July 28, 2021 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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4 July 28, 2021 Sports Hill brings Sayre eagles Travel to Thomas Coaches Corner another State By Kerry Hookstra Title to Elk City Elk Coaches Corner Cross country is running and moving toward the opening of the season. The Big Elks traditionally host the first meet of the By Kerry Hookstra season. Softball ended their summer league play July 26 with In May, Tres Hill played in the Oklahoma 4A State Golf Meet an excellent summer of work. Elk City Coaches are taking this and came home with the championship. Hill entered the Okla- week to sharpen skill at the Coaches Clinics in Tulsa. homa Golf Association State Amateur Meet July 19-21 at Bro- ken Arrow’s Cedar Ridge Country Club and claimed another title. A total of 64 golfers were on the course and Hill played six Oiler Coaches Corner matches over three days. He opened with a 4-3 win and took the With Coaches Clinic coming this week Oilerette Softball wil second 5-3. In the third showdown he prevailed 6-5. Hill’s fourth complete summer league action after a good set of contests. match had a definite Beckham County flavor as he met up with Sayre’s Luke Phillips. The match saw Hill come back in the final Cross Country is preparing for another season with excellent two holes to tie the score and force a 19th hole playoff. The hole prospects for the season. went to Hill and he moved on to Semi-final action. He took that match one up and in the Championship shootout downed future Oklahoma City University teammate Dylan Teeter by a one up Trojan Coaches Corner margin also. After a strong start the Trojanettes ran into a hostile pair of Hill reflected on his play in the last three matches and noted, “I opponents in Cache and Altus, The team is at full strength after came back in those three to win after being down two through players getting back to action from camps and vacations. They nine holes. It was just a matter of staying focused to make those comebacks.” With a pair of State Championships under his belt, are getting ready for season opening play August 9. Baseball Tres Hill looks to be a force for the Oklahoma City University opens workouts Aug. 1 and will begin the fall season Aug. 10. Golf Team over the next four years along with future teammate Canute Coaches are in Tulsa for the Oklahoma State Coaches Dylan Teeter. Clinic this week. Summer League Taylor Varnell brings the heat to home plate. Courtesy photos. Sayre grad makes Double A Baseball debut Elk City - Danni Sottile. Staff photo by Rose Cummings. By Kerry Hookstra one of six hurlers in the start- ing rotation but that is ex- Taylor Varnell is pursuing his pected to drop to five with a dream. The 2014 graduate of new assignment coming for Sayre High School decided at one of the starters. He will get the age of 12 or 13 to become his next start in about a week. a major league baseball player. According to the White Sox Mi- After a sterling career with the nor League report for July 20, Sayre Eagle Baseball team as Varnell’s move up to Double A their ace pitcher, the tenacious was long overdue. left-hander played for Western Oklahoma State College in Al- Varnell is pleased with his new tus for two years and then pur- team and notes that it is an ex- sued Division I Baseball at Tul- cellent organization. He says, sa’s Oral Roberts University. “I will work every 5-6 days as a Drafted by the Chicago White starter. My pitches have good Sox in 2018 Varnell spent his variety as I throw four different first year of minor league play deliveries during an inning. My in the Arizona Instructional fastball is hitting 91-94 miles League. In 2019 he was as- an hour which is considered signed to Kannapolis, North very good for a left hander. I Carolina in a Class A League. also have a curve ball which is Late in that season he moved my favorite pitch and a circle to Winston-Salem which plays change up in the mid 70’s. My in the High A East League. Af- fourth pitch is a slider and I ter the lost 2020 season Varnell will use any one of them to get went back to Winston-Salem a third strike. Playing Double A to pitch for the Dash. Playing ball does not necessarily mean for a team that has struggled that the next step is Triple A this season he compiled a 4-3 record in 11 starts and 14 ap- because at this level you may Merritt - Tasiah Hartman slides into 2nd finishing with a homerun. Staff photo by Rose Cummings. pearances. be just a call away from Major Word came to Varnell that he League Baseball. My hope is would be moving up to Double to have a strong second half A Birmingham, Alabama, July of the season in Birmingham 20. He also got the news that and then get a chance in spring the starting pitching assign- training to face some major ment was his that night. The league hitters. If I can handle Start your subscription today! 35-31 Barons traveled to Chat- the challenge there is a real tanooga to take on the36-28 possibility that I could jump to Lookouts who are leading the the majors for the regular sea- north division of the Southern son.” Double A League. Varnell made Playing professional baseball the most of his opportunity means a separation from fam- Call 580-225-3000 working five innings for the de- ily and while enjoying playing cision. He walked one, allowed the game, Varnell misses be- three hits, and struck out four. ing with his wife, the former Three runs in the second gave Rylee Wilson, and daughter El- him the run support needed. Two of those runs came off the lie. They are expecting a second bat of another former Kannap- olis player, Romy Gonzalez, who rapped his 14th home run of the season. A capable bull- child in August when they will welcome a son. Varnell will be able to come home for his ar- rival and also will see other op- or stop by 109 W. Broadway in Elk City pen came on to save the game portunities to spend a few days for the Barons over the last back in Sayre before the minor four frames. league season ends in late Sep- At the present time Varnell is tember.