It’s a good time to be a baseball fan in Anderson County

May 3, 2023 by Ken Lay

The 2023 high school baseball season is in the rearview mirror, and teams will now get down to the business of crowing district champions.

In District 4-AAA, Clinton, Anderson County and Knoxville Halls finished in a three-way tie in the league standings.

By virtue of a coin flip, the Dragons will be the No. 1 seed and will host the district tournament, which gets underway Thursday night at Jaycee Park.

The Mavericks will be the second seed. The Red Devils will be seeded third, and Scott will be the fourth seed.

Tournament play opens Thursday at 6 p.m. as the Dragons take on the Highlanders.

The Anderson County-Halls game is slated to begin at 7:45 p.m. Tournament play continues throughout the weekend.

Clinton Coach Rob Stacy still has the coin that netted Clinton the top seed and the right to host the postseason tournament, and he’s not letting go of it anytime soon.

“I’m still carrying that quarter in my pocket,” Stacy said. “Somebody told me that we ought to frame it. If we win the district tournament, maybe I will.”

In District 3-4A, Oak Ridge won the league championship. The Wildcats will have a first-round bye as they await the winner of tonight’s (May 3) showdown between Knoxville West and Karns.

That game will be at West today at 6 p.m.

Either the Rebels or the Beavers will travel to Oak Ridge to face the Wildcats at 6 p.m.

Powell is the No. 2 seed after being swept by Oak Ridge in the regular season series.

The Panthers will also have a first-round bye as they await the winner of Wednesday’s game between third-seeded Knoxville Central and No. 6 Campbell County at Tommy Shumpert Park.

Tournament play continues Friday and shifts to Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The Wildcats will be the top seed. Coach Travis Free said that it’s been a banner year for baseball in Anderson County.

“You have Clinton and Oak Ridge hosting district tournaments and I’m not sure that’s ever happened,” Free said after the Wildcats outlasted the Dragons 10-5 on Saturday.

“Anderson County also won (a share of) their district championship, and that’s all great for baseball in Anderson County,” Free said.