Covington Catholic last won a region title in 2005. Photo provided | Marc Figgins

Keeping things short and sweet as I decided to dig deeper into the individual teams and what they’re looking like on the state-wide level.

Beechwood and Walton-Verona’s baseball teams head to the All “A” state tournament this weekend while the Beechwood softball team also heads to the All “A.

Some important district games also taking place this week, referenced below.

Here’s a look at the weekly LINK nky prep baseball/softball rankings (for Boone, Campbell and Kenton County):

Beechwood stays atop the LINK nky baseball rankings. G. Michael Graham | LINK nky

BASEBALL

  1. Beechwood (16-4, Previous Ranking: 1) — Not going to let a loss to Simon Kenton drop the Tigers this week. They’ve won nine of their last 10 as they continue to pile the runs up. Tigers have a 35th District seed game with Holy Cross on Wednesday before they head to the All “A” state tournament at Campbellsville, taking on Hazard on Saturday. Cam Boyd continues his tear, hitting eight home runs the last 12 games. Boyd is 14th in the state in batting average, hitting .548. The eight home runs is second in the state, so is Boyd’s hits total with 40. Boyd also ranks high in doubles, slugging %, runs, stolen bases and RBI. As a team, the Tigers rank statewide in batting average (.328, 26th), runs per game (9.6, 5th), hits (178, 29th), doubles (42, 11th), home runs (10, 12th) and RBI (164, 5th).

2. Covington Catholic (15-4, Previous Ranking: 7) — Colonels got their mojo back with a 5-0 week, defeating Boone County, Highlands, Bishop Brossart and St. Henry. They’ve won six in a row after a victory over Conner on Monday. Jonathan Fitz’s .580 batting average is eighth in the state currently, he also ranks in the top 50 in hits, doubles and slugging %. Max Lawrie has 28 RBI, good for 17th in the state. The Colonels hitting .331 as a team is 24th in the state and 42 doubles is 10th in the state. Their 122 RBI is 42nd and ERA of 2.76 is 35th.

Ryle’s Dylan McIntyre is 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA this season. Photo provided | Sally Schaefer

3. Ryle (15-7, Previous Ranking: 2) — Raiders are 5-4 in their last nine after a 10-3 start to the season. Two of those wins were some of the most important of the season as they pulled off the home and home sweep of Conner last week and earning the No. 1 seed in the 33rd District. Dylan McIntyre continues to excel on the bump, 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA. Roman Furuta’s 25 RBI are 29th in the state, his four home runs tied for 20th, Caleb Mann’s 24 walks good for fourth in the state. The team with 43 doubles is eighth.

4. Conner (15-7, Previous Ranking: 3) – Snapped a four-game losing streak in a big way with a 11-1 victory over Highlands on Saturday. Cougars are still dangerous regardless, thanks to their arms with a team ERA of 1.97 and 151 strikeouts. Cougars are also in the top 50 statewide in RBI (125), home runs (9), triples (7), doubles (31) and hits (171). Brody Mangold’s 0.88 ERA is 25th in the state.

5. Simon Kenton (14-6, Previous Ranking: 6) — A 5-0 week as they take down Cooper, Dixie Heights, Williamstown, Southern and the No. 1 Beechwood. Can clinch the No. 1 seed in the 32nd District with a victory over Grant County on Thursday.

6. Highlands (12-9, Previous Ranking: 5) — An up-and-down week with wins over Ryle and Newport Central Catholic and losses to Covington Catholic and Conner. The NewCath win was a big one, putting them in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the 36th District. They’ll face Bellevue and Dayton this week to try and secure the top spot in the 36th. The Bluebirds .323 batting average is 31st in the state, 183 hits is 23rd, 36 doubles is 27th. Pitching-wise the 151 strikeouts for the staff is 45th.

7. Walton-Verona (16-3, Previous Ranking: 8) — The Bearcats are hot, having won nine of 10, including a victory in dramatic fashion over Campbell County on Saturday in the Mike Epplen Dirty Hat Classic. Walton-Verona scored five in the seventh when they were trailing 9-5 to defeat the Camels. They also rallied against Highlands Latin in their All “A” tournament sectional game to advance to the quarterfinals. They’ll play two more this week before taking off to Campbellsville on Saturday for the All “A” state tournament quarterfinals with Campbellsville. The Bearcats rank in the top 50 in home runs (9), RBI (125), doubles (40). Their pitching staff points to a lot of success, the 1.85 team ERA third in the state and the 149 strikeouts as a pitching staff ranks in the top 50 in the state.

8. Campbell County (15-6, Previous Ranking: 4) — After nine wins in a row, the Camels have lost three straight against Covington Catholic, Walton-Verona and Boone County. At 2-0 in 37th District play, they’ll face Bishop Brossart on May 1 for the No. 1 seed. Camels with 41 doubles which is good for 12th in the state. They also rank in the top 50 with a 2.95 ERA.

