Royal plans to go beyond the game of baseball

Mason County High School class of 2023 graduate Carson Pugh has set his sights high for his future.

The Mason County athletics veteran, Pugh, was a member of both the varsity football team and baseball teams throughout his high school career, but said that baseball has always been his biggest passion, athletically. During his time on the baseball team, Pugh racked up a respectable number of stats, with a career total of .346 batting average and .461 on base percentage during his time as a three year starter.

Pugh also racked up a .579 batting average and a .692 on base percentage throughout his career in playoff games.

"I tried to do the best I could when I was, I'm not gonna say injured, but a little beat up sometimes, I was never gonna not play. I wasn't gonna let my team down." said Pugh.

Like many kids, Pugh picked up a love of baseball at a young age.

"I played from coach pitch to little league, to middle school and all the way up to high school." said Pugh.

Having fallen in love with the sport early on, Pugh went through numerous positions to try to find the one that was best for him. Always one that wanted to be on the field as much as possible, he quickly realized catching behind the plate was a job no one wanted, and would basically guarantee he'd play every game.

"I just decided I was gonna be a catcher and tried it one time and it ended up being my favorite thing. You're involved in every single play." said Pugh.

"Having somebody that really loves to play that position is few and far between in high school baseball. Number one if you're gonna play that role, you're always gonna be in the game and that tells me that he's a gamer." said Royals head coach, Jason Butler.

Coach Butler joined the Royals coaching staff as head coach in the 2022 season, Carson's junior year.

The 2022 season was the second season Carson and his fellow class of 2023 graduates were able to participate in, with the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Pugh was the starting catcher all three years he was a member of the Royals, helping lead the team to three straight district titles, and Mason County's first win in the regional tournament since 2014 this season.

"In my two seasons, we played sixty-two games, and he caught every game. The fact that you're able to stay injury free on that is remarkable within itself, but to be willing to always put that gear on and go back there and be one of the most important position players on the field tremendously helped and it's gonna be a void that's going to be hard to fill." said coach Butler.

Coach Butler noted that Pugh's leadership capabilities were another reason he was a stand-out on the team.

Pugh could often be heard shouting encouragement to his teammates, whether that be a pitcher struggling from the mound, a position player missing a catch or a runner getting an unfortunate out, Pugh made it a goal to keep his teammates thinking positively, and get back on the track to move forward.

Carson's skill behind the plate, both as a catcher and a batter, led him to be selected to play for the 39th and 40th districts team at the first ever 10th region all-star game. Coach Butler was the head coach of this team as well.

"I wasn't expecting to get to play another baseball game again, and when they said I was gonna get to play in that, I was really excited. Another chance to end my career on a win, which we ended up doing." said Pugh.

Pugh caught three innings at the all-star game, catching for one of his own pitchers, Landon Scilley, and other top pitchers throughout the region.

The 39th and 40th district team was able to pull off a come from behind win, after tying the game on a home run in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases and Scilley being batted in by George Rogers Clark class of 2023 graduate, Caden Spicer.

"Number one, as a coach you never want to lose any senior, and I had a couple there in that game. As a head coach, I was fortunate enough to coach both Trey and him, one more game. As a coach, you never want to lose seniors but you're happy they're gonna go off and do great things." said coach Butler, "To be able to lead them one last time I think was a memory that was not only great that night, but it's something that whether it's days, weeks or years down the road, is something that we'll be able to reflect back upon and say we were in the first year in that all-star game."

Pugh's performance at the all-star game, was as rock solid as ever. Despite striking out for the first time in nearly ten games, Pugh was a valuable asset to the 39th and 40th district teams performance that game.

Although Pugh loves the game of baseball, and the love for the game will never leave him, the all-star game will be the last baseball game he plays. He has decided to decline all offers from college recruiters to pursue another passion of his: medicine.

Pugh has enrolled in the University of Kentucky's biology program, with a pre-med pathway. Pugh hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon down the line, and is ready to put in the work to make it a reality.

"When I was little I broke a lot of bones. I was always seeing Josh a lot, I ended up really liking him. I never really thought I wanted to do something like that until junior year, it really came to me and I knew how much I liked Josh so I was like I think I'm gonna give this a shot." said Pugh.

His aspirations beyond the world of baseball are another thing coach Butler commends about Pugh. His dedication both on and off the field have proven to coach Butler that Carson will be able to do whatever he sets his mind to.

"Carson could've went, and he could have played at some smaller schools, but the fact that he knows what he wants to do, I'm sure that is a comfort not only to his parents and his family, but also to Carson. To be driven at such a young age, and to know what you want to do is just another reason why I know he's gonna be successful." said coach Butler.