2023 Smoky Mountain Conference Preseason Baseball Rankings & Players To Watch
Business, TeamFYNSports March 10, 2023
Photo courtesy of Joanna McMahan
The 2023 spring baseball season is now underway here in Western North Carolina, and we wanted to do a quick rundown of who to watch for in the Smoky Mountain Conference. Some big names graduated away last Fall, but some new faces are looking to fill those shoes here in 2023. From Michael Mauney at Hayesville and Robert Turner at Murphy to Rowan Ellis at Swain and everywhere in between, the underclassmen talent that we will see on this baseball field this year in the Smoky Mountain Conference will be second to none.
But, the underclassmen will have to wait their turn to be in the Player of the Year conversation, as Avery Leatherwood is our 2023 Preseason SMC Player of The Year. As he returned from injury last season, the 6’1”, 200lb catcher batted over .500 on the year, and was a dominant force defensively for the Jackets behind the plate. This year should be Leatherwood’s time to shine, as he will be over a year removed from injury and ready to showcase his skills in his senior campaign.
Preseason SMC Player of The Year, Avery Leatherwood (Hayesville)
Here is our best guess at how things will play out this year on the diamond with our 2023 preseason SMC rankings:
1. Hayesville
Hayesville looks locked and loaded to make a run at another SMC title this spring, and the only weird thing about that statement is they’ll be doing it without longtime head coach Jeff Vardo as he stepped down from the position after last season. Joe Sellers will be the new skipper for the Yellow Jackets, and he inherits a roster riddled with talent. With only one starter lost from last year’s 10 and 5 team, the Jackets return a very experienced roster in terms of playing time. Led by Preseason Player of The Year Avery Leatherwood, Hayesville will look to run the table in 2023.
2. Murphy
The Bulldogs finished second in the race for the conference title in 2022, and I think they will be back near the top again in 2023. While they lost some important pieces to graduation last season, they’ll still have 6 Senior starters on the field in 2023. If Isaac Cole and Cole Laney can perform well on the mound, they should be able to compete with anyone in the conference.
3. Hiwassee Dam
The Eagles return all but one starter from last year’s roster. With another year of experience under Evan Hedrick and Clay Davis’ belt, Hiwassee Dam looks like they could be fielding their best team since 2015, when they won the SMC championship. It honestly wouldn’t shock me if we see a 2 or 3 way tie for first at the end of the season, with the Eagles being one of those tied teams.
4. Swain
Last year, the Swain County Maroon Devils came away with the SMC title thanks to some stellar pitching from Carson Taylor and Charlie Collins. Now with both of those guys gone, they’ll have to reload their rotation. They’ll still have reigning FYNSports Player of The Year Carter Hayes behind the plate, but they are definitely going to have to figure things out on the mound.
5. Cherokee
Donald Bradley is the only member of last year’s Braves team not on the roster in 2023. While Bradley was undoubtedly the best player in the Garnet and Gold last year, the Braves as a whole should be a better team. Cavan Reed will handle the majority of the pitching duties for Cherokee, while Zechariah Maney might be their biggest threat in the batters box.
6. Robbinsville
The Black Knights struggled in the early part of the season last year, but looked like they were finally putting some things together towards the end. While they weren’t hit necessarily hard by graduation, they will have to revamp their bullpen due to losing their top two pitchers in terms of innings pitched.
7. Andrews
The Wildcats were held winless in 2022, but maybe new head coach Brian Wilson can help turn things around for the Wildcats in 2023. Isaac Weaver will still be the goto guy for the Cats as he returns for his senior season, but it will be interesting to see what the underclassmen look like when the Cats take the field vs Cherokee on March 14th.
Preseason All-SMC
Catcher:
Carter Hayes (Swain)
First Base:
Kyle Lunsford (Hayesville)
Second Base:
Isaac Weaver (Andrews)
Third Base:
Cade Denton (Hayesville)
Short Stop:
Evan Hedrick (Hiwassee Dam)
Outfield:
Mason Cook (Murphy)
Isaiah Temple (Murphy)
Xavier Otter (Cherokee)
Pitching Staff:
Isaac Cole (Murphy)
Braxton Cherry (Hayesville)
Clay Davis (Hiwassee Dam)
Utility:
Cole Laney (Murphy)
Lathan Buchanan (Robbinsville)
Gabe Lillard (Swain)
Cavan Reed (Cherokee)
Week 10 Western North Carolina Players of The Week
TeamFYNSports October 25, 2022
Cherokee- So. QB Tso Smith
183 Rush Yds / 4/7 Passing / 42 Pass YDs / 4 TDs / 4 Tackles / 1 INT
Smith led his team to their first conference win on Friday vs Hayesville and was instrumental in the victory on both sides of the football as he contributed over 200 yards of offense and also secured a turnover for the Braves D.
Hayesville- Sr. TE Avery Leatherwood
4 Receptions / 36 Rec Yds / 1 TD / 6 Tackles / 1 Tackle For Loss
Leatherwood gave the Braves defense nightmares in the passing game Friday night, hauling in 4 receptions for 36 yards and a score. He also came up big from the defensive end position, securing 6 tackles and a TFL to go add to his stellar performance.
Swain County- So. DT Nse Uffort
3 Solo Tackles / 6 Asst Tackles / 9 Total Tackles / 3 Tackles For Loss
Uffort was in the backfield all night in the Maroon Devils loss to Murphy on Friday night. The sophomore made sure his name was heard and made the most of his snaps.
