RINGGOLD, Ga. – Continuing a recent trend with Brent Tucker’s baseball team, Corey Kafka has wasted no time in securing his next place of study.
The Ringgold High School junior pitcher committed to Mercer University this past weekend, becoming the third member of last season’s Class AAA state runners-up to commit to a Division I school and the fourth to decide on a college.
Kafka, who was 7-1 last season as the Tigers’ No. 3 starter and hit .422 as the lineup’s No. 5 batter, joins junior pitcher Matthew Crownover (Clemson) and senior pitcher Colton Cross (Kennesaw State) as D-I commitments, while senior catcher Caleb Jones will play at Chattanooga State next season.
Cross officially will sign with Kennesaw State this week.
“As with the other guys who have committed early, the sky’s the limit with Corey,” Tucker said. “The improvement he’s made since his freshman season has been unreal, and if he keeps working as hard as he has this fall, we’ll keep seeing that kind of improvement.”
Kafka, a right-hander whose fastball was clocked at 91 mph in recent workouts, won three of his games in the playoffs, each a deciding game three in the Tigers’ first three best-of-three series. He said yes to Mercer in great part because the school offers the education he needs to become a dentist.
“I’ve always wanted to be a dentist,” Kafka said, “and they are one of the few schools with a dentistry program and a good baseball program. Getting this done early, like with the other guys, takes the pressure off. We can now concentrate on winning a state title.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.