TUCKER WILLIAMS-DANDRIDGE TN

The Lakeway area has a pretty clear early-season split right now: Lakeway Christian and Jefferson County have looked like the most complete teams so far, while Cocke County has been competitive and trending better than last year, and Morristown West, Morristown East, Grainger, and Cosby have all shown flashes with different players stepping up. As of March 20th, Lakeway Christian is 7-3, Jefferson County is 11-4, Morristown West is 4-7, Morristown East is 2-8, Cocke County is 3-3-1, Grainger is 3-6, and Cosby is 3-5.

1. Jefferson County Patriots

Jefferson County has put together a strong early résumé at 11-4 and sits tied for first in 4A District 2. The Patriots own district wins over Morristown West and also beat Red Bank 3-1 on March 18. Individually, Brody Carr has been the headliner, batting .478 with a .586 OBP and a 0.86 ERA. Isaiah Kirk is hitting .367, Sean Young is at .342, and Nate Nichols leads the team with 2 home runs while also adding 4 doubles Jeff is ranked 22 in the state and holds wins over Farragut, Knox Catholic, and Daniel Boone.

2. Lakeway Christian Academy Lions

Lakeway Christian has looked like the area’s hottest team so far. The Lions sit at 7-3 and are ranked No. 30 in Tennessee by MaxPreps, with recent wins over Hixson (10-0) and Dobyns-Bennett (4-1). Offensively, the Lions have real pop: Chase Gockenbach is batting .452 with 4 home runs and 17 RBI, Bryson Allen is hitting .400 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI, and Diego Pinilla owns a .500 average. On the mound, Daniel Rodriguez carries a 1.14 ERA.

3. Cocke County Fighting Cocks

Cocke County is one of the more interesting stories in the area so far. The Fighting Cocks are 3-3-1, 2-1 in district play, and already own wins over Morristown West (7-2), Austin-East (16-0), and Northview Academy (7-3). That is a noticeable step in the right direction after last year’s 10-17 finish. The challenge with Cocke Co. right now is that individual player stats have not been entered on MaxPreps yet, so it is harder to do a fair stat-based player ranking for them. Still, the team results say Cocke Co. is absolutely in the mix and deserves to be featured as a competitive team in the area.

4. Morristown-Hamblen West Trojans

West is 4-7, but the Trojans have played a schedule that has tested them. They own wins over Jefferson County earlier in the year, Union County, Daniel Boone, and Grainger. Their offensive leaders have been productive: Collin Rouse is batting .464 with 13 hits, Logan Long is hitting .450 with a .633 OBP and 8 RBI, and Charles Ramsey leads the team with 9 RBI. Caleb Rodrick has given them their best early arm with a 1.62 ERA.

5. Morristown-Hamblen East Hurricanes

East has started 2-8, but there are still some bright spots in the lineup and on the mound. Tucker Wyatt leads the Hurricanes in batting average at .320, plus 8 hits and 7 RBI. Bryson Walker is hitting .316, Maddex Winstead is at .308, and Landry Winstead has been a catalyst with a .481 OBP and 8 stolen bases. On the mound, both Parker Setsor and Maddex Winstead sit at a 1.56 ERA. East may not have the wins yet, but there is enough individual production there to think they can be more dangerous as the spring goes on.

6. Grainger Grizzlies

Grainger is 3-6 and 1-2 in district play, but there are a few bats worth tracking closely. Ty Collins is hitting .385 with 2 home runs, Josh Walker is batting .368 with a .600 OBP, and Luke Wallace is at .357. Garrett Keiter gives the Grizzlies real power with 3 home runs, while Emery Keiter leads the team with 7 stolen bases. On the mound, Dain Humbard has posted a 0.88 ERA, which gives Grainger a real weapon.

7. Cosby Eagles

Cosby sits at 3-6, but the Eagles have some of the best individual stat lines in the area. Gage McCarty has been outstanding, batting .550 with a .640 OBP. Jackson Brannon and Jakob Vanegas are both hitting .389, while Cam Brannon leads the team with 5 steals. On the mound, Daegan Shelton has the team’s best ERA at 2.40. Cosby may still be trying to stack wins consistently, but the Eagles definitely have individual talent that can change games.