After seeing his senior baseball season at Tennessee High cut short due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Daniel Hicks will get a chance to recoup a bit of those lost opportunities.
He is one of two seniors from THS competing in the inaugural season of the East Tennessee High School Baseball League, which gets underway today with two games at Joe O’Brien Field in Elizabethton and two more at Cardinal Park in Johnson City.
Sixteen squads – 14 from Tennessee and two from Virginia – will compete in the local league that will contest games each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday through July 29. Two games at 5 and 7:30 p.m. will be held each of those days in Elizabethton and Johnson City with cost of admission being $5.
Unaffiliated with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) or Virginia High School League (VHSL), the ETHSBL is like many independent summer-league or travel-ball showcase events.
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The biggest difference is that it will have bigger crowds and garner more attention due to the fact the 2020 high school baseball season ended before it even really began.
“The response we have gotten has been amazing,” said Zac Clark, general manager of the Appalachian League’s Johnson City Cardinals. “I think for the community at large everyone is most excited to see things getting back to normal and I know for our staff here we certainly feel that normalcy. We are so excited to have baseball back in our parks again and we hope the community at large will come out and enjoy the energy that will be in the stadium.”
The idea was the brainchild of Chris Allen, the president of Boyd Sports, which operates the Tennessee Smokies, Greeneville Reds, Johnson City Cardinals and Elizabethton Twins minor league clubs.
A Western Division of the league has already begun play at Smokies Park in Kodak, Tennessee, with 12 clubs participating.
“Chris has a son that plays at Jefferson County,” Clark said. “When he realized that the high school seasons would be lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was quick on his feet to start putting the structure in place to start a league of our own and give those games back to the kids, especially the seniors who may not get the chance to play baseball again. Once the Smokies did that and saw how quickly the league filled up and how much of a positive response it got, we decided to do our own league there in the Tri-Cities.”
Players from Science Hill, Elizabethton, Dobyns-Bennett, David Crockett, Cherokee, Volunteer, Tennessee High, Sullivan East, Hampton, University High, Providence Academy, Sullivan North, Greeneville, Abingdon and John Battle will take the field.
Since none of the clubs are connected to their high school programs, they have picked some unique nicknames.
A Johnson City squad will be known as “Home of Daniel Norris,” paying homage to the former Science Hill High School star who is now with the Detroit Tigers.
The Express from Bristol, Virginia, will be coached by former John Battle High School standouts Bryce Bowman, Jake Mumpower and Aaron Arnold. The head coach of the A-Town Falcons from Abingdon is former Marion High School and Old Dominion University pitcher Eric Hungate.
Perhaps nobody is more excited to get to play again than Hicks, who will join fellow Tennessee High senior Zach Anderson on a squad simply known as the Vikings.
“I’m very anxious to get back on the field,” Hicks said. “It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions from having a shot at a season, to not having a season at all. Even up until last week it wasn’t known if I was eligible to play [in this league]. Now, everything seems set and I’m just waiting to finally get out there.”
Hicks had started at first base and held down the No. 2 spot in Tennessee High’s batting order at the start of the season. THS was 2-2 when the season was put on hiatus due to the pandemic, only to be canceled a few weeks later.
How did Hicks handle the sudden change?
“I have been extremely bored,” Hicks said. “This was the first spring since I was 4-years-old that I haven’t had baseball. ... The worst part wasn’t being bored, it was losing a lot of motivation because everything was uncertain.
“After a few weeks, I filled my time with working out and fly fishing. I focused a lot of my energy on fly fishing to just try to distract myself from the fact that on any given day I was supposed to be playing a game. That’s what the spring was for me – distracting myself from what could have been.”
Hicks has been motivated lately as he’s been putting in work – lifting weights in his basement, hitting off a tee and playing catch with some friends in his backyard. He has signed with Rhodes College, a NCAA Division III program in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Daniel has a passion for baseball,” said THS coach Preston Roberts. “He has trained incredibly hard in the weight room and on the field to try and be his best.”
How much does Hicks enjoy the sport?
Well, consider the fact he worked the previous three summers on the grounds crew (and in other capacities) for the Bristol Pirates, the rookie-league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and a member of the Appalachian League.
It’s still not known if the Appy League will have a season in 2020, but it doesn’t look promising.
“I would consider working with the Pirates some of my favorite memories of the past summers,” Hicks said. “Being around baseball all summer is unbeatable. I learned a lot about how the players acted and carried themselves just by watching them and talking to them. I’ve talked to several managers and coaches who have given me tips and things to remember, while also taking care of a baseball field. It really is a dream job of any baseball player. I’ve never grown tired of baseball.”
The Vikings play their first ETHSBL game on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Elizabethton.
Roberts will be at the helm of the squad.
“Our approach will probably be a little different from other schools,” Roberts said. “We obviously want to win, but player evaluation will take precedence over winning in this league. We have a lot of players, especially our younger guys, who need to play. We missed out on a crucial evaluation period for our freshmen and sophomores when the season ended after one week. We technically have one team in the league, but will send two different groups. Our younger guys will play one day and our older guys will play the next. Each group will get six games.”
The highlight of Monday’s opening night will be the Express from the Virginia side of the state line against the Patriots, comprised of players from Sullivan East High School. The Express will follow that game up by playing the Wahoos (players from Cherokee High School) at 7:30 p.m. in Johnson City.
“We’re definitely excited to be able to just be on the field,” said Bowman, a 2018 John Battle graduate. “Baseball has a way of blocking out the world and when you step on the diamond, you get to turn off all the distractions of the world and just melt into the game, something I believe we could all use in these times.
“What I hope the players, especially the seniors, get out of this is to cherish these last moments with some of their teammates. … For the non-seniors, I hope they get the chance to develop themselves. It gives them a chance to see baseball from a whole different side, a chance to learn and grow as a player outside the noise of school work, conference rivalries, and win-loss records.”
thayes@bristolnews.com | Twitter:@Hayes_BHCSports | (276) 645-2570
East Tennessee High School Baseball League
This Week’s Games
Monday
At Cardinal Park (Johnson City)
5 p.m. – The Boro (Jonesborough, Tenn.) vs. Wahoos (Rogersville, Tenn.)
7:30 p.m. – Express (Bristol, Va.) vs. Wahoos (Rogersville, Tenn.)
At Joe O’Brien Field (Elizabethton)
5 p.m. – Patriots (Bluff City, Tenn.) vs. Express (Bristol, Va.)
7:30 p.m. – Redwings (Johnson City, Tenn.) vs. Braves (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Tuesday
At Cardinal Park
5 p.m. – Braves (Johnson City, Tenn.) vs. Patriots (Bluff City, Tenn.)
7:30 p.m. – Cyclones (Elizabethton, Tenn.) vs. Pirates (Johnson City, Tenn.)
At Joe O’Brien Field (Elizabethton)
5 p.m. – The Boro (Jonesborough, Tenn.) vs. Vikings (Bristol, Tenn.)
7:30 p.m. – Demons (Greeneville, Tenn.) vs. Raiders (Kingsport, Tenn.)
Wednesday
At Cardinal Park (Johnson City)
5 p.m. – Redwings (Johnson City, Tenn.) vs. Raiders (Kingsport, Tenn.)
7:30 p.m. – A-Town Falcons (Abingdon, Va.) vs. Vikings (Bristol, Tenn.)
At Joe O’Brien Field (Elizabethton)
5 p.m. – Team Whited (Kingsport, Tenn.) vs. Bulldogs (Hampton, Tenn.)
7:30 p.m. – Home of Daniel Norris (Johnson City, Tenn.) vs. Volunteers (Church Hill, Tenn.)