The Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association awarded their annual region scholarship to graduating senior Coffee County Red Raider Hayden Skipper.  Skipper will receive the $1,000 scholarship for being selected out of Region 4 of the TBCA membership.  Pat Swallows, the state director for TBCA, made the announcement on Friday. 

Skipper has signed to play college baseball with Lipscomb University.   Hayden was named to the 2019 District 8AAA All-District team and was selected as the Red Raiders’ Most Valuable Player.   Skipper was selected for the Tennessee Baseball Report All Region Team in 2019.

Skipper was signed to play at Lipscomb as a pitcher and outfielder.  Lipscomb University is a private, Christian liberal arts university in Nashville.  The Bisons are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) Division 1 and competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.  Lipscomb is coached by Jeff Forehand who is in his 14th year as head coach for the Bisons.   Hayden is the son of Richard and Jenny Skipper.

Story by John Brice – TSSAA

Stack all the days in a decade; there’s roughly 3,650 turns of the calendar. Steve Trussler can fill them all with the nights logged working TSSAA events as an official, umpire or otherwise in more than 50 years’ service to high school athletics in Tennessee.

A native of the Gainesville and Jacksonville areas of Florida, still with the Florida Gators’ fight song as a ringtone to this day, Trussler’s time in the Volunteer State extends back to his college days of attending and graduating from David Lipscomb University in 1968.

He never left Tennessee and once he got started officiating contests, Trussler likewise never left that role.

“I kept a record, still got it, and I’ve called right at 4,000 dates in the 50 years,” Trussler said. “I did basketball, baseball, football, and softball since its inception in the mid-80s. I’ve written down every assignment, worn out three or four cars, at least. I just stayed active and always had a smile on my face. I was never on time; I was always early. And I always acted like I wanted to be there, because I did, and I always wanted to be professional and have fun. And with the kids and the coaches and fellow officials I’ve met over the 50 years, I wouldn’t take anything for it. Hundreds of friends, close friends that I’ve made. That’s really what keeps you going. And you’ve gotta love kids or you can’t do it the right way.”

Trussler explained that an inability to hit collegiate pitching on the diamond mandated his adaptation of learning sports from the viewpoint of those behind the scenes. He umpired preseason baseball scrimmages; served in various roles of student-trainer and manager and assisted Lipscomb athletics in any possible manner.

“When I graduated, I joined the local officials under A.F. Bridges. and I just fell in love with it,” Trussler said. “I learned from the best. Earl Crowell, Gabby Street, Bill Pack Sr. I learned the game from then. They taught me that I better learn the rules and I better know how to enforce them.

Trussler logged not just 50 years of officiating but also a five-decade tenure as an employee of the State of Tennessee. He worked 40 years in child protective services and public welfare before he added a decade as a public educator and administrator in both Grundy and Marion counties. Trussler was a recipient of the TSSAA Athletic Director of the Year award in 2018.

In addition to his longevity as a football official, Tressler has worked 15 TSSAA Spring Fling championships, can recall his early basketball work in six-on-six girls’ hoops and helped officiate a BlueCross Bowl football championship in Cookeville. He can recall an early football assignment that netted a $5 payday.

He and wife, Wilma, have been together since their days at Lipscomb and raised two sons, former NCAA collegiate athletes, Jay and Jon.

“I’m blessed,” Trussler said. “I still go to basketball and baseball and softball meetings, even though I’m not on the field. It’s just something that gets in your blood and you love it so much, it just stays with you. And that’s not happening anymore. A lot of younger guys can’t take the hammering from coaches and fans or the 200-mile roundtrips at night in fog and sleet and they get out of it. But it’s just a great profession; I’d recommend it to anybody. When I met Wilma at Lipscomb, I told her, ‘I love sports and I love kids, and this is what I’m going to do.’ And she never complained. We’ve stayed married 50 years with me gone all those nights.”

Now 73, Trussler isn’t planning an end anytime soon to his love affair with high school athletics.

“There have been a lot of changes,” Trussler said. “Three or four uniform changes, scores of rules changes. It keeps evolving and keeps evolving toward increased safety for the players.

“But I hope I can stand on that sideline and run that clock for Mr. (Ken) Pack for another 10 or 15 years.”

Thursday MYBA Schedule
6U at Tee Ball Field
5:00 PM – Lovelady Auto Parts vs. Manchester Tire & Brake
7:30 PM – Star Physical Therapy vs. Cooper Sports

8U at Fast Pitch Field
5:00 PM – Lions Club vs. Dr. J
7:30 PM – Freedom Automotive vs. KK’s

10U at National League Field
5:00 PM – Viam vs. State Farm

12U at Aaron Miller Field
5:00 PM – Bush Insurance vs. Clower Automotive
7:30 PM – Peoples Bank vs. Shelter Ins

18U at Looney Riddle Field(Babe Ruth Field)
6:00 PM – Manchester Braves vs. Mets

Nashville Soccer Club announced Wednesday in conjunction with Major League Soccer that the club will move to the Eastern Conference as all 26 teams prepare to resume play in the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Upon return from the tournament, the club will stay in the Eastern Conference through the remainder of the 2020 MLS season.

