Simon Kenton athletic director Troy Roberts has been reminiscing this week with former Scott High School baseball players and coaches via group text. They’re sharing stories about former Eagles great Bryan Stevenson in the run-up to the annual tournament honoring him Friday and Saturday.
“I always love telling stories about Bryan,” said Roberts, formerly baseball coach at Scott. “That’s kind of what we’ve been doing this week in the chat, just remembering him and being positive. If something bad had happened to one of his teammates and Bryan was still here, he’d be in the chat with us.”
Stevenson isn’t here. He died tragically after a fight in Louisville during Memorial Day weekend in 2010. The 26-year-old was beaten outside Barbara Lee’s Kitchen on Brownsboro Road early on May 30. He died later that day at Louisville’s University Hospital after being attacked by a group of men in the parking lot.
A great talent from Independence, Stevenson was a multi-sport prep athlete who excelled in baseball as a pitcher at Eastern Kentucky University, earning first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 2005. He was in Louisville playing left field for the Good Guys softball team at the Lou Turner Tournament when the incident occurred. Reports show he intervened to help teammates during a dispute outside the restaurant before being fatally assaulted.
Three of the four individuals allegedly involved in the attack were convicted of assault under extreme emotional disturbance, after murder charges were reduced due to lack of clarity about who was directly responsible for Stevenson’s injuries.
“You just wish something like that never happened,” said Dixie Heights baseball coach Chris Maxwell, whose team is a regular participant in the Bryan Stevenson Memorial Tournament.
When it’s been appropriate, Roberts has retold the story of what happened at the end of Stevenson’s promising life as a cautionary tale.
“He went to help a friend who was in a bad spot,” Roberts said. “It’s still hard to believe it happened. I can’t imagine losing a child, so I know it’s been hard on his parents.”
In Stevenson, Roberts saw a determined athlete who played with confidence and died a hero.
“Bryan played for me at Scott,” the former coach recalled. “He was one of our best players, one of the best in northern Kentucky, and the type of kid everybody wanted to be around. He loved the game and his teammates. After he died in 2010, we wanted to make sure people remembered him.”
Maxwell reflected further on the significance of the tournament.
“I think it’s great they’re still doing it. They used to do it all at Scott, and when they spread it around, we said we’d be a host site,” he said. “It used to be among the Kenton County schools and they had a big golf outing along with it that helped raise money for the Bryan Stevenson Family Fund which gave $1,000 scholarships to students at the schools. They also used to have a big silent auction along with the golf. It’s always been a lot of fun, and the tournament is great competition.”
In its 14th year, the Bryan Stevenson Memorial Tournament takes place Friday and Saturday across three locations: Dixie Heights, Scott and Simon Kenton. Ten teams compete in 15 games. There will be no champion. Scholarships were eventually discontinued after the Bryan Stevenson Family Fund met its original goals of helping college-bound students in financial need. This is now about preserving a legacy.
“We kept the tournament going after the scholarships were gone to keep his name alive,” Roberts said.
Except for 2020 during the pandemic, the tournament has run annually. Participating teams include seven of the top 10 in the Northern Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association preseason rankings: No. 1 Ryle, No. 3 Covington Catholic, No. 4 Campbell County, No. 6 Dixie Heights, No. 7 Conner, No. 8 Simon Kenton and No. 9 Cooper.
Beechwood, ranked No. 2 locally, had to withdraw due to qualifying for the Kentucky All “A” Classic in Owensboro. Other Bryan Stevenson Memorial Tournament participants include Scott, Newport Central Catholic and Batesville (Indiana).
The tournament showcases top local talent from the 2025 Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association watch list, including Jacob Piper and Tyler Ruete (Simon Kenton), Dylan McIntyre, Josh Caudill and Oli Morris (Ryle), Logan Webster, JJ Bagby, Brady Bushman and Cooper Kelly (Conner), and Tyler Shumacher and Zach Franzen (Campbell County).
“We opened it up to all of northern Kentucky and teams outside the area a few years ago,” Roberts said. “I am absolutely happy with teams that came out for it this year.”
Games begin Friday at 5 p.m. Opening matchups include Ryle vs. CovCath at Simon Kenton and host Scott vs. St. Henry. The tournament wraps up Saturday at Dixie Heights with Campbell County playing the host team at 5 p.m.
Maxwell’s Dixie Heights squad hosts Newport Central Catholic Friday at 7:30 p.m., with sophomore Austin Krohmer likely to start for the Colonels. Krohmer’s father once played at NewCath, adding a personal element to this matchup.
“I’m not sure who’s going to be rooting for who in that one,” Maxwell said. “But it should be a good game.”
Another storyline involves CovCath coach Bill Krumpelbeck, who is closing in on tying Pleasure Ridge Park’s Bill Miller for second place on the KHSAA all-time coaching wins list. Krumpelbeck earned his 1,141st win Wednesday and is just three wins away from Miller’s 1,144. CovCath plays three games in the tournament, concluding Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against St. Henry.
“It’s going to be a good weekend for baseball,” Roberts said. “And we’ll keep doing this. It’s all about keeping Bryan Stevenson’s name alive and remembering him and his accomplishments. His memory continues to inspire everyone involved.”
Here is the two-day, 15-game Bryan Stevenson Memorial Tournament schedule:
Friday at Simon Kenton
Ryle vs. CovCath, 5 p.m.
Conner vs. Simon Kenton, 7:30 p.m.
Friday at Scott
Scott. vs. St. Henry, 5 p.m.
Scott vs. Cooper, 7:30 p.m.
Friday at Dixie Heights
Batesville (IN) vs. Newport Central Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights vs. Newport Central Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton vs. Covington Catholic, 10 a.m.
Covington Catholic vs. St. Henry, 12:30 p.m.
Simon Kenton vs. St. Henry, 3 p.m.
Saturday at Scott
Scott. vs. Conner, 10 a.m.
Newport Central Catholic vs. Cooper, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday at Dixie Heights
Dixie Heights vs. Batesville, 10 a.m.
Batesville vs. Ryle, 12:30 p.m.
Campbell County vs. Ryle, 3 p.m.
Dixie Heights vs. Campbell County, 5 p.m.