Three locals to play for East All-Stars

 Five local players and two coaches will take part in this weekend’s 16^th Annual Kentucky East-West Softball All-Star weekend.

Corbin’s Calli Hendrickson and Whitley County’s Simbree Sizemore will play for the East Senior All-Stars while Lady Colonel junior Ashley Lindsay will play for the East Junior All-Stars.

Corbin Coach Chris Hart will be on hand to help select the Kentucky All-Star squad that will face the Tennessee All-Stars, June 30 in Nashville. Hart was selected along with Lexington Catholic coach Bob Griggs, Meade County Coach Mike Harreld and Heath High School coach Lynn Dickey to coach the 2011 Kentucky All-Stars. Kentucky currently trails the series 3-2.

Whitley County Coach David Halcomb will be honored at a Saturday night banquet as 13^th Region Coach of the Year while senior Caitlin Walden was selected Co-Player of the Year with North Laurel’s Gloriann Cordero.

Corbin freshman Hannah Hart will be honored during Saturday’s games with an award after being named to the 2A All-State Team. Hart was selected to the second team, the only freshman in the state to receive this distinction.

All three players were excited to have the opportunity to play in the annual games. “I expected there to be a ton of competition, everyone is really good so it will be tough,” said Hendrickson, who finished her career with the Lady Redhounds as the all-time leading home run hitter with ten.

Hendrickson led the Corbin offense this past season, hitting :420 on the season. She had 50 hits and three home runs.

“I think it will be good to get to play with such really good girls,” said Hendrickson. “We will play against a lot of good players from the west too.”

She is the fifth player in the last six years from Corbin High School to play in the annual series. “It means a lot because it is showing that we (Corbin) are growing as a program and people will get to know Corbin better and get us on the map,” said Hendrickson.

Hendrickson has not made a decision on a college and hopes to get some looks this weekend.

Sizemore, who will play at Alice Lloyd College next year, wants to go to Lexington and enjoy her final experience as a high school player. “I want to go up there and have fun, meet other players from across the state and do as good as I can,” she said.

Lindsay, a junior, hopes to impress some of the college coaches with her speed, but also wants to enjoy the experience.

“I am looking forward to playing on UK’s field,” said Lindsay. “I want to play the best that I can.”

“I am proud of both of them,” said Halcomb. “Simbree has done a lot for us the last three or four years. She has had two really good seasons back-to-back which makes me feel like she is deserving to participate on the all-star team.”

“Both of them are great kids,” said Halcomb. “Simbree did a great job for us at shortstop and hits the ball well.”

“Ashley as a junior to make is a great honor. It seems like it is harder to make as a junior than it is a senior, but for us to have two girls go up there and represent our school and the season that we had is pleasing from a coaches standpoint,” said Halcomb.

“Ashley is one of the better outfielders in the region,” he added. “She hits the ball well and has great speed. She has a good glove and represented herself well this year and is also very deserving.”

Hart may have grabbed the biggest honor by being named as one of the four Kentucky All-Star coaches.

“This is something I think every coach would want to strive for,” said Hart. “I’ve got to coach a couple of years in the East-West series and I really enjoyed that. But, the opportunity to get to coach the Kentucky squad against Tennessee is really like a dream come true for coaches.”

“This is the level you want to get too, where you get asked to do this type of thing,” said Hart. “I am excited about the opportunity to represent Kentucky and all the high school girls and coaches across the state.”

Hart feels it is not only an opportunity to coach some of the best players in the state, but also helps his program. “We’ve sent girls for the last six years to the East-West and it has become kind of a tradition and the girls know about it and the younger girls realize it’s there and they work with goals to make it to the East-West All-Stars and maybe even to the Kentucky All-Stars,” said Hart.

“It has helped,” he said. “With us playing the tougher schedule in the Lexington and Northern Kentucky areas has gotten us some visibility for our program and allowed some of our girls to get viewed by some of these other coaches that helps us get girls in the East-West and get recognized on a team level.”