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Spartan1

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  1. We are very excited to announce the 2009 plan for this fall baseball program. The Edge working with ETSU has developed a program that will be very beneficial to the player and fun as well. We will use Broyles and Roller fields in the Liberty Bell complex (SHHS) same as last year. Beginning on Sept 8 games will be played every Tuesday and Thursday for 6 weeks- ending on October 15. We plan to have eight teams, the teams will be coached by the ETSU players. The ETSU coaching staff will be observing and providing an instruction session before every game. All area high school coaches should have complete information including cost for the students, however the coaches will not be allowed to pay for or participate at any of the league games. The deadline for entry is September 1, 2009 - so tell you players to talk to their coaches.
  2. There will be a Fall League in the Tri-Cities - the information is being finalized and will probably be announced in the schools next week. All of the local high school coaches will have the information. The program will be sponsored by the Edge with some very exciting things that we will announce next week. The concept will be to play for six weeks starting on Sept 8. every Tuesday and Thursday. We plan to have 8 teams and will strictly abide by all TSSAA rules that will allow only 5 players from one school on a team. We hope that this will give every player that wants to play this fall a opportunity to do so.
  3. Unicoi will be strong this year- with some offensive punch, through 4 games, they are averaging 12+ runs per game. Led by a good group of seniors and some very talented younger players as well. Leading the seniors in no particular order are Ethan Williams, Skyler Barnett, Andrew Lingerfelt, Jake Ford and Mason Howell. Ethan Pitcher/Shortstop and pure hitter. After the first four games he has three HRs, 2 triples, and a pocket full of doubles and singles. Skyler is a catcher, signed with ETSU, is also hitting the ball well with a HR and a bunch of RBI's, he is a solid defensive catcher that shuts the running game down, as well as calling a good game. Andrew plays second and pitches. He is solid defensively and is having a good start at the plate. Andrew has a knack for big hits. Jake is a solid pitcher that had big wins over folks like Elizabethton last year. More of the same is expected on the mound this year, in addition Jake is hitting well. Mason is a 6'4" first baseman that makes a nice target. He is developing into a solid player. In addition juniors Steve Kierenan, Corey Headley and Bobby Smith will be strong contributors. Sophmores Seth Whitson, and Logan Rice will also had to the mound depth as well as providing some additional offensive punch. As far as who's who in 1-AA, Unicoi should be the favorite, but there are some other good teams. The surprise team is probably Elizabethton with a good young coach in Coach Nix, and wild card in Coach Ed Hodge molding a pitching staff. Elizabethton also has a great senior leader in Wes Anderson that will keep their team focused. Chad Shelton with Chuckey Doak, and Matt Summey with Sullivan North are capable of beating anyone on a given night. South Greene will also challenge most. All in all it should be some fun baseball.
  4. Before ripping this comment I think you should look at what was said. A release time and a POP time are different ??“ release time is the time from the ball being received (hits the mitt) till it is in the air to second. The average high school players release time would be around .85 to .90 seconds a great time is .45 to .50. The average good High School POP time (time starts when the ball hits the catchers mitt and stops when it hits the fielders mitt) is 2.05 to 2.15 many good HS catchers record sub 2.0 POPs. College catchers are usually 1.90 to 2.00; Pro catchers are 1.70 to 1.85 and accurate. Pudge Rodriguez is reported to have had 1.65 game POPs. So a 1.2 release would not be special, 85mph from the catchers position would be very good - normally a kid that throws 90 from a mound would throw 3-5mph or more slower from the catchers position, so if we believe what is written this kid does have a cannon. Hitting .500 is good at any level, and a 4.7 (40) would be great for a catcher, a 4.7 (60) would be great for the Greek god Mercury. However, If the kid is accurate with his throws with a little quicker release, and he knows how to block-up left handed curve balls or sliders that find dirt in front of the plate, and he can receive the ball with the ease that gives the pitcher confidence in whatever they throw, and he knows the hitters so he can call a good game, and he is not afraid to lead. He could be a prospect
  5. In the Northeast part of the state - Lucas Anderson, Science Hill Sr. RHP, Austin Peay signee could be very good. Ben McKinney, Science Hill Jr. RHP Matt Shepherd, Sullivan East Sr. RHP, Tennessee Tech signee Jon Krebbs, Tennessee High Jr. RHP All of these kids have hit 90- all with pitch consistently in the upper 80's - All four are getting better at pitching not just throwing- New Coach Edwards at Science Hill should be smiling. P.S. - I have seen Sonny, Will, Ramesy, and Stem and all are great players and seem like great kids. One other kid to watch that has been more of a postion player than a pitcher id ETSU signee Bo Reeder from Cookeville. Bo could be good off the mound this year as well.
