Hours before LeBron James expressed his admiration for Ronald Acuña Jr. on Twitter, Braves manager Brian Snitker was driving to Truist Park thinking about where his young outfielder ranks among the most exciting players he has ever seen. “I don’t know that I’ve seen anybody like that in my time, and I’ve seen a bunch of Hall of Famers and some that aren’t Hall of Famers that are knocking on the door, where you just go ‘Wow,’” Snitker said. “This kid is almost on another level with what he can do.” Acuña created another jaw-dropping moment and again performed like one of...

Austin Riley is surging toward another 30-homer season and Ronald Acuña Jr. is performing like a superstar again. But if evaluating why the Braves have suddenly gone from mediocre to red-hot, you can’t overlook the great impact Michael Harris II has made since arriving in the Majors. Harris tallied two hits, including a go-ahead two-run triple in the fifth, to help the Braves extend their winning streak to seven games with a 13-2 victory over the A’s on Wednesday night at Truist Park. The reigning World Series champions have gone 8-3 since promoting the 21-year-old outfielder from Double-A Mississippi on May 28. “I...

PRESS RELEASE There are a few changes coming to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association in the coming year – changes that were discussed and passed at the June 7-8 Board of Control Meeting. The Board voted to change the football mercy rule to decrease the margin necessary to bring about a running clock from 35 points to 30 points. No other part of the rule was changed. The mercy rule in football only applies in the second half and if one team’s deficit falls under 30 points at any time, the game goes back to standard timing. The...

Multiple teams continue to be in action over the summer – including home basketball camp games for the Central High School Lady Raiders and the CMS Lady Raiders. On Tuesday, the CHS Lady Raiders took it to Tullahoma with a 54-16 win – playing with all starters except for senior point guard Jalie Ruehling, who is scheduled for ankle surgery this week. Meanwhile, the JV Lady Raiders also beat Tullahoma in an overtime effort. Also on Monday and Tuesday, Coffee Middle hosted 7 different schools and went 10-0 in a combination of 6th grade, junior varsity and varsity games....

The aesthetic at the Coffee County Central High School softball complex next spring will be quite different. Volunteers tore out the bleacher section of the complex Tuesday (June 7) in preparation for a brand new bleacher area for the field. The bleachers that were torn out were part of the original structure constructed in the 1990s. The new bleachers are expected to be completed by late October or early November. Lady Raider softball just completed a trip to the TSSAA Spring Fling in May – there second trip in as many years. Pictured is the area at the Lady...

Multiple Coffee County Central Lady Raider softball players have earned postseason honors. Recent graduate Haidyn Campbell and junior Kaitlyn Davis were each named to the Tennessee Softball Coaches Association 4A All-State Team. Meanwhile, recent graduates Olivia Evans and Kiya Ferrell were selected to play on the Middle Tennessee All-Star Team. The all-star series features all-stars from the three grand division of Tennessee and will be played June 14 at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin. Games will be played at 10 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m. Haidyn Campbell, who will be playing at Walter State Community College next year,...

Only 50 slots are available in the 2022 Bassmaster High School National Tournament. Two of those slots are going to Coffee County anglers. The team of Kaden Freeze – Kylan Mantooth as well as Jaxon Wells-Caden Davis both qualified for one of the spots in the national tournament – which will cover 3 days on Lake Hartwell in South...

The Coffee County Claybusters trap-shooting team had some show out performers at Big Springs AIM on June 4. The squad of Ellis Pichulo, Garrett Taylor, Landon Meadows, Logan Meadows and Jonah Wyatt won High Overall Junior Squad. Meanwhile, Pichulo won junior runner-up. High overall Junior Squad at Big Springs AIM 6/4/22.Ellis Pichulo, Garrett Taylor, Landon Meadows, Logan Meadows and Jonah...