CORBIN — By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
When Tony Pietrowski replaced Mike Deaton as head coach at Corbin High School in 2001, his former coach, Billy Hicks, knew Pietrowski would be a successful one.
“I knew he had it in him,” Hicks said. “You could see that he was a natural ball player and he grew up around basketball, you just knew, if he wanted to coach that he could do it. Man, he just provides a big spark whether it is when he’s playing or coaching.”
Hicks said having Pietrowski as a player was a plus because it was like having a second coach on the floor.
“Any time you can have a player that can help you on the floor like that, it’s big,” Hicks said. “We all know what type of a player Tony was and now he’s just as successful as a head coach.”
But Hicks did have a concern.
“Shoot, Tony was a very quiet ball player, so you really never knew what was going on in his head,” Hicks said. “I guess you could say he was quiet, but deadly, and he was always a winner. I bet when he played for me at Corbin, we won 90 to 95 percent of our games — he’s just a winner.”
And, Pietrowski has shown he’s a winner as a coach, too.
He’s captured 200 wins and three 13th Region titles, while guiding the Redhounds to consecutive regional crowns for the first time in 58 years.
“Tony is just a smart guy,” Hicks said. “He was a smart kid when he played ball and he just knows the game. I know I’ve said this before, but I really wish we would be meeting each other in the state title game next week instead of the first round.
“The big thing is that he’s already proved that he’s a good coach and if he keeps at this long enough, he’s going to go down as one of the best coaches in state history,” Hicks added.
Local Sports
Hicks knew ‘quiet’ Pietrowski would be a winner
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Cards stand ground
It took a team effort, but South Laurel was able to make the big play late to defeat Harlan County, 5-4, and advance to the semifinals of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament.
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Moving on
It wasn’t easy, but North Laurel managed to sneak by Corbin, 2-1, during the first round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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Lady Cards slip past Clay County
James Burns’ South Laurel Lady Cardinals continued a recurring theme in the first round of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament — scoring runs with two outs and nobody on.
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Bell eliminates Knox Central
Bell County built a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning against Knox Central in first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament Monday, but still needed a leaping catch by centerfielder Alisha Russell to seal the deal on the Lady Bobcats’ win over the Lady Panthers.
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Errors lead to Barbourville’s 15-0 loss to Harlan County
A crucial error in the second inning led to five unearned runs for Harlan County, as the Lady Black Bears cruised to an easy 15-0 win over Barbourville in four innings Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament.
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Knox Central puts up fight before losing to Middlesboro, 6-2
Middlesboro’s Nick Capps took care of business and managed to hold off Knox Central, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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North runs win streak to 19 games
The North Laurel Lady Jaguars were clicking on all cylinders Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament as they defeated Corbin in five innings, 12-0.
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Tigers drop 10-2 decision
Clay County was forced to put the ball on the ground, but once they did they were able to get going as they defeated Barbourville, 10-2, during the first round of the 13th Region Tournament Monday.
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Who really are the favorites this year?
Corbin and North Laurel High Schools’ first round match-ups in both the 13th Region Baseball Tournament and 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament will highlight Monday’s first round action.
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Fantastic Finish
Brandon Hillard’s Knox Central Panthers almost pulled off a shocker before falling to rival Barbourville, 7-6, in the finals of the 51st District title game Thursday.
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