When Zach Stephens hit 17 home runs for Soddy-Daisy last year, many high school baseball observers felt it was a Soddy-Daisy record that would stand for years.
They also felt the Trojans would have a hard time replacing the offense provided by Stephens, now a first-year starter for Tennessee Tech. But outfielders James Fowlkes and Talon Harris have combined for 33 homers going into the Trojans’ District 5-AAA opener today at Walker Valley.
“Hard work in the offseason pays off,” Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley said of the dynamite duo.
Fowlkes, at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds a stark contrast to the burly Stephens, has 17 homers. The even more slender Harris has 16.
“Last year when it was said and done, I sat down and looked at our numbers and I didn’t see anybody putting up numbers like that for a long time,” Hensley said. “I knew James was going to be big for us, but nobody could have expected him to do what he has done. And I don’t think anybody in their right mind would ever have thought Talon would do what he has done.”