  6. There are several players in Northeast Tennessee to watch in the Jr. Class I am sure I will miss some but here is a start: Tennessee High Jon Krebbs - big righty with a 90 mph fastball - big upside, would be a great JUCO fit Jarod Payne - Solid MIF with great game knowledge, will probably play JUCO to start SHHS- Nat Patterson - Clutch hitting 1b, can swing with power- depending on growth this year, will get NAIA to D1 interest. This summer will dictate were he lands Ben McKinney- Smooth Strong - has developed a 2 seam fastball that's nasty, has hit 90's but will pitch in the upper 80's. Will get much D1 interest. Lance Reed- Great baseball pedigree- just switching to a catching position this year. Will have a bit of work here but has a great teacher. He will play college at some level. Others to watch at SHHS are Sims, Mancusso, Muse and DeLoach David Crockett This kid is a Soph but Clint Freeman has a chance to be really good. Clint is a solid two way looking for a postition he can claim. How he settles into that role will determine where he can play at the college level. Unicoi HS- Watch Bobby Smith- He has the potential to get strong NAIA interest, UCHS has some strong sophmore prospects in Logan Rice, Seth Whitson, and DW Whitson - There are several more, Dunbar and Crapps at Elizabethton, The Shortstop at DB (I don't have his name) Sulivan East has some really nice younger kids including a sophmore (I think his name is Tate) with a low to mid 80's fastball that will be a surprise to a lot of big nine teams. This was a quick top of mind download so for the obvious I missed, sorry in advance.
  7. We have several exciting events happening in Northeast Tennessee this summer. The First Ever Tennessee Perfect Game Showcase will be held in Johnson City at Cardinal Park this June 8th. Edge baseball is also sponsoring a High School and Jr. High tournament that weekend. The Perfect Game state showcase format will provide the same skills testing and data generation so important for college and pro scouts, but the cost is considerably less than a regional Perfect Game showcase events. Having the Showcase and tournament together will give the athletes that would like the showcase experience that opportunity and also have their team play in a weekend tournament. We will have several pro and college scouts in attendance. First Ever Perfect Game State Showcase in Tennessee Starts Friday morning, June 8th at Cardinal Park in Johnson City- The showcase is designed for rising high school freshmen through juniors. It can be a great introduction showcase experience. We anticipate college and Pro scouts attending. For more Information see the attached brochure – or go to www.perfectgame.org First Annual Summer High School Slam – June 8th - June 10th Tournament will be played at Cardinal Park and Liberty Bell Complex Fields. Two Divisions - High School will be 15u to 18u and Jr. High - for 14u and younger. Guaranteed 4 games - $250 per team each team will furnish 1 doz. baseball. Hosted By Heat Baseball & Edge Baseball. Call 423-676-3042 or 423-676-7959 for more information Edge Jr. High Developmental Showcase June 8th, 9th, 10thThis Showcase is designed for those athletes that will be entering High School soon. You will be benchmarked in skills testing that Pro and College Scouts are looking for. You will receive instruction in improving these skills from College and Pro instructors. Parents will also be provided with information critical in selecting the proper academic path in high school to meet NCAA requirements. Data from this showcase will be forwarded to Perfect Game to become part of each athletes scout history. Friday 7:00pm - 9:30pm, skills testing and instruction, Saturday 9:00am - 12:00am instruction, Rest of Saturday and Sunday games. $175 per person Call 423-676-3042 or 423-676-7959 for more information
