PITT 8 PREVIEW: Hornets ready sting on

Mar. 30—The Hornets are ready for battle, and they'll do it on their home turf.

Stuart will be seeking to best the conference contestants during the 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Baseball Tournament this week, while also serving as the home site.

The Hornets earned runner-up honors last spring with a championship game battle against Crowder, and were a state tournament quarterfinalist last fall. This spring season, Stuart enters ranked as a top 5 team in Class B and the top seed in the Pitt 8 Tournament.

The Hornets are just like every other team in the state as they've battled against the weather, but have also seen plenty of action — including wins over teams such as Strother and Atoka, as well as Pitt 8 regular season wins over the likes of Haileyville, Savanna, Crowder, and fellow top-five ranked team Kiowa.

Zach Luker leads the charge at the plate with a .483 average, a home run, and six RBIs. Collectively as a team, the Hornets hold a .313 batting average at the plate, with 41 combined RBIs scored — with Dre'Von Colbert and Cody Cook combing for 12 of those. On the mound, the Stuart pitching staff has combined for 62 strikeouts with a 3.323 ERA.

Stuart will earn an automatic first-round bye as a reward for being the top seed, awaiting the results of Thursday to set up Friday's semifinal action.