Nashville SC will travel to Orlando at the end of June and will kick off its participation in the tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as early as July 8. The Boys in Gold will play three Eastern Conference opponents as part of the group stage and will look to secure one of the top two seeds to advance to the knockout round and compete for a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. A draw to determine the group and Nashville SC’s opponents will take place on Thursday, June 11 at 2:30 p.m. CT via MLSSoccer.com.

“Moving to the Eastern Conference is great for Nashville SC and our fans,” said Mike Jacobs, Nashville SC General Manager. “Soccer is so tribal, and the opportunity to play this 2020 season against regional rivals in proximity to Nashville is really important for our club on and off the pitch.”

Following the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando, the league aims to return to playing matches in market, at which point a revised schedule of matches at Nissan Stadium will be shared.

Nashville SC was selected to switch conferences for both the tournament and the remainder of the 2020 MLS season due to its proximity to the Eastern Conference teams, which maximizes efficiency and recovery time by minimizing team travel which is critical given the compressed timeframe.

The team’s farthest travelled distance will now include a 924-air mile trip to take on Montreal Impact compared to the 2,041 air miles required to get to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Nashville’s farthest opponent in the Western Conference.

Follow Nashville SC in its trip to Orlando and participation in the MLS Is Back Tournament by visiting www.NashvilleSC.com and the club’s social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

All 5 divisions of the Manchester Youth Baseball Association were in action on Tuesday night.  Nine games highlighted the slate on the beautiful 2^nd night of the season for the Recreation League teams. 

In the 6U Division, Cooper Sports defeated Lovelady Auto Parts 20 to 14 and Manchester Tire and Brake dumped Star Physical Therapy 23 to 6.  In the 1^st game of the night, Cooper built a 15 to 6 lead before Lovelady rallied to cut the deficit to 3 in the bottom of the 3^rd inning.  Cooper pulled away to get the season-opening win.  Jason Cook was the leading hitter for Cooper as he had 4 singles and 2 runs scored.  The leading hitter for Lovelady was Jax who had 2 singles and a double and scored 2 runs.  In the nightcap, Manchester Tire and Brake pounded out 24 hits in the win.  Jacob Whaley, Owen Holder and Kayvan Perry all had home runs for Manchester Tire and Brake.  For Star Physical Therapy, Dowell Deadman and Laine Jones each had a pair of hits and scored twice. 

In the 8U Division, Freedom Automotive topped Interstate Auto 18 to 15 and KK’s tamed Lions Club 22 to 14.  In the early game, Freedom exploded for 9 runs in the 4^th inning to roll to the win.  For Freedom, Brysen Hall had a triple, a double, a single and an RBI.  Jaythan Finchum rapped an inside the park homer with 4 RBI.  For Interstate, Kayden Spencer had a homer, a triple and a double with 3 RBI.  In the 2^nd game of the night, KK’s sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning to capture an early 6 to 1 lead.  KK’s was able to plate 20 runs in the first 4 innings to salt the game away.  Walker had an amazing 5 hits, including 2 doubles, and scored 5 times while driving in 3 runs to lead KK’s in hitting.  Eli had 2 doubles and a home run to lead Lions Club. 

In the 10U Division, Viam edged Chico’s Bail Bonds 10 to 9 in an exciting game while First National Bank shortchanged Coffee County Bank 11 to 7.   In the doubleheader opener, Viam fell behind 2 to 1 in the 1^st inning only to tie the game at 9 going into the last inning.  Ty Stevens scored the winning run in the bottom of the 5^th for the walk-off win.  Fred Mindoch was the leading hitter for Viam as he had a grand slam home run.  Kaden Brewer led Chico’s as he had a hit, a run and an RBI.  In the 2^nd game, First National Bank trailed 5 to 3 entering the bottom of the 2^nd inning before exploding for 6 runs to gain the upper hand in the banker battle.  Isaac Walter had 2 triples and drove in a run to lead the First National squad.  Kellan Hershman had a double, an RBI and a run scored to lead Coffee County. 

In the 12U Division, Bush Insurance jumped out to an early lead to beat First Vision Bank 14 to 6.  Bush got 4 runs in the 1^st inning and put the game on ice with a 10 run inning in the 3^rd.  Kasen Shore got the win on the mound for Bush.  Ethan Stephens was the leading hitter with 2 doubles, a single and 2 runs scored.  Draven Owens had a triple, a single and scored twice for First Vision. 

In the 18U Division, the Christiana Braves rallied to beat the Manchester Braves 10 to 6.  After falling behind 5 to 0 in the 1^st inning, Christiana plated 6 runs in the 2^nd inning and never trailed again.  Christiana was led in hitting by Kameron Smusz who walked twice and had a 2 run home run.  Manchester was led by Jayden Brown who had a single and 2 RBI.  In the last game of the night, the Yankees blanked the Expos 7 to 0. 

The league will return to action on Thursday night with 8 games as all 5 divisions will be in action.  Games will get underway at 5 PM at Fred Deadman Park. 

