The Best Seat in the House

Just like that, we’re down to one Advocate-area team, the Mercer County baseball team, still alive in this school year.

Mercer will play Pulaski County tonight in a 12th Region Tournament semifinal at Southwestern, with the winner playing Wednesday night for the championship against the winner of tonight’s first game between Somerset and West Jessamine.

Nothing is certain in a baseball regional, but Mercer would figure to have a pitching advantage against Pulaski. Freshman J.T. Long, their No. 3 starter, went the distance in the Titans’ 19-8, five-inning win over Lincoln County in Monday’s first round, while the Maroons burned through at least two pitchers in their 10-9, nine-inning win over Wayne County.

Six baseball and softball teams from this area went to Southwestern on Monday for the first round of the baseball and softball regionals, and five of them were sent packing. One was guaranteed to survive because Mercer and Lincoln went head to head in baseball, but the Danville baseball teams and the Garrard County, Mercer County and Boyle County softball teams were all eliminated.

The tennis and track and field seasons wrapped up over the weekend. Diamond Pace and Kaitlin Snapp of Danville, Isaiah Burrus of Mercer County and two Boyle County girls relay teams claimed championships at the state track meet, and Colin Hart of Lincoln County reached the boys singles quarterfinals at the state tennis tournament.

That leaves Mercer’s baseball team as the last area team in action. Summer is surely coming, but the Titans will try to extend the spring for as long as possible.

Pairings for the 12th Region baseball and softball tournaments were drawn today. Both tourneys begin Monday, and both will be played at Southwestern.

The schedules:

12th Region Tournaments

BASEBALL

At Southwestern

Monday, May 30

First Round

Southwestern (21-12) vs. Somerset (24-11), 11 a.m.

Danville (27-8) vs. West Jessamine (25-9), 1:30 p.m.

Pulaski County (20-9) vs. Wayne County (17-14), 4 p.m.

Mercer County (22-9) vs. Lincoln County (14-19-1), 8 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals

Southwestern-Somerset winner vs. Danville-West Jessamine winner, 5:30 p.m.

Pulaski County-Wayne County winner vs. Mercer County-Lincoln County winner, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, June 1

Championship

Semifinal winners, 8 p.m.

(NOTE: If Danville reaches the championship, it will be moved to Thursday, June 2 due to the school’s graduation.)

* * *

SOFTBALL

At Southwestern

Monday, May 30

First Round

Garrard County (22-7) vs. Pulaski County (31-5), 1 p.m.

Southwestern (24-13) vs. Mercer County (22-12), 3 p.m.

East Jessamine (19-9) vs. Wayne County (17-10), 5 p.m.

Somerset (29-8) vs. Boyle County (27-9), 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals

Garrard County-Pulaski County winner vs. Mercer County-Southwestern winner, 6 p.m.

Wayne County-East Jessamine winner vs. Somerset-Boyle County winner, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 1

Championship

Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

The 45th District softball final between Boyle County and Garrard County has been postponed until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Garrard. The game was scheduled for today but has been rained out.

Meanwhile, there is late word from Boyle officials that the 45th District baseball semifinal between Danville and Garrard County will go on as scheduled at Boyle, beginning at 5:30 p.m. That game was rained out Monday night.

It’s tournament time for high school baseball and softball teams, and below are pairings for the district baseball and softball tournaments that include Advocate-area teams. All six tournaments begin Monday and should be finished by Wednesday, weather permitting.

One note: the 45th District baseball tournament was scheduled to be played at Lincoln County but was moved to Boyle County a few weeks ago. Lincoln will be unable to replace its storm-damaged lighting system until this summer, and the two schools agreed to trade places in the tournament rotation, meaning that Lincoln will host the 2012 tournament.

The 12th Region baseball and softball tournaments will both be played at Southwestern, making it a sort of one-stop shop for next week’s regionals, both of which are expected to begin on Memorial Day. But for now, the districts:

BASEBALL

45th District

At Boyle County

Monday, May 23

• Lincoln County (13-18) vs. Boyle County (22-10), 5:30 p.m.
• Garrard County (6-21) vs. Danville (25-8), 8 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24

• Championship, 6 p.m.

46th District

At West Jessamine

Monday, May 23

• East Jessamine (18-17) vs. West Jessamine (24-8), 6 p.m.
• Burgin (3-19) vs. Mercer County (20-9), 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 25

• Championship, 7 p.m.

47th District

At Pulaski County

Monday, May 23

• Casey County (9-18) vs. Somerset (23-10), 5:30 p.m.
• Rockcastle County (17-13) vs. Pulaski County (18-9), 8 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24

• Championship, 7 p.m.

* * *

SOFTBALL

45th District

At Garrard County

Monday, May 23

• Lincoln County (9-17) vs. Boyle County (26-8), 5:15 p.m.
• Danville (17-17) vs. Garrard County (20-7), 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24

• Championship, 6 p.m.

46th District

At West Jessamine

Monday, May 23

• Burgin (5-13) vs. Mercer County (21-11), 6 p.m.
• West Jessamine (11-23) vs. East Jessamine (17-9), 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 25

• Championship, 6 p.m.

47th District

At Pulaski County

Monday, May 23

• Rockcastle County (6-25) vs. Somerset (27-8), 6 p.m.
• Casey County (6-20) vs. Pulaski County (30-4), 8 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24

• Championship, 6 p.m.

Today was a busy day in Casey County, where school officials completed the hiring of new boys basketball and football coaches.

Former Casey player and assistant coach Sam Marple was hired as football coach, and former Southwestern boys and girls coach Darry Burkett was hired as boys basketball coach.

Details are online now at amnews.com, and more will be posted Tuesday.

There can’t be too many Kentucky high school basketball coaches who have been at their post longer than Steve Wright, but the longtime Laurel County and South Laurel boys coach is pulling up stakes to take the same job at Southwestern.

Les Dixon of the (Corbin) Times Tribune confirms today what has been rumored throughout the 12th and 13th regions for some time, which is that Wright is resigning after 21 years in London and heading for Southwestern.

Wright was hired from Walton-Verona to replace longtime coach Chuck Broughton at Laurel in 1990, then stayed with the South Laurel program that occupied the same building after Laurel was split into two schools. His 2005 South Laurel team won the state championship, and his teams won seven regional titles.

At Southwestern, he will replace Dave Schulz, who resigned in March after 12 seasons.

* * *

In other coaching news from the Somerset area — and there always seems to be some — Steve Cornelius of the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal reported today that Don Daniel may be on his way out as Somerset’s boys coach after athletic director Bob Tucker recommended that he not be re-hired.

And back in London, Roy Bowling, who won three straight girls state championships at Laurel from 1978-80, has been fired after five seasons at North Laurel, the Times Tribune reports.

The Danville and Boyle County baseball teams will meet for the second and final time in the regular season at 5:15 p.m. today at Boyle. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was pushed back a day to allow Danville to play an All “A” Classic sectional game.

Danville won the teams’ first meeting 7-2 on April 19.