By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
As this edition went to press, Coach Trey Meade and his Manchester Greyhounds varsity baseball squad had played just a single game, but they made that a successful outing. The Greyhounds, defending small school champions of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, opened their defense of that title with a road trip to West Union on March 31 to battle the Dragons, who were playing their second game after suffering a non-conference loss to Northwest.
Last week’s game had a number of interesting sidenotes, mainly the fact the West Union starting pitcher Thomas Barnhart was a member of the Greyhounds’ championship squad in 2025, perhaps giving an extra bit of motivation for each team as Barnhart took the hill for the top of the first. no doubt with serious adrenaline pumping.
Barnhart retired the Hounds in order in the top of the first and would set down the first nine hitters he faced before an error allowed Manchester’s Traevyn Hilderbrand to reach safely leading off the fourth. After a walk to Luke Applegate, the West Union right hander fanned the next three Greyhounds to keep his shutout intact. While Barnhart was blanking the visitors, Manchester starter Kenton Butt was matching him inning for inning.
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