Dade County High School and Chattanooga Cylones standout Nic Gaddis has committed to continue his baseball career at Jacksonville State University, which has won six Ohio Valley Conference championships and more OVC games than any other team in the last decade. Gaddis, who also plays basketball at Dade, has been in the Cyclones program since the age of 14 and was their 16-under MVP and last fall was their 18-under MVP and had the lowest earned run average on the team. He was all-tournament as both a pitcher and a position player when the Cyclones K team won the World Wood Bat Southeastern Qualifier last month, and he leads the team with a .438 batting average and 19 RBIs this season. Cyclones general manager George Koontz said Gaddis “has been a leader on each (Cyclones) team he has played on since day one. He is the captain of our current fall team and one of the most verstaile players we have ever had, as he has played every position on the field for us.” Gaddis could be a Division I pitcher if he concentrated on that role, Koontz averred, but JSU wants him as a catcher. Koontz noted further that Gaddis has a 3.9 grade point average at Dade and is a “devout Christian and a young man of the highest character.” Gaddis said he had considered going to a junior college but really wanted to play for JSU, and when the offer came he had to take it. “The coaches are awesome. They’re really nice and they put forth honesty,” he said, “and the town loves the baseball team and the college down there. It’s a great place to be, and it’s just about an hour-and-a-half drive from home.”
Swimming
• The McCallie/GPS Aquatics club has hired coach Mark List to head its new initiative for area intermediate or novice swimmers who would like to be involved in high school or middle school teams but need somewhere to practice and get competitive instruction. That program will begin Monday at the McCallie pool with practice times of 7:30-8:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 11:30 a.m-12:45 p.m. Saturday. Registration costs $35 for the Oct. 20-Feb. 27 season. A release from McCallie/GPS Aquatics head coach Roger Dahlke says, “This group will focus on skill development and exposing swimmers to competitive swimming. Swimmers from any and all schools are welcome.” List, an ASCA Level 3 coach who has been involved in the sport since 1962 and began coaching and teaching swimming in 1972, will be the lead coach for the outreach group, Dahlke said. Anyone interested can email rdahlke1@bellsouth.net or markryanlist@gmail.com.
Soccer
• The Covenant College soccer teams swept Huntingdon in a USA South doubleheader played Wednesday evening at Chattanooga Christian School. Ruth Terry and Bethany Logan each scored twice as the women’s team won 6-0, and Anna Porch and A.C. Strawbridge added single goals. In the men’s 4-0 win, Snoopy Davidson scored twice and Joel Friesen and Russell Harrison scored single goals.