mitchell Earles, who played at Central Hardin, is a sophomore at Georgetown College, which finished the season 30-24 this season. The left-handed Earles didn’t see any time on the mound. Bryan Allen, who helped LaRue County reach the state tournament in 2003, is an assistant coach at Mid-Continent University. Alex House, who played at LaRue County, is a member of the baseball team.   Former North Hardin softball player Alicia Ewen, a freshman at St. Catharine, is part of a historic season for the Lady Patriots. St. Catharine’s softball team has won the regional tournament for the first time in school history and the Lady Patriots have advanced to the national tournament.   Dean Loy of Elizabethtown made a hole in one Saturday at the Elizabethtown Country Club. The ace occurred on No. 16, which is a par 3, 166-yard hole. Chuck Jones is the sports editor for The News-Enterprise. He can be reached at 505-1759 or at cjones@thenewsenterprise.com