Home Run Barrage Lifts Avery Baseball Over Mitchell

A famous baseball TV commercial featuring former Atlanta Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux once proclaimed that "chicks dig the long ball". On Wednesday afternoon at Avery High School, a packed crowd of fans saw the Vikings go long on five separate occasions over a two-inning stretch, distancing themselves from a once-close contest with Mitchell to power past the Mountaineers 15-3 in five innings.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the second inning when Avery put three runs on the board. A well-executed double steal allowed Brooks Oakley to cross home for the first Viking run. Danny Cole hit a soft roller just past the pitcher and legged out a base hit later in the frame that scored Zac Hall from third, giving the Vikings a 2-0 advantage. Sutton Stanley then hit a double which scored Cole for Avery's third run. Two more batters reached base after Stanley's RBI, but the Big Red was unable to convert and left the bases loaded to close the productive inning.

Mitchell answered Avery's outburst with three runs of its own in the top of the third. A leadoff walk and base hit put a pair of runners on, and an RBI groundout provided the Mountaineers with their first run. A two-out walk put a pair of runners on base, which forced Avery skipper Benny Wellborn to call on Sutton Stanley in relief of starting pitcher Adam Pate. The first hitter Stanley faced roped a double into the gap to score both runners and tie the game. Stanley struck out the next batter to end the Mountaineer threat.

Coach Wellborn pulled his team together after the inning and challenged their focus, imploring the team to play better baseball and get some hits. The words of the passionate coach made a positive impact on his club, as the Big Red exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the third to bury the visitors from Ledger.

Steven Daniels led the inning off with a solo home run to left field to give the Vikings the lead again at 4-3 and, much like a great album from a popular musical group, one great Avery hit came after another. The blast was the first of nine base hits for the Vikings in the frame, as every player in the lineup scored a run by inning's end.

Base hits from Zac Hall, Jared Clark, and Danny Cole helped load the bases following the Daniels blast, and a Mitchell error scored Daniel Huff to put Avery ahead 5-3. Leadoff hitter Chris Childress then came to the plate with the bases full and parked a grand slam down the left field line, much to the delight of the home fans who braved the chilly and windy afternoon conditions.

The Childress shot gave Avery a 9-3 advantage, but the Vikings continued to roll. Two batters later Adam Pate joined the home run club, as he tattooed a pitch deep over the fence in dead center field for a two-run homer. Zac Hall ripped a laser over the left center field fence two batters later for a solo home run before Mitchell finally retired the side. When all was said and done, Avery held an impressive 12-3 lead.

Sutton Stanley continued the dominance from the mound and shut Mitchell down, retiring the side in order in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning he displayed his versatility by powering a two-run home run to boost the Avery advantage to 14-3.

The Big Red added an insurance run for good measure as a number of reserves were inserted into the batting order and produced. Jack Buchanan drew a walk and Jordan English reached base on an error. Bo Barrier then drew a walk to load the bases and Joe Buchanan grounded into a fielder's choice to score Buchanan for the game's final run.

Stanley held Mitchell scoreless in the top of the fifth to seal the decisive win. Avery hosts Hendersonville this Friday for the second game of the week between the two squads. The Bearcats defeated Avery 9-1 on Monday behind an 11-strikeout pitching performance and 4 for 4 with two home run hitting display from Ben Walgenbach.

JohnMark Bentley Takes Reins as Appalachian Wrestling Head Coach

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information)

JohnMark Bentley, an assistant coach the past three seasons, will become Appalachian State University’s head wrestling coach for the 2009-10 season. Bentley replaces Paul Mance, who spent the past 33 years as ASU’s head coach.

“We’re grateful for Coach Mance’s years of service to Appalachian as a student-athlete and coach and wish him nothing but the best in hisfuture endeavors,” ASU director of athletics Charlie Cobb said. “We are very excited about Coach Bentley taking the reins of the program and look forward to him leading us to more championships in the future.”

