It was a strong year in Cherokee County for middle school baseball and softball teams. Murphy Middle School baseball capped off its second straight undefeated season with a win over Andrews in the conference championship, while the combined Hiwassee Dam/Ranger softball team made an appearance in the conference championship. Here’s a look back at each of the team’s seasons.
Murphy
The Bulldogs were dominant. Head coach Chris Brown said there were several games where his team scored more than 20 runs, and only played a full seven innings in four of their 13 games.
The championship game against Andrews on May 10, though, was no picnic. The two teams have been neck-and-neck throughout their time in youth league, and this game was no exception. The Wildcats started the game by scoring five runs in the top of the first inning, but Murphy rallied and held them down the rest of the way in an 8-5 win.
“Especially that young of an age, a lot of kids would’ve just given up on it already,” Brown said. “But they didn’t. They fought back and didn’t quit playing. I was very proud of them.”
The team was made of six eighth graders, three seventh graders and six sixth graders. Only four kids returned from last year’s team, and it was a new coaching staff as well. But Brown told the group that after doing it last year, there was no reason they couldn’t do it again.
While Brown said all of his eighth graders played well this year, Colton Morgan and Cameron Clem really stood out. Morgan was the team’s top pitcher, while Clem was the centerfielder. Brown added that Clem, who has been a standout player in multiple sports for Murphy Middle this year, was also the team’s vocal leader. After Andrews’ hot start in the championship game, Clem brought the team together, telling them to stay focused and he had faith they would come back.
“He keeps everybody riled up and pepped up in between innings,” Brown said.
Murphy High School graduated 10 seniors from a 17 player roster, so there’s opportunities for players from the middle school to come in and fight for playing time. If this group sticks together, Brown said they have a great shot of continuing to add to the Bulldogs baseball legacy in the coming years.
Andrews
The Wildcats had nine eighth graders and five seventh graders on this year’s team, which finished with a 9-4 record. It’s a group that according to head coach Josh Stalcup, has a deep passion for the game.
“They all love to play the game of baseball,” Stalcup said. “Some of them do play other sports but this group has really come together. Really similar to the high school group this year with football. That’s what they love and this group loves to play baseball.”
Stalcup wasn’t sure there was a player to emphasize, because after coaching most of them for many years he sees them all as having a special role to play. The group has stayed together so far, and Stalcup along with the other coaches emphasized to the team to keep at it when the season ended. The high school baseball team struggled this year, but head coach Brian Wilson took the job to try to lay the foundation with an inexperienced group because he knew what was coming in the future.
With this year’s Andrews football team as a blueprint showing teams of any age what happens if a talented group sticks together, Stalcup hopes this group of baseball players can continue to grow into a team that follows in their footsteps.
“Keep working as a group, keep building as a group,” Stalcup said, remembering what he told the team this year. “Reach a lot of milestones in the next four years of high school.”
Hiwassee Dam/Ranger
While the Murphy and Andrews baseball teams were on a championship collision course, Hiwassee Dam/Ranger had thought their season was over for a week before they learned they would play Cherokee in the championship.
So head coach Leslie Gibson handed out the jerseys that had already been collected, had one official last practice and then headed to Hayesville to play Cherokee in the championship game. Though the Lady Eagles fell 12-3 to the Lady Braves, it was still a good experience, especially pre-game. The team usually meets at Ranger Elementary & Middle School before heading to road games, and this time got a sendoff from the students and staff.
“The girls ate that up,” Gibson said. “That was so special for them.”
It was a team of eight sixth-graders, one seventh-grader and three eighth-graders, and Gibson had coached several before in rec league the previous years. She emphasized solid fundamentals, wanting everyone to have fun and be ready to capitalize and seize on the big moments and opportunities when the time comes. The team finished the season with a 6-5 record.
Eighth grader Josey Ware was the team’s leader, playing catcher while also being a voice on and off the field. Gibson also gave eighth grader Avery McNabb a lot of credit for stepping in to play centerfield after not playing much outfield in previous seasons. The team also got a sneak peek of what things will be like once they get to Hiwassee Dam High School, as the varsity team provided support throughout the season.
“If it wasn’t for our varsity softball and their coaching staff, we would not have been as successful as we were,” Gibson said. “The varsity girls were there numerous times during home games in the dugout, keeping the girls pumped up. The coaching staff, they helped me a lot with hitting especially. They would come over to my practices and help out. It was great.”