Murphy- Sr. WR Cam Grooms
5 Receptions / 81 Rec Yds / 16.2 Yds Per Catch
The senior wideout has really come into his own as of late, and his performance in the receiving game Friday night helped the Bulldogs capture a 6 point win over rival Swain County.
Robbinsville- Jr. RB/DB Cuttler Adams
11 Total Tackles / 1 INT / 155 Rush Yds / 2 Rush TDs
Another week, another stellar performance from #4. The Junior back leads the conference in rushing and added to that total in Friday nights loss to Andrews.
Andrews- Sr. RB Austin Martin
18 Carries / 71 Rush YDs / 1 Rush TD
Martin’s performance out of the backfield helped lead his team to a 28-12 victory over rival Robbinsville, and put them in prime position to take home their first SMC title in recent memory.
Jackets Spoil Maroon Devil’s Homecoming Thanks To Stellar Defensive Play
Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 17, 2022
Photo courtesy of Brooke Leatherwood
Bryson City, NC- The Hayesville Yellow Jackets took the bus ride over to Bryson City last Friday knowing that this was a pivotal point in their season. Lose, and you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the Smoky Mountain Conference standings. Win, and with a little luck, you could find yourself at the top of the conference with some favorable playoff seeding. The Maroon Devils were in the same boat, looking to end their 3-game-losing skid on homecoming night- in a game where they were 6-point favorites.
Obviously, the Yellow Jackets don’t pay much attention to the spread as they came into Memorial Stadium and whooped the Devils up and down the field. The Yellow Jackets found paydirt in all four quarters on Friday night, and only allowed the Maroon Devils to cross the goal line once in 48 minutes as they spoiled the Swain County homecoming festivities, 27-7.
Taylor McClure was the motor of the Yellow Jacket offense, as he accumulated over 100 yards and 1 score on the ground, and also found himself on the receiving end of a Logan Caldwell touchdown through the air. Caldwell was nearly perfect as well, going 11-12 for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Defensively the Jackets stonewalled the Maroon Devils, allowing only 166 yards of total offense. McClure, Avery Leatherwood, and Kyle Lunsford were the defensive tackle leaders for the Jackets, and Caldwell and Michael Mauney helped get the Jackets D off of the field with 2 interceptions.
The win helped move Hayesville up to number 8 in the NCHSAA RPI rankings, and will go a long way in helping the Jackets secure a first-round home playoff game.
Hayesville will travel to Cherokee to face the 1-win Braves in a rematch of last year’s overtime thriller in which the Jackets were able to come away with a victory. As for Swain, they’ll go on the road to face the Murphy Bulldogs who are coming off a big upset win on the road against Robbinsville.
Leatherwood And Cherry Have Young Jackets Off To A Hot Start
Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 30, 2022
Photos courtesy of Brooke Leatherwood
Clay County- The Freshman and Junior heavy Hayesville baseball team is using their youth to their advantage this year. With a roster made up of 2 Seniors, 7 Juniors, 2 Sophomores and 8 Freshmen, the Jackets find themselves undefeated 3 games into their short season.
For a team that only returned 2 pitchers who threw a total of 5 innings last year, their 3-0 start has been impressive to say the least. Last year the Jackets relied heavily on Jeremy Stewart to fulfill their duties on the mound, and banked on Connor Bradley to come up clutch at the plate. With those two gone on to college, some new names have taken their place.
Braxton Cherry On The Mound vs Robbinsville
It seems the workhorse on the mound this year is going to be Junior Braxton Cherry, who missed all but one game last year due to a lingering injury. Cherry has started 2/3 games so far this season, and is boasting a 2.1 ERA through 6.2 innings while only allowing 3 hits and 7 walks while striking out 8. As far as efficiency goes, Freshman Kendall Boyer has been a stud so far for Hayesville. He’s thrown 8 innings in relief, allowing no earned runs on 5 hits while striking out 8 and only giving out 3 free passes. Tate Roberts and a handful of other freshman have also tossed a couple innings this year, and having this depth could really help the Black and Yellow come playoff time.
Freshman Kendall Boyer
At the plate, Juniors Avery Leatherwood, Dakota Matheson and Kyle Lunsford are the guys opposing pitchers hate to see. All of the aforementioned are batting .500 or above so far this year, and are serious threats every time they dig in. Matheson leads the team in batting average and also has batted in 3 runs already this year, while Lunsford leads the team in RBIs with 4. Leatherwood, who also handles the catching duties for Hayesville, is 4-for-8 on the year with a triple and 3 RBIs to his name.
Avery Leatherwood Sets Up Behind The Plate
While Leatherwood is a problem for opposing teams at the plate, he perhaps poses the biggest threat when he’s behind it. Runners around the SMC have found out quickly that running on number 12 is easier said than done. With a pop time arguably the fastest in the Western part of the state and an arm that could hold the same claim, Leatherwood is a lethal weapon.
Though this team may look a little different from last year’s, they’ve already proven they’re out for blood (and another Smoky Mountain Conference Title). With 11 games left to go, it’s going to be fun to see the young Jackets evolve and elevate their game as the year goes on. The Jackets will take the field for the 4th time this year on Friday at home against Andrews. Buckle up folks, it looks like it’s going to be another fun year for the Jackets on the diamond.