Bentley arrived at Appalachian in 2006 after spending three years as the head coach at nearby Watauga High School. In his final season with thePioneers, he led the squad to a third-place finish in the North Carolina state championship and coached three individual state champions.

He began his coaching career as an assistant at Davidson in 2002-03.Bentley was a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion wrestler at North Carolina from 1997-2001. He was the ACC Wrestler of the Year as a senior and a University Nationals freestyle all-American as a junior. He graduated from UNC with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2001.

JohnMark, the son of Paul and Rita Bentley of Newland, was one of the most decorated prep athletes in the 40-year history of Avery County High School. A 1997 graduate, he was rated the #2 recruit in the nation at 135 lbs. by Amateur Wrestling News in 1997, and was the 1997 national high school champion at 130 lbs.

He posted a career record of 144-0 at Avery and was only the second wrestler in N.C. prep history to both finish his career undefeated and win four state titles. He was a two-time ASICS Tiger All-America, a member of the USA Dream Team at 145 lbs., was N.C. State Wrestling Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, and was a two-time Academic All-America as well as Pepsi Cola Scholar Athlete.

Lady Vikings Host First Conference Softball Contest against Warlassies

With the postponement of Wednesday’s scheduled softball contest at Highland Tech, both the Lady Vikings varsity and junior varsity teams played a single contest each in action on the diamond last week On a sunny Thursday afternoon, the Avery softball squads tangled with a pair of talented Owen clubs.

The varsity teams took the field in the first game of the afternoon and found the going tough against the Warlassies, who had shut Avery out in a contest previously this season in Swannanoa. Owen showed why they are considered one of the top teams in the Western Highlands Conference as they came away with a 22-0 victory over the Big Red in five innings.

Avery was held to only one hit and just two base runners for the game, as a single to right field by senior catcher Sara Singleton and a walk drawn by pitcher Morgan Yackey accounted for the Vikings offense.

Lady Vikings starter Yackey threw well enough in the opening innings to keep the Lady Vikings within striking distance. Owen managed three runs in the first inning and two runs in both the second and third frames to lead by a 7-0 score, but the tough pitching of the Warlassies held Avery at bay.

The Owen offense opened the proverbial floodgates in the top of the fourth inning with 11 runs due to a combination of strong hitting and untimely errors in the field. Only ten of Owen’s total of 22 runs for the game was earned, and the Warlassies took advantage of virtually every opportunity afforded to them with a lineup that strongly rapped the softball to all fields.

“Today was difficult day for us. We did not play well and Owen is a very good team. That combination made it very tough for us to compete,” Avery head softball coach Merritt Yackey said after the loss. “It is one of those games we simply need to put behind us and prepare for our three games next week in which we should be very competitive. Two are conference games against Mitchell and Hendersonville, and one against Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy who will be in the conference next year.”

The Lady Vikings junior varsity team took to the diamond in the second half of Thursday’s doubleheader action with Owen and played with confidence and execution against a good Owen JV team. Although the Lady Vikings fell by a 14-3 final score, the team showed the ability offensively to get on base and manufacture runs, as well as play an exciting style of softball.

Owen scored nine first-inning runs on Avery, but could only muster one run over the next five frames as the Lady Vikings played well defensively. Starting pitcher Becca Biggerstaff settled into a groove, as the right-hander finished the complete-game effort with only five earned runs allowed and struck out eight batters.

Avery scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut the deficit to seven runs. Biggerstaff laced a double in the frame and teammates Shelby McKinney, Gibson Slomkoski, and Charley Puckett each ripped the ball for base hits to provide offensive punch to the Big Red attack.

Although a four-run seventh inning wound up sealing the win for the Warlassies, the Lady Vikings JVs proved they should be formidable opponent for the remaining opponents they face this season.

