Baseball and softball coaches discuss 2022-23 season at the Clarksville-area kickoff luncheon

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Rotary Club Baseball and Softball Season Kickoff was held at First Baptist Church on Wednesday, where Montgomery County’s high school baseball and softball coaches came together to discuss the start of the 2022–23 season.

A majority of the Clarksville-area coaches attended the luncheon and spoke about their teams and everything transpiring behind the scenes.

Clarksville-area baseball and softball coaches speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville-area softball coaches speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville-area baseball coaches speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville-area baseball and softball coaches speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville-area baseball and softball coaches speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville Academy athletic director Matt Hoppe speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville Academy baseball coach Dustin Smith speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville High softball coach Brian Rush speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Clarksville High baseball coach Brian Hetland speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Kenwood softball coach Lakeesha Fields speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Kenwood baseball coach Tyler Mosley speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Topics included the maturity of their teams, the loss of key players following graduation, the leadership shown by student-athletes early in the season and facility improvements over the off-season.

However, one of the more intriguing topics of conversation came when a group of coaches gave thanks to their fellow peers.

Coaches speak on togetherness

During the first week of March, Clarksville was plagued by damaging weather and 79-mile-per-hour winds. The entirety of Montgomery County was affected by these storms, which resulted in a number of baseball and softball fields being damaged.

Montgomery Central softball coach Chris Jackson speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Montgomery Central baseball coach Todd Dunn speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Northeast softball coach William Warren speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Northeast baseball coach Charles Ratliff speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Northwest softball coach Blake Lyons speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Northwest baseball coach Chris Benne speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Rossview softball coach Marcus Ratcliff speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Rossview baseball coach Parker Holman speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

West Creek softball coach John Jordan speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

West Creek baseball coach Clinton Magnuson speaking at the Rotary Baseball Season Kickoff on March 15, 2023. (Lee Erwin)

Following the bad weather, coaches came together to help one another out. This includes Northwest head softball coach Blake Lyons, who detailed that Chris Benne (Northwest baseball coach) and Chris Jackson (Montgomery County softball coach) helped clean up the softball field at Northwest.

Thanks to their efforts, Northwest Softball has its field ready to go for the 2022–23 season.

Another team affected by the weather was Clarksville High baseball. To this date, their field cannot be played on due to the damages.

However, Clarksville High baseball coach Brian Hetland told spectators that Dustin Smith (Clarksville Academy baseball coach) and Parker Holman (Rossview baseball coach) allowed CHS access to their fields to play their home games.

Clarksville-area coaches

On Wednesday, a number of new head coaches were introduced and touched base on the process of building a foundation within their basketball programs. The majority of coaches in attendance were returning head coaches, however.

Here is the list: