‘Executing the small things’ will be key for OCA softball team
♦ The last NFL event not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic was the 2020 combine in Indianapolis
After getting in just one softball match last spring before the COVID shutdown, the Oakwood Christian Lady Eagles are more than ready to get back to action.
Head coach Charme Ray held tryouts at the end of January and practice will have been going on for nearly three weeks by the time the Lady Eagles officially for the first time on March 16 at Rossville City Park against Lyndon Academy.
Ray said that there is a good familiarity with this year’s team as nearly all of last year’s players are back, plus a couple of new faces.
“We do have two new girls that are brand new to softball, but other than that, I pretty much have the exact same team back, so there aren’t a whole lot of surprises,” she said. “There are a couple of girls we’re going to have to use in more of utility roles. They may have to play in the infield, in the outfield or catch.”
Ray added that her team is more than anxious can get back to the playing field.
“The desire to play is honestly going to be (a strength),” she added. “They have that longing just to get back out there and play. We just played the one game last year and, because of rain, we may have only had a couple of practices. Having everybody back is also a plus. It helps with the community and the camaraderie.”
Senior Lily Green is the team’s primary catcher while younger sister Avery, a junior, will be the main backup behind the plate. Junior Maggie Heard will start in the circle most games, although sophomore Caroline Tindell will also log some innings this season.
At first base, senior Gracie Lea Heard will hold down the spot and provide power at the plate while senior Callie Ray will line up to her right at second base. McKenley Baggett, a junior, is penciled in at shortstop, although the middle infield positions could ultimately be platooned. The infield will be rounded out by another senior, Raleigh Suits, who will play third base.
The most experienced of the outfielders is veteran senior Grayson Broadrick, who will be back in center field. Ray said she and her staff were still trying to figure out who will handle the other two spots as of press time. Vying for playing time will be Tindell, Avery Green and the two new players, junior Natalie Mathis and freshman Elizabeth Shannon.
Andy Heard and Terry Burns will be Ray’s assistants as they get set to take on a schedule featuring teams from Tennessee and Georgia.
Ray added that “executing and doing the small things” will be part of the winning formula for her squad.
“When you do the small things correctly, whether that’s hustling all the way through the base, or swinging the bat correctly, or fielding the ball, to me, those little things are the keys to the sport,” she said. “And the girls just have to have the right mindset and go out and be confident.
“We just have to execute the small things, but I’m so confident in what we have on our team.”
The Ringgold Tigers opened up the 2021 middle school baseball season with a 31-3, two-inning home victory over Rossville last Tuesday.
Logan Bramlett and Colt Forgey had two hits each, including a double, while Aiden Hickman also had a double for Ringgold. Hickman led the Tigers with four RBIs with Forgey, Garrett Edgar and Pierce Pennington recording three RBIs each.
Bramlett, Taylor Pierce, Haddon Fries, Brayden Sylar, Jackson Black, Luke Raby and Isaac Crew each drove in two runs, while Braden Johnson, Eli Crew, Logan Moore and Mason Ellis had one RBI apiece.
Black pitched the first inning and struck out two batters to get the win. Ellis and Eli Crew both pitched in the second inning. They combined for three walks and four strikeouts.
Individual statistics for Rossville were not available as of press time.
Ringgold 16, Dade 0
The visiting Tigers put up 11 runs in the top of the fourth inning and moved to 2-0 on the season on Thursday.
Black pitched the first two innings, allowing one hit and striking out three, while Edgar pitched the final two innings. He gave up two hits and struck out four.
Hickman doubled as part of a 4 for 4 day. He scored three times, drove in four runs and also had a two-run inside-the-park homer.
Edgar and Forgey each had two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Haddon Fries had a double and three RBIs. Black helped his own cause with two hits, two runs scored and one RBI, while Raby also knocked in a run.
Gordon Lee 20, Rossville 0
The Trojans got a 3 for 4 afternoon from Dalton Russell, who had a double and finished with five RBIs in the game, which was played at Ridgeland High School on Thursday.