Bishop Brossart’s 9-0 win over Scott on Monday set up a showdown with Campbell County for the No. 1 seed in the 37th District on May 1. G. Michael Graham | LINK nky

9. Bishop Brossart (11-12, Previous Ranking: 9) — Mustangs have lost seven of nine but remain competitive with tight losses to Beechwood, Covington Catholic and Bourbon County last week. Took down Scott on Monday night, Evan Moore nearly perfect, throwing a complete-game one-hitter. Mustangs till have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the 37th District with Campbell County looming on May 1.

10. Cooper (7-14, Previous Ranking: NR) — Two wins over Boone County secured the No. 3 seed in the 33rd District for the Jaguars as they’ll face Conner in the opening round of the district tournament. They’ve won four of six after a 3-12 start to the season. Jags seven triples and 37 doubles rank state-wide. Mark Nowak’s 19 stolen bases are in the top 35.

Next up: Dixie Heights (7-14), Boone County (7-11-1), St. Henry (6-12)

SOFTBALL

Highlands’ and Kennedy Baioni hold the top spot in the LINK nky softball rankings. G. Michael Graham | LINK nky
  1. Highlands (14-4, Previous Ranking: 1) — It was a run-rule week for the Bluebirds as they outscored the opponent 54-5 in three games of action. Will get tested this weekend when they head to Lexington to play in the Lafayette Five-Star General Tournament with contests scheduled against Western Hills, Christian County and Great Crossing. The team sports a 2.49 ERA and have allowed just 38 earned runs in 18 games played. The pitching staff has struck out 162 in 107 innings pitched, which is 16th in the state.

2. Ryle (9-6, Previous Ranking: 2) — Won three of four last week with district wins over Boone County and Conner and a victory over Franklin County in the Manual Triangle, the lone loss to the hosts Manual in the Triangle. Maddison Goddard continues to dazzle in the circle with a 7-4 record and a 1.22 ERA, striking out 76 in 69 innings pitched. Goddard heads a pitching staff that has a team ERA of 1.51, good for seventh in the state. Avery Parsons is batting .478 and has more walks (11) than strikeouts (9).

Dixie Heights defeated Notre Dame as they jumped a spot in the LINK nky softball rankings. Evan Dennison | LINK nky

3. Dixie Heights (10-9, Previous Ranking: 4) — Only two losses in region play are to the top two. Earned an impressive win over Notre Dame before their weekend was rained out at the Bart Rison Classic at Montgomery County. Can clinch the No. 1 seed in the 34th District with wins over Villa Madonna and St. Henry this week. Tests against Campbell County, Harrison County and East Central (IN) follow. Skylar Mitchell (.569, 26 RBI) and Ella Steczynski (.527) have been the standouts at the plate.

4. Cooper (13-4, Previous Ranking: 3) — District wins over Conner and Boone County last week make for a big game Tuesday night when they get a rematch with Ryle. The Raiders won the first matchup, 13-3. Ava Scott continues to sizzle at the plate, hitting .566 and is tied for the state lead with nine triples. Emily Schmeltz’s seven homeruns are tied for 21st in the state.

5. Campbell County (11-3, Previous Ranking: 6) — If they can match the pitching last week with their hitting, the Camels will be dangerous come the postseason. Can clinch the No. 1 seed in the 37th District with a win over Bishop Brossart on Wednesday. Camels have five hitters batting at least .458. Josie Feebeck (.510, 10 doubles), Samantha Perry (.500, 2 strikeouts in 38 AB), Paige Stewart (.491, 26 RBI), Jayci Kremer (.488) and Hope Hamilton (.458, 5 HR).

6. Simon Kenton (11-8, Previous Ranking: 7) — A big 32nd District game with Grant County looms on Wednesday for the No. 1 seed in the district. Larkin Mitchell and Emilie Young are still hitting over .500. Mitchell at .544 with 18 stolen bases, Young hitting five homeruns with 40 RBI, which is good for fifth in the state.

7. Notre Dame (5-3, Previous Ranking: 5) — After allowing 13 runs in their first six games, they allowed 26 in the last two in losses to Dixie Heights and Simon Kenton. They still sport a 2.25 ERA, which is good for 27th in the state. Tori Danneman continues to be the reliable leadoff hitter, batting .517.

8. Boone County (7-11, Previous Ranking: 8) — Two big 33rd District games this week with Conner and Ryle on the docket. Harper Kinman has been a menace at the plate, hitting .545 with 12 extra-base hits and has walked 12 times compared to six strikeouts in 55 official at-bats. The pitching staff with 152 strikeouts is 23rd in the state.

9. Conner (8-11, Previous Ranking: 9) — Have struggled in four district games, outscored 50-8. Can change that on Tuesday and Thursday with Boone County and Cooper on the schedule. Defense has been an issue with 77 unearned runs allowed. In their 19 games, 10 of them have ended early via run-rule.

10. Bishop Brossart (10-8, Previous Ranking: 10) — Big 37th District games loom on Tuesday and Wednesday with Scott and Campbell County. Two wins and they’re the No. 1 seed in the district. Brooke Shewmaker is one of the top hitters in the state, batting .673 in 55 at-bats with 12 extra-base hits.

Next up: Scott (7-7)