Another year is almost gone for high school athletes. The seniors, most of them anyway, have graduated and the Spring Fling, Tennessee’s state high school championship series for spring sports, is all that stands between us and the shelf for the 2007-08 high school seasons.

Bradley Central was a pitch or two away from joining us in Murfreesboro. The Bears, had they made it to the AAA state baseball tournament, were likely going to stay in Manchester where they would have been out of the hustle and bustle and near a hitting facility at Coffee County.

They, like Red Bank, fell by the wayside in the sectional series, and you have to feel for Lions coach Bumper Reese, who has yet to make a state tournament. Red Bank had the pitching — Brandon Ward, Alan Walden, Cullen Clabo and Garrett Atkins, to mention four — and they had been hitting well in the postseason.

So it’s up to Lookout Valley and Marion County if the Chattanooga area is going to break a public school state baseball championship drought that dates back to 1994 when Bradley claimed the title.

Baylor, surviving Division II’s stilted and unnecessary rounds of playoffs, is looking to return to its championship form of 2006.

Other teams that fell in the sectionals and sub-states were Arts & Sciences, McMinn Central and McCallie.

One never knows about Lookout Valley, even though the Yellow Jackets are 32-5. Sure, they’re the Class A kingpin around Chattanooga, but they’re also capable of giving one away, and that has been a concern for coach David Dinger. As one of their players said a couple of weeks ago, they tend to play to the level of competition — and they are so capable of having one of those innings where they have a hit batsmen, a walk or two, an error or two. Yet they’re also capable of hitting with anybody in the state from the leadoff man through No. 9.

They’ll depend on Brandon O’Dell, Lance Rorex, Tyler Crowley and John Barry for pitching, but it’s the bats led by Rorex and Crowley that will carry Dinger’s club, which will be making its third straight state tournament trip.

Marion County is packing for its second consecutive tournament appearance, and experience will be a positive factor for the Warriors as well as the Yellow Jackets.

For the Warriors, it’s pitching and defense. Do they have enough pitching? Justin Bell pitches with anybody, but the No. 1 starter probably won’t be available on the mound until Wednesday. However, coach Steven Roberts can rely on Herschel Bettis and Lucas Lloyd, and he made a daily practice of having several players pitching throughout the season including center-fielder Blake Fowler and slugging first baseman Sam Griswold. It wouldn’t surprise at all if Joe Muir, one of the top hitters, saw some mound time too.

The most intriguing team might be Baylor. The Red Raiders are experienced and talented. Like Lookout Valley, they are capable of hitting with anybody, and they don’t mind taking a pitch the other way. They might have just enough pitching, depending on how quickly coach Gene Etter has to go to his bullpen.

Despite the possible thunderstorms Tuesday, the expected 80-degree temperatures Wednesday through Friday and all the driving — baseball is spread from Murfreesboro to Nashville — it should be a fun to see if Marion and Lookout Valley can break the drought and if Baylor can win its third state title this decade.