Brock Crutchfield and Dustin Day each had two hits, an RBI and three runs scored. Ty Thompson went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Levi Webb had one hit and also drove in three runs. Landon Norton and Troy Phillips each knocked in a pair, while Aiden Goodwin had a hit, an RBI, drew two walks and scored twice.
Phillips pitched the first 2.2 innings, allowing two walks and striking at seven, while Brisyn Oliver fanned the only batter he faced in the third inning.
Elijah Waters and Raylon Nichols each drew walks for the Bulldogs. JaeShawn Duke started on the mound for Rossville (0-2), while Caleb Burnett finished the game on the hill.
Heritage 14, LaFayette 4
The Generals broke open a 3-3 tie with nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before going on to a home victory over the Ramblers on Thursday.
Heritage got a 3 for 4 day from Owen Carstens, who also scored three times and drove in three runs. Caden Strickland matched him with three RBIs. Brandon Greene had a hit, scored twice and drove in a run, while Cody Bryan, Henry Allen, Ty Hunt and Jake Collett all had one RBI apiece.
Carstens pitched the first 2.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on one hit and four walks with eight strikeouts. Maddox Henry and Lex Davey threw in relief for the Generals (2-0).
Haygen Baker had two hits and an RBI for the Ramblers, while Julian Lees and Matthew Thompson added hits.
Isaiah McKenzie had six walks and six strikeouts in 2.1 innings on the hill. He gave up one hit and a pair of unearned runs. Lees, Kole Worley and Brennon Beavers all pitched out of the bullpen for LaFayette (0-1).
Every time these two teams meet, it seems to go down to the wire.
For the third year in a row, the Chattanooga Mocs gutted out a one-point win against The Citadel. This time the 18th-ranked Mocs needed a two-point conversion in overtime to take down the Bulldogs, 25-24, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, S.C. this past Saturday.
After allowing The Citadel to score 10 unanswered points in the second half to tie the game at 17 at the end of regulation, Chattanooga needed one more play in OT to get the win. Senior QB Drayton Arnold hit sophomore TE Jay Gibson on a shovel pass in the middle to convert the game-winning conversion.
The Mocs improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference action with the win. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-6 on the year and 0-2 in league play. UTC and
VMI are the only two 2-0 teams in the league following today’s action.
The game-winning play almost did not happen except for a pass interference call on fourth-and-10 from the 25 a few plays earlier. Senior wideout Reggie Henderson drew the flag in the endzone, keeping the overtime drive alive.
The Citadel had already scored on its first possession of OT, meaning the Mocs needed to get to the endzone to keep playing. After the flag, senior RB Tyrell Price put together runs of six and four yards to cross the goal line. The offensive line nearly moved the Bulldogs’ defense to the back on the endzone on the final play.
Chattanooga’s defense was tough all game, only allowing 230 yards of total offense. A pair of turnovers and two failures on fourth down in The Citadel territory kept the Bulldogs in the game.
Junior Ty Boeck led the Mocs with a game-high 11 tackles. Junior Devonnsha Maxwell added a career-high 10 stops and tied a career mark with two sacks. Sophomore Jay Person tied a career high with nine tackles, while senior Jerrell Lawson added eight. Senior Brandon Dowdell had two PBUs to lead the secondary.
After leading 17-7 at the half, the Mocs took the ball to start the third period. Chattanooga had fourthand-one at The Citadel 32 on their opening possession but did not convert. They also had fourth-and-three at the Bulldogs’ 21 and could not get the first down on the ensuing possession. UTC’s next two possessions ended with a fumble and an interception to keep The Citadel in the game.
The first half was a much different story, with UTC looking sharp early. The Mocs opened their first possession with a big play on first down from their own 25. Arnold found Tyus over the middle for a 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
It was the longest pass play for Arnold and the longest catch for Tyus, giving Chattanooga a quick 7-0 lead.
