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Tigers Are 2007 Limestone |
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Members of the Ardmore Tigers 2007 Varsity Baseball Team who captured the Limestone County Championship Crown during tournament play last week are, front, from left, Jason Cornelison, Matthew Smith, Will Lewis, Josh Marlow, Ryne Strong, Justin Dolan, Matt Lannom; back, from left, Head Coach Lee Walker, Jake Marlow, Clint Carroll, Zach Mitchell, Eric Atchley, Kyle Smith, Clay Wales, Jarrod Mullins, David Keenum, Coach Garry Pressley, and Coach Joseph Blankenship. (courtesy photo) |
Coach Walker Is Optimistic As
His Tigers Take The County Title
by Dwight Turner
Ardmore High School Head Baseball Coach Lee Walker was positive in his comments about his players’ performance after the Tigers notched a thrilling 4-3 win over Clements to capture the Limestone County Tournament Championship.
“This was the first time this season that we have played a complete game from the first pitch to the last,” said Walker. “Our guys kept up their intensity level for a full seven innings and I am proud of what they accomplished.”
Ardmore advanced to the championship game last week after recording wins over Tanner and Athens Bible School. Against Clements, Clay Wales pitched a complete game and struck out six colts. Eric Atchley belted a homerun and Matthew Smith collected a clutch two-out hit to help the Tigers secure the win.
“We showed that we could bounce back from adversity,” continued Walker. “We were down 9-1 in the ABS game, but we fought back.”
Walker attributes the Tigers’ recent success to several factors.
“We are getting good pitching lately and the players have better plate discipline,” commented Walker. “We are not swinging at bad pitches and that helps. We still have areas we need to improve on. We have the Area portion of our season coming up and that will be a challenge. We have a lot of solid teams in our Area.”
Ardmore completes in the same Area as East Limestone, Madison County, and Columbia. Walker is realistic in sizing up the Area competition.
“We play against three good teams in the Area,” said Walker. “Madison County is a solid team and East Limestone is very well-coached. Columbia is a new team, but we can’t take them lightly.”
According to Walker, good pitching and improved defense will be the key to the Tigers making the postseason.
“We need to continue to pitch well,” said Walker. “We also need to improve our defense. We can’t afford to give teams more than three outs per inning and expect to win. We also need to get better at getting two-out hits with runners in scoring position. I am pleased, however, at the improvement we are starting to make. We are beginning to get solid leadership out of our seniors and that helps a lot.”
Ardmore is currently 4-6 on the season, including three tough losses to a very talented team from Athens High School.
The Tigers resume their season tomorrow with two home games. Ardmore will host Tanner at noon and Elkmont at 4 PM.