​Story and photos by Joseph Barkoff:
The Edmonson County Lady Cats just couldn’t wake up their bats against the visiting Grayson County Lady Cougars Thursday, April 24th at home in Brownsville.
 
They were unable to capitalize with both runners on base and scoring position. When the bats were working, sometimes there was a Lady Cougar standing in a place as if they knew exactly where the ball was going.
 
Grayson County came out and scored early in their first at bats, putting two runs on the board.
 
“I think offensively we have to understand when you get positions to score you have to execute those chances,” Lady Cats head coach Alex Jane Massey said after the game. “You can’t keep expecting and working hard to get your runners on base and then not scoring. That’s the whole point of offense. So, we have to learn that.” 
 

​The Lady Cats had 26 at bats with only 6 hits and 1 base-on-balls, plus 6 strikeouts against the Lady Cougars.
 
“We’re real young, for a majority of us, so I think that is something these kids are still learning,” Massey said. “But they have to have that sense of urgency, discipline, that want to step up and do a job at the plate.”
 
Lady Cats starting pitcher, senior Julie Norris, threw all 7 innings and allowed 3 hits, an earned run and two walks with 3 strikeouts. She threw a total of 77 pitches, 47 were strikes and she faced 28 batters.
 
The Lady Cats play next on Friday, April 25th at 5:30 p.m. against the Bowling Green Lady Purples.

Photos by Joseph Barkoff:

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County junior Lady Cat basketball standout Cariann Williams signed a letter of intent today to play basketball for Campbellsville University upon her high school graduation in 2026.

A large crowd gathered today in the ECHS gym where former, present, and future coaches discussed the attributes from Williams as they wished her well. Several speakers were featured including ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce, who spoke first.

"I believe you can see by the crowd just what type of person they're going to be getting at Campbellsville," he said. "She's well regarded here at high school."

Pierce described her as "one of the best people around."

Former Head Lady Cat Coach Bart Weaver spoke next. He discussed the first time he saw her play as a 7th grader and he knew she was already advanced as an athlete.

"Campbellsville is getting a great player, we know that. They're getting a great student. Coach Pierce just talked about her GPA (over 4.3), but also, you're getting a great person of faith," Weaver said. "Those three things right there mean the world in today's society."

He said when a coach finds a player with all three attributes, that coach has hit the lottery.

"To me, Campbellsville has hit the lottery."

Current Lady Cat Head Coach Jody Booth said you won't find a better person in the community than Cariann Williams.

"She's a leader in our community, for our high school kids, our middle school kids, somebody that they can look up to, and follow in her footsteps with academics, community involvement, and when it comes to sports, she takes care of that as well," Booth said.

He discussed some of her impressive stats, going back to her 7th grade year. She has already scored over 1,000 points, pulled over 1,000 rebounds, and has over 500 blocks, with one season as a Lady Cat yet to come. Booth said he expects her to be within the top three girls scorers in school history by the end of her career, and she is already the girls' leader in all-time rebounds.

Williams finished the 24-25 season as the leading scorer at 18ppg and the leading rebounder at 13.5rpg.

Lady Cat assistant coach Maddie Stewart said she first met Cariann when she was working at Campbellsville after graduating from there a couple years before.

"She had an incredible will to perfect her craft of basketball, it was something I figured out really, really quick," she said. "For her, words that come to mind are hard work, integrity, relentless, and winner."

Campbellsville Head Women's Basketball Coach Ginger High Colvin then spoke about signing Cariann.

"I think we're clear on what Cariann is," she said. "Anybody can walk in a gym, watch her on the floor, and realize she has every tool needed."

She said she saw early on in Williams' career that she worked hard to improve and she always showed a drive to play for the Lady Tigers.

Williams then addressed the crowd, humbly and emotionally, thanking multiple groups of people, including the Edmonson Voice, her teammates, teachers, former and current coaches, and her parents and siblings.

She thanked the Campbellsville coaching staff for making her feel wanted and welcomed during the entire recruiting process.

"Every time I've been on campus, I've felt welcomed, loved, and part of something special. The coaches treat the girls like their own, I've stayed there multiple times and every time I've felt at home. The girls feel like sisters and the coaches feel like family," she said.

Williams said after high school, her next goal will be an NAIA national championship as a Lady Tiger.

She is also a member of the ECHS track team. Multiple speakers today referenced her decision to sign as a junior, not a senior, as is typical. Williams wanted to make sure that the seniors from this season would be in attendance, which spoke of her admiration for her teammates, several coaches said.

She then signed her letter of intent with her parents by her side, followed by cheers from the audience. Dozens then lined up for a photo op with the new Lady Tiger signee.

Cariann is the daughter of Jonathan and Whitney Williams of Brownsville.

Darren Doyle, story: Alyssa Doyle, photo:
Pitching a one-hitter in high school baseball is an extremely solid performance and worthy of recognition. Adding 18 strikeouts to that performance raises eyebrows. Then when noting that the pitcher was responsible for all 21 outs, it becomes even more impressive.

That's the type of night that ECHS junior Hunter Wilson had on the mound for the Wildcats on Tuesday, April 15th at home against their district rival, Butler County, where the Cats won 3-1.

Wilson pitched the 7-inning complete game on 107 pitches, 71 of which were strikes. He struck out 18 batters over the course of the game, fielded two bunts for assists to first base, then caught a line drive for the out, getting all 21 outs himself.

Wilson was also 2-2 at the plate.

Head Coach Michael Meredith said in being around the game of baseball as a fan and coach his entire life, he's never seen the type of performance from one single pitcher, despite the fact it wasn't a perfect game or no-hitter.

"He had 18 strikeouts, threw two bunted ball attempts out at first and caught a line drive up the middle.  I’ve never coached a game where one kid was responsible for 21 outs," Coach Meredith said. 

But he also noted that Wilson would be the first to credit first baseman Drew Pierce for his part in the outs, as well as catcher Logan Key for getting the job done behind the plate.

"I love this bunch of players," Meredith said. "They are having to grow up this year as we really only had two returning starters. We took some on the chin, but I am tickled we are 3-0 in district.  We just have to get better everyday and keep working hard and I believe good things can happen for us."

The Wildcats are 5-6 on the season and travel to Metcalfe County tonight.

Coach Doyle said he is hopeful that these new resources will change the trajectory of Edmonson County High School’s golf program, allowing them to build a more competitive team for the future.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of Drive Fore The Future," Doyle said. "This donation gives our athletes the opportunity to reach their full potential and compete at a higher level, which will ultimately shape the future of our program.

Drive Fore The Future continues to partner with schools across the country, helping young athletes access the equipment and resources they need to succeed in the game of golf, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

For more information on how to support Drive Fore The Future or to donate, visit www.driveftf.org