Chattanooga athletes named to the 2021 Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State team all hail from three-time state champion Baylor. The five all played integral roles in the Red Raiders’ success this season, with several being a part of multiple state championship squads.
The four seniors of Baylor's quintet are ranked in the top 21 of Tennessee players in the Major League draft by Baseball America.
This includes collegiate, as well as high school athletes.
Cooper Kinney sits at number five and some scouts see him as a top 50 pick, while Danny Corona is in at number 13. Vytas (Vito) Valincius is ranked number 20 and Jay Dill is right behind at number 21.
Baylor co-head coach Greg Elie said in a text messge, "I don;t know if there will ever be another team in the national final polls to be ranked 8th (collegiate baseball),8th (Maxpreps), and 10th (Perfect Game). He continued, "I think that makes us a consensus national top 10 team and we are all so proud of these young men."
Coach Elie summed it by saying, "I hope the community realizes how special this team is."
Kinney, this year’s Gatorade Player of the Year for Tennessee leads the talented quintet. Kinney’s impressive stats included a batting average of .480 while collecting 48 hits in 100 at bats. Kinney had 50 RBIs and 10 homeruns. He was the TBCA Player of the Year for Division II-AA.
Kinney, a South Carolina signee, is expected by some to go in the first round.. Recently he travelled to Atlanta to hit for the Braves and powered one over the wall at Truist Park.
Also a prospect for the MLB draft is Missouri commit Dill, an outfielder and pitcher on the talented Baylor staff. Dill had a record of 7-2 and an ERA of .846 in 49.2 innings pitched. His strikeout to base on ball ratio was 87 to 21. Dill was an All-District and All-Region selectee, as well.
Another of the four Raider seniors to earn the All-State honor and MLB draft consideration is infielder and Wake Forest commit Corona. Also All-District and All-Region, he had a batting average of .363 with 33 hits in 91 at bats in 31 games. Corona scored 31 runs and brought in 25 RBIs.
Senior infielder Valincius. also a South Carolina commit, was a major force at the plate for the state champions. Valincius finished with a .400 batting average on the strength of 32 hits in 80 at bats that drew the eye of major league scouts. He had an on base percentage of .534 and contributed 35 RBIs with eight homeruns.
The lone junior named is Virginia commit Henry Godbout, a pitcher. As were the other four Baylor honorees, Godbout was All-Region and All-District. As a reliever, Godbout was perfect with four saves in four opportunities He boasted an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of .167.
Godbout was also a presence in the Red Raider batting order with 37 hits in 101 at bats for an average of .366. He scored 39 runs and had 19 RBIs to bolster the Baylor offense
Also named to the team in Class A were South Pittsburg catcher Reece Genter and pitcher Ryan Cagle, both seniors.
TSWA 2021 All-State Baseball Team Selectees:
Division II-AA
C: Trenton Lyons, Christian Brothers, So.
IF: Tyler Harrington, Briarcrest Christian, Sr.
IF: Kaelen Culpepper, St. Benedict at Auburndale, Sr.
IF: Vytas Valincius, Baylor School, Sr.
IF: Danny Corona, Baylor School, Sr.
UT: Cooper Kinney, Baylor School, Sr.
OF: Luke Ellis, St. Benedict at Auburndale, Sr.
OF: C.J. Thomas, Memphis University School, Sr.
OF: Jay Dill, Baylor School, Sr.
P: Mick Arney, Briarcrest Christian, Sr.
P: Miller Green, Lipscomb Academy, So.
P: Henry Godbout, Baylor School, Jr.
Class AAA
C: Jarrett Martin, Hardin County, Sr.
IF: Pierre Seals, Germantown Houston, Sr.
IF: Cooper Clapp, Hardin County, Jr.
IF: Jayden Davis, Cookeville, Jr.
IF: Kyle Magrans, Clarksville, Sr.
UT: Logen Sutton, Powell, Sr.
OF: Tanner Kim, Farragut, Sr.
OF: Cole Torbett, Science Hill, Jr.
OF: Conner Hyatt, Science Hill, Sr.
P: Derek McCarley, Seymour, Sr.
P: Chase Burns, Beech, Sr.
P: Seth Garner, Hardin County, Jr.
Class AA
IF: Riley Franklin, Pigeon Forge, Jr.
IF: Brayden Taylor, Gibbs, Sr.
IF: Holden Warmath, Covington, So.
IF: Brandon Watts, Watertown, Sr.
UT: Eli Huddleston, Upperman, So.
OF: Baron Patterson, Martin Luther King, Sr.
OF: Ethan Syling, Nolensville, Sr.
OF: Logan Jonson, Pigeon Forge, Sr.
P: Reilly Byers, Gibbs, So.
P: Dylan Loy, Pigeon Forge, So.
P: Ethan McElvain, Nolensville, So.
C: Carson Raby, Gibbs, Sr.
Class A
C: Reece Genter, South Pittsburg, Sr.
IF: Grant Burleson, Summertown, Sr.
IF: Van True, East Robertson, Sr.
IF: Ryder Morey, Moore County, Sr.
IF: Drake Blackwood, Summertown, Sr.
UT: Chris Martin, Moore County, Sr.
OF: Kaleb Meredith, University High, Sr.
OF: Gavin Burleson, Summertown, Jr.
OF: Kaden White, Moore County, Sr.
P: Peyton Smith, East Robertson, Sr.
P: Carson Whaley, North Greene, Sr.
P: Ryan Cagle, South Pittsburg, Sr.
Division II-A
C: Cade Law, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Jr.
IF: Kavares Tears, Columbia Academy, Sr.
IF: Langston Patterson, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Jr.
IF: James Smith, Northpoint Christian, Jr.
IF: Anthony Zarlingo, Northpoint Christian, Sr.
UT: J.D. McCracken, Middle Tennessee Christian, Sr.
OF: Brendan Jones, Goodpasture Christian, Sr.
OF: J.J. Williams, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Sr.
OF: Ryan Degges, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Sr.
P: Bay Griffin, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Sr.
P: Camden Hayslip, Friendship Christian, Sr.
P: Bryant Beranek, Columbia Academy, Jr.
(Email Assistant Sports Editor Dennis Norwood at dennisnorwood56@gmail.com; follow him on Twitter at @nooga sportsdude)