All-area baseball team

We tried this last year for the first time. Here is another stab at putting together a local high school all-star baseball team.

C ... Brantley Barrett, Marshall County. He's been a consistent run-producer and his throwing arm has shown improvement over the last year. Teams rarely challenge him on the bases. Honorable mention goes to Paducah Tilghman slugger Tyler Bearden and Murray's Tanner Richerson.

1B ... Daniel Riley, Marshall County. He's another big hitter in the heart of the Marshals' order and was a big contributor on the mound, too. Unlike last year, he gets the nod over Lyon County's Ramsey Walker, another solid two-way player.

2B ... Casey Brockman, Calloway County. Brockman played several positions and pitched, although second was where he settled in as a regular. It didn't seem to matter — Brockman just kept hitting and hitting all spring. Also meriting consideration were Murray's Aron Sweeney and Marshall's Shane McKenty.

SS ... Tucker Starkey, Graves County. Maybe a surprise choice, but I really like his bat and his smoothness in the field. It was a tough call, with Murray's Daniel Thile and St. Mary's Zach Howard in the running, as was Paducah Tilghman's Kenny Fukuhara and Trigg County's Donald Bush.

3B ... Joe Mike, Graves County. This was the hardest position to call. Marshall's Tyler Johnson was neck-and-neck with Mike, but the latter's regional tournament performance earned the slight nod. Both are big run-producers and provided solid work on the mound.

LF ... Taylor Edging, Ballard Memorial. He was the most feared bat in the Bombers' lineup. He played several positions, but would settle into the outfield among this group.

CF ... James Malast, St. Mary. A fine defensive outfielder, Malast has shown a consistently developing bat in American Legion ball the past two summers.

RF ... Shane Banks, Trigg County. He was another solid utility player that saw time at several positions, but he was primarily an outfielder. He has good speed and a reliable bat in the leadoff slot.

Honorable mention for the outfield: Cameron Kimball of Marshall County, Alex Porter of Crittenden County and Brock Downey of Murray.

P ... Cody Forsythe, Marshall County. His regional tournament performance showed it all, his dominance and versatility. He's also been a good bat in the outfield.

P ... Allen Haase, Lone Oak. He could have easily found a spot in the outfield, but his mound work was his most important contribution.

P ... Roman Kelly, Murray. The Tigers' big-game pitcher emerged as an ace in his senior year.

P ... Ryan Hayden, Graves County. A sore shoulder hampered his regional tournament effort, but for the rest of the season, he delivered when the Eagles needed a big outing.