CHICKAMAGUA, Ga. -- There's a growing sentiment that it's not a good thing for high school athletes to play extensive summer baseball schedules.
Ethan Clark would disagree.
The Gordon Lee junior parlayed a strong showing this summer into a scholarship offer from Austin Peay State University. Clark, a right-handed pitcher, was used in relief for a 2015 Gordon Lee team that featured seniors Conard Broom and Jake Rogers.
This summer, playing for the Chattanooga Xposure 16s, he showed what he can do as a starter, and it quickly caught the eye of Austin Peay, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
"They watched me this summer three or four games and they told me they really liked the way I competed," said Clark, who joins Tucker Bradley (Auburn) and Chaney Rogers (Georgia) as NCAA Division I signees for next season's Trojans.
"Playing this summer definitely impacted my recruiting the most the most, because I don't think they saw me in high school. The Xposure team and (coach) Brandon Turner really played a big part of getting them to watch me."
Clark's accolades this year include an MVP award in the East Cobb Invitational as well as honorable mention from Perfect Game USA as an Underclassman Preseason All-American.
Hiwassee one-stop shopping
A recruiting road trip that was planned with several stops ended up with just one for three northwest Georgia baseball players recently.
Ridgeland's Tyler Heisey and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe's Cole Ellis and Dylan Langston will attend and play baseball at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn., after traveling with Ridgeland coach Scott Harden and LFO assistant principal Michael Langston on what was going to be a lengthy trip to find a baseball home.
"We felt like we were going to have to go to several schools, but that first stop was all we needed," Harden said. "It's a fairly young program and Shane Gardner is a great coach who does a lot of good things for the kids. They met the coach and his assistant, and after they worked out Shane felt like each one of them could contribute to what they were trying to build."
Heisey, a left-handed first baseman and pitcher, hit .425 this past prep season and was told he will step right in at first base after the Tigers graduated their starter.
"Tyler was a three-year starter for us, and he's very versatile," Harden said. "The coach felt he could use him as a relief pitcher and somewhere near the top of the order. It's a lefty park and he loves the short wall. He's got a lot of room to grow."
Ellis, a 2013 LFO graduate, will have four years of eligibility left after beginning his career at Tennessee Temple, which has merged with a North Carolina school. He did not play this past season but approached Harden about getting back into playing.
"He and Dylan asked me if they could work out at Ridgeland, and after we talked I found out Cole wanted to play again," Harden said. "He and Dylan will pitch at Hiwassee. Dylan has a lot of physical growing still to do. He's baby-faced, but his dad grew a lot about this age, and if Dylan does the same thing he's got a lot of upside.
"It's great to be able to help these kids. It's not just about Ridgeland baseball. I love helping any kid get to college, so that road trip turned out great."
Cummings in Paine
Ridgeland's Cordaro Cummings signed a scholarship to play baseball at Paine College in Augusta, Ga.
Cummings, who transferred to Ridgeland this past year after three years at Brainerd, did not get much playing time with Ridgeland, but the pitcher and outfielder used the experience to learn what it would take to play at the next level.
"He worked really hard right off the bat," Harden said. "He didn't get a lot of innings for us, but he got better every single day. He was able to go overseas to Costa Rica to play this summer and learned a lot. He gained four or five miles per hour on his fastball, and he was in the mid-80s with us."
Sonoraville hires Greene
Former Ridgeland player and Dalton assistant coach Bret Greene has been hired to replace Deron Walraven as baseball coach at Sonoraville.
Walraven recently resigned to spend more time with his family after guiding the Phoenix to a 52-52 record in four seasons. The team won 46 games the past three seasons and made three consecutive trips to the GHSA playoffs.
The lateness of Walraven's decision led the school to Greene, who had just been hired to guide the middle school's softball team.
"I had aspirations of working my way up and being a head coach again, and it seems God had plans for me to do it sooner rather than later," said Greene, who worked six seasons as Bob Brotherton's assistant coach at Dalton and one year as head coach at Cedar Shoals.
"We've got a good group of boys. They graduated a bunch, but there's another great group of sophomores coming. I know the area well and I feel like I've seen just about every situation and dealt with most every type of player, so I feel confident I can get the job done. This area is full of baseball powerhouses, so I know we've got our work cut out for us."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.