“I thought our junior varsity girls competed very well after the first inning in which we gave up the nine runs. Shelby McKinney, Gibson Slomkoski and Charley Puckett each had RBIs with timely base hits and Shelby scored twice,” Coach Yackey stated after the game. “Becca Biggerstaff had two hits, scored a run, and did a good job pitching, only allowing five earned runs. Gibson Slomkoski had another good defensive game at second base recording four assists and a putout.”

Avery is scheduled to take on Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy early in the week, with home games against Mitchell on Wednesday and Hendersonville on Friday afternoon.

Offense Powers Avery Baseball Past Pair of Non-Conference Opponents

It is said when baseball players are in a zone as hitters, the baseball appears larger than normal. The Avery lineup must have been seeing beach balls last week at the plate, as the team’s bats were white hot in a pair of dominant performance over non-conference foes North Wilkes and Cloudland.

Avery traveled to Hays on Thursday and blasted 20 hits in a 15-8 victory over the North Wilkes Vikings, then hosted neighboring Cloudland on Saturday afternoon, closing the game with a walk-off home run to clinch a 13-2 five-inning win.

The Vikings received a strong pitching performance from senior starter Chris Childress. The lefty surrendered only one run over the first there innings while the Big Red bats spotted him 11 runs over the same stretch.

In the top of the first the Vikings took a 1-0 lead as Childress reached on a single, was moved over on an Adam Pate base hit, and drove home on an RBI groundout by catcher Steven Daniels.
North Wilkes tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a pair of hits, but Avery again retook the advantage in its next time at bat. The Big Red lineup batted around in the top of the second and produced six runs on five hits. Sutton Stanley laced an RBI single and Daniels ripped a bases loaded two-out double to score three more in the inning as the Vikings led 7-1.

Childress struck out a pair of hitters in the bottom of the inning, and the Avery hit parade continued in the top of the third. Four additional runs scored on five hits to put the Vikings on top by an 11-1 margin.

Offense was effective and efficient throughout the lineup for the Vikings, as the team was an astounding 20 of 38 at the plate collectively, good for a .526 team average for the seven innings of play.

After holding Avery to its first scoreless in both the fourth and fifth innings, the North Wilkes bats woke up in the bottom of the fourth to get back into the game. The Wilkes Vikings touched Childress and the Avery defense for four runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to bring the game to within five runs at 11-6.

The Viking bats again found their groove in the final two innings of play to keep the Big Red out front. Avery scored twice in each of its final two times at bat to put up 15 total runs. North rallied in the bottom of the sixth to score a pair of runs and Vikings skipper Benny Wellborn called on Daniel Huff to come on in relief to put out the fire. Huff closed the inning without further damage, and Brooks Oakley came on in the seventh to slam the door on the Avery win.

The entire Viking lineup from top to bottom was productive. Senior left fielder Sutton Stanley was a perfect 5 for 5 at the plate with three runs batted in and scored three times from the ninth spot in the order. Danny Cole and Jared Clark combined to score four runs out of the bottom third of the order as well. Childress and Zac Hall both had three hits in five plate appearances, while Pate, and Daniels had two hits apiece and combined for seven runs batted in.

“North was a pretty good ballclub that didn’t quit. We throttled down in the middle of the ballgame and made some mistakes and it almost came back to bite us. To our kids’ credit, we kept pushing and got key hits as we kept hitting the ball,” Avery head coach Benny Wellborn said after the win. “Our pitching has kept us in ballgames when our offense has struggled. Now we’re heating up with the bats, and hopefully we can continue to roll into an important part of our schedule.”

On Saturday afternoon Avery and Cloudland made up a game postponed earlier in the week due to weather. The ‘Landers struck first in the top of the first off Avery starter Adam Pate, as leadoff hitter Michael Hyden walked and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from first baseman Tyler Dyer. Hyden came around to score on an error on a ball hit by Casey Pritchard to the outfield for the game’s first run.