After forcing anther punt, UTC marched down the field to score again before the end of the opening period. Senior RB Tyrell Price capped off an 11-play, 82yard drive with a six yard run. That score gave UTC a 14-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the first.
The Citadel answered with just over three minutes left in the half, but the Mocs were able to get one more score before the break. Facing a fourth-and-15 from The Citadel 33, Arnold found Kanore McKinnon for 18 yards over the middle to The Citadel 15. Freshman Skylar Wilson hit the field goal to give Chattanooga a 17-7 lead at the break.
Arnold finished 11-20 passing for 220 yards, a TD and an INT. Price led the running game with 66 yards and two TDs on 16 carries. Tyus posted 88 yards and score on two catches.
The last NFL event not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic was the 2020 combine in Indianapolis. A year later, with the 2021 combine canceled, the league has released a list of players who would have merited invitations.
From such high-profile quarterbacks as Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, the almostcertain top overall draft pick by Jacksonville, and Ohio State’s Justin Fields to guys who sat out last season such as Oregon tackle Penei Sewell, there are 323 players from 100 schools.
While they won’t get the chance to be observed and examined in Indy, the fact they are on this list means there will be interest in them come the end of April and the NFL draft.
Instead of running 40-yard dashes, lifting weights and doing other activities, many on national television, at the combine, the players will be evaluated at pro days throughout the nation. Some even have or will attend minicombines that are not sanctioned by the NFL.
Fields would have had 13 Buckeyes teammates at the combine, the most for any school, followed by Georgia with 12, Alabama and Notre Dame (11 each), and Florida (9).
Cornerbacks got the most invitations with 44, including all-Americans Shaun Wade of Ohio State, and Patrick Surtain of national champion Alabama. Offensive tackles are next most popular with 36; that position was a stronghold of the 2020 draft and could be again this year led by Sewell.
Other potential first-round quarterbacks on the list include Zach Wilson of BYU, Trey Lance of North Dakota State and Mac Jones of Alabama.
There’s even a long snapper invited: the Crimson Tide’s Thomas Fletcher.
Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith and Tide teammate Jaylen Waddle are among the wide receivers who would have been at the combine, along with Smith’s All-America counterpart, Elijah Moore of Mississippi.
Several FCS and lower division schools have players on the list, including North Dakota State, Illinois State, Grambling State, Nicholls State, North Carolina Central, Northern Iowa, Charleston (Division II), Central Missouri State (Division II) and WisconsinWhitewater (Division III).
The latter school is expecting representatives from all 32 clubs at its pro day, when its one combine player, guard Quinn Meinerz, is planning to work.
Some prospects already have appeared in all-star games such as the Senior Bowl and Hula Bowl. The flood of pro days begins Friday at Kansas.
Key pro days at which many likely high draft picks will work — albeit in a choreographed practice — are Alabama’s two (March 23 and 30); Ohio State (March 30); Oklahoma (March 12); Notre Dame (March 31); Georgia (March 17); Iowa State (March 23); Texas (March 11); Texas A&M (March 30); Clemson (March 11); Wisconsin (March 10); and Penn State (March 25).
Such NFL teams as the Detroit Lions, who select seventh overall, will be paying close attention.
“When you pick inside the top 10, you better know every single position regardless of the circumstances currently on your roster,” said new Lions general manager Brad Holmes. “There’s really not a position that I can sit here and say that I see as thin right now just because in relevance of where we’re picking at, we have to be prepared to know all positions and that’s part of the process that we’re doing now.”
That process is not any easier without a combine.
Prospects already are getting tested at nonsanctioned events that the NFL has barred officials from attending. At the EXOS minicombine in Arizona, wide receiver Rashod Bateman of Minnesota, a combine invitee, ran a 4.37 hand-timed and 4.39 laser-timed 40. DE Milton Williams of Louisiana Tech, also an Indy invitee, had a 35-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.63. And Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State’s highly regarded wideout, ran a 4.39.