The 2011 baseball season was one that was tumultuous off of the field as the area’s attention was focused more on the natural catastrophe from tornadoes that ripped through Northwest Georgia. Those storms destroyed portions of Ringgold High, and the devastated community rallied around the baseball team which made it to the second round of the state playoffs before losing to eventual state champions Columbus.

On the field, the rest of the area had a tough row to hoe as only Christian Heritage made the state playoffs. The Lions won a region title, but they were the lone bright spot as Dalton, Northwest Whitfield, Murray County, North Murray and Southeast Whitfield all suffered through losing seasons.

Murray County lost more than a dozen players to graduation last year, and the Indians play in one of the most competitive regions in the state for baseball, so the school has decided to play a non-region schedule this year. The rest of the area’s teams have winning seasons and a return to the playoffs as their main goal.

The diamonds of will also have a new contender between the lines as Coahulla Creek kicks off its first baseball season later this week.

Here is The Daily Citizen’s look at the prospects for the area as the first pitches are ready to be tossed.



Christian Heritage

Play one pitch at a time.

This small phrase is what Christian Heritage coach Noah Stokes wants his team — which won the Georgia Independent School Association’s Region 4-2A title and advanced to the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs last season — to keep in mind this year.

Along with preparing his team physically, Stokes is also trying to get his team mentally prepared.

“It’s always the next pitch,” Stokes said, “the next play that matters most. It’s a metaphor for life, and it’s more mental than physical. We’re talented, but so is everybody else, so we’re trying to get mentally tough.”

The Lions, who lost in the state playoffs to eventual champion Edmund Burke Academy, must replace two key players — center fielder Rollins Jolly and shortstop Mason Sikes, both lost to graduation.

“Those are big shoes to fill,” Stokes said. “But we have good players coming back with good leadership.”

Pitcher Michael McKinney, a GISA All-State selection last season who has received interested from Harvard, is expected to be a big force for the Lions this season.

But he is also one of several players who has been with the school’s basketball team in state tournament play, and those Lions will be coming to baseball practice for the first time this week.

All-region selection Jake Stokes, Trevor Brown and Trey Mason are other names to keep an eye out for, and big reasons why the Lions might be equipped to return to state.

As for goals, the Lions’ coach is looking for another region title.

“It gets you into the playoffs,” Stokes said. “I want us to go further into the playoffs, and I hope we keep moving on.”

Christian Heritage won’t open its season until next month.



Coahulla Creek

Even though Coahulla Creek is a first-year program, coach Michael Bolen has little to complain about when it comes to participation and senior leadership for the Colts on the diamond.

More than 50 students tried out for the team, with Bolen selecting 27, and the Colts will have both a varsity and junior varsity program this season. Three seniors will be asked to take the reins on the field.

“We've had almost what I would call a perfect offseason, getting to know each other and bonding,” Bolen said. “I am very pleased with the preseason and where we are at right now. We are trying to instill that work ethic of what practice should be every day.”

Seniors Tyler Higgins, Josh Swinford and Austin Busby all started at Northwest Whitfield last year, but they will be wearing the navy and silver of Coahulla Creek this year. Higgins will be the Colts’ No. 1 pitcher and will play in the outfield when he isn’t on the mound. Swinford will start in center and pitch as well, while Busby will start at third and be used in a relief role on the mound.

“We were very fortunate to get some older guys,” Bolen said. “They are quality kids and guys that we can let the younger guys look up to.”

Sophomore lefty Braden Jacobs will be in the No. 2 spot in a three-man rotation, with the third spot still up for grabs. The infield will be anchored by shortstop Blake Phillips and catcher Scout Plott, both juniors.

“If you can eliminate your mistakes defensively and have pitchers that throw strikes, then you are going to have a chance in any game,” Bolen said. “We don't have much power. Offensively, we will have to be aggressive and manufacture runs. We will have to play for low-scoring games.”

The Colts open the season Friday at LaFayette.



Dalton

In Dalton coach Bob Brotherton’s eyes, his Catamounts are “the unknown” of Region 7-3A. And he likes that.

“I like to be the person that kind of sneaks up on you,” he said.

Dalton went 11-13 overall and 7-13 in region play last year, its first losing season in six years, and missed the state playoffs for the first time since 2006. But after 11 of the 20 players from last year’s roster graduated, Brotherton is keeping all options open regarding his starting lineup and rotation.

