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SPENCER — Another spring season is here at Roane County High School and the Raiders are more than ready to put their best foot forward.

SOFTBALL

Sam Salvucci has stepped down as the Raider softball boss and former assistant Brian Craft has taken over the reins and inherited a pair of seniors in center fielder Lexi Mitchell and left fielder/daughter Autumn Craft.

Like the baseball program, a strong freshman class that features seven players will be tasked with making key plays around the diamond as the duo of No. 1 pitcher/catcher Joplin Harlan and utility Madison Smith are the lone juniors.

The sophomore class consists of starting shortstop Marissa Holcomb and starting third baseman Chloe May along with outfielder Audrey Simmons and utility Brooklyn Bowers.

Freshman Avery Helbig starts at second base and is the No. 2 pitcher.

Ninth graders Sienna Sampson (RF) and Asanti Thornabar (1B) are also being relied on as are classmates Abby Bowman (OF/C) and Adyson Spencer (C/OF).

“She’s going to be flexing in and hitting a lot for us,” the coach said of Bowman while admitting of Spencer “she is the first time I ever had a left-handed catcher, but she bats right.

“The first time I ever had that, but she’s got a super strong arm. She brings a lot to the table as far as softball knowledge. I couldn’t ask for more. Last year we lost a great catcher in Lexi Burdette and she was a wall back there.”

Coach Ash, who plans to utilize their team speed and wants to put a program on the field that will continue to grow while making the RCHS softball community proud, also can call upon the services of freshmen outfielders Grace Jackson and Hannah Tanner.

“Playing it safe. I don’t do that,” added Craft. “We’re going to roll the dice and see what happens, and put pressure on the other team to make them make plays. We’re focusing on getting better everyday. We’re going to have some success and there’s going to be times when our youth is going to shine through.

“We lost a good senior class last year. The seniors I got are great kids and have played a lot of softball. I couldn’t ask for two better outfielders and leaders. They do everything I’ve asked and again just an all around good group of girls that you would want to be around everyday and have on your team.”

BASEBALL

Second-year head coach Larry Ash has some help this year with assistants Matt Ash and Will Starcher as the youthful Raiders are trying to better a 9-12 mark from 2025.

Through the first four games of the season, the Raiders are 1-3 with sophomore Colton Ash (P/MI) earning the lone mound triumph as freshman Landon Williams (SS/OF/P) picked up the save.

Juniors Alex Richardson (C/3B/P) and Reis Thornabar (1B/P), who has two home runs and four runs-batted-in after going yard twice against Wirt County which included a walkoff bomb, share the team lead in hits with a trio apiece.

Four seniors dot the roster for the Raiders in Jacob Greathouse (C/P), Caden Caldwell (2B/MI), Hogan Greathouse (DH/OF) and Carder Kinder (CF/P/UTL).

Kinder got the opening day nod on the hill and was followed by Jacob Greathouse. Both Caldwell and Hogan Greathouse are first-year seniors.

Joining Richardson and Thornabar in the junior class are outfielder Carson Casto and left fielder Brodey Proctor, who was hoping to compete on the track after recovering from a season-ending injury on the gridiron.

“He’s not played in a couple years. The kid can catch anything. His speed is ridiculous,” said Ash, whose other trio of 10th-graders include Wyatt Brabham (2B), Klayton Marks (OF/C) and Erik Starcher (1B/P), while noting Colton Ash “has got a pretty good arm, but no relation.”

The freshmen class is eight members strong and the coach said of Williams “he’s got a good glove, good speed.

“I had him in center field the first game because I pitched Carder. He wrestles and is a pretty good little athlete.”

Levi Nichols is expected to help man third and can also pitch.

“He’s got a good little arm, good bat, good speed, real quick. Him and Landon are going to be two really good ball players,” added the coach, who also has newcomers in lone lefty hurler Cody Howard (1B/OF/C/P), Eli Corkrean (P/2B), Byron Taylor (LF/UTL), Parker Matheney (C/1B/OF) as well as outfielders Luke Goodson and Trevor Webster.

