With a 10-run lead in hand Saturday afternoon, Heritage senior catcher Cannon Stafford still was a wall behind the plate for his pitcher as he blocked a ball in the dirt to keep a Signal Mountain runner from advancing.
Thanks to a powerful arm and a quick release, Stafford has been a defensive force for the Generals this season. The Cleveland State baseball signee has thrown out seven runners - he threw out one Saturday - and has had a hand in nine pickoffs. Opponents have stolen only nine bases in 18 games, and Stafford went six straight games without allowing any steals.
He's also Heritage's leadoff hitter, and he raised his batting average above .350 with two hits in the 13-3 mercy-rule win at Signal Mountain as the Catoosa County program crossed into Tennessee to improve to 11-7 overall this season.
The Generals' lone senior also is a threat on the basepaths with 10 steals this season. That success is rare for a catcher, but then so is simply the opportunity - many high school coaches take advantage of rules allowing courtesy runners for their backstops.
"This program means a lot to Cannon and has since day one," Heritage coach Joseph Beagles said. "He had to miss time as a freshman with a foot injury, but that setback helped propel him into the competitor he is. You can tell when watching him play how much he loves the game. He enjoys being out here and getting after it. He can run the bases well and controls them, too, from behind the plate working with our pitchers."
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Heritage senior Cannon Stafford has been a key leader for the Generals this season. He stood out behind the plate and in the batter's box in Saturday's 13-3 win at Signal Mountain.Heritage first baseman JC Armour drove in four runs, which included a full-count, two-run single to center field in the fifth inning, and fellow sophomore Brady Chandler struck out eight batters in six innings to earn the win. The right-hander's only bump came in the third, when Signal's Ben Timblin had an RBI single through the left side of the infield followed by a two-run double to deep right by senior Will Fugatt.
Stafford's hard-hit RBI single in the sixth made it a 10-run lead, and Gage Shaver had an opposite-field double to left-center for Heritage, which competes in the Georgia High School Association's Class AAAA and Region 7.
"It's not easy being the only senior on the team. It's really not, but Cannon has done a really good job with that," Beagles said. "The guys have a lot of respect for him. He comes in every day and leads by example and has been coachable all four years."
Montverde Academy 12, Baylor 10: Patrick Johnson went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for Baylor, and Henry Ford, Mack Whitcomb and Carson Yates each had three hits. Ford hit two home runs and Yates added another.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.