How Clarksville baseball celebrated at home after reaching 2nd TSSAA state tournament in row
The Clarksville baseball team ran as one toward the student section in left field, singing. arm-in-arm, before proceeding to jump up and down while tugging on the purple wall.
It almost looked like the Wildcats were trying to pull the wall down entirely, or at least the yellow strip on top. A couple of hundred feet from the scene, assistant coach Skyler Luna audibly wished they would.
Clarksville (39-8) clinched a TSSAA baseball state tournament appearance Thursday, beating Collierville 5-0 in the winner-take-all game of the teams' Class 4A sectional series. It will be the second straight trip to Spring Fling for the Wildcats, but the first time they've gotten to celebrate it at home.
"It's been over 35 years since a sub-state's been won here," Clarksville coach Brian Hetland said before amending himself. "I don't know when it's ever been won here to go to state. It's an incredible feeling, and I'm just ecstatic for everyone who's involved in our program."
Clarksville baseball is built on pitching, defense, baserunning
The victory was the 399th of Hetland's career at Clarksville. He guided the Wildcats to Murfreesboro in 2010, his first season, but they didn't make it back until 2021 despite consistent district and region success. This season will be their third appearance in four years.
"To build something, it doesn't happen in a year or two or three or four," Hetland said. "It takes time."
Hetland holds strong pitching, defense and baserunning as the cornerstones of his program, and he says it will be that way "as long as I'm alive." The Wildcats hit .365 as a team and average 8.3 runs per game, with five starters hitting above .370. Their fielding percentage is north of .950, and they've stolen 152 bases.
"When you hit, you hit," he said. "When you don't hit, you still got a chance to win that 1-nothing, 2-nothing game."
Clarksville's lineup and pitching staff are an about-equal mix of returning starters from 2023. Junior catcher Korbin Reynolds, a Vanderbilt commit, is hitting .440 with 37 RBIs, while junior centerfielder and Evansville commit Kirk Weatherford (.397, three home runs, 25 stolen bases) is again at the top of the order. Senior right-handers Christian Henderson and Brady Davis have combined for a 14-3 record and 2.11 ERA in 99 innings.
But the Wildcats wouldn't be where they are without senior right fielder Collin Windham (.444, three homers, 52 RBIs, 24 stolen bases), who had just two hits in 2023. Or senior Briley Hagewood (.353, three homers, 38 RBIs), last season's backup first baseman. Or junior left fielder Jack Wyatt, who's hitting .341 with four homers, 32 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and is 9-0 on the mound.
"We knew we were gonna have some guys back," Weatherford said. "Pitching was gonna stay pretty similar, but we knew the bats needed to step up. And we've done that so far."
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Hetland wanted to put together as tough a schedule as he could in 2023 and 2024. Of the 16 Class 4A teams that made it out of their regions, Clarksville played five during the regular season. In addition, the Wildcats have beaten CPA, Brentwood Academy and out-of-state powers like Hartselle (Alabama) and McCracken County (Kentucky).
At last season's state tournament, Clarksville beat Stewarts Creek 10-0 in its first game before dropping two straight 1-0 games, first to eventual champion Farragut and then a rematch with Stewarts Creek in which the Redhawks had what Hetland remembers as three diving catches to take away hits.
"That's motivation alone to get it done," Hetland said.
Added Weatherford: "Being there last year and being prepared, knowing what it's like being in the moment, we have a lot of guys back again, and we're ready to go. We're on a roll and we're feeling good this year."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: TSSAA baseball playoffs: Clarksville returns to state tournament
