CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Kenwood Middle School has not had a baseball team in six years. During that time, student-athletes who attended the middle school had to relocate to other schools for the opportunity to play baseball, and with young students not being able to drive themselves, it often resulted in kids deciding just not to play. Now, under the direction of head coach Cody Chandler, the Knights will have a team on the baseball diamond once more for the first time in over half a decade.
Middle school baseball programs in Montgomery County are not currently sanctioned by the TSSAA and are primarily developmental programs as a way to prepare student-athletes for the high school playing level. Well, Kenwood Middle School didn’t have that developmental program until Chandler arrived at Kenwood just a few short months ago and for him, it was all about bringing kids back together to proudly represent their school.
“These kids deserve to be given the chance to compete on the diamond and represent the Kenwood Knights,” Chandler told Clarksville Now. “When we held our tryouts in September of 2024, we truly didn’t know what we would encounter; after the tryouts were completed, we took all 38 kids who showed up. These kids were hungry from the jump, and we see it every day at practice; we have kids at the middle school level who show up early and beg to stay late. This is why the program needed to be brought back and brought back with a vengeance, because we have kids who have been starving for baseball, and when you have hungry kids, you feed them.”
Maybe the most interesting part of this whole story is that when Chandler and his staff decided to bring the middle school baseball program back, they would have to earn it. Last week, the Knights conducted a week-long event called “The Forge”. The team divided into four groups and went through physical and mental challenges together. After the conclusion of the week, every player was knighted, and now part of “The Forged”.
Seventh grader Jayden Franks told Clarksville Now that they have done a lot to get where they are today, so no matter the outcome of the season, they’ve succeeded. Eighth grader Howard Winters said they are just blessed to have each other and thrive through the day with one another.
The Knights were scheduled to play their first middle school game in six years tonight, however, due to the weather conditions, the game has been rescheduled. Nevertheless, the kids at Kenwood Middle School will soon play baseball and finally have a chance to represent their school at the plate and on the mound.
“What this truly means for us at KMS baseball is opportunity,” said Chandler. “This program is largely developmental in nature; our junior varsity squad is developmental, as to where our varsity squad is competitive. This gives the boys at Kenwood the opportunity to be developed and prepared for the game at the high school level, college and beyond. We are developing a vehicle of opportunity for these boys to seek out higher opportunities.”