Chattanooga Cyclones catcher Hunter Oliver, who will be a senior at Cleveland High School this year, has been invited to the East Coast Pro Showcase on July 27-30 at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees in Tampa, Fla. Only 150 of the best youth baseball players from the eastern United States are invited by MLB scouts, with the players practicing and competing under the scouts' direction during the event. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Oliver, who has committed to play at Troy University, batted .521 for Cleveland during his junior season and was a third-team Times Free Press Best of Preps selection this spring. He has played for the Cyclones since age 14 and worked at Real Sports Academy the past two years with former minor league manager Phillip Wellman, who coached veteran St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. Oliver joins a long list of Cyclones who have attended the event, including Ryan Casteel, Will Cooper and Wes Hodges. Madison Bumgarner, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, Buster Posey, David Price, Mark Teixiera and David Wright are among the current major leaguers who participated in the East Coast Pro Showcase.
FOOTBALL
Former Signal Mountain coach Bill Price is at home after being released from Erlanger Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. The veteran coach, who retired from teaching last spring to enter private business, suffered a stroke last Saturday evening. He showed signs of quick recovery on Sunday and was even walking on his own that afternoon. He said Wednesday that doctors told him he must wait another week before returning to work.
SOFTBALL
GPS alum Tory Lewis capped her senior season by being among the nine University of Tennessee softball players - among 12 eligible for the recognition - named to the Southeastern Conference's spring academic honor roll. The honor was granted based on grades from the 2014 summer, 2014 fall and 2015 spring terms. "We are committed to preparing Tennessee softball student-athletes for a lifetime of professional opportunities. Academic excellence is an integral part of that process," said Karen Weekly, who along with husband Ralph Weekly is co-head coach for the program. "Ralph and I are very proud of these young women for their exceptional effort and performance in the classroom."