Tuscola baseball faces tough competition in Tennessee
Apr. 17—For many, spring break means time off from school and maybe a family vacation, but for many spring athletes, it means playing against unfamiliar teams in neighboring states.
Tuscola baseball traveled up to Kingsport and Johnson City, Tennessee, late last week for a trio of games against some of the Volunteer State's best teams.
"The whole trip was a good experience for all of our guys," Tuscola coach Zack Shepherd said. "They got to see what it was like to go on a road trip like in college. We had some schedule changes due to rain, and we got to see some great facilities."
The games started on Friday with a game against Christiansburg from Virginia. The game was played at Hunter Wright Stadium, the home of the Kingsport Axmen — a collegiate summer league team.
The Mounties grabbed a 7-3 win in the game.
"It was a good test moving forward in the season," Shepherd said. "We saw some good arms. We had a couple of JV players come up really big for us and add to our depth."
On Saturday, the action shifted over to Johnson City where they faced Science Hill. The Hilltoppers have a storied history, with five state championships — including one in 2021.
Both games Saturday were played at TVA Credit Union Ballpark, a former minor league baseball stadium that still serves as the home for collegiate summer baseball.
"We got to play at two really nice stadiums," Shepherd said.
The game was a back-and-forth affair throughout, with Tuscola eventually falling 7-6 in extra innings.
"We twice came back from three runs down to tie the game and they won in the bottom of the eighth," Shepherd said. "I think it taught the kids that we're pretty good, too."
In the second game of the day, Tuscola came out on top, knocking off Oak Ridge 5-3.
"When you get to play in several games in a couple days, it gives you a chance to see a lot of live at-bats," Shepherd said. "It gives the kids a chance to come out pretty hot."
Shepherd said that so many players contributed during the three games that it would be hard to list them all off.
"There were so many kids that did something important in the three games that it would take a long time to go through it all," he said.
Outside of the games themselves, the boys visited a mall and got to eat at a couple of nice restaurants.
"Mainly they liked to hang out at the hotel with their guys," Shepherd said. "They were just glad to not be in school."
With spring break in the rearview, there is no time for rest. The Mounties head right back into Mountain 7 play with a two-game series against Smoky Mountain this week.
"We're ready for conference now, so we'll jump back into that with Smoky," Shepherd said.
