RINGGOLD, Ga. - It's nothing new for a Ringgold High School baseball player to earn a college scholarship, but four signing or committing within a matter of days takes the program's success to a new level.
Ringgold center fielder Garrett Yates catches a long fly ball to center field before colliding with the rear wall during their Region 6-AAA baseball game against Sonoraville on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, at Ringgold High School in Ringgold, Ga. Yates made the catch but went down after colliding with the wall, and after being attended by a trainer he was taken off the field sitting in the passenger seat of a maintenance vehicle and transported to Erlanger Hospital for evaluation.
Ringgold runner Jordan Ransom is run down in the base path by Sonoraville shortstop Patrick Ferguson, left, and 1st baseman Ryan Gross during their Region 6-AAA baseball game Wednesday, April 1, 2015, at Ringgold High School in Ringgold, Ga.
Ringgold catcher Ethan Dalton, right, gets a congratulating hand from Tigers coach Brent Tucker following an RBI double for the games first run in the bottom of the fourth inning against the visiting Calhoun Yellowjackets on Thursday, April 9, 2015. The Tigers won 4-3.Three recently graduated Tigers and one 2015-16 senior are the latest in a long line of Ringgold players to extend their playing careers, coming on the heels of former pitchers Matthew Crownover and Colton Cross being selected in June's Major League Baseball player draft.
Pitcher Devin Lancaster, the senior, committed to Tennessee Tech University on Monday after helping lead the Tigers to a 24-8 record, a Region 6-AAA title and a second-round state-playoff appearance this past season.
Lancaster, also the school's starting quarterback, had a 1.89 earned run average and struck out 50 in 44 innings this past season. He's received recruiting interest from football schools, but as of now he plans to go the baseball route.
"You never know what could come after this season, but right now I'm leaning toward baseball," said Lancaster, who also led the Tigers to the football playoffs last season in passing for 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. "I went up to Tennessee Tech Monday to get another look at the campus, and it just felt right. It's a small town and it feels like home. They've had a lot of recent success and the offer they gave me was great. I'll be playing as a freshman, not having to sit, so that's a big deal for me."
Lancaster also has been recruited in baseball by Coastal Carolina, Lee University and Jacksonville State. Ringgold baseball coach Brent Tucker believes the Ohio Valley Conference school will get a good one.
"He's 6-2, 185 pounds and he throws the ball hard," Tucker said. "The scouts see him as someone who will continue to improve, which is something we've seen here. He throws a good two-seam and four-seam fastball, and he recently was clocked in the low 90s. He pitched a lot of the tough games for us, and he always wanted the ball in those situations."
The other three recent baseball recruits - outfielders Garrett Yates and Jordan Ransom and catcher Ethan Dalton - also excelled in two sports at Ringgold. Yates, who is going to two-year Georgia Highlands College, was a football player known for his speed. In baseball he hit .335 with 16 stolen bases and an on-base percentage well over .400.
"Yates is an outstanding athlete, and defensively he's outstanding in the outfield," Tucker said. "He's going to a really good program that sent six or seven on to four-year schools this year and have had kids drafted."
Ransom, a rangy outfielder who hit .464 in a breakout season, was a three-year starter in basketball, while Dalton, a catcher who led the Tigers in RBIs this season with 33 while hitting over .320, was a two-way player in football. The two will be teammates next season at Cleveland State Community College.
"I think Cleveland State did really well getting those two," Tucker said. "We knew Jordan had the talent, but he had never really put it all together until this year. I would not be surprised if he really takes off in college.
"Ethan had some big hits for us this year and was a leader. He caught 30 of the 32 games and he's really solid behind the plate. He was a three-year starter for us and he's caught some really good pitchers, something that will help him in college."
Tucker said it wasn't a coincidence that each of the four made his mark in more than one sport.
"We had a lot of two-sport players this year, and it's something we like to see guys do at Ringgold," he said. "These guys have always done it, and they obviously enjoy it. That will to win is what makes a lot of these guys good. They play hard, and it doesn't matter if it's practice or the playoffs with any of them."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.