“We’ve been scrimmaging now for a few days, and we’re charting and keeping statistics, and are going to scrimmage with our pitchers (today),” Brotherton said. “By Wednesday or Thursday, we will pretty much have it figured out who is playing where. Brandon Dale is back to play the outfield, and Carter Gillean will play right field.”

Both will also pitch and be counted on for big offensive contributions. Gillean, a 6-foot-6-inch senior left-hander, hit .387 from the No. 3 spot in the lineup last year. Brotherton looks to Dale, a defensive back and wide receiver for the school’s football team, to get on base and use his speed.

Other pitchers Brotherton will count on are left-handers Michael O’Brien and Caylor Summers, as well as sophomore Hunter Nelson.

The Cats also return sophomore third baseman Grant Sane, junior catcher Saul Laura and sophomore first baseman Jake Roberts. But Brotherton said his lineup is far from set.

“There are position battles going on every day,” Brotherton said. “I tell our guys it’s about performance. I tell them, ‘If you perform, you’re going to play.’”

Whatever the lineup, Brotherton wants a return to past success.

“Anytime you wear a uniform that has ‘Dalton’ across it, your expectations are to go to the state playoffs,” Brotherton said. “And progress. If you don’t, then you’re fooling yourself. Why do you play the game?”

Dalton’s opens its season Saturday at Northwest.



Murray County

Indians coach Jeff Lanning can’t help but notice all the new faces he’s seeing as he enters his second season leading the team.

Gone are Taylor Patterson, The Daily Citizen’s 2011 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, second baseman Colton Roberts, outfielder Cory Satterfield and catcher Justin Shaw, all of whom joined Patterson on the all-area team a year ago. All four players, plus all-area honorable mention Tyler Timms, were among a group of 14 seniors that led the Indians to a 10-11 record last season.

That lack of experience figured into the decision for the Indians to play a non-region schedule this season, meaning they won’t be eligible for postseason play.

“I have no returning starters,” Lanning said. “There are no returning varsity players who played much at all. Right now we have two seniors — Jonathan Gonzalez and Jake Born, who was our quarterback on the football team.

“I’ve never had a team this inexperienced. We only had 23 guys try out and we kept 16. One kid already quit. So, I’ve got 15 kids, although we’re waiting on a few basketball players to join the team. This is one reason we’re not playing a Region 7-3A schedule. I felt like it would be a travesty to put these kids against Ringgold, Allatoona, Cartersville and Dalton. People just don’t realize the situation we’re in.”

Senior Jake Ice, who just wrapped up his senior season with coach Greg Linder’s basketball team, is back with the baseball squad. Ice started the season with Lanning’s team in 2011, but quit early in the season. The coach said Ice is likely his “best returning infielder.” Sophomore Dylan Bartenfield has a grip on the catching duties and Jacob Payne has been impressive so far in practice sessions.

Ice also will see time on the mound, as will Born. Freshman left-hander Andrew Corbin has caught Lanning’s eye during preseason workouts.

The Indians open their season Wednesday at Fannin County.



North Murray

Not many high school baseball coaches can fathom having the exact same roster two years in a row.

North Murray’s Steve Granger can.

“We have all our starters back,” Granger said. “The really good thing for us is that we’re returning everyone, because this will be our first senior class. I know what we’ve got going in, and that’s absolutely a luxury for any coach.”

Included in the long list of returning players are three selections to The Daily Citizen’s 2011 All-Area Baseball Team — senior shortstop Zack Penland, senior third baseman Dylan Silvers and junior first baseman Damien Casey. Also back are two juniors who were all-area honorable mention picks — Ethan Lents, a second baseman and pitcher, and Jared Campbell, a catcher and pitcher.

Penland, the team’s leadoff hitter last season, led the Mountaineers with a .402 batting average with 12 doubles and 19 RBIs. He scored 23 runs and stole nine bases while earning All-Region 7-2A honors. Casey, another all-region selection, hit .392 with 11 RBIs.

Other returning starters are junior outfielder Brandon Brock, junior outfielder/pitcher Jared Goswick, senior outfielder/pitcher Robert Daly and senior outfielder Tyler Ramsey.

