Hazard, Perry County athletes earn Region 14 all-conference baseball honors

Hazard baseball’s spring surge kept echoing into Region 14’s all-conference honors, where Hazard and Perry County athletes landed across offense and pitching categories. The selections came after the Bulldogs beat Perry Central 10-5 for the 54th District Baseball Championship on May 29 and then captured the 14th Region title for the first time in six years.

The honor list reflected how far the program’s run reached through eastern Kentucky. The selection picture included local names such as Seth Caudill, Cayden Castle, Carlee Davidson and Trace Kincaid, showing that the recognition stretched beyond one lineup spot and into both hitting and pitching. The Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association treats all-region and all-state honors as part of a broader recognition system for coaches and players across the state, which made the Region 14 selections a meaningful marker for Hazard and the county.

Seth Caudill stood at the front of that spring. Hazard High School named the senior the 14th Region Player of the Year on Feb. 20, and Hazard Independent Schools said he later received the 2026 Ted Sanford Award at the Sweet 16 Championship game. Those honors added to a season that already had him in the center of the Bulldogs’ rise, from the district title game against Perry Central to the regional championship that sent Hazard back to the top of the 14th Region.

The school’s celebration also showed how much the postseason run mattered around town. Hazard’s live feed thanked Bulldogs Baseball for an “incredible ride” and congratulated “3 players that mean so much to the Bulldog Program,” a public nod to a team that gave fans one of the program’s strongest stretches in years. The 14th Region title also carried Hazard back to Rupp Arena, a reminder of how quickly a county program can turn one hot postseason into a wider stage.

With TeWayne Willis of Hazard listed by the KHSBCA as the Region 14 representative and officer, Perry County’s presence extends beyond the roster and into the region’s baseball structure. The latest honors suggest Hazard and Perry County are not just celebrating one good season, but building a pipeline of players who can keep competing for district and regional hardware next spring.