AMERICUS —
The 2011 Wildcats ended their season with a 20-9 record, losing in the first round of the state playoffs and losing five seniors, but the new 2012 Schley County Seniors, Head Coach Chuck Cheek, and assistants William Rooks and Gabe Theiss have committed themselves to winning the their region this year. “Everything in the playoffs sets up so much better when you are the number one seed in your bracket. It will be tough to win it, but if they want it bad enough they can do it.” says Cheek.
“I think by the end of the season, our strength is going to be our pitching. We are going to have 3 – 4 guys who could have really good years. I think they are going to surprise some people,” said Cheek. “I always expect our defense to be strong. That’s something that we take pride in. We want to be the best defensive team in the region every year.”
The Wildcats will be returning six starters from last year. Catcher and senior Jett Coptsias, first baseman Colton Satterfield, short stop Clayton Patrick, Center fielder Jamie Jacobson, pitcher Clint Collins, and pitcher/infielder Justin Barnes.
Coach Cheek described some of his key players and how thier abilities will contribute to the 2012 season.
On Clayton Patrick:
“Clay is our number three hitter and RBI producer. You see the numbers he puts up and you expect to see a 6’2” 200 lb player. Clayton isn’t quite that big physically, but he plays that big on the field. Tremendous hustle during the game and just gets the job done. Probably the best SS in the region,” said Cheek.
On Jamie Jacobson:
“One of best defensive outfielders in region. Has to really step it up at the plate this year. Going to give him a serious shot at the 2- hole. He handles the bat well and has excellent speed. With the emphasis on small ball, he could be absolutely huge in our offense,” said Cheek.
On Justin Barnes:
“One of our best infielders, leadoff hitter, and one of our best pitchers. I guess he’s pretty important to us. I think Justin’s going to have a great year for us. He was tremendous on the mound last year the first half of the season, then his arm got a little tired. Another year in the weight room has helped him, he’s stronger, throwing harder and should have more stamina. He’s hitting it in practice just like he left off in the playoffs last year – and that’s a great thing for the Wildcats,” said Cheek.
The Wildcats will open up the season at 5 p.m. on Thursday against Westover in the Lee County Tournament.
Local Sports
Schley County set to open 2012 baseball season on Thursday
- Local Sports
-
-
Lady Eagles dominate final track meet to claim Class A state championship
The GHSA Class A state track meet held this past weekend was just another meet for the Marion County Lady Eagles. After dominating the area and sectional meets earlier this season, the Lady Eagles went out on top by dominating the state meet to earn their school its second state championship of the weekend following the boy’s tennis team’s title-clinching match win on Saturday morning.
-
Eagles claim state tennis title behind singles sweep
The Marion County boys tennis team made history this season with the school’s first ever state championship in tennis. They faced area rival Irwin County in the state final and were able to earn the championship with wins in the three singles positions.
-
Raiders advance to quarterfinals with convincing win in deciding game 3
The Southland Academy Raiders quickly found themseleves with their backs against the wall in the first round of the GISA Class AAA baseball playoffs last weekend. After surrendering nine runs to the Loganville Chirstian Academy Lions in the first inning in the first of a three-game series, it looked as if Southland might be traveleing back to Americus early. The resilient Raiders were not looking for an early return trip, however, and after a tremendous comeback in a 11-10 opening game loss Southland rebounded with two dominating victories to move on to the quarterfinals on Thursday.
-
Sumter County Gymnastics Academy excels in state championship meets
Over the past three weekends, Sumter County Gymnastics Academy has competed in the 2013 State Gymnastics meets. April 19-21, the Level 4s, Prep 1s and Prep 2s competed in Cobb County and April 26-28, the Level 2s, Level 3s, and Prep Beginners competed in Bainbridge.
-
Americus-Sumter gymnastics team wins 2013 Gym Nest meet
-
Relay team propels Wildcats to 9th place finish at state meet
The Schley County boy’s track team knew that the competition would be tough at the GHSA Class A State Meet last week, but that didn’t stop the Wildcats from claiming a ninth place finish in the 29 team season finale.
-
Schley’s Barnes, Holloway sign with GSW
Schley County seniors Justin Barnes and Mitch Holloway signed letters of intent Friday with Georgia Southwestern State University to play baseball for the Hurricanes. Each of the seniors was an integral player on Schley County’s 2013 region championship team and each left profound marks on the Wildcats team this season.
-
'Canes golfers finish 10th; Gahman advances to Nationals
The 22nd-ranked Georgia Southwestern golf team made a run at top squads during Wednesday's final round, moving as close as two shots within a birth in the NCAA National Championships, before finishing in 10th place at the 20-team NCAA Division II South/Southeast Regional. All-Peach Belt Conference First Team honoree Nate Gahman led the Hurricanes throughout the three-day, three-round event and earned a trip to the national tournament as an individual after carding a 3-over par 219 total.
-
Panthers tennis season comes to an end with second round loss to Howard
In the second round of the GHSA Class AAAA boy’s tennis playoffs, the Americus-Sumter Panthers were giving the difficult task of making a long road trip to Macon to challenge the Reigon 2 champion Howard High School Huskies. Despite putting up a good fight on the road, Americus-Sumter’s boy’s came up just short to the Huskies in a difficult 3-1 season-ending loss.
-
SCPRD track team dominates district meet, qualifies 40 for state
In the district track meet held recently at Americus-Sumter High School, the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department (SCPRD)track team dominated the competition to take the district title and qualify 40 participants for the state track meet in Carrollton, Ga. this weekend.
The SCPRD track team earned the district title in a meet with teams from Irwin, Thomas, Crisp, and Chattahoochee counties. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
