12 college baseball prospects your team should fear in the KHSAA state tournament

The 2022 Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament begins Thursday, putting Kentucky's latest crop of Division I talent on a collision course in Lexington.

First- and second-round games will be held Thursday through Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park on the University of Kentucky's campus. The teams that survive those games will reconvene June 10 for the semifinal round, and the state championship is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first pitch June 11.

The prospects listed below in alphabetical order have already played key roles in helping their teams claim district and regional titles. Who will shine the brightest with a state championship on the line?

We're about to find out.

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McCracken County's Ross Aldridge (P/C, Louisville)

Ross Aldridge is only a sophomore, but the Louisville commit has been showing on the mound why coach Dan McDonnell came calling with a scholarship offer early in his high school career.

At 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA, Aldridge forms a strong one-two punch with teammate Jack Bennett, a Western Kentucky commit, for Region 1 champs McCracken County. The 2024 prospect has struck out 62 batters and allowed 27 walks across 50 1/3 innings.

In the 11 games he's gone to the plate, Aldridge is hitting .318 and has driven in three runs.

Danville's Brady Baxter (P/C, Marshall)

You'll find Brady Baxter's name all over the KHSAA leaderboard. As a pitcher, Danville's dual-threat senior is No. 5 in the state with 117 strikeouts and ranks among the Top 10 in wins with eight. He's also thrown 64 2/3 innings, which is good for 16th overall.

That's just telling half of the story, though. Baxter is tied for fourth in the state with 58 hits and ranks seventh with 52 RBIs. The Marshall commit is also batting .487, and nearly half of his hits have gone for extra bases — 14 doubles, 11 home runs. Looking for plate discipline? You'll see that in Baxter's game, too. He's struck out just four times in 119 at-bats for the Region 12 champion Admirals.

McCracken County's Jack Bennett (P/Utility, Western Kentucky)

Jack Bennett has a ton of momentum heading into his college career at WKU. The Mustangs' ace and Region 1 Player of the Year is 7-1 on the season and ranks among the Top 10 pitchers in the state with an ERA of 0.63.

Bennett has recorded 72 strikeouts and surrendered just 12 walks through 55 1/3 innings. The senior is just as dangerous with a bat in his hands, leading McCracken County's starters with a .468 batting average and seven home runs.

St. Xavier's Jake Bennett (C, San Jacinto College)

Jake Bennett isn't jumping into the Division I ranks after his St. X career comes to a close, but there's a chance the Seventh Region Player of the Year could find his way to a Power 5 program or hear his name called in the MLB Draft after some time playing for junior college powerhouse San Jacinto in Texas.

The senior enters state tournament second on the Seventh Regional champion Tigers in batting average (.427) with a team-leading 13 home runs and 60 RBIs, which are more than any other player in the state.

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Corbin's Kade Elam (INF, Louisville)

Louisville commit Kade Elam's high school career is off to a hot start. The freshman infielder is batting .453 and ranks among the Top 20 hitters statewide in hits (53), RBIs (47) and runs scored (52).

Elam also leads the 13th Region champion Redhounds in home runs with nine and has hit a team-best 17 doubles. Throw in his three triples, and more than half of his hits have gone for extra bases.

Owensboro Catholic's Luke Evans (2B, Wabash Valley)

Luke Evans is headed to JUCO powerhouse Wabash Valley in Mount Carmel, Illinois, after his final season with Region 3 champs Owensboro Catholic comes to a close. If his production at the plate carries over from the Aces to the Warriors, it's not a stretch to predict that the second baseman will find his way onto a Power 5 roster — or make the jump to the professional ranks — in the years to come.

Evans ranks third in the state with 57 runs scored, and his .505 batting average places him among the Top 20 hitters in the state. He's also third statewide with seven triples and tied for 10th in stolen bases with 37 in 39 attempts.

St. Xavier's Jake Gregor (P/1B, Louisville)

Jake Gregor won't graduate from St. X until 2024, but the 6-foot-4 righty earned an offer from Louisville after a strong freshman campaign in which he went 3-2 in nine starts with a 1.96 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. As a sophomore, Gregor is 3-3 in eight starts with a 3.07 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.

Although he's given up more runs on the mound during Year 2 with the Tigers, Gregor has made up for it by generating more offense at the plate. He's batting .301 with 26 RBIs in 103 at-bats, tied for second most on the team, after striking out in half of his eight plate appearances as a freshman.

Campbell County's Aydan Hamilton (INF, Kentucky)

Kentucky commit Aydan Hamilton should feel right at home playing in his future team's ballpark, but the infielder/pitcher has another season with the Region 10 champion Camels to develop the skills that attracted UK coach Nick Mingione.

Hamilton is among the Top 45 hitters in the state in terms of slugging percentage (.796) and leads Campbell County's starters in batting average (.490). The junior has scored 26 runs, driven in 21 and is a perfect 16 for 16 in stolen-base attempts.

Russell County's Nathan Lawson (P/INF, Eastern Kentucky)

Nathan Lawson's stats tell the story of a player having one of the best all-around seasons in the state for Region 4 champion Russell County. As a pitcher, the senior is 9-2 with a 0.95 ERA that's among the Top 20 across Kentucky. The EKU commit ranks 10th in strikeouts with 109 and has issued just 20 walks in 59 innings.

At the plate, Lawson is among the Top 10 hitters in the state with 12 home runs, and his .923 slugging percentage ranks among the Top 15. He's also scored 31 runs, driven in 44 and hit 12 doubles.

St. Xavier's Cooper Smith (Utility, Troy)

Cooper Smith is a big reason why St. X leads the state in triples, and the All-Region utility player's speed could be an X-factor in the state tournament. The junior has nine of the Tigers' 24 three-baggers of the season, so it's no surprise he also leads the team in runs scored (49) and stolen bases (16) across 38 games.

The Troy commit also boasts a team-best .447 batting average and has struck out just 12 times in 123 plate appearances.

St. Xavier's Ty Starke (P, Louisville)

Ty Starke announced his commitment to Louisville on April 27, just hours after the junior lefty improved to 5-0 on the season with a strong start against rival Trinity. An All-Region selection, Starke held the Shamrocks hitless through five innings, and St. X cruised to an 8-2 victory in what was then a battle of the state's top two teams.

After pitching just five innings in two starts for the Tigers as a sophomore, Starke enters the state tournament with a 7-0 record, a 1.13 ERA and a team-best 64 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. The junior has allowed more walks (22) than hits (18).

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Christian County's Elijah Underhill (OF/P, Western Kentucky)

Elijah Underhill is a workhorse for Region 2 champion Christian County. The junior and future Hilltopper leads the Colonels in batting average (.382) and home runs (9) and has scored the second-most runs (59) out of any player in the state.

On the mound, Underhill leads Christian County in innings pitched (65) and has retired 132 batters via the strikeout, which is good for second among all pitchers statewide. He boasts a 6-1 record and 2.05 ERA in 10 starts.

Oh, and he's fast, too. His 34 stolen bases on 36 attempts puts him among the Top 20 baserunners in Kentucky.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: College baseball prospects to watch at KHSAA baseball state tournament