University Heights Academy baseball coach Scott Gentry can hardly contain his excitement when he tries to describe his 2025 Blazers squad.
Most of his key players from last year’s 25-12 team that won the District 8 title and finished runner-up in the Region 2 championship, is back this season.
Leading the way is junior Hayden Hunt, who hit .425 with 11 RBI and 28 runs last year. He also stole 17 bases. On the mound, Hunt was 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA and 71 strikeouts. He threw two no-hitters.
UHA also returns second baseman junior Cadence Gibson (.380, 29 RBI, 20 SB), sophomore Courtland Gibson (.359, 37 hits, 32 RBI), junior Jackson Flynn (.300, 31 RBI), and junior Josh Pace (.315, 20 RBI).
In addition to Hunt, UHA returns sophomore Bryson Turner, who went 2-3 with a 1.92 ERA on the mound last year. All three of those losses came against top 25 teams. Junior Jaiden Miles went 5-0 with a 2.62 ERA, Josh Pace was 4-2, and Ryan Luckey went 3-0 with four saves and a 3.00 ERA.
Junior Thomas Hallmark should also help with the pitching depth this season as well as sophomore Aiden Jones.
The big question for the Blazers is will they be able to play AJ Hogart, a transfer from Madisonville-North Hopkins. As of the writing of this story, UHA was still waiting to see if the pitcher/outfielder would be eligible.
Gentry said the key to this year’s team will be improvement on offense.
UHA will play a tough schedule with 10-15 opponents ranked in the preseason polls. The Blazers open the season Monday night at home against Franklin-Simpson.
2025 UHA Blazers
Coach: Scott Gentry (3rd Year)
2024 Record: 25-12
Key Losses: None.
Key Returners: Hayden Hunt (P/SS), Cadence Gibson (2B/P), Courtland Gibson (C), Jackson Flynn (OF/P), Jaiden Miles (P/U), Josh Pace (P/OF), Ryan Luckey (P/OF), Eli Finch (1B/C), Bryson Turner (3B/P).
Key Newcomers: Thomas Hallmark (1B/P), AJ Hogart (OF/P), Aiden Jones (1B/P).
Coach’s Outlook: “I think we will be solid pitching and defensively this year. The guys have worked really hard on hitting this offseason. We’ve been able to get more live at-bats than previous years so we are hoping that helps us hit the ground running early. We have a challenging schedule this year. Throughout the season, we will end up playing 10-15 ranked opponents. Hopefully, the tough schedule will have us ready for another run at a district and region title.”
Opening Day Lineup:
P – J. Miles
C – Gibson
1B – Hallmark/Finch
2B – Gibson
3B – Turner
SS – Hunt
LF – Flynn
CF – Luckey
RF – Pace
DH – Jones
Photo by Joe Wilson