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Officially, the 2023 KHSAA baseball season concluded a few weeks ago with the state tournament in Lexington.

However, it would be hard to tell by the presence of players and fans at George Rogers Clark High School on Wednesday night.

The 10th Region All-Star Game, featuring over 30 players from 13 schools, occurred.

It was first thought up by Will Jones, a social studies teacher at Harrison County High School who also runs the website 10thRegion.com.

“I asked the coaches and they [said] ‘Sure’, so I took it kind of upon myself to put it together,” Jones said. “It’s a first-year [event]. I picked all the players and communicated with the coaches, and things are turning out pretty good.”

This year, the 10th Region tournament was won by Harrison County, led by Kentucky’s all-time winningest high school baseball coach and four-time state champion Mac Whitaker.

The Thorobreds advanced past the Sweet 16 before losing to Henderson County in the Elite Eight.

Plenty of their players – including Elijah Harris, Mason Smiley, and Malachi Feeback – were present.

During the previous two years, Campbell County represented the 10th Region, narrowly defeating the Cards 5-3 in the 2022 championship game.

The Camels were represented by talents such as Braden Kramer, Jake Gross, and Parker Schweitzer.

Although he is committed to the University of Kentucky, star Camel athlete Aydan Hamilton was absent from the event.

Officially, teams from the 37th and 38th Districts competed against teams from the 39th and 40th Districts.

As a result, both dugouts were filled with different colored uniforms, as both players and coaches wore their respective team’s jerseys.

Uniquely, the home dugout – occupied by GRC players that included J.P. Gaines and Lochlan Hansel – was also where Mason County Assistant Coach Troy Pugh could be found.

“It’s pretty nice to get involved [and] get a lot of young kids together,” Pugh said. “As long as they’re having a good time, that’s the main thing. That’s what it’s all about…doing stuff for the kids.”

Along with incoming seniors Gaines and Hansel, the Cardinals were represented by incoming senior Caden Spicer and recent graduates Jake Sears and Keyonte Back.

Back, who pitched for the final time in a Cardinal uniform and has played with other players during summer ball, reflected on his years of experience.

“I’m blessed. I’m happy to be out here one last time,” Back said. “I’m really just having fun seeing all my old teammates; it feels surreal.”

While an MVP award was not given out, Sears and Spicer could each make an argument for it.

Late in the contest, during his final high school game and his birthday, Sears tied it up with a solo home run to left field.

Not long after, Spicer officially ended the contest with a walk-off RBI single to give the 39th and 40th District team a 4-3 victory.

Though rain temporarily delayed the seven-inning contest, it’s safe to assume the first edition of the 10th Region All-Star Game was a rousing success.

“I’m thankful that Clark County allowed us to use their field,” Jones said. “They have a really nice turf stadium. It was a lot of fun. You get to see the best of the best in the 10th Region.”