Last week, Eastern's Ethan Elmore had no clue his name was about to be etched into the program's record book. 

Heading into a showdown with reigning Sixth Region champion DeSales, Elmore was focused on leading the No. 22 Eagles to their fifth-straight win. Eastern had lost four of its last five meetings against the Colts and the Eagles needed to be at their best. 

Seven innings later, Eastern was victorious 7-1. Elmore finished the day 2-for-3 with one run, three RBIs and a stolen base that gave him sole possession of the school record for stolen bases in a season (27). 

Elmore has been a base-stealing machine all year. He already extended the record to 30 after swiping a bag three times during a 13-0 win over Bullitt East on Tuesday. The junior's aggressiveness has the Eagles' (24-8) offense thriving.

Because of that he was selected as The Courier Journal's Athlete of the Week. 

Get the scoop: Subscribe to The Courier Journal's high school sports newsletter 

As excited as Elmore was to break the school record, it wasn't a personal goal at the start of the year. He didn't even know of the milestone until it was within his grasp. 

"I had no idea going into the season, but about two games before my coach let me know that I was like three [stolen bases] away," Elmore said. "Once we got to that game, I wasn't even thinking about it." 

Elmore was 1-for-2 on his stolen base attempts against DeSales, but that was enough. After stealing second, the realization sunk in and Elmore was fired up. He's had a good season, but breaking the record felt like a confidence boost. 

More: See district tournament schedules, more as high school baseball

Last year, Elmore struggled to stay in the lineup. He was inconsistent (.263 batting average) and the team wasn't doing much better. The Eagles finished the year 19-15 after losing to CAL in the 28th District semifinals. 

The Eagles wasted no time putting last year behind them. Eastern started the year 7-2, and after every loss it seemed to bounce back with long winning streaks. Elmore's batting much better (.473, 43 hits, 34 runs, 23 RBIs) heading into the playoffs, and the Eagles look primed to return to the regional tournament for the first time since 2019. 

Also: See district tournament schedules, more as high school softball

But while Eastern has beaten its share of good teams, it has struggled against top squads like St. Xavier, Fern Creek and North Oldham. And the 28th District field with Ballard, CAL and Kentucky Country Day is no cakewalk. 

"We stayed hot for most of the year, then we hit a one- or two-week stretch of playing some good teams and good pitchers and we kind of got down on ourselves," Elmore said. "After that week we talked and told ourselves that we need to play our game. How we play, how we've been winning, that's just us going out there and having fun." 

Follow Courier Journal reporter J.L. Kirven on Twitter @JL_Kirven for more updates on Louisville prep sports.