Ballard’s Adell named Mr. Baseball; All-State teams set – The Courier-Journal
Ballard High School product Jo Adell, who was selected in the first round of Monday’s MLB draft, has been named 2017 Mr. Baseball by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Adell batted .562 with 25 home runs, 61 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and 53 runs scored as the Bruins finished with a 23-12 record. The center fielder also has been named Seventh Region Player of the Year, Gatorade Kentucky Baseball Player of the Year and USA Today American Family Insurance ALL-USA Player of the Year.
Adell has signed with the University of Louisville but also is considering turning pro after being selected 10th by the Los Angeles Angels in the first round of the draft.
His comments on TV after being drafted seemed to indicate he’s probably headed for the pros.
“I can’t wait to get out to L.A. and meet up with those guys,” Adell said. “The fan base is crazy, and my big thing coming into this was I just want to be somewhere where I’m wanted. And that’s what I feel with this organization.”
Adell is the second member of his family to receive such an honor. His sister, Jessica, was named Kentucky’s Miss Softball as a senior at Ballard in 2014.
Adell was one of seven players from the Louisville area to receive first-team All-State honors, joining Pleasure Ridge Park’s Garrett Schmeltz, Eastern’s Gavin Sullivan, Trinity’s Brody Heil, South Oldham’s Tanner Johnson, Oldham County’s Chris Seng and North Oldham’s Joe Boyle.
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Here are the complete All-State teams:
First team: Luke Seed (McCracken County), Justin Hallum (Madisonville-North Hopkins), Wyatt Stevenson (Christian County), Maddex Richardson (Owensboro Catholic), Davion Downey (Warren East), Luke Brown (Bowling Green), Garrett Schmeltz (Pleasure Ridge Park), Jo Adell (Ballard), Gavin Sullivan (Eastern), Brody Heil (Trinity), Tanner Johnson (South Oldham), Chris Seng (Oldham County), Joe Boyle (North Oldham), Cory Franzen (Campbell County), Cam Hill (Scott County), Brian Baxa (Danville), Trae Harmon (Somerset), Mason Hazelwood (Mercer County), Geordon Blanton (Johnson Central), Braxton Kelly (Johnson Central), Gage Hughes (Greenup County), Ben Jordan (West Carter).
Second team: Shane Burns (Caldwell County), Jacob Mulcahy (Owensboro Catholic), Kaleb Justice (Logan County), Tyler Stahl (Bowling Green), Dominick Lawson (Nelson County), T.J. Graves (Washington County), Dallas Glass (Pleasure Ridge Park), Noah Thompson (Male), Brandon Pfaadt (Trinity), Matt Higgins (Trinity), Will Moriarty (South Oldham), Cam Masterson (North Oldham), Ben France (Covington Catholic), Drew Rom (Highlands), Ryan Davis (Paris), Thomas Bennett (Western Hills), Jack Ockerman (Woodford County), Trip Lockhart (Lexington Catholic), Brady Bowling (Lafayette), Trace Willhoite (Scott County), Ryan Smith (Hazard), Andrew Sharp (East Carter).
Third team: Lofton Pigg (Calloway County), Hunter Combs (Muhlenberg County), Brennen Krahwinkel (Apollo), Lucan Bault (Russell County), Brayton Scales (Russell County), Jackson Campbell (Logan County), Logan Bowen (Bowling Green), Andrew Spaulding (Marion County), Nick Rucker (Pleasure Ridge Park), Blake Benz (North Bullitt), Ethan Doty (Highlands), Max Epplen (St. Henry), Nick Craddock (Conner), Nick Nelson (Mason County), Jake Ware (Clark County), Eddie Satisky (Lafayette), Bull Bennett (Somerset), Jack Capobianco (North Laurel), Dalton Cornett (Knott County Central), Scott Stapleton (Prestonsburg), Harlan Carter (Rowan County), Braden Wyatt (Boyd County).
Honorable mention: John McCauley (St. Mary), Will Brian (Meade County), Blake Graham (Butler County), Daulton Shoemake (Glasgow), Ethan Johnson (Fern Creek), Ray Steilberg (Louisville Holy Cross), Matthew Ellis (Shelby County), Brian Wells (Newport Central Catholic), Logan Castleman (Beechwood), Jake Wester (Covington Holy Cross), Austin Crawford (Bracken County), Paul Wise (Montgomery County), Issac Fryman (Nicholas County), Austin Shepard (Paul Dunbar), Cameron Stiglich (Sayre), Jordan Fox (Scott County), Cole Brock (Corbin), Jacob Nelson (Knox Central), Nick Conley (Russell).
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.