Johns moving behind the plate for Cougars

The Clay-Chalkville baseball team will be under new leadership this season. Former Cougar outfielder Chris Tinsley will now take hold of the program, replacing former head coach Bubba Roberts.

As a 2002 graduate, Tinsley helped build the foundation for the program’s 2003 state championship. In time, he hopes to piece the groundwork back together.

To do so, Tinsley will have the fortune of working with players who are familiar to him. He served as a junior varsity coach last year after spending the previous three seasons as the Clay-Chalkville Middle School head coach.

“I’ve coached most of them since they were in the seventh grade,” said Tinsley. “They know me and I know them. We’ve always worked really well together. We’ve got a good relationship and they’ve bought in to what we’ve been selling.”

The first-year coach points to senior Thomas Johns as his primary team leader. Johns is a UAB signee who struggled to stay on the field as a junior, due to nagging injuries. Although his past has been at first base, Johns will look to settle in behind the plate in 2016.

He and fellow senior Tristan Milledge are expected to receive most of the varsity pitches this season. One pitcher they won’t be catching is Matthew Calvert, who was Roberts’ top arm a season ago before signing with UAB.

“Replacing (Calvert) is going to be tough,” said Tinsley.

Blake Petty, a lefty, and Dayne Edwards will be called upon to throw important innings for Clay-Chalkville as it swims the waters of Class 6A, Area 12: Pinson Valley, Shades Valley and Huffman.

“We’re going to be young. We have five seniors, but we’re going to be experienced,” said Tinsley. “We have a lot of guys that played a lot of innings. Overall, we have a lot of varsity experience.”

Jeremy Rhodes, Michael Kilgore, Andrew Blount and Jacob Duchock are some other names on a roster that Tinsley believes can hold its ground.

“With the team that we have, we should be able to compete in the playoffs,” he continued. “If we make it past the first round, that’s a win in my book.”