SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – Soon after helping the South Pittsburg High School baseball program beat Van Buren County 13-6 on Thursday night to notch a seventh straight District 5-A championship, co-district MVPs and seniors Ryan Cagle and Reece Genter both emphasized how special their team really is.
With a senior class in the double digits, the Pirates soaked in the moment they hope will propel them to even more success in the Region 3-A tournament that begins Monday.
“After last season was taken away from us (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), we all had the attitude that we are coming out in our final season and leaving everything we have on the line,” said Genter, a catcher. “We have put the work in and started practicing for these moments last August. There’s so many great things to look back on. I am going to remember my teammates and friends the rest of my life. We all want to keep making more memories together.”
Cagle, a Middle Tennessee State University signee, was sharp on the mound again, picking up the win with three scoreless innings, and Brayden Sanders came a home run shy of the cyle and helped build a 10-0 lead for the Pirates (17-13).
“To be out here winning the district tournament again means everything to us,” Cagle said. “I am just so happy to be out here with these guys I have grown up playing with. Nothing will ever top this or be as fun as these days playing ball together are. I am excited for what memories are to come and savoring all of these moments.”