A year ago Joseph Wharton rarely got close to a baseball field. As a matter of fact, the Chattanooga Christian pitcher hadn’t come close to a uniform the previous two seasons.
Yet it was his number that was called Tuesday afternoon and he scattered eight hits, allowing a single earned run, as the Chargers edged favored Signal Mountain 5-3.
Wharton’s sixth win without a loss enabled CCS to win District 7-AA’s regular-season championship and secure the top seed for the postseason tournament that starts next week.
“He pitched great – didn’t try to do too much,” assessed Signal coach Josh Gandy. “He threw three pitches for strikes and kept us off-balance, and when he had to make the pitch he made it.”
Wharton even impressed his big brother, first-year Chargers coach Ben Wharton.