Catoosa_walker_news Gordon Lee in search of eighth state championship
The Gordon Lee Lady Trojans’ home field is currently under a state of repair as the season approaches. Plenty of work still remains as the Navyand-White won’t open their home schedule until the first week of September.
Parts of the Lady Trojans’ roster is also currently under a state of repair, but head coach Dana Mull won’t have the luxury of waiting for her players’ injuries to heal.
“The injuries have set us back a little, but I think we have enough people that can step up for the time being, even if we have to move people around to different positions and different spots in the (batting) order to keep us strong, said the veteran coach, who owns 14 region titles in her 14 previous seasons at Gordon Lee. “We try not to focus too much on individual talent, but looking at the team as a whole, we do have a ton of talent. Barring any new injuries and if we can get some of our core back around the middle of year, we’ll have a good group going into the postseason.”
You don’t play in the state finals for 10 consecutive seasons without having plenty of horses in the stable and Gordon Lee will once again have one of the top rosters in their classification. However, as she always stresses, the 2017 team will have to earn its keep and can’t afford to rest on the laurels of last year.
“We have a lot returning, which is good, but we’re not taking anything for granted,” she added. “We know we still have to prove ourselves. Each year is a different team, even if it’s just a couple of players. We’re not going to be handed anything just because ‘Gordon Lee’ written across our chests. We have to go out and earn it.”
That core group starts with the senior class, which includes outfielder Gracey Kruse, shortstop Faith Alexander, pitchers Canaan Burnett and
Janie Durham and catcher Katherine Grace McElhaney.
Kruse is a threetime All-Region pick, a three-time All-State selection and last year’s Class A Player of the Year. A Chattanooga commitment, Kruse has a career average near .500 and will be looking to add to her school-records of 22 home runs and 162 RBIs. Alexander, a future Kennesaw State Owl, is a two-time first team All-State pick. She hit .467 out of the leadoff spot last season, scored 47 runs, drove in 20 more and swiped 33 bases. But off-season shoulder surgery could keep her shelved for the first month of the season or more.
In the circle, the Lady Trojans will be anchored by Burnett, the returning Class A Pitcher of the Year. Committed to Stetson, she went 27-7 in the circle last fall with 186 strikeouts in 171 innings with a 0.90 ERA. She also batted a robust .340 with 29 RBIs. Complimenting her will be Janie Durham, who got the start and the win in the deciding game of last year’s state finals. She struck out 31 batters in 48 innings last year and had a 1.02 ERA, but is also dealing with a nagging injury.
Behind the plate will be McElhaney, a threeyear starter, who was as a second team AllState selection in 2016
after hitting .301 and knocking in 13 runs.
“This whole senior class, they want to prove themselves,” Mull said. “They’ve been on successful teams their first three years and I think they want to prove that they can keep the tradition going as seniors.”
A Tennessee Tech commitment, Paxton Grimes, leads the junior class. Grimes hit .371 as a sophomore with eight doubles, four homers and 29 RBIs. Normally a third baseman, she could be plugged in at shortstop in Alexander’s absence. Christin Isbill is a returning starter in rightfield and is coming off a .311 season a year ago. The class is rounded out by Kelsey Lee. Lee is usually an outfielder, but is versatile enough to play multiple positions on the field.
The sophomores include infielders Maddie Clark and Macie Pearson, outfielders Reagan Thompson and Anna Logan, catcher/ first baseman Kirbie Bradley and catcher/ outfielder Cameron Davis. Clark, a starter at second base last year, is just getting back in the swing of things after off-season knee surgery and the majority of the group saw extensive varsity action a year ago.
Mull believes that incoming freshman Emma Minghini could make a big impact with the varsity team. A pitcher and a first baseman, Minghini has already committed to Penn State University. The remainder of the rookie crop includes infielders Ashlyn Schmidt, Madison Farrow and Jordan Dyer, outfielders Shania Dunn and Addison Sturdivant, who could also pitch once healthy from a recent injury, and Lindsey Davenport, a transfer from Calhoun, who can catch, play first base, or serve as an outfielder.
Mull will once again be assisted on the bench by Kevin McElhaney and Jensen Floyd.
“These seniors have two state titles in three state championship appearances, so they know what it takes to get there and they know what it takes to win,” explained Mull, who has coached Gordon Lee to seven state championships in 14 seasons. “Even the juniors and sophomores who were there the last year or two know what it takes. They also realize there are other really good teams out there and we have to continue to get better.”
“We have to take it one game at a time, though. With the points system in Class A, you can’t look ahead and you can’t look past any game because every game is like a region game. They are all important and they all matter. We just have to stay in that mindset and be up for every game. Sometimes that’s hard, depending on whom you’re playing, but it’s something we focused a lot on last year and something we’ll continue to focus on this year.”