By Mark Bowman – MLB.com

With just four selections in this week’s MLB Draft, president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves will have less room for error as they attempt to restock a farm system that will continue to be depleted by the graduation of high-level prospects over the next year.

Recognizing that Cristian Pache, Drew Waters and a couple of other heralded prospects could soon join Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Mike Soroka to further strengthen what is already an impressively strong young core is highly encouraging from a short-term perspective.

But the steady graduation of this prospect talent, combined with the sanctions that have significantly limited the Braves’ activity on the international market over the past few years, puts the club in a position where there is now a significant need to replenish a farm system that has stood as one of the game’s best over the past few years.

Approaching his second Draft as the Braves’ vice president of scouting, Dana Brown will be looking to land high-upside quality with his four picks and then address the need for quantity via signings that will follow.

Dating back to the early weeks after the coronavirus pandemic ended Spring Training and delayed the start of the regular season, there had been speculation the Draft would be reduced to five rounds. So Brown and his peers have had time to prepare for this different landscape.

But instead of racing to catch flights or driving unfamiliar roads in search of high school and collegiate talent, scouts have been forced to rely on video evaluations and discuss their plans via the Zoom and Microsoft Teams platforms that were foreign to most of these folks just a few months ago.

The Braves lost their second- and third-highest selections with their signings of left-handed reliever Will Smith and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. But Josh Donaldson’s decision to sign with the Twins allowed the Braves to keep their third-round pick. So they will have a single pick in Rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs on Wednesday, June 10, on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 11, on MLB Network and ESPN2, and spans the remainder of the 160 picks.

Comprehensive coverage will be available on MLB.com and MLB Pipeline, which will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast. Go to MLB.com/Draft to see when teams pick, the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, scouting video and more. And follow @MLBDraft and @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying and to get each pick as it’s made.

Here’s how the Draft is shaping up for the Braves, whose first selection is the 25th overall pick.

State of the system
With Acuña, Albies, Soroka, Max Fried and Austin Riley, much of the Braves’ future core already exists at the big league level. But the organization still has five players — OF Pache (13th), OF Waters (26th), RHP Ian Anderson (37th), RHP Kyle Wright (52nd) and C Shea Langeliers (70th) — listed among MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects. The club has upgraded its catching depth over the past few years and it has had enviable pitching depth dating back to the start of the rebuild in 2015. But there’s not an abundance of promising pitching prospects at the club’s lower Minor League levels.

What they’re saying
“I think the process is going to go the exact same way as it has in the past. You’re still taking the best player available. You don’t want to overweigh small sample sizes. You’re really trying to thread the needle on a lot of these guys. So that’s probably been the biggest challenge. Basically, the information is incomplete, but you still have to make the same determination.” — Anthopoulos

Who might they take?
MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft has the Braves taking Texas Tech right-hander Clayton Beeter with their first-round pick. In earlier mock drafts, Mayo and Callis had predicted this pick would be used on either University of Miami right-hander Chris McMahon or Auburn right-hander Tanner Burns. Another college hurler who might fit in this spot is South Carolina right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski.

Money matters
Each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of its selections in the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. This year, with a five-round Draft, all signing bonuses of drafted players will apply toward the bonus pool total.

For 2020, there is a $20,000 limit on bonuses for non-drafted free agents. There is no limit to the number of undrafted players teams may sign, but they cannot go over $20,000 per player. These bonuses do not count toward the pool total. The Braves have a pool of $4,127,800 to spend, including $2,740,300 to spend on their first selection.

Shopping list
The Braves have told some representatives they feel good about where they stand with their pitching depth. While that might simply be pre-Draft talk, there is a chance they could go in another direction if Beeter, McMahon and Burns are not available. The indication that the National League could soon utilize the designated hitter enhances the value of power hitters. This year’s top power hitters will be gone by the time the Braves pick.

But there will be a lot of maneuvering and negotiating this year as teams attempt to still have enough bonus-pool flexibility to potentially enhance the value of the picks made beyond the first round. Some representatives are prepared for teams to use first-round picks on players projected to go in the second round or later. The Braves have the fourth-lowest pool allotment. So unless they feel like they can’t pass on a certain player still available with the 25th overall pick, the overall value of this small Draft class could be enhanced by using the first-round pick on a player willing to accept an under-slot signing bonus.

Trend watch
A player from a four-year college was taken with four of the first five picks and seven of the first nine picks the Braves made with Brown heading their Draft for the first time last year. Brown chalked this up to it being a college-heavy Draft. But he’s found success going this route in the past. He ran the Nationals’ Drafts when Ryan Zimmerman (University of Virginia, 2005) and Stephen Strasburg (San Diego St., 2009) were selected.

The recent top picks
2019: Shea Langeliers, C (Class A Rome)
2018: Carter Stewart, RHP (Japan)
2017: Kyle Wright, RHP (Atlanta, Triple-A Gwinnett)
2016: Ian Anderson, RHP (Gwinnett)
2015: Kolby Allard, LHP (Rangers, MLB)

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.