A moment to treasure

Seahawks in Spring Fling for first time since 2013

Cam Mullins and the rest of the Silverdale Baptist Academy baseball team have earned the right to play in the final week of the TSSAA season, an opportunity that will take the Seahawks to Murfreesboro.

Whatever happens to them as one of the last four teams in the Division II-A state tournament, Mullins will always remember the final out of the final home game of his high school career.

The senior first baseman played a pivotal role Thursday afternoon in helping Silverdale advance to the Spring Fling for next week’s DII-A state semifinals at Middle Tennessee Christian School, with the left-handed-hitting Mullins blasting a two-run homer early and providing outstanding defense in a 6-4 victory against Trinity Christian.

Mullins also pocketed the final out of the deciding game of the best-of-three quarterfinal series, which came after Wednesday’s doubleheader in which Silverdale won the opener 6-5 before losing 14-3.

Sophomore pitcher Maddox Jones, after striking out the first three batters he faced in a high-pressure relief situation Thursday, set off the celebration by getting a weak grounder to second baseman Turner Junkins, who ran over and tossed to Mullins. After making the catch, Mullins fell flat into the dirt in overwhelming joy.

“To have one of your best friends make the final out to send (the team) to Murfreesboro is an unreal feeling,” Mullins said of Junkins’ assist. “I think every first baseman dreams of making that last out and catching it. I remember watching Freddie Freeman in the World Series put the ball in his back pocket after making the final out. I did the same thing. I still have the ball in my back pocket. There are no words to describe the way this feels right now.”

The Seahawks’ success this year has been propelled in a great way by the long ball. With Owen Phillips already on

base in the bottom of the fourth inning, senior shortstop Bryson Cline smashed the team’s state-leading 56th home run of the season off the scoreboard behind the center-field fence to make it 4-0.

“They have worked hard on their swings and in the weight room all year,” Silverdale coach Lance Rorex said. “I want to give props to Zach Capehart, who is our strength and conditioning coach. That’s where everything happens, is down in that weight room. They lift on game days, and they will go lift after games. They have bought into trying to making the most out of each day, and the results really do show from all the extra work they put into their bodies.”

After starring behind the plate in the regular season, junior Ian Reagan has given Silverdale (32-5-1) a huge lift on the mound this postseason. The winning pitcher Thursday, he took a no-hitter into the fifth and helped build a 6-0 lead in the same inning. Reagan’s hard single through the empty right side of the infield on a hit-andrun play allowed Mullins to go from first base to home plate when a throw to third bounced into the outfield grass.

A two-run blast from Harrison Freeman highlighted a fourrun sixth for Trinity Christian (17-16), but the Lions had no answer for Silverdale’s Jones, who struck out three of the four batters he faced with nasty sliders after getting ahead early with a strong fastball.

Silverdale will be joined in the DII-A semifinals by Goodpasture (37-4), Franklin Grace (19-4) and Northpoint Christian (19-7) with the first two games scheduled for 5 and 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday at MTCS. The Seahawks are glad to get another week together on the state’s grandest stage for prep baseball.

“We have been preaching just get more time together,” said Mullins, who is considered the team’s “energy setter” by Rorex. “This ride has been unbelievable to be a part of. After losing in the state quarterfinals last year, we were all determined to get back and go even further.

“Last season I didn’t hit the ball as hard as I wanted to, so I put in tweaks to my swing and have generated a lot more bat speed. When you hit the ball hard and swing at good pitches, that leads to home runs. It’s been awesome to see all of the guys work their tails off this season and help us punch our ticket to Murfreesboro.”

Silverdale will appear at the Spring Fling for the first time since 2013, when the program was the state runner-up in the public school Class A division and finished 39-4.

“This means a lot for our program, school and entire community,” Rorex said soon after a big embrace from his son Rip. “Today these guys made a memory they will never forget. I love our guys so much, and they all deserve this moment.”

› McCallie 7-5, CPA 4-0: The Blue Tornado (24-12-1) advanced to the Spring Fling by sweeping a Division II-AA state quarterfinal series on the road against Christ Presbyterian Academy. McCallie fought back from a 3-0 deficit in game one Wednesday against the Nashville program, breaking a tie in the fifth inning with four runs. The Blue Tornado avoided a third game with no trouble Thursday, when Olin Johnson threw a shutout and Ralston Welch broke the matchup open with a bases-clearing double.

McCallie became the second Chattanooga team to qualify for next week’s DII-AA semifinals at Wilson Central High School, with three-time reigning champion Baylor sweeping its home quarterfinal series against Christian Brothers on Wednesday.