The week-long pursuit of state championships in Tennessee’s five spring sports begins today in Murfreesboro with the pentathlon and first half of the decathlon at Middle Tennessee State University. Hundreds of area prep athletes will compete in the annual Spring Fling, which crowns state titles in baseball, soccer, softball, tennis and track and field. The event begins in full on Tuesday with baseball, softball, soccer and tennis, as well as the second half of the decathlon.
Boyd-Buchanan (22-7) is the only local team which advanced to the baseball tournament and will open against Adamsville (23-18) in the Class A bracket at 5 p.m. (Eastern) at Middle Tennessee Christian.
Two of the area’s three soccer teams which qualified for the state tournament play on Tuesday, both in the Class A/AA bracket, beginning with Boyd-Buchanan (17-2-2) vs. Madison (17-4) at 5:30 on Field 1, while Chattanooga Christian (19-1-2) opens against Alcoa (12-10-2) at 6 on Field 2. All soccer will be played at the Richard Siegel soccer complex.
The Division II-AA portion begins on Wednesday and McCallie opens against MUS at 8:30 on Field 6.
There are six area softball teams still playing, the largest number of teams in any sport, and four of those play Tuesday evening. That first session begins at 6 p.m. and in Class A, Grace Academy (28-6) plays Trinity Christian (43-1). In AA, Meigs County (37-7) plays Westview (28-14) and Central (27-1) opens against Covington (45-1). Also on Tuesday evening, GPS (30-6) plays Pope John Paul II in the Division II-AA bracket.
In Class AAA, nationally-ranked Soddy-Daisy (48-2) opens against Daniel Boone (40-7) at 11 a.m. Wednesday, while at the same time that morning, Baylor (23-11) plays St. Benedict in Division II-AA.
Team semifinals in tennis get underway Tuesday at 10 a.m. The individual portion of the tennis tournament starts Wednesday.