Summer reps build Coal Creek’s future
Coal Creek dropped both games at home. The team fell 6-2 in the opener before suffering a 6-0 loss in the nightcap. With the two defeats, Coal Creek slipped to 2-4 on the summer and entered this week riding a four-game losing streak.
Still, Coach Josh Boynton has found positives as the team, composed of Anderson County High School players, works to replace key contributors who graduated in 2025 and 2026.
“It’s been good, but our record hasn’t been good,” Boynton said. “But the positive thing I can say is that we’re getting some young kids some important reps.
“We lost 19 seniors over the last two years, and we have some young guys,” he said.
“We kept five incoming freshmen, and all five of them are going to play this week. We’ll see how they mingle with our older kids. It’s positive that we’re getting some young kids some experience, and they’re trying to make an impression on the coaches.”
Boynton noted that some Anderson County players are competing with travel teams this summer, while others are relying exclusively on Coal Creek for offseason development.
Winning, however, takes a back seat to player development during the summer.
“Whenever I’m playing or coaching, I want to win,” Boynton said. “But it’s summer, and summer ball is what it is.”
In the opener on Monday, June 8, Coal Creek fell behind 5-0 in the top of the first inning, but answered with both of its runs in the bottom half. Nolan Benson scored, and Conner Dabney also crossed the plate.
Benson and Dabney each collected two hits. Dabney doubled and drove in a run, while Reese Young also doubled and recorded an RBI.
In the second game, Coal Creek managed just three hits and committed two errors.
Incoming freshman Cooper Downs went 1-for-1 with a double, while Will Goehring and Peyton Williams added singles.
