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Earning Their Stripes is the first of what we hope will eventually be a number of online journals written by coaches from our area teams to provide fans with a little bit of a coach's perspective into the season.  Earning Their Stripes is devoted to Murray High Lady Tigers basketball, and it is written by Jay Stark, now in his third year as an assistant coach for the Lady Tigers.  The title refers to a talented young basketball team trying to earn respect as they hope to join the elite in the First Region.  We hope that you'll enjoy joining Jay and any of our other staffs that participate as they take you along for an inside look at a high school basketball season in western Kentucky.

You can listen to the 1340 WNBS feed of Marshall County at Murray in a Fourth District doubleheader right here at Froggyland Sports.  Just click the 'Broadcasting Live' icon at the top of the page to join us as the Marshals battle the Tigers.

Paducah Tilghman's scintillating freshman guard, Chelsey Shumpert, is another of our western Kentucky stars to enter the 1000-Point Club this year, doing so versus Reidland on January 5.  An electrifying performer, Shumpert burst on the scene as a seventh-grader, and she continues to get better and better by the day.  Her speed, quickness, and unparalleled ability as a shot-maker in traffic have helped her rank among the region's leaders in scoring over the course of the year, and she joins Murray's Haley Armstrong on a pace to set new regional scoring records.

Murray High will honor sophomore guard Haley Armstrong on Saturday night for becoming the program's all-time leading scorer.  Armstrong broke the school record of 1400 points, held by former Lady Tigers' star Becky Greene English, with her first two points in Murray's 55-33 rout of Walton-Verona in the All-A Classic state quarterfinals.  The ceremony honoring Armstrong's terrific achievement will be held between games of tonight's Fourth District doubleheader between Murray and Marshall County.  The gentlemen's contest will open the evening, with the Lady Tigers and Lady Marshals meeting in the nightcap. 

The night will also feature Armstrong and teammate Janssen Starks being recognized for being selected to the All-A Classic state tournament team for 2010.

Community Christian's phenomenal junior forward Bonnie Durrett became the latest First Region star to reach the one thousand point plateau, drilling a three-point field goal with seven seconds remaining in the first quarter of CCA's 58-45 loss to Murray on Thursday night.  The 6-2 sensation finished the night with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and it was fitting that she reached the milestone with a triple...highlighting the vast array of skills she deploys.  Durrett looks more and more like a Division I player every day, and Froggyland Sports salutes her talent and her outstanding achievement.

As first reported by the Murray Ledger and Times' Tommy Dillard, Murray State head football coach Chris Hatcher snagged three of western Kentucky's finest gridiron stars as part of his first recruiting class.  Calloway County's Grant Williams (OL), Heath's Tra Tharp (WR/DB), and Murray's Brandon Wicks (SS) signed with the Racers on Wednesday, and that talented trio was also joined by Henry County's Martez Teague (LB) and Fred (Trey) Tharpe III (WR).  You can read more about Coach Hatcher's debut class here at GoRacers.com.

Join us inside to see the large contingent of western Kentucky stars headed to Campbellsville University and to find out where Calloway County soccer star Shauna Wicker will continue her career.

In advance of this weekend's regional swim meet in Owensboro, Froggyland Sports had the opportunity to talk to Murray High stroke instructor John Wand about the Tigers outstanding 2009-2010 season.  Coach Wand shares highlights from the Tigers' season to date, and he says his very young team has exceeded expectations with one fine performance after another.  Wand talks about the committment and work ethic required to be a successful swimmer, and we get his insight on the value of proper stroke mechanics and mental toughness.  And through the coach's eyes, we have the opportunity to learn more about the terrific swimmers that lead Murray into the regional meet.

Rob Dennis has the unique challenge of trying develop and grow the swimming program at Calloway County, and he joins us to talk about the evolution of a program that started with one swimmer and now moves forward with a very strong foundation.  Coach Dennis talks about the constant improvement of his young swimmers, and he outlines the committment and dedication from his kids in terms of work ethic and time investment.  He also provides us with insight on each of the swimmers participating in the Laker program.

Heath's Lauren Paxton joined Ballard Memorial's Tiffani Hatley as a new member in the 1000 Point Club on Tuesday night, scoring 22 points in Heath's 48-45 loss to Crittenden County.  Paxton's milestone comes as part of a terrific senior season for the Lady Pirates, a campaign that has included a career-high 42-point effort (a total that could be a school record) against Hickman County.  The 5-6 forward is one of the region's best interior scorers despite being undersized, and she has excelled through toughness, a soft shooting touch, and an uncanny ability to get to the foul line.

Froggyland Sports congratulates Lauren on her milestone.

From Calloway County athletic director Josh McKeel...

