Good and wet.
That’s how you could describe the Simon Kenton High School baseball team’s soggy start to the 2025 season.
“It seems like almost every game we’ve played has been in some kind of wet or windy conditions,” coach Brady Smiley said.
Despite the weather, the Pioneers have compiled a respectable 4-2-2 record, riding a three-game winning streak to close last week. The defending 32nd District and 8th Region champions have remained competitive in every game except one. They were leading Cooper 7-6 in the top of the ninth inning in a game that was eventually ruled a 6-6 tie after eight. They haven’t lost since March 26.
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Not bad for a team adjusting to new leadership after losing 10 seniors to graduation and seeing longtime head coach Troy Roberts retire. Adding to the emotional weight, the Pioneers are playing for a coach whose son is fighting another battle with cancer.
“There’s been some stress, but I think we’ve started off pretty good,” said junior Logan Judd, who has been especially hot in the early going.
Smiley, last year’s pitching coach, stepped into the head coaching role supported by veteran assistants Bryan Kenton, Adam Warning and Bailey Martin.
“We are 100% behind our new coach,” junior Caleb Uhl said. “When he came over from Conner, he seemed like a head coach to me. He has a great mentality for the game.”
Junior varsity head coach Mark Franzen remains a stabilizing force for the program while facing heartbreaking circumstances. His son Brad, a Simon Kenton graduate, is battling stage 4 colon cancer a second time.
The team dedicated its annual preseason Field Day to the Franzens. Ballplayers, their families and friends gathered to prepare the field while supporting Brad Franzen, who is the same age as coach Smiley.
“I’m 29, so that really hits home,” Smiley said. “Brad’s parents are important people in the community. We want to do what we can to support Brad and them.”
“We’re a family”
With this in mind, the team bought long-sleeve T-shirts emblazoned with a blue support ribbon and the word “Family.” They were given to Pioneers players and coaches and the Franzen family. The April 19 JV/varsity doubleheader at home game against Beechwood is being held in support of the Franzen Colon Cancer Research Fund. Donations will be accepted at the event.
“The entire program has rallied around them,” Uhl said. “Everybody on the team’s got one of those shirts, and you see them in the hallways at school. To see so many people wearing them is great. It shows we have good leadership, and we care.”
Coach Smiley says he’s getting great senior leadership from Tyler Ruete, Cash Hoard and Jag Ruebel, who are also getting it done on the field. Ruete, who belted a team-best nine home runs last season, is co-captain along with junior Jacob Piper, who was second in batting average at .299.
Senior Ian Lawrence recently rejoined the team after recovering from a back injury sustained during the wrestling season. Lawrence is one of two standouts getting a late start to the season because of injuries.
Uhl, a pitcher and infielder, has been sidelined by bicep tendinitis which first flared up last summer and bothered Uhl again during preseason. He had a 2.57 ERA last season in 12 appearances.
“So much is happening,” Ruete said. “But one thing I know is, we’re a family, and we don’t take anything for granted.”
“A lot of good players”
As the team rallies off the field, the leaders are stepping up on the diamond. Both Ruete and Ruebel are batting .300 after eight games. Ruete leads the team in RBIs. He shares the top spot in doubles with Ruebel and Judd, batting a team-high .391. Ruete and Tre Beach have homered.
“We’ve got a lot of good players who’ve played and practiced in some tough conditions so far,” Smiley said. “And it hasn’t always been easy off the field.”
When last Friday brought yet another wet forecast, Smiley made a rare call to give his players a break after they had practiced in the rain on Thursday.
“Friday was supposed to be our district opener against Williamstown, but it was cancelled, and we made it a practice day,” Smiley explained. “When it looked like rain again, we called off practice. I felt like they had earned a day off after a good practice day in the rain.”
The Pioneers will now open district play on Wednesday at Walton-Verona. Following a game against Holy Cross, they begin play at the 36th annual Doc Morris Tournament on Saturday against Newport Central Catholic.
“We still get two days of practice before Walton-Verona,” Smiley said. “I expect that to be a good game.”
The Pioneers have plenty of talent to make it a competitive matchup. Their lineup is packed with juniors and seniors, mixing solid hitters, outstanding pitchers and versatile fielders.
“They are bulldogs”
Simon Kenton pitchers, all right-handed, are striking out batters at a steady clip, one per inning. Primary starters Ruete, Beach, Piper and Luke Lawson have combined for a 3-1 record. Ruete is averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning.
“Ruete has some of the best stuff from a pitcher you don’t know about,” Smiley said. “He’s kind of our No. 1 while Caleb Uhl is recovering.”
The team ERA is hovering around 3.40, despite the absence of Uhl, who emerged last season as a stopper. Uhl has been sidelined since the first scrimmage.
Meanwhile, the bullpen has been lights-out. Hoard, Caleb French, and Alex Easybuck haven’t allowed an earned run in 15.2 innings of relief. Hoard has a win and a save, while Judd has pitched to a respectable 3.71 ERA in three appearances.
“They are bulldogs,” Smiley said. “They’re coming in and challenging hitters and trusting the guys behind them.”
Simon Kenton’s defense has delivered, with fielders making highlight-worthy plays around the diamond. Brett Bockmon is an anchor at catcher. Lawson mans first base. Uhl has returned to second. Piper plays shortstop, and Ruebel is at third.
The outfield rotation features Ruete, Judd, French and Hoard. Lawrence, a key left fielder last season, returned last week as a courtesy runner and logged his first at-bat of the season. He’s expected to rejoin the outfield lineup soon.
“Judd, our centerfielder, has made three or four outstanding catches where he just laid out for them,” Smiley said. “With two outs in the bottom of the seventh against Campbell County and the tying run on second, he made a diving catch fully extended to end the game. It was incredible.”
“Baseball is great”
Despite the challenges of adjusting to a new head coach amid so much going on, the players have shown commendable resilience, according to Smiley.
“It’s not lost on me that a situation with a young coach replacing a school legend could have gone differently,” Smiley said. “I’ve been super excited by how the players have bought into what we want to do and how we want to do it.”
Ruete sees the big picture.
“In life, I feel like baseball is a game where you can be yourself no matter what else is going on,” he said. “Baseball is great. It’s cool to play. It’s fun to watch. It can be a stress reliever, and it can help people out.”
As the Pioneers persevere, they hope what began as a wet and windy start ends with them home and dry. To Ruete, that would be a picture-perfect ending to their season.
“We want to go back to state. That’s a goal,” Ruete said. “There’s been some challenges so far. But I definitely feel like our coaches have helped us with a good mindset. We’re having fun, and I really like our chances this season especially when we get everybody healthy.”