Photo courtesy of Joanna McMahan

The 2024 baseball season in the Smoky Mountain Conference should be very exciting. With as young as most of these teams are this year, we should see and hear names of players that we haven’t heard of and be able to get a feel for what things will look like for the next several years. You’ve got teams like Murphy, who lost 9 starters to graduation, And you’ve got teams like Hiwassee Dam who only lost one or two contributors from last season. It will be fun to see how things shake out.

The weather is getting warmer and it’s starting to get nice outside, so get out and go catch a game and support these kids on the diamond in 2024!

Below is a quick snapshot of each Smoky Mountain Conference team’s key losses and key returners for the 2024 season. We also took our best shot at preseason rankings as things start to get underway here in the next week or so. Let us know who we missed and what team you think has the best shot at bringing home a conference title in 2024!

Preseason Smoky Mountain Conference Baseball Rankings

1) Hayesville

2) Swain

3) Hiwassee Dam

4) Robbinsville

5) Murphy

6) Cherokee

7) Andrews

Swain

Key losses- Gabe Lillard, Ronnie Griggs

Having just lost two seniors, the Maroon Devils should be in for a solid season in 2024 if they can find some pitching. Griggs and Lillard combined for over 100 innings on the mound last year for the Maroon Machine, both finishing the year with a sub-3.00 ERA.

Key Returners- Carter Hayes, Lawson Woodard, Grady Lewis, Bradyn Ruais

Hayesville

Key Losses- Braxton Cherry, Cade Denton, Dakota Matheson, Avery Leatherwood, Kyle Lunsford, Logan Caldwell

Key Returners- Michael Mauney, Tate Roberts, Kendall Boyer, Cade Caruso

The Jackets lost a good bit of their offensive production in the likes of Leatherwood, Matheson, and Lunsford and they also lost their ace on the mound in Braxton Cherry. But, the Jackets are loaded with young talent. Michael Mauney will be one of the top hitters in the conference as he heads into his junior season, and Tate Roberts and Kendall Boyer should also help shoulder the load offensively. If last year’s numbers are any indication, Caruso, Boyer, and Hughes will handle most of the mound work for Hayesville in 2024.

Murphy

Key Losses- Cole Laney, Robert Turner, Isaac Cole, Mason Cook, John Ledford, Ty Laney

Key Returners- Tommy Crapse, Alex Roldan, Zack Skogen

Murphy was crushed by graduation as they lost nearly all of their starting 9 from last season. This will be a rebuilding year for the Dogs, but with an outstanding freshman class and a good-looking 8th grade group, they should be on the rise in the next year or so.

Cherokee

Key Losses- Cavan Reed, Zac Maney, Xavier Otter

Key Returners- Shiloh Woodson, Emiliano Garcia, Josh Phillips, Hawk Reed

The Braves are coming off of a 2-17 season in 2023, but things should be getting better for Cherokee baseball. They lost their ace pitcher in Cavan Reed, but they return a ton of guys and with the state of the conference this season, they could be in for a decent year in 2024.

Robbinsville

Key Losses-  Lathan Buchanan, Caleb Turpin

Key Returners- Ethan Orr, Graylen Orr, Quinn Jumper, Bryce Adams, Bryc Garrison

The Knights return a slew of good ball players in 2024. Ethan and Graylen Orr both hit nearly .350 last year and should be in for an even better year in ’24. Not too mention the Knights didn’t lose anyone who threw more than one inning for them on the mound last year. Keep an eye on Robbinsville this season, they could surprise some folks.

Andrews

Key Losses- Isaac Weaver

Key Returners- Braxton Rickett, Kencade Watkins, Logan Shuler, Ethan Sutton

Braxton Rickett is one of the top players in the conference, whether that be on the mound or in the batters box. Last season as a Sophomore, Rickett batted .342 with 9 RBIs and threw 42.2 innings on the mound for the Cats. As far as the team as a whole is concerned, they have a promising Freshman class that could help get the program on track if they all suit up this spring, if not it could be another down year for Andrews on the diamond.

Hiwassee Dam

Key Losses- Evan Hedrick, Tanner Taylor

Key Returners- Clay