First-year Spring Garden baseball coach Cole Murphy knew what kind of baseball player he had in senior outfielder Chaz Pope way before the Panthers took the diamond for the 2022 season.

Back during football season, Pope suffered a serious leg injury that required surgery and threatened to end his playing days. Murphy, also an assistant on the Panther football staff, recalled Pope’s words after his heartbreaking misfortune happened.

“He told all of us he was going to be back for the playoffs,” Murphy said. “When you have surgery like that, it wasn’t looking too good in his favor for doing that, but he’s a hard worker. He did exactly what he needed to do to get back. He got to play in the Mars Hill (football playoff) game. He just kept rehabbing and had a great basketball season, and it carried over into baseball. It just shows his character, how hard-working he is and his mindset as an athlete. He’s tough.”

It’s the toughness that Pope demonstrated that Murphy wanted atop his batting order. It’s a move he certainly didn’t regret.

As a leadoff hitter, Pope batted .409 with nine doubles, five home runs, two triples, 26 stolen bases, 47 runs scored and 30 RBIs. He was also hit by 14 pitches throughout the season.

Along the way, the Panthers (17-16) earned a Cherokee County championship and a second-round Class 2A state playoff appearance.

Pope’s diamond toughness makes him this year’s choice for Cherokee County Baseball Most Valuable Player.

It’s an honor Pope doesn’t take lightly.

“I’m definitely proud I got back, that I can look back and know that I didn’t give up, that I gave it 100 percent the whole time,” he said. “That would’ve made me a little sick to my stomach if I’d have looked back and known that I didn’t go as hard as a I could, or what if I did this or what if I did that? I didn’t have to do that, so that makes everything better.”

“Him being an athlete, having the speed he has and a good bat, it kind of all goes together for a strong leadoff,” Murphy said. “I like putting my strongest hitter, if he has speed, at leadoff because of the momentum that position brings. He does a great job hitting the ball. From that aspect of it, that’s who I wanted to go with.”

Another asset Pope had that made the Panthers better was being a good teammate. On the rare occasions he wasn’t on the base paths, Pope was consistently talking to his teammates about what they could expect at the plate against an opposing pitcher.

“It’s a team sport, so if I’m not going to get on base, I need to at least tell them what can help them,” Pope said. “Every little thing helps out. If you know he’s going to start you off with a fast ball and you can jump on the first pitch, it helps everybody else out. You don’t have to go up there and guess what kind of pitches he’s going to throw.”

Murphy describes Pope as a competitor in the truest sense.

“He’s just a hard-nosed kid who wants to win,” he said. “One thing we focused on this year was having everybody focus on what they could do for us to be successful. That’s just one way he did that. It’s not really about what he does. He’s going to get mad when he strikes out because he’s a competitor, but he didn’t let it take over his entire mindset.

“Striking out, yeah you’re mad. You can sit there and pout, but he’s coming back in there and letting everybody know what the pitcher’s curveball looks like, his release, what he’s doing different, the pitches he got in the order he got them. It’s not always going to be 100 percent for the next batter, but at least it gives them an idea. It makes our team more ready to hit the ball and get on the base some way and get us started.”

While Pope did a great job of getting things started for the Panthers, he does wish they could’ve advanced further during the playoffs and played for a state championship. But at least he can take comfort in knowing he left everything he had on the field.

“Obviously we could’ve played a little longer. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out like that, but I think we had a great season,” Pope said. “Once we started figuring things out and focused on our goal, we were pretty close to accomplishing it.”

Joining Pope from Spring Garden is senior second baseman Gavin Bass, senior first baseman Andrew Bates, senior pitcher/shortstop Landon Gowens, junior pitcher/utility player Cam Welsh, junior pitcher/infielder Reece Winstead and sophomore outfielder Chapel Pope.

The Cherokee County Warriors have five selections in senior first baseman Walker Pruitt, junior outfielder/second baseman Malachi Horton, junior catcher/infielder/outfielder Connor Wilson, junior pitcher Daegan Scott and sophomore shortstop Jeb Crane.

Four Sand Rock Wildcats were chosen in junior outfielder Austin Yoder, junior utility player Brian Giles, sophomore infielder Slade StClair and eighth grade catcher Morgan Tucker.

The Cedar Bluff Tigers have three selections in senior pitcher/infielder Jacob Burleson, senior catcher Preston Burt and junior third baseman Hagen Stallings.

Sophomore shortstop Kyler Bradley and junior designated hitter Briley Mitchell represent the Gaylesville Trojans.