Daly was the Mountaineers’ ace last season — the team’s first in varsity competition — and that won’t change in 2012.

“Robert was the guy we went to last year,” Granger said. “He had a lot of quality starts for us.”

North Murray went 10-16 in 2011 and of those 16 losses, eight were by two or fewer runs. Granger would like to see that unfavorable statistic swing in the Mountaineers’ favor this year.

“We were right there in a majority of our games last year,” he said. “As a team we hit .326, but what I didn’t like is the fact we would have someone on the ropes and didn’t finish them off. We let teams hang around, and we’d end up having a bad inning and lose a game by a couple of runs.”

The Mountaineers open the season at Coosa on Tuesday.



Northwest

The Bruins went 5-21 last season, when they were the only area team competing in Region 7-4A, as they will be this season.

“Our guys were shellshocked,” Northwest coach Todd Middleton said. “We were used to playing teams close by, and we were going all the way to Atlanta. We made three trips of more than 100 miles. Some of the teams that we played were really good.”

Middleton, who is entering his 10th season as coach, led the Bruins to region titles in 2005 and 2007. But they have had losing records three of the past four seasons and haven’t made the state playoffs since winning their last 7-4A title.

Getting back is a priority.

“Our first goal is to be in the top four of our region,” Middleton said. “That won’t be easy. Lambert, the defending champion, will be good again. So will Johns Creek, among others.”

Middleton expects vast improvement from his pitching staff. Nick Sullivan is the No. 1 starter, with the rotation rounded out by fellow seniors Kaine Gibson and Matt Allen and freshman Seth Pierce, the lone lefty. Behind the plate, Gibson will alternate with Sullivan.

“From what I’ve seen in early practices ... the pitching is our strong suit,” Middleton said. “Our defense must be better this year.”

Junior second baseman Brady Middleton, the coach’s son, had a .340 batting average in 2011 and is the top returning hitter. Senior left fielder Luke Hensley is next at .308. Senior third baseman Nick Stavrow is considered a top clutch hitter and will hit in the No. 3 slot.

“We’re not going to hit many home runs,” the coach said. “We can manufacture runs. We have a high baseball IQ.”

Other starters are Diego Peralta at shortstop and Brandon Smith in center field. Kyle Brock has the inside track at first base, but versatile freshman Edwin Hernandez is also likely to see time there. Wade Carroll, Allen and Pierce are options in the outfield, and so is Andy Whisenant, who can also pitch.

The Bruins open their season today against Gordon Lee.



Southeast

Brad Lofton figures the most experienced team in his three years as Southeast’s coach — the Raiders lost just three seniors — should lead to improvement. But after 8-17 and 7-18 records in his first two seasons, he doesn’t have delusions of grandeur.

“If we have a .500 record with the teams we have in our region, that’s a reasonable goal,” Lofton said. “We’re starting almost all sophomores and juniors.”

Lofton sees an even race between Ringgold, Cartersville and Allatoona, and not much room remaining for other Region 7-3A teams hoping to finish in the top four.

“We’ve got to win the games we’re supposed to,” he said.

But Lofton beams when he talks about the Raiders’ offense, which he called the team’s strength. Shortstop Blake Foster led Southeast in three hitting categories as a freshman last spring — average (.356), RBIs (36) and home runs (4).

“He’s not only a tremendous hitter, but also one of our best defensive players,” Lofton said. “He can play almost any position.”

Jose Vargas, a junior catcher who will start for the third year, drove in 27 runs while posting the second best average at .324.

On the mound, junior Tyler Hale, who went 5-8 last year, will get the No. 1 nod again. Zack Ramsey and Jacob Moore, the lone lefty on the mound, fill out the rotation. Brett Harper is the primary closer.

“Our pitching should be fine,” Lofton said. “Our defense has gotten better. We just need to make the routine play.”

Pedro Vargas, the fraternal twin of Jose Vargas, gets the starting call at first base after primary time in the past as a pitcher. Esgardo Chavarria, a three-year starter, is at third base but can also pitch in relief. Matt Phillips figures to alternate at second with Hale. In the outfield, it’s Harper (center), Abram Stanley (right) — who can also play third and first — and a combination of Ramsey and Cody Manly in left.

The Raiders open their season Friday at Trion.