Kalyn Fox has been selected as a 2010 inductee into the Kentucky Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame.    Ms. Fox is a 2005 graduate of Calloway County and was a member of the Calloway County Softball team for 8 years. She was a member of the 2004 State Championship team and was named the MVP of the 2004 state tournament as well as winning the United States Marine Corp Sportsmanship award.  She earned First Team Region 1 honors for three years, was selected 1st team 3A All State in both 2004 and 2005 and was selected to the West All-Star team her senior season.  She was also 1st Team Academic All State in both 2004 and 2005.

The Paducah Sun's Joey Fosko made his weekly visit to the Travis Turner Sports Show, and we begin his first segment by discussing the new Marshall County football coach, Ron Barnard.  We also recap Murray's fabulous run to the semifinals at the All-A Classic, and Joey discusses the Lady Tigers' impressive play, as well as the impressive opponent (eventual champion Newport Central Catholic) that ended their trip.  He also examines the notion that Ballard Memorial might be the favorite to repeat their First Region boys championship next year, and he takes a look at what both Murray and the Bombers face as they return home to regular season district battles.

In his second segment on Tuesday's Travis Turner Sports Show, the Paducah Sun's Joey Fosko weighs the contenders for the First Region boys and girls championships, and he forecasts potential upsets in district tournament play.  Joe begins by breaking down the boys' race, identifying Graves County, Paducah Tilghman, and Marshall County in a class by themselves.  He names the best players for each club, and he highlights a player capable of providing the X-factor that could lift his team to another level.

Joey says the ladies' championship picture is getting less clear by the day, although he still believes that Paducah Tilghman is a slight favorite.  He likes Murray and Calloway County on the next line, with Ballard Memorial, Marshall County, and Community Christian right in the middle of the hunt.

The Racer Insider Lindy Suiter made his weekly visit to the Travis Turner Sports Show, and in the first segment, Lindy weighs in on the Racers' continued dominance of the Ohio Valley Conference.  Lindy lauds the outstanding play of Tony Easley, as the 6-9 senior continues to play terrific basketball on both ends of the floor.  He also talks at length about the remarkable leadership of Billy Kennedy, and he acknowledges that the quiet professionalism of the MSU head coach has kept Kennedy from receiving the accolades he so richly deserves.

In segment two of his weekly visit to the Travis Turner Sports Show, The Racer Insider Lindy Suiter reflected on the phenomenal career of former Racer great Marcus Brown.  Lindy places the electrifying Brown among his top five Racers of all time, and he remembers the two-time OVC Player of the Year as much for his history as a champion as he does his eye-popping career numbers.  Brown will be honored with induction into MSU's Hall of Fame on Saturday as the Racers take on Austin Peay, and Brown will be joined in that class by former Murray State head coach Steve Newton.  Lindy looks back at Newton's amazing run at Murray State, and he remembers a magical March in 1988 that saw the Racers upset North Carolina State and almost take down eventual champ Kansas under Newton's direction.

Congratulations are in order for Ballard Memorial junior Tiffani Hatley, as she became the latest member of Ballard Memorial's 1000 Point Club during the Lady Bombers' 81-59 victory over Hickman County.  Hatley has been a critical part of Ballard Memorial's success, first starting as an eighth-grader as the program began a renaissance that culminated in consecutive All-A regional titles and a spot among the First Region's elite.  Hatley's story has been one of talent, toughness, and perseverance, and Froggyland Sports salutes her milestone.

The Calloway County Softball Booster Club will be hosting the Doyle Baseball and Softball School for a clinic at Calloway County Middle School on Saturday, February 27.  The clinic will run from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM, and both boys and girls are welcome.  Age groups for the clinic will be as follows: 6U, 9U, 12U, 14U, and 17U.  Tuition for the clinic is $55 per students that pre-register prior to February 27, and tuition is $65 for walk-up students on the day of the clinic.  Ten dollars from each tuition fee will go to Calloway County Softball.

For more information, contact Coach Troy Webb via email or at 270-293-3623 or you can contact Scott Benson via email or at 270-293-3098.

From Ballard Memorial athletics...Updated basketball schedule for 2/2-2/5:

Tuesday:

SENIOR NIGHT VS. HICKMAN CO. – NO JV GIRLS GAME, SR. NIGHT WILL BEGIN AT 6 PM FOLLOWED BY VARSITY GIRLS AND VARSITY BOYS

Wednesday:

BOYS MAKE UP GAME WITH ST. MARY STARTING AT 5:30 – VARSITY ONLY –THIS GAME HAS TO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY BECAUSE BOTH SCHOOLS HAVE FULL SCHEDULES AND THIS WAS THE ONLY TRUE OPEN DATE.  ALL DISTRICT GAMES HAVE TO BE COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY 13.

Friday:

JVG,VG,VB @ MAYFIELD STARTING AT 5:00 PM