A couple of additions to the “Top Stories” list…

Compiling the annual end-of-the-year “top stories” list for our New Year’s Day Edition wasn’t an easy task, and I had a nagging feeling when I was putting the article together: one of those “what am I missing?” thoughts that just wouldn’t go away. I knew there would be an oversight or two, and sure enough, there were. So let’s take this time to recognize two stories that somehow slipped through the cracks of our 2009 review.

1. The Tradewater Pirates do the double. In 2008, the Pirates dominated for much of the regular season campaign and came away as league champions, but were knocked off in the playoffs by the Owensboro Oilers. Under the guidance of new head coach Brandon Kitch and with a (mostly) new crop of players in the fold, the Pirates became the first team to win both the K.I.T. League regular season and playoff championships.

The way the 2009 Pirates became champions was a far cry from the performance in 2008, when Tradewater led in the standings for a majority of the regular season and was the clear-cut favorite heading into the playoffs. This summer, the Pirates came out strong out of the gate to lead the league in the first two weeks, but by mid-July, Tradewater was languishing in the middle of the pack with a 20-20 record.

As the Pirates showed, it’s not about how you start, but about how you finish. Tradewater ripped off wins in 13 of its final 15 contests, playoffs included, to take home both the regular season and post-season crowns.

The team’s lone returning player from 2008, Sean Mahley, played perhaps the biggest role in the Pirates’ success, making a number of key plays at the plate, on the field and on the mound on the way to the team’s historic finish. Mahley led the team with a .315 average in the regular season, but even more importantly, came through when it mattered most.

Mahley’s diving catch in center field helped preserve a win over the Greyhounds on July 20 and spurred the Pirates on to the team’s strong finish. With the team facing elimination against that same Union City squad in the playoffs, Mahley took to the hill and shut them down.

The University of the Cumberlands standout tossed a complete game shutout to force a decisive game three in the series, striking out 13 batters on the way to victory. The next night, with a playoff title on the line, Mahley doubled with two outs and eventually scored what would prove to be the game-winning run on a single by catcher Benton Yaun.

Still, the team could not have accomplished all it did without a number of key contributions. Staff ace Dustin Williams led the league in strikeouts with 104, posting a 5-3 record with an impressive 1.58 ERA. Williams tossed 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to close out the playoff championship, striking out eight batters in that time frame.

In the bullpen, Kody Thiebaud and Christian Stutts combined to give the Pirates a 1-2 punch capable of closing out any ballgame. Thiebaud tossed 17 innings of scoreless relief during the team’s 13-2 stretch run, while Stutts finishing tied for the league lead in saves and allowed just one earned run in his final six appearances.

2. Ali Austin throws the first seven-inning complete game in Hopkins County Central softball history. Dominating the opposition is nothing new for Austin. As a freshman, she teamed with Sara Sherman to give the Lady Storm a 1-2 pitching punch that helped carry them to a district crown and a spot in the regional semi-finals. But as a sophomore, Austin stepped in as the number one, becoming a bonafide ace for a young Central squad that again repeated as district champions.

There was no better example of Austin’s dominance than in the team’s match-up with Crittenden County on April 16 in Mortons Gap. Austin allowed the Lady Rockets nothing, striking out 13 batters on the way to the first seven-inning perfect game in Central history.

She also helped her cause at the plate, going 1-for-3 and driving in a pair of runs in the 7-0 victory.

“It was great for her to get that and it was great for the team to support her to get it defensively and offensively,” Central coach Jesse Huff said at the time. “It was a good night and it was a highlight that you didn’t expect to see.”

Austin’s perfect game came during the beginning of a dominating stretch for the Lady Storm in which the team went 18-2 from April 13 until Central’s season-ending 11-1 loss to Henderson County in the regional semi-finals. Central finished the year with a 23-8 record, allowing just 75 runs in 31 games — good for second-best in the region behind Christian County (43 runs in 44 games).

There may be more stories that this sportswriter has simply forgotten or overlooked (which, to be fair, is easy to do when you’re watching and recapping live sports roughly five or six nights a week for most of the year), but these two deserved a bit more recognition. Any others you can think of? Leave a comment below or e-mail me at frutherford@the-messenger.com with your suggestions.

…and they’re off!

It looks like we’re now officially a member of the blogosphere. No matter what happens, I guarantee it will be more enjoyable than the new baja fish taco at Long John Silver’s.

Plus, this blog offers one guarantee: this is a Brett Favre-free zone.

-If you’re looking for more local sports stories, this is your time of the year. The Messenger sports department is preparing for another edition of our award-winning special section, which this year will be known as Everyday People, along with a football preview book — a new addition this season. Not only that, but both the prep and collegiate fall seasons are gearing up for kickoff, meaning plenty of looks into the upcoming campaigns for a number of local teams, along with the ever-popular college notebook (a brainchild of my colleague, Nicholas T. Brockatino).

-The aforementioned projects mean, of course, plenty of work for yours truly, but you’ve got to look at these things in a positive light. Lots of work makes the time fly by. Before you know it, all the sports will be in full swing, and most importantly, the NFL will be back on the tube on Sunday afternoon. Combined with the lovely weather, it is undoubtedly the best time of the year.

-As we’ve previously reported, University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari will bring his basketball camp to Madisonville-North Hopkins High School on August 17. It will be interesting to see Calipari’s rapport with the media in person. Billy Gillispie came to North last summer for a camp, as well, and was fairly comfortable in front of three TV cameras and two print reporters, but still fidgeted and hemmed and hawed at times. Calipari gives the impression of someone who’s the ultimate smooth-talker.

-No word on how many, if any, players will be working Calipari’s camp. Last summer’s edition saw Perry Stevenson, Michael Porter and Mark Krebs accompany Gillispie and his staff to Madisonville. One player that won’t be working is 2009 North grad Jon Hood as he continues to prepare for his first year in Lexington.