The Viking offense picked up where it left off from its previous contest as Avery struck for six first inning runs off Landers starter Pritchard. Twelve runners came to bat for Avery in the opening frame as Pritchard had difficulty with control, walking a trio of Avery batters and hitting another three players with pitches. Cody Bullwinkle was called on in relief after two-thirds of an inning and he prevented the Vikings from further extending their advantage.

In the bottom of the second Avery added a run to extend its lead to a half-dozen at 7-1. Steven Daniels singled and advanced on an error, then scored after a single from Zac Hall.

Cloudland answered the Vikings with a run in the top of the third to narrow the margin. Hyden reached on a one-out single then scored on an RBI hit by Dyer to cut the lead to 7-2.

In the bottom of the frame the Big Red added some insurance to help its cause. Avery plated three runs to stretch its lead to 10-2. Sutton Stanley led the inning off with a laser shot that hit the top of the fence in dead center field for a double. He scored on a perfectly executed RBI squeeze play by Chris Childress that resulted in Childress safely reaching base.

“Normally on a squeeze you want to just deaden the ball, but we noticed their second and first basemen were playing deep. I told our guys if they bunt the ball deep that they had a good chance to get on,” Vikings head baseball coach Benny Wellborn explained after the game. “Chris knew what we wanted to do, and he put it exactly where I wanted it. He did a heck of a job of putting the ball out there in that Bermuda Triangle area.”

Childress stole second base following the play and both he and teammate Pate scored, the latter on an RBI groundout and the latter on a steal of home.

As the fourth inning ensued, both teams threaten to score. Cloudland loaded the bases with two out in the top of the fourth, but pitcher Pate induced a groundout to close the inning and get out of the jam. Avery put a pair of runners on base in the bottom half of the frame, but Bullwinkle pitched masterfully as he struck out the side to quell the Viking opportunity.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the fifth and final inning. Oakley was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to lead things off and stole second and third base while Pate followed up with a walk to put two runners on for catcher and clean-up hitter Steven Daniels. Cloudland coach Kevin Kendall called on Andy Holden to come on in relief. Daniels worked the count to 3-1, then hit a line shot over the fence in left centerfield for a walk-off, three-run home run for the final margin in the 13-2 Avery victory.

Starting pitcher Adam Pate went the full five innings to pick up the pitching victory, his second in two starts this season.

“He’s a competitor. He did well. He hasn’t thrown since the first time we played Cloudland. We couldn’t expect him to be perfect out there, as he hasn’t thrown many bullpens. He had a little rust, but he battled and performed pretty well,” Coach Wellborn said after the game. “It might sound a little weird, but we’re doing well with being patiently aggressive at the plate. We’re putting good swings on the ball and we’ve been recognizing good pitches with our plate approaches, plus we’re being smart, recognizing when a pitcher is having a hard time on the mound and making him work.”

Childress was 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI for Avery. Adam Pate was 1 for 2 and scored three runs, while Steven Daniels was 3 for 4 with a home run, three runs scored, and three runs batted in. Avery ventures back into conference play this week with a home-and-home series against Hendersonville, hosting the Bearcats on Friday. The Vikings will host rival Mitchell in Newland on Wednesday.

Avery Defeats Polk for First Time in Conference Play

The Avery Lady Vikings (ranked tenth in the latest Eurosport NC 1A girls soccer poll) scored a go-ahead goal at the 54-minute mark and the defense held third-ranked Polk County at bay in a 2-1 win Monday evening at MacDonald Stadium. The victory was the team's first triumph since the Lady Wolverines joined the Western Highlands Conference.

The Lady Vikings came out strong despite having an almost two-week period between games. Avery did not rest on its laurels during the break, however, as the coaches and players worked on a formation change throughout the practice week. By match's end, it was apparent that the hard work paid off in a major fashion.

Throughout the first half both teams played disciplined defense. Polk County could not cash in on a couple of shot attempts in the half, as one shot hit a crossbar and another caromed off a post, keeping the contest scoreless.

