All your favorite teams and sources in one place

Build your feed

Your Teams.
All Sources.

Build your feed

© 2024 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC.

No results found.
Class of 2023 St. Xavier pitcher Ty Starke commits to nearby Louisville
One of the top pitchers in Kentucky, St. Xavier’s Ty Starke, will stay in-state and in his home city as he announced his commitment to University of Louisville. (Credit: Keith Russell/KR Photography)

Class of 2023 St. Xavier pitcher Ty Starke commits to nearby Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BVM) – After helping his No. 1 ranked St. Xavier Tigers team to an 8-2 win over rival and No. 2 ranked Trinity of Louisville, the junior starting pitcher was feeling good. He pitched against one of the most talented teams in the state filled with DI prospects and went 5.2 innings giving up only two hits and two earned runs while striking out five and walking five in 97 pitches.

“It really helped us play some good competition, especially recently,” Starke said. “We’re going to play them again so we know most of what they have. We saw probably their top pitcher and I got to see all their hitters so it helped us a lot.”

The clutch pitching performance was all the Tigers needed to upend the defending champion Shamrocks, but Starke wasn’t quite done with making waves that night. Just past 9 p.m. on April 27, Starke announced his commitment to the University of Louisville, a school that is only two miles away from the St. Xavier campus.

“I just kind of felt like it was the right time,” Starke said. “I didn’t want to wait too long to do it and I was already having a good night, it just felt right I guess.”

Starke becomes the 16th Cardinal commit in the recruiting class and just the fourth from the state joining Frederick Douglass right-handed pitcher Thomas Howard, Christian Educational Consortium right-handed pitcher Luca Sandrella and Southern High School infielder Alex Galan-Camejo who also comes from the city of Louisville.

“I feel like compared to any other coaching staff as a whole all those guys are very committed to what they do and I feel like they’re all in over there so that’s what really sets it apart for me.”

That performance against Trinity is just one of many standouts the Tigers’ ace has had this season. Starke has pitched in nine games with six starts going 6-0 with 38.2 innings pitched, a 1.27 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 20 walks while only giving up 17 hits. His ERA has him at No. 32 in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, proving that his skills are indeed among the best in the state.

“It’s just the work paying off,” Starke said. “It’s nice to be able to see that people are finally recognizing who I am and what I’ve worked for so it’s very satisfying.”

Starke is having a career year in 2022, ranking No. 32 in the entire state in ERA at 1.27. (Credit: Keith Russell/KR Photography)

The 6-foot-6, 182-pound southpaw will join an already strong Louisville program that will only get better over the offseason. As the No. 7 team in the country as of the May 22 D1baseball.com Top 25 poll, the 38-16-1 Cardinals will be getting a number of the top players in Kentucky including Bowling Green’s Patrick Forbes and Trinity of Louisville’s Korbyn Dickerson and Matt Klein, two guys that Starke was able to handle before his announced commitment.

“I think it’s really cool that we can do something like that and have as much talent as there is without having to go very far,” Starke said.

As the No. 2 team in the state rankings by MaxPreps and sitting with a 27-10 record, St. Xavier could be well on its way to a deep postseason run. After losing to Trinity in the Region 7 championship last year, the Tigers have already proven they can beat the Saints this season which gives the team a boost in confidence if the two teams meet up once again in the postseason.

“We want to win, that’s the top goal,” Starke said. “It’d mean a ton to me especially if I were to pitch in that game just because of how it happened last year…it will definitely mean a lot to those seniors who graduated last year and I know a couple of those guys will be out there so it will be cool to have that experience.”

Starke hopes to duplicate his early season performance against Trinity during the postseason with a spot in the state tournament on the line. (Credit: Keith Russell/KR Photography)

Starke could one again be the key for a deep run and a potential playoff win over Trinity as having one of the best pitchers in the state as your ace certainly doesn’t hurt. Given his strong campaign to this point, Starke will certainly be up for some after season awards and will bring some excitement for Louisville fans.

“To know that all the fans are behind you being from the same town as them, obviously they’re going to be a little more excited about you because they share that,” Starke said. “It’s pretty cool.”

With Starke playing at an elite level and the offense clicking on all cylinders, expect the Tigers to once again be a threat for a state championship this year. While it won’t be easy to knock off Trinity again, the fact the team has already done it before will help. If the St. Xavier team can play up to its potential, Starke could leave the program with at least one state title if not multiple, something Cardinals fans will certainly enjoy before he makes his way across the city.