Bates adds to Bryan’s local recruiting haul
Ringgold baseball wouldn’t have the decades-long tradition of winning that it has without good pitching and senior Robbie Bates did his part to keep that tradition going in 2022.
After filling a primary role as a reliever the two previous years, Bates embraced a starter’s role this past spring and helped get the Tigers to the Sweet 16 round of the Class AAA state playoffs.
It remains to be seen whether Bates will be a starter or a reliever in the future, but the one thing for sure is that there will be a baseball future for the Tigers’ righty.
Bates joined the long list of Ringgold baseball players who signed to continue their careers in college when he inked with Bryan College on Thursday, May 26.
“It feels great just to be able to keep playing baseball,” Bates explained. “I’ve been playing since I was six and it would stink just to be done with it, so I’m happy to be able to play at least one more year for sure.”
Bryan has become a preferred destination for several athletes in both Catoosa and Walker County in a number of sports, but especially baseball, where the Lions have already signed Dyllan Curtis and Curtis Wells from Ridgeland, along with Bates’ teammate, Mason Parker.
“For me, it’s super close (to home),” Bates said, listing the reasons he chose to sign with the Dayton, Tenn. NAIA school. “I do have a few friends that I used to play summer ball with that are going there for other sports. Then my neighbor and friend, Mason, who I’ve been playing ball with since I was a little kid, recently committed there. I’m excited to be able to play another year with him for sure.”
“It’s an awesome opportunity for him,” said Ringgold head coach Drew Walker. “Like (Athletic Director) Lee Shell always says, the best part of the job is when you get to talk about these guys going to the next level. He’s played since he was four years old, coming up through the system and now he’s getting this opportunity. He’s worked his tail off and it’s a great day for him and his family.”
Bates threw 22 innings and made 10 appearances as a junior, eight coming out of the bullpen. He fanned 20 hitters and gave up just four earned runs, finishing with a 1.27 ERA.
Tasked with switching to a starting role this past spring, Bates didn’t miss a beat. He led the Tigers in starts (11) and innings pitched (59.1) and racked up 54 strikeouts against 23 walks and ended the year with a 2.12 ERA.
“I hope to be able to bring the experience of pitching in big situations,” Bates added. “I’ve got a decent bit of experience of coming in to pitch in big games, so I hope I can help them with any bad situation they’re in to get them through it.”
Walker called Bates “the rock of the staff”.
“It’s just his consistency,” the coach continued. “You know what you’re going to get out of Robbie every time he takes the mound. He’s going to be consistent, he’s going to throw strikes, he’s going to keep hitters off-balance and he’s not going to walk a lot of people. And like he said, he has pitched in a lot of big situations. His sophomore and junior year, bases loaded and nobody out, it was time for Robbie Bates.
“He got a great opportunity to start this year and he did the exact same thing. He was our Mr. Consistency this year and we knew what we were going to get every time he went out there. Everyone around him had confidence when he was on the mound.”
Bates is currently undecided on a major, but said he’s considering a career in physical therapy that will allow him to continue to be around the game.