Playoff trip instills confidence in Cougars

Chris Tinsley was given the opportunity to guide the Clay-Chalkville High School baseball program in 2016, and he wanted to raise expectations.

Tinsley played for the Cougars during his high school days in the late 1990s and early 2000s and was part of a program competing for trophies on a regular basis. 

Although he was gone by the time Clay-Chalkville won the state title in 2003, Tinsley’s aim was to take the program closer to the top of the mountain than the bottom of the valley.

After a few tough years under previous coaches, Tinsley guided Clay-Chalkville to a playoff berth last spring. When the Cougars knocked off Gardendale in the first game of the series, he took a moment to reflect.

“I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, we won a playoff game,’” he said.

The Cougars suffered a brutal 16-0 defeat at the hands of Gardendale in the second game of the series, setting up a winner-take-all third game. 

“I challenged those guys. It was win or go home,” Tinsley said. “They came back in Game 3, and the way they played in that game, it gave those guys confidence they could do it.”

The Cougars won that first-round playoff series and took Walker to three games in the following series before suffering a defeat in extra innings in the rubber game, a down moment to cap off an otherwise successful initial season under Tinsley’s guidance.

Last year’s momentum has carried into the mindset of this spring’s squad.

“They finally expect to win,” Tinsley said. “They go in with a little bit of confidence about themselves knowing we’ve got a shot to win. They know we’ve raised the bar on what we expect from them.”

On the field, the team returns its top pitcher from a year ago, southpaw Blake Petty.

“It’s big,” Tinsley said. “Having him back is huge, because it gives us a senior, a guy on the mound that’s a three-year starter. Having his confidence about him and his swag that he takes to the mound is going to be big for us. When he’s on the mound, our guys know that he’s going to throw strikes, so our defense is going to be on their toes.”

The loss of Andrew Blount and Dayne Edwards to graduation will be a blow for the Cougars, but Tinsley feels confident the arms will emerge to pick up some of that slack.

When he is not on the mound, Petty could see time at first base and in right field, depending on the situation. Kameron Gilham is a player the Cougars will rely on heavily, as the senior is expected to pitch his share of innings and is transitioning to catcher after playing first base last year. Gilham also is expected to be one of Clay-Chalkville’s top hitters.

Jeremy Rhodes’ bat will be key for the Cougars as well, and Clay returns D’Markes Davis, a third baseman who missed all of last year with an injury. Connor Miles, Logan Pruett and Michael Kilgore are other players to watch to have big roles for the Cougars in 2017.

Tinsley emphasized pitching and defense above all else, and if the Cougars play up to their capabilities, he said he believes they could end up right back in the playoff mix once again.