Grayson Willoughby talks state championship at Trinity, rise up the 2026 recruiting rankings

Willoughby won a state championship in June and has seen his Prep Baseball Report ranking soar over the past year.

Photo courtesy of Grayson Willoughby

Kentucky righthanded pitcher commit Grayson Willoughby capped off his junior season by winning a state championship at his future home. Trinity High School in Louisville defeated Pleasant Ridge Park 2-1 in extra innings at Kentucky Proud Park on June 14 to seal the program’s second state title overall. Willoughby walked away with MVP honors for the KHSAA State Tournament.

“It meant a lot, especially with this group of guys,” Willoughby told Bat Cats Central. “We all worked our tails off all year. To get that award and be hailed as the MVP is something special because it shows how all of that work has paid off.”

It was a dominating season for the Shamrocks, which finished 38-3 overall and only lost two games within the state, but Willoughby recalled an early season game that he said was a “wake-up" call” for the team. Trinity was defeated 3-1 in the third game of their season by Lafayette High School in Lexington. Though it was early, it still provided a turnaround that saw the Shamrocks lose just once more all season to a Kentucky opponent. They were defeated by rival St. Xavier in the regular season but rebounded to beat the Tigers in the 7th Region championship game.

“Looking back at how we lost to (St. Xavier) and having to play them again in the region, just everything we overcame as a team to make it to the championship and win it all was just something I’ll always remember,” Willoughby said.

By the end of his junior season, Willoughby had established himself as not only one of the best prospects in Kentucky in the 2026 class, but the whole country. He hit .500 at the plate through 70 at-bats with five doubles, one triple and one homer while playing infield, but his pitching is what took the most significant leap over the past few months. Willoughby went 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 40 innings for Trinity.