After more than two years, baseball is back in Cherokee County.
Under N.C. High School Athletic Association rules, teams were able to start practicing April 12 and play games Monday. Cherokee County opened its regular season Tuesday and will run until June 11.
“They’re excited about playing,” Andrews head coach Bryan Graves said of his team. “Sports is a big part of high school years, and then all of a sudden you have to miss it, that’s a downer. They’re happy to be back playing.”
The Wildcats finished 7-11 overall in 2019, 7-9 in the Smoky Mountain Conference, and Graves is just hoping his team can get better each week. Like a lot of high school baseball teams around the country, Andrews is light on players with varsity experience.
Seniors Spencer Bateman and AJ Weaver will be expected to throw a lot of innings on the mound, while catcher Jimmy Miller and infielder Ethan Neal will need to be productive both at the plate and in the field. The Wildcats opened their season after the Cherokee Scout’s press time Tuesday against Cherokee.
Expectations are high in Murphy, where head coach Adam Clonts thinks this could be the best team since the Bulldogs won the state championship in 2018. In what he considered a rebuilding year in 2019, Murphy was still able to finish 13-5 overall and second in the conference with a 13-3 record. The Bulldogs traveled to Swain County after press time Tuesday to start the 2021 season.
“Anything short of a conference championship will be a disappointment,” Clonts said. “Just because of the skill level we have some of our players and the ability to play multiple positions, those are our expectations.”
Seniors Dawson Hensley and Jesse Kephart, who were freshmen on the 2018 championship team, are expected to lead the way as captains this season. Clonts also sees juniors Briggs Cornwell, Braden Rumfelt and Kellen Rumfelt as all-around contributors, especially with their ability to play multiple positions, and sophomores Will Carringer and Cole Laney are in a position to contribute as well.
Hiwassee Dam started their season with a home game against Robbinsville after press time Tuesday. The Eagles finished 5-16 overall and 5-11 in the conference in 2019. With a young team that has only five seniors, head coach Jerry Kilpatrick is looking for his team to learn as much as they can this year.
“I hope they get a lot of experience,” Kilpatrick said. “I’m just trying to work with them to get as much experience as they can. I want them to have fun and enjoy it.”