Bradley Central senior southpaw Cooper Casteel has been dominant on the mound in his last two starts as his stuff has been nearly unhittable for opponents.
Casteel had terrific command of all four of his pitches as he silenced McMinn County’s bats Monday night for an important and special 1-0 District 5-4A victory to keep the Bears undefeated at 7-0 in league play.
“Going into this game I knew Joe Adams was getting his jersey retired,” said Casteel, an East Tennessee State University signee who has struck out 54 batters in 25 1/3 innings this season. “That put a little bit of pressure on me and gave me a little more nerves than I would usually have. But it was so cool getting to go out there and win it for the Adams family.”
The program honored former head coach Joe Adams before the game by retiring his jersey. Adams coached the Bears for 22 years, claiming 387 of his 474 career wins as well as nine district, four region titles and two state runner-up finishes. He was also an assistant on the Bears’ 1994 Class AAA state championship team.
“I am always proud of my dad’s accomplishments,” said Bears coach and Joe’s son Travis Adams. “I grew up here. It was catching foul balls and getting chased out of the concession stand. To have his jersey retired tonight and see all his old players come back was special. The No. 23 will always hold a special place in my heart and to our family.”