Baseball Trojans will honor ’77 title squad
The 1977 Soddy-Daisy High School baseball team was nothing special for most of the season, but by the end of it nobody could touch those Jim Harrison-coached Trojans.
That group, Soddy-Daisy’s lone state championship baseball team, will be honored as a group Tuesday as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of that title season.
“It all kind of came together at the end,” recalled Tobin Davidson, who was one of the team’s primary pitchers and is now principal at Sale Creek Middle/High. “We were not super dominant during the regular season.”
They saved that for the postseason.
“I remember the first game of the district went extra innings and a ball that was thrown over the fence forced in the winning run,” Davidson said. “That’s when it all came together.”
Behind pitchers Ricky Lewis and Davidson, the Trojans allowed a total of five hits over the next three games. Lewis followed with a no-hitter against Manchester (now Coffee County), and Davidson almost matched it with a one-hitter that clinched the region championship the next night against Franklin County.
After a substate win against Knoxville South Young, they won the state title by winning the first two games in a best-ofthree series against Lawrenceburg in Tullahoma.
“We got on a roll and stayed on a roll,” Davidson said. “One thing that stands out from then and now — there was no such thing as a pitch count, and as a pitcher you didn’t have a successful outing unless you went the full seven (innings).”
Sporting throwback jerseys, the current Trojans will host the former players for Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game against Lebanon.
“We’ll have them throw first pitches about 6:45, have the national anthem and then play ball,” current Trojans coach Jared Hensley said.
Rivalry opener
The high school baseball seasons for Baylor and McCallie will open next week with a three-game series against one another.
They’ll play at Baylor on Tuesday and Thursday, with a game at McCallie on Wednesday.
The teams opened the 2016 season the same way, with Baylor taking the first game and McCallie sweeping a doubleheader after rain altered the original schedule.
“It was the draw,” Baylor athletic director Thad Lepcio responded when asked about the teams opening their Division II-AA seasons with the rivalry series.
Tourney time
Hixson’s Wildcat Classic will begin the area tournament season for prep baseball, with stops through the season at Central, East Hamilton, Lookout Valley, McCallie, Ooltewah and the Sequatchie Valley.
The Wildcat Classic will be played at Central, East Hamilton and Hixson starting next Thursday, with the championship game scheduled for 1 p.m. on March 19 at Hixson. In addition to the host teams, participants are Franklin County, McMinn County, North Port (Fla.), Ooltewah, Red Bank, South Pittsburg and Greater Gwinnett Christian, a homeschool program from Georgia.
Marion players sign
Three Marion County football players signed to play collegiately Thursday afternoon. Linebacker Alex Kirkendoll signed with Berry College, defensive lineman Ismael Avila signed with Indiana Wesleyan and offensive lineman Noah Walters signed with Maryville College.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Kirkendoll, who won the state’s Class 2A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year award, ranked among the area’s leaders in tackles with 126 and had 11 more for lost yardage, plus three sacks. Avila, a 6-foot, 210-pound defensive end, had 61 tackles and 11 more for loss, while Walters, a 5-10, 210pound offensive lineman, helped pave the way for the Warriors to reach the state title game three straight years.
“Today is a testament to how hard all three of them have worked both on the field and in the classroom,” Warriors coach Joey Mathis said. “All three have been really good players but also have gotten it done with their school work, and that’s what opened the door for them. Alex actually chose Berry over some other offers he had because of the academics. I’m really proud of all of them.”
Turf for Cleveland
The Cleveland city school board has approved a new turf field for the Blue Raiders’ football program. Work on the $750,000 Greenfield Turf surface is expected to begin in April.
“It’s top of the line,” Blue Raiders football coach Scott Cummings said. “It will include an $80,000 layer of cushion under the turf, and the turf itself is NFL quality. It really will be pretty amazing stuff.”