Lafayette christens new turf field after Rambler alum
A standing-room-only crowd was on hand in LaFayette on Thursday as the Ramblers lifted the curtain on the 2023 baseball season, their first on their brand-new artificial turf field.
Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony in which the field was named for former Lafayette player and coach Chris Jones, the Ramblers got down to the business of baseball. However, visiting Northwest Whitfield spoiled the fun by handing Lafayette a 7-2 defeat.
After two scoreless innings, Lafayette was able to push a run home in the bottom of the third. A walk and two Bruin errors loaded the bases with nobody out and, following a strikeout, Hunter Jefferies plated Zain Smith with a fielder’s choice. However, Northwest got a strikeout to escape further damage.
The Bruins answered an inning later by scoring five times, including back-toback two-out, Rbi-doubles.
Northwest tacked on
another run in the top of the sixth, but Lafayette responded in the bottom half of the same inning. Caden Carpenter ripped a two-out triple to right before sprinting home on an Rbi-single from Bryce Careathers.
The Bruins’ final run came on an Rbi-triple in the top of the seventh.
Jathan Harding had the only other hit for Lafayette, while Smith drew a walk, scored a run and swiped two bases.
Nick Adams started the game on the mound and gave up nine hits and a walk over four innings. He finished with seven strikeouts, while Jefferies pitched the final three frames. He allowed five hits and one walk
with four strikeouts.
The pregame ceremony was attended by several local dignitaries, including Walker County Schools Superintendent Damon Raines, members of the Walker County School Board, Lafayette
Mayor Andy Arnold, LHS administrators, former Rambler players and members of Jones’ family.
Jones, a standout at Southern Poly Tech and a 1988 draft pick of the Atlanta Braves who was part of Southern Poly’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2014, also had his number No. 16 retired in the surprise ceremony. He is the first Rambler baseball player ever given that honor by the school.
Jones went on to play a season in the Braves’ organization in Idaho Falls and later played pro ball in the independent leagues. After his playing days ended, he was a baseball coach at LHS for eight years and also served as the school’s Athletic Director and Assistant Principal.
He currently works for the Walker County School system as Director of Facilities and Operations and helped oversee the installation of the new baseball field, as well as the school’s new tennis courts.