The Lady Wolverines did finally break through for the game's first goal, however, as junior midfielder Anna Trakas peeled off a precise cross field shot from around 15 yards which found the upper corner of the net for the 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. The score remained unchanged through the remainder of the half.

Avery showed renewed vigor and tenacity as the second half began, showing fresh legs and pressuring the Lady Wolverines in all parts of the field. In the second minute of the half the Lady Vikings took a corner kick, and Mary Chesnut Smith executed with pinpoint precision the kick, which Emily Banner headed into the net for the equalizer to knot the score at 1-1.

The Big Red kept the pressure on the Lady Wolverines, who appeared to ever-so-slightly bend from the combination of cooler temperatures and a relentless Lady Vikings club that peppered the Polk netminder with nine shots on goal. Calloway continued to be a wall in goal for Avery, as she fended off every shot that came her way.

At the 56th minute the Lady Vikings made a game-changing play as sophomore forward Melinda Eggers put pressure on a Polk defender and forced a bad pass which Smith stole for Avery. Smith broke away from the pack toward the Lady Wolverine goal. Smith took a ground ball shot which the Polk looked to make a play on. The ball escaped the keeper's grasp, however, and slowly rolled into the back of the net for a 2-1 Lady Viking advantage.

Avery's stonewalling defense took over for the final 25 minutes of the contest as the veteran back line defenders such as senior Kasey Brown, junior Hayden Blackburn, and senior keeper Cailan Calloway, as well as a tireless midfield and front line frustrated the visitors from Columbus.

As time expired the Lady Vikings celebrated the win with congratulatory hugs and extended arms of triumph. The win ties Avery with both Polk and Hendersonville at only one conference loss each. The Lady Vikings hold a 6-1 conference mark equaling the Lady Wolverines, while Hendrsonville holds an 8-1 mark in WHC play.

"This is about the best we've played. We played a little sloppy at times in the first half, but the second half really won it for us. In the first half we were passive and letting them do what they wanted to do, but in the second half the girls came out ready to play soccer," the coaching staff stated following the huge win.

"Everybody in the game played to their top level. The practice week helped us. We had three really good practices that helped us prepare mentally for this game. If we can take what we did tonight and carry that intensity into the rest of the season, we can step up in any areas where we may be lacking."

The win improved Avery to 10-2-1 overall, while Polk drops to 9-6 on the season. Avery travels to Mars Hill College on Thursday evening to take on the WHC fifth-place Madison Lady Patriots, then return home for a pivotal rematch with the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats, who are ranked sixth in 1A soccer and hold a 10-2 overall record.

UT Wraps Up Spring Practice With Orange and White Game

By: Matt Laws (matt.laws@averyjournal.com)
AJT Sports Blog Exclusive

If Saturday’s Orange and White game was any indication, Volunteer fans will enjoy Coach Lane Kiffin’s debut season in Knoxville.

Tennessee wrapped up their first spring practices under Kiffin with the annual Orange and White game as the offense dressed in UT’s road white uniforms defeated the Orange clad defense 41-

23.

"We just wanted to execute," Kiffin said. "We made some throws, we made some catches and we made some great runs. It was real fun. We got in a rhythm, and we just flowed with it."

The second largest UT spring game crowd, attendance was announced at 51,488, saw a trio of running backs turn in impressive performances as Montario Hardesty, Tauren Poole and

Toney Williams started a battle for playing time. Hardesty ended the game with the only rushing touchdown as he scored from five yards out and had 45 yards on the day. Poole and Williams both had 78 yards apiece.

Tennessee’s quarterback situation, however, did not change from last season as there is no clear cut winner heading into the fall. B.J Coleman added two scores for the Vols with a nine yard throw to Brandon Warren and four yard touchdown to Quintin Hancock. Warren also scored on a five yard pass from Nick Stephens while Jonathon Crompton hit Austin Rogers for a 16 yard touchdown.