  8. It is a fact that we have an increase in injury to younger players, It is also a fact that dads in wanting the best for their kid, will take up the training efforts or kids will do it on their own - this should be in the hands of coaches and qualified instructors or we will see an increase in the injuries. This lock-out of coaches could very easily lead to many more injuries. Last year I know of at least two instances where kids while hitting on their own without coaches supervision took linedrives to the head. They where not thinking, goofing off, or not sure in how to use a screen. A coaches presence would have made a difference. Fall is a time for many kids to learn the game without the pressure of making a team or winning and losing. It is also a time where many rising seniors can showcase their talents in front of many scouts just before the fall signing period. Why should the kids with means or connections to play travel ball be the only one with this opportunity? As a former travel coach and a facilty owner I can tell you this is not going to put a cramp in AAU or any of the other travel programs. As a matter of fact if you are saying you are the only game in town, the travel coach can be more selective and put a large price on the opportunity to play. In large markets that have many teams it may not be an issue - but in small markets the choice will be slim and in demand. Our facilty offers lessons at a reasonable price. We will continue to do so, but with the demand it would be easy to jack up prices. My motive is not finacial, but what is best for the kids playing the game, and for the most part that would be working with their qualified high school coach instead of paying me big bucks to get the same instruction. Arm's are a vauluable asset to baseball players- there are many facets of conditioning that can be done year round that will help in fundementals of throwing and does not hurt the arm. Sure there should be rest times, but kids should learn towel or stick drills, they should learn how to build their arm with the use of bands and when they start a throwing program it should be controlled very closely. The only way to correct swings is to work. This does not happen in three weeks before a season. I have seen first hand the huge diffrence in the kids that have dedicated time to developing their swing compared to those that have not. I saw one kid go from a .158 batting average to the top hitter in the area with a .400 + average. This effort paid off in a college scholarship. I saw kids that worked on winter throwing programs in our facility go a combined 65-7 in 2006 for their respective high schools. Sure this bodes well for our facilty but dedicated high school coaches could achieve the same thing. Again, we do nothing that a good coach would not do - but now we are the only option - maybe I should not be so upset with this rule and send the TSSAA governing board a thank you note!! But I won't, because they are so wrong in this action for the good of our kids.
  9. The rule does not apply to summer - or at least until the start of school. For most that is the first or second week in August. Untill then kids from the same school can play together. They can even be coached by their HS coach as long as they are call something other than their HS name. The exception for the coach is the dead period which will be extended from 2 to 6 weeks during the year, I just have not seen defined what six weeks yet. So for our friends in Madison County and elsewhere that put alot of effort into giving their kids a place to play- the TSSAA says "pick 5", now maybe you can find three or four other schools that will split their kids to form fall teams - but honestly how many coaches will go to that effort. So this boards assesments of travel teams taking the lead will be accurate. The unfortunate thing is - access to these teams will be tough for many, and for those kids that could be working on developmental issues during this period, they will not get invited to play and will not get the chance to grow. TSSAA - you in your great wisdom have put in to action a policy that will cause great harm and will impact opportunity for our kids that want to play baseball - To all that post here, I suggest you also send your messages direct to Mr. Carter and Mr. Meness of the TSSAA (e-mail can be found at TSSAA.org). Remember being profain is not helpful, simply profound. They need to understand that there are many that do care about our sport and the kids that play it. The need to understand that all of our kids, not just the perceived elite, have the right to play and make themselves better, and they are taking that right away. They need to understand that a prime time for colleges to evaluate our kids is in the fall, now this can only be done in the context of a few that have the chance to play travel ball. For the small school, the rural school, the school that does not have a coach with enough passion to find three other schools to form four fall teams, this rule will hurt the kids and our sport in Tennessee.
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