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Barrow News-Journal
Award-winning local sports coverage
• Football 2B • Racing 3B
• Prep calendar 2B • Loran Smith 3B
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Phone: 706-367-5233
Fax: 706-367-8056
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Section B
★★★★
BASEBALL
Winder-Barrow’s House inks $5M deal with Nationals
A little more than two weeks after
being drafted 11th overall by the Wash
ington Nationals in the first round of the
2021 Major League Baseball draft, re
cent Winder-Barrow High School grad
uate Brady House officially joined the
organization last week and is preparing
to begin his pro career.
The star shortstop signed with the
Nationals for $5 million — a deal that
landed $452,500 above the assigned slot
value for this year’s 11th overall pick —
at Nationals Park Friday, July 30, with
several team front-office officials pres
ent, including Washington general man
ager Mike Rizzo.
He then took in a game between the
Nationals and Chicago Cubs before re
porting to the team’s spring training
facilities in West Palm Beach, Florida,
where he’s now going through prepara
tions to join the team’s rookie-league af
filiate in the Gulf Coast League.
House, who had consistently been
rated among the top 10 draft prospects
before falling to Washington at No. 11
on draft night, will help replenish what
has been one of the lowest-ranked mi
nor-league systems recently.
The Nationals further bolstered their
farm Friday by shipping off several key
players from the struggling big-league
club before the MLB trade deadline —
including ace pitcher Max Scherzer and
all-star shortstop Trea Turner — in ex
change for prospects.
With House set to join the GCL Na
tionals soon, that will give the Wind
er-Barrow baseball program three active
alumni in the minors.
Outfielder Travis Demeritte (class
of 2013) has spent all season with the
Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the
Gwinnett Stripers. And outfielder Pat
DeMarco (class of 2017) is currently
with the New York Yankees’ High-A
affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades,
after starting the year at Low-A Tampa.
Photo by Scott Thompson
Recent Winder-Barrow High School graduate Brady House officially signed with
the Washington Nationals organization last week after being taken 11th overall by
the team in the first round of this year’s Major League Baseball draft.
SOFTBALL PREVIEWS
Photo by Ben Munro
Apalachee junior shortstop Tiyara Wingfield is among a handful of returners looking to lead the Wildcats on
another deep playoff run this season.
Despite pitching turnover, Wildcats
aim for another deep playoff run
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
With back-to-back trips to Co
lumbus, including a GHSA Class
5A Final Four berth last season, the
Apalachee softball team has elevat
ed its expectations over the last two
years. And the Wildcats aren’t shy
ing away from those entering this
fall despite the graduation of one
of the state’s best pitchers and two
other starters and the unexpected de
parture of a key underclassman from
those deep playoff runs that includ
ed a school-record 28-win season in
2020.
Apalachee coach Allan Bailey,
who is entering his third season at
the helm, attributes that confidence
to having a battle-tested squad with
several returners and a talented in
coming freshman class that could
give the Wildcats their deepest roster
yet.
“That’s really the key, developing
young talent and making sure, when
we lose players, that we’re able to
fill those spots,” said Bailey, whose
team will open its season this week
end down in Tattnall County with a
pair of games Friday, Aug. 6, against
Southeast Bulloch and Appling
County and two more Saturday,
Aug. 7. against Effingham County
and Pierce County. “Our goal is to
sustain that talent base and find as
many players as we can who are able
to fill dual roles. Our coaches in our
program do a fantastic job of devel
oping talent from the eighth grade all
the way up.
“We feel confident that we’ll be
able to be just as competitive, even
though it’ll be a little different atti
tude and different mindset in that we
know we’re going to have to hit the
ball a little better all-around.”
Bailey’s summation comes for
good reason as Apalachee faces
some uncertainty in the pitching
circle entering the year. The Wild
cats had to move on from ace Em
ily Hodnett (now at Georgia State),
who went 20-6 with a 1.22 ERA and
notched an eye-popping 275 bat
ters in 155 innings. Even without
their workhorse, the Wildcats were
at least counting on having junior
Katelyn Flanders to take over the
top pitching spot after posting an 8-2
record with a 2.16 ERA. But, Bai
ley said, Flanders has transferred to
Jackson High School after her moth
er was hired as an elementary school
principal in Butts County.
