TIFTON —
New Tift County baseball coach Kyle Kirk, who replaces recently retired Chuck Beale, is getting settled into Tifton and preparing for the challenge of playing in Region 1-AAAAAA.
“This job is a new opportunity and challenge for me. Tift County and this region all have a lot of tradition so I’m looking forward to being apart of that,” said Kirk.
That tradition brought a lot of attention to the position according to Tift County Athletic Director Rusty Smith.
“There was a lot of interest, especially for it being so late in the season,” said Smith. “It’s hard to get someone this late sometimes but we got a quality coach in coach Kirk. He has a lot of character and is going be great with the kids. He is open to kids playing multiple sports and really stresses academics, which is always a plus.”
Kirk has already begun working with some of his players, though many of them are playing travel ball or working with the football team.
“I’ve already got some guys in the weight room working on their strength,” said Kirk.
Kirk, who was the head coach at Clarke Central High School in Athens the past five seasons, though he has been with CCHS for eight years in total.
Previous to his time at Clarke he was the head coach at Monroe and Baldwin High.
Kirk will have several players that made up the core of Tift’s Sweet Sixteen baseball team from last season, including standouts Alex Abbott, Bobby Hughes, Zach Bullard Blake Suggs, and several others that saw significant action during the season.
“We are going to try and be strong fundamentally. We will try to be as efficient as possible with our pitching and defensively,” said Kirk. “On offense we are going to be aggressive and utilize small ball. I’m very excited to be here and to get started.
Local Sports
Kyle Kirk excited about being Devils' new baseball coach
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Tattnall Square tops Tiftarea, 6-2
Ernie Banks used to say, "let's play two." In a game that was as long as two and was defined early on by errors and later by a pitching duel, it would be offense that propelled the Tattnall Square Trojans past the Tiftarea Academy Panthers, 6-2 in 14 innings. Tattnall, who won the first game of the series, 4-1 before dropping game two, 6-3, will meet Mount de Sales in the Class AAA semifinals next week.
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Loop the Lake coming June 1
The 2013 Lake Blackshear Loop the Lake 5K Run, 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk and Stroller Roll benefiting GraceWay Recovery Residence will be held on Saturday, June 1 at the Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club.
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Tiftarea-Tattnall split
The quarterfinals series between the Tiftarea Academy Panthers and defending state Class AAA champions Tattnall Square Trojans matched up two of the top teams in the state and after two games, the battle has been a stalemate. The Trojans won the first game 4-1, while the Panthers took game two, 6-3. Game three will be today at 2 p.m.
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Tiftarea hosts defending state champs
Coach Brad Porter and the Tiftarea Academy Panthers have been taking the road to the GISA state Class AAA championship one obstacle at a time. As Region 3's No. 1 seed they are entitled to host the quarterfinals round, which starts at 4 p.m. today in Chula. However, their obstacle is a big one: the defending state champions, the Tattnall Square Trojans.
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First inning dooms Devils
For a team used to deciding games late, it was the first inning that hurt the Tift County Blue Devils Wednesday. Two homeruns within a span a three hitters put the Walton Raiders up by three. That would be the final margin in the quarterfinal series between the two schools, the Devils ending their season with a 5-2 loss in Marietta.
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TCHS spring football game Friday
Are you ready for some football? The Tift County Blue Devils are. Their spring game is being played Friday and it is the start of a fresh season of competition. The game will be played at Brodie Field at 7 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, but is free for students.
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Late magic forces another game three
Metro Atlanta has become home away from home for the Tift County Blue Devils. They have made four trips north for three series in the state Class AAAAAA baseball playoffs. All three series have gone to game three, the third against the Walton Raiders in Marietta because of a miracle comeback 2-1 win after a first game loss of 8-0. Game three will begin at 4:30 p.m. today.
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GHSA girls state track results
The girls state track competition was held last weekend at Albany's Hugh Mills Stadium and several area athletes participated in events.
- Tift County spring football game Friday
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Quarterfinals has Devils on the road again
Convenience store owners on I-75 probably know the Tift County Blue Devils by name now. They will be making their third bus ride in two weeks to metro Atlanta when they play the Walton Raiders of Marietta today in a doubleheader in the state Class AAAAAA baseball quarterfinals.
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