Coleman ended the game 13 of 22 for 160 yards while Crompton was 14 of 27 for 143 yards and Stephens was 11 of 21 with 131 yards.

Rico McCoy forced the only turnover of the game as he picked off a Crompton pass. In the scoring system used, the defense received five points for forcing a turnover and three points for

stopping an offensive drive. The defense recorded six stops plus the turnover.

Despite the success on the field, both squads played the game with limited play books due to the fact the game was being broadcast on tape delayed. Kiffin estimated that the offense only used about 20 percent of the playbook to keep from handing opponents information.

Former Coach Phillip Fulmer was also at Neyland on Saturday as he was honored as he received the General Robert Neyland Trophy from the Knoxville Quarterback Club. UT historian Haywood Harris was also honored before the contest. However, Saturday was an experience in itself for Kiffin and his assistants.

The Orange and White Game was also an opportunity for the new coa

ching staff to experience football on Rocky Top. The coaches put the players through the normal game day activities. During the traditional Vol Walk, Kiffin appeared to soak in the atmosphere as he calmly walked to Neyland Stadium. Defensive Line Coach Ed Orgeron, however, excited the crowd with arm pumps and giving fans high fives. The elder Kiffin Monte was a

lso treated to a friendly Rocky Top welcome as fans chanted his name along the route.

“Most of

our players have been through this,” Kiffin said. “But for our staff, and I tell you, we’ve had a lot of coaches that have been to a lot of really good places and won a lot of games, but when we got done with that Vol Walk and came in the locker room I had some guys come up to me and say, ‘Man, I’ve never seen anything like that.’ And these are guys that have been to some really special places, so it was really neat.”

Kiffin also couldn’t help but notice the enthusiasm of the Vol fans and the energy they brought to Neyland Stadium.

“The energy out t

here was unbelievable. I really want to thank our fans. That was exactly what we needed today. We needed that environment, because we needed to find out, amongst our players, who was going to thrive in that environment.”

Despite the success of sprin

g, the coaching staff knows that their work is not done. UT also has ques

tions to answer entering fall camp, including who will be the starting signal caller.

“I’ve got to go to the film to really break them down, exactly, because there’s so much going on out there that you’re watching,” Kiffin said of Saturday’s quarterback play. “But I thought they protected the ball well, and it seemed like the

y made good decisions, for the most part.”

Apps Wrap Up Spring Practice

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University football wrapped up the 2009 spring practice season with its 14th and 15th practices of the spring on Thursday and Friday at the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility.

Thanks in large part to the presence of the Sofield Facility, Appalachian completed the 15 practices allowed in the spring by the NCAA in just 18 days. About half of the practices were held indoors due to inclement weather. Prior to the completion of the Sofield Facility, which houses a 80-yard-long, regulation-width FieldTurf playing surface, many of ASU’s practices would have been rescheduled or cancelled altogether due to the rainy, blustery weather conditions.

Coaches on both sides of the ball were pleased with the progress the squad made this spring. While over a dozen veterans sat out of the drills due to lingering injuries from the 2008 season, a plethora of youngsters made the most of their opportunities to impress the coaching staff. Among the players that ASU’s coaches identified as having particularly impressive springs were quarterback DeAndre Presley, running backs Cedric Baker and Rod Chisholm, defensive end Jabari Fletcher, linebacker Justin Lloyd and defensive back Jared Reine.

The best news of the spring was that no major injuries were sustained and all of the players that were limited or sat out of drills due to various ailments are expected to be at 100 percent when fall camp opens in August.

The end of spring practice does not mean that preparations for the 2009 season have concluded. In fact, they’re just beginning. The Mountaineers resume weight training and conditioning workouts on Monday.

Appalachian opens the 2009 campaign on Sept. 5 versus longtime in-state rival East Carolina.

Avery Soccer Update

The match between Avery and Polk is tied at one a piece after an Emily Banner goal off of a Mary Chesnut Smith corner kick at the 43 minute mark. For an updated score, please check back.