“Good speed. Fast kid,” coach Ash said of his plans to utilize Goodson as a pinch-runner.

“They are not bad little ball players, but they are not high school players yet. That’s the bad part about it.”

Overall, especially with a young group, the Raiders are just looking to continue progressing and hopefully be at their best come the postseason.

“I think we’re going to be OK, but it’s going to take a little bit,” Ash stressed. “Early season we are going to struggle. I’m hoping by midseason they’ll start coming around.

“A lot of these freshmen and sophomores are just going to have to grow and grow fast. The funny part about it is I had four more freshmen that could’ve come out and didn’t.”

TRACK

Roane County’s track programs are coming off an 18th place showing for the girls of Paul Williams while the boys of Toni McGinnis finished in a tie for 17th at last year’s Class AA state meet.

The Raider girls have three seniors out in second team all-state girls hoopster Anna Tolley along with Gabby Engle and Kendall Shafer.

Roane County’s boys also sport just a trio of seniors in Brandon Charles, Richard Greathouse and Garrett Brabham.

At the season opening Don Williams Memorial Invitational, Tolley won the 100 and was followed by sophomore Aliza Bratton, who won the 200, and junior Cori Woods.

Josie Cox, who was state runner-up in the 300 and fourth in the 100, swept both hurdles events on her home track. She topped the field in the 400 while sophomore Addison Lowe had the top throw in the discus.

Junior Addie Taylor returns after qualifying at state last year in the 1600 and also is pole vaulting. Bratton won the long jump in the opening meet while junior Jozee Proctor cleared 4-6 to claim the high jump title before classmate Ella Keen also cleared the same height.

Also competing for coach Williams and assistant Steven McGinnis are juniors Alivia Linkinoggor and Jules Williams, sophomore Brooklynn Hamilton as well as the freshman threesome of Holly Conrad, Peyton Abnathy and Lacey Landis.

The Raider boys are trying to retool after heavy graduation losses that included 300 hurdle champ Lane Watson.

Watson was the anchor on the state qualifying 4×1 unit that only returns Brabham and junior Javon LeTourneau.

Charles will have one more go at it in the pole vault after qualifying as a junior and clearing 12 feet to grab the last podium spot in eighth place.

“Javon will be shouldering a lot this year,” admitted Toni McGinnis, whose junior class consists of Logun Miller, Kody Stump, Phillip Stricklen, Isaiah Williams and Samuel Westfall. “Right now it’s just rebuilding and configuring who, where, can we maybe move some of these guys around in an event they have not done. It’s just a rebuilding season when you lose a Lane Watson and a few of those others.

“You lose Brodey to baseball, too. It’s a lot of making puzzle pieces fit where maybe they don’t belong. We got a couple new boys trying distance. They’ve got a lot of learning to do. Distance is one of those beasts you either train for it and learn how to run it or you already know how to run it. There’s no in between with distance.

The coach said she is looking forward to sophomore Nash Simmons competing in the 800 and noted his fellow classmate Krystian Hall is also back for another year of pole vault.

“I think he ended last year at 11. He’s almost hitting Brandon heights from last year,” said the coach. “Of course, Garrett’s in the sprints and he’s thinking about the 300 hurdles.

“Phillip Stricklen is back looking better at the 300s than he did last year and sprinting-wise. Javon is really going to be heading up a lot of sprinting and relays. (Junior) Matthew Conley is a new guy in sprints and relays.”

The boys have four other sophomores with Matthew Conley, Evan Greathouse, Robert Brooks and Forrest Boyd. The freshman class consists of Tristan Anderson, Jackson Miller and Brock Williams.

“We’re all kind of excited for Forrest,” said the coach. “Forrest has Down syndrome and he’s never done track before.

“He’s competed in the Special Olympics and he is coming out this year. It looks like he’s going to throw the shot and disc and probably run the 100.”