Friday, May 7, 2010

iHigh.com Releases Top 100s in Baseball, Softball

I have recently had the opportunity to assist the staff at iHigh.com in assembling the Top 100 baseball and softball players in the state of Kentucky.

While there are listings for preseason all-state teams in both sports, no one has attempted to accomplish what iHigh is trying to do. The plan is to put together an initial list of players in the preseason, add to and/or adjust that list in the mid-season poll, and hopefully have a comprehensive poll at the end of the regular season.

Three polls in one year, with ups and downs in the player rankings, just like there would be risers and fallers in the team polls. Makes sense to me.

The other facet of this poll that makes a lot of sense is that these rankings incorporate both the media and the coaches. In my opinion, this makes the poll stronger because coaches most likely know the game better than the media, but the media members have the chance to see more teams, in most cases. Including coaches and media makes the poll more well-rounded.

Finally, after looking at the initial list, if someone has been omitted, there is a link to click, and a player that you know can be nominated. Kentucky is a very wide state, geographically, and players can easily fall through the cracks. This link will help there be fewer of those players.

The response to these polls has been tremendous, and it is my hope that iHigh.com will expand the rankings to include other sports. These polls give Kentucky student-athletes the recognition that they deserve, which, in my mind, is a very good thing.