how is the imac conference looking this year?

[hsfbinsider10]

That is true about Joey..he has good velocity and a good curveball, but if he gets upset over anything, he has a hard time keeping his composure. I have seen Joey play summer ball the last 3 years, and he has the stroke to hit a few out of the park on any given night, especially on an inside pitch. I am anxious to see how he handles the pressure of varsity play.

Who is going to be the starting catcher at Jeff this year? Kory Miller has the talent, but I don't know if someone else has more senority than him.

 

EJ caught some in the summer and fall and is quite active back there with a good arm, but I hear that the job is Miller's until/if he shows he can't make it happen day-to-day. Both Belcher and Miller will have to show some maturity as first-time starting juniors, as will Long and Sherrod as first-time starting sophs (provided either one starts), if Jeff wants to go from good to great. First base is also going to be a question mark. Who is going to catch for Greeneville?

[GREENEDEVILMOM]

EJ caught some in the summer and fall and is quite active back there with a good arm, but I hear that the job is Miller's until/if he shows he can't make it happen day-to-day. Both Belcher and Miller will have to show some maturity as first-time starting juniors, as will Long and Sherrod as first-time starting sophs (provided either one starts), if Jeff wants to go from good to great. First base is also going to be a question mark. Who is going to catch for Greeneville?

 

Kory is capable of being the everyday starter. He is a hard worker and perfectionist, and can make a pitcher better. He has caught for my son the last 2 summers and fall, and he has always brought out his best for every game.

 

As for Greeneville, a kid named ?Merkel?.. or at least that is what my son has told me..we are new to G'ville this year so I am having to learn the kids' names.

Edited February 16, 2006 by GREENEDEVILMOM

[hsfbinsider10]

Kory is capable of being the everyday starter. He is a hard worker and perfectionist, and can make a pitcher better. He has caught for my son that last 2 summers and fall, and he has always brought out his best for every game.

 

As for Greeneville, a kid named ?Merkel?.. or at least that is what my son has told me..we are new to G'ville this year so I am having to learn the kids' names.

 

Thanks for the info. Kory wrestles--is he going to get a late start with baseball?

[GREENEDEVILMOM]

Thanks for the info. Kory wrestles--is he going to get a late start with baseball?

Kory gave up wrestling to concentrate on baseball.

[patriot pride]

Kory is capable of being the everyday starter. He is a hard worker and perfectionist, and can make a pitcher better. He has caught for my son the last 2 summers and fall, and he has always brought out his best for every game.

 

I have heard that there is a freshman named McFall that might be given a look at catcher. I have heard that he is faster, stronger, hits better and has a quicker release to 2nd. Can a freshman step in our conference and be successful?

[hsfbinsider10]

I have heard that there is a freshman named McFall that might be given a look at catcher. I have heard that he is faster, stronger, hits better and has a quicker release to 2nd. Can a freshman step in our conference and be successful?

 

From what I'm hearing McFall is talented but needs seasoning. His release may be quicker simply because he's smaller, though I think someone said that EJ had the quickest release though he won't play catcher. I think some freshman can be successful but in the long run it may hamper their total high school career. A quality player can use a year of "success" on the JV level to gain confidence that will make for a good three year varsity career. The biggest danger is having a freshman do poorly on varsity and having those seeds of doubt placed in his head. That said, I have seen freshman do quite well on varsity at other schools. A compromise might be to bring a talented freshman up every so often during the season to gain some varsity experience while playing JV ball and contributing. At JCHS, we haven't been very good at doing this sort of thing over the years. We've had more juniors "playing down" from time to time than we have had freshmen playing up.

[EveryonesFan]

Morristown West had two freshman start a lot of games for them last year in Wild and Hazelwood. They had a pretty good year and i dont think it should hurt to start freshman on varsity. if it was football then definetly no but i baseball it is not a bad idea at all. If a freshman is better than an upperclassmen than they should play

[hsfbinsider10]

Morristown West had two freshman start a lot of games for them last year in Wild and Hazelwood. They had a pretty good year and i dont think it should hurt to start freshman on varsity. if it was football then definetly no but i baseball it is not a bad idea at all. If a freshman is better than an upperclassmen than they should play

 

The story isn't finished yet. The question now is: How will Wild and Hazelwood do this year and would they have done better if they had played JV last year? I've seen freshmen not improve their sophomore years and not even much better their junior years. It's like they get a level of performance locked in their heads. That's why I say give them chances to be succesful and they'll carry that with them later. It's not all about who's better, but how should you develop a player.

[volunteerfan23]

I have seen McFall catch and he is pretty good. And talk about fast he can fly. Unusual for a catcher but he can run. It might be good for them to keep him JV for a year but if they think he is better than the catcher now why not put him out there?

 

As for the Greeneville catchers they have a sophomore Ryan Duncan who just got out of basketball and a freshman Justin Merkel who are both pretty good. Merkel may have a quicker release time but both are capable.

[hsfbinsider10]

I know it was only a scrimmage, but JCHS looked like they'll put some runs on the board this year. Beat Seveir like 16-4 or something like that. Those big shoes they have to fill look like they may be filled--just depends. EJ, Belcher, and Sherrod all look like they'll not only contribute but shine. Sherrod looks like he might be that fourth starter we all were conjecturing about. Crouch and Story looked like polished veterans whose confidence will keep this team competitive. Once Taylor fully recovers from injury and Long gets it going coming in from basketball, I think this team will surprise a few folks. It will be interesting to see how the pitching comes together. From what I saw, Story had amazing velocity last night. BTW, McFall never saw the field. I'm not even sure he's on varsity. If they're planing on him "seasoning" for a year on JV, I think it's a good thing.

[GREENEDEVILMOM]

Any latest news going on in the IMAC? Anyone heard how many players Cocke County has this year?

[ScoutOne4U]

I know it was only a scrimmage, but JCHS looked like they'll put some runs on the board this year. Beat Seveir like 16-4 or something like that. Those big shoes they have to fill look like they may be filled--just depends. EJ, Belcher, and Sherrod all look like they'll not only contribute but shine. Sherrod looks like he might be that fourth starter we all were conjecturing about. Crouch and Story looked like polished veterans whose confidence will keep this team competitive. Once Taylor fully recovers from injury and Long gets it going coming in from basketball, I think this team will surprise a few folks. It will be interesting to see how the pitching comes together. From what I saw, Story had amazing velocity last night. BTW, McFall never saw the field. I'm not even sure he's on varsity. If they're planing on him "seasoning" for a year on JV, I think it's a good thing.

 

Crouch and Story should lead their younger teammates into the regions and beyond. Dallas is a legitimate D1 prospect and has the intangible, great speed. One of the best players in Tennessee.