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Baseball season starts Monday
The 2007 edition of the Tigers will be looking to fill some voids in their lineup created by the graduation of three seniors who led Thomasville to a 25 and 9 record last year with an Area 5 championship and a state playoff appearance that ended in the second round. Gone are four year starters Will Buford and Tanner Williams and two year starter Sam Chapman. All three of them have taken their baseball skills and ability to the next level with Chapman joining three of his teammates from the 2005 Tiger squad at Bishop State Community College and Buford and Williams both moving on to Faulkner State Community College. Looking ahead to this season Tiger skipper Clint Anderson is somewhat optimistic about his team's chances. "We have a good nucleus of players with experience returning this season," Anderson said. "If our pitchers have the kind of season their capable of and we hit on a consistent basis we should put ourselves in position to do some good things." As is always the case, senior leadership is expected to play an important role in the success of the team. With seven seniors returning for their final campaign, Anderson is looking to them to provide the leadership on the field and in the club house that will create the kind of team chemistry it takes to win and win consistently. Included in that group, which all started for the Tigers at one time or another last season, are Jeremy Borden, Justin Gilchrist, J. B. LeNoir, Jake Overstreet, Bradley Parnell, Andrew Parten, and Justin Smith. Smith who was the starter behind the plate for the Tigers last season is expected to be there again this spring directing traffic. Three of the group, Gilchrist, LeNoir and Overstreet are all expected to occupy positions in the Tiger infield again this season while Borden, Parnell and Parten are slated to roam the outfield. Four of the seven, Gilchrist, Overstreet, Parnell and Parten also saw duty on the mound for the Tigers last season and will be expected to carry their load there again this year. As any student of the game knows a team is only as good as its pitching staff and the 2007 Tigers are no exception. In that area the Tigers have reason for optimism with eight players who saw mound duty returning for another tour of duty. Joining the four seniors are juniors Paul Noble and Kenny Sanders and sophomores Alex Buford and Jamie Morgan. Add in sophomores Reeves Bozeman and Mallan Sheffield who were pitching mainstays for the Tiger Junior Varsity last season and the Tigers appear to have a bevy of arms to call on. Next on the list of wants and needs for the Tigers of 2007 is a solid defense that will compliment the pitching staff by making all the routine plays behind them. In that vein the infield has an experienced hand returning at every position with Gilchrist at first base, LeNoir at second, Overstreet at shortstop and Noble at third. Joining them as backups that are likely to see playing time when the starters take their turns on the mound are Dylan Digman at first base, Mallan Sheffield at second base, Reeves Bozeman at shortstop and Travis Kelly at third. In the outfield which counts five pitchers among its number, two juniors Steven Etheredge, and Kenny Sanders and three sophomores Walt Bedsole, Alex Buford, and Jamie Morgan are all vying for playing time with the three seniors Borden, Parnell and Parten as Coach Anderson and his staff try to find the right defensive mix to support the pitching rotation Of course one of the most critical positions on the defense is that of catcher where the person occupying the position is involved in every play in one form or another. In addition to the starter Smith, sophomore Jon Harrison who was a late season call up from the Tiger Junior Varsity last season is working hard to earn some playing time. On the flip side the Tigers will be looking to improve on their offensive production this season. Although there were periods last year when the Tiger offense appeared to be hitting on all cylinders, there were other times that they found themselves slumping and not getting the run production they needed. What they will be looking for this year is a consistency at the plate that will produce the runs necessary to support their pitching staff and defense. Here again there is room for optimism as much of the heart of the 2006 Tiger batting order is back intact and some of the younger players who are battling for playing time have shown signs of bringing a potent bat to the line up.
Looking at the schedule there are several significant changes to be noted. In addition to their participation in the always tough Hank Aaron Classic the Tigers find themselves with another challenging schedule that includes a strong field in their own Pizza Pro Classic and moving to Area One where they will be competing against the always tough Jackson Aggies and traditional baseball rich programs at Escambia County and Monroe County. Add in games with 6A Selma High School; 5A Citronelle and Demopolis; 4A powerhouses Andalusia, T. R. Miller and W. S. Neal; and traditional rivals Clarke County and Sweet Water and you have a schedule that will keep the strongest of pitching staffs busy.
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