“That’s great for their family, even
though it leaves us with a little bit of
a void,” said Bailey, who, neverthe
less, has been pleased with the sum
mer work of and is confident in what
will be a young pitching staff.
See AHS, page 2B
‘Seasoned 5 Winder-
Barrow team hopes
to take next step
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com
With eight consecutive
state playoff appearances
under its belt, the Wind
er-Barrow softball team is a
postseason regular, though
most of those stays have
been short. Since reaching
the Elite Eight in Columbus
in 2013, the Bulldoggs have
been ousted in the first round
seven straight years, includ
ing a sweep at the hands of
Carrollton last year.
But second-year head
coach Jordan Najah is hope
ful that the Bulldoggs, with
a more experienced team
and pitching staff, are in
position to break that streak
this season.
“We only had three play
ers graduate, and we have a
bunch of seasoned veterans
coming back,” said Najafi,
whose team will open its
regular season 6 p.m. Tues
day, Aug. 10, at Jefferson.
“We’ve got three seniors
again this year, a lot of ju
niors and a sophomore class
that got a lot of varsity in
nings last year. They’ve all
worked hard all summer and
are ready to go.”
Offense and team speed
were strengths last year for
the Bulldoggs. who finished
10-15 against a competi
tive schedule, and they are
set to return plenty of both
this fall. Junior center field
er Dayton Power and junior
shortstop Abby Polk, a pair
of all-region performers, are
back atop the lineup, and
Najah said both lefties have
added more power capabil
ity to go along with their
slapping prowess and speed
on the base paths.
Power was a dominant
force last year, hitting .494
with 18 RBIs and stealing
19 bases, while Polk hit
.394 and swiped nine bags.
Senior second baseman Al-
yssa Bond (.328 average, 9
steals) also provides a solid
bat and speed while forming
a strong defensive tandem
with Polk up the middle. Se
nior Kendal Miller, who hit
.352 last year, will be anoth
er returning bat in the mid
dle of the Winder-Barrow
lineup and will split most of
the catching duties with ju
nior Marissa Metz, who also
projects to be a lineup regu
lar along with junior Ashlyn
Christy. Najah said fresh
man utility player Alexis
Edmondson headlines the
group of newcomers and
will likely contribute right
away.
Winder-Barrow is seek
ing its most improvement
in the pitching circle, where
the team has been set back
in recent years with un
timely injuries and some
inconsistency. Sophomores
Rylie Beddingheld and Em
ily Hall and junior Alyssa
Logston are likely to log the
majority of the innings this
year with Hall aiming to
stay healthy after an injury
sidelined her for a chunk of
the 2020 campaign.
“We’ve got a true pitch
ing staff this year.” Najah
said, noting that the Bull
doggs have eight arms in the
program this year. “That’s
something any coach can
get excited about, and all
three of those top ones have
See WBHS, page 2B
BCA looks to gain more experience as Pentecost takes head coaching reins
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Chandler Pentecost is adjusting to
her new role as a head high school
softball coach for the hrst time, but it’s
one she’s embracing fully as she takes
over at Bethlehem Christian Academy,
a program she’s already plenty famil
iar with.
“The transition has been exciting.”
said Pentecost, who was an assistant
at BCA for three seasons before being
tapped this spring to take over as head
coach. She had a decorated playing
career as an all-state high school play
er in Florida and a standout at Chipola
College and Thomas University. She
also was an assistant coach at Thom
as after graduating before she came to
BCA.
“With the coaching that I’ve done
through the years and learning from
my coaches at the college level, I think
it’s prepared me to be able to take on
this job,” Pentecost said.
Pentecost is BCA’s third head coach
in three seasons, having joined the
program in spring 2019, when it won
the GICAA state title before bumping
up to GISA competition that fall. The
Knights reached the GISA Class AAA
Elite Eight that season and then strug
gled through a rebuilding year last fall.
This year’s squad, which is sched
uled to open up its regular season
Monday, Aug. 9. at Hebron Christian,
has a mix of veterans that have been
with the team since 2019 and youth,
and Pentecost has been pleased with
the team’s summer work. She’s joined
by assistants Carlee Thurmond (a
former Winder-Barrow High School
standout who played at Georgia High
lands College), Greg Thurmond and
Nicole Lee.
“It’s a great set of coaches working
to bring our girls up to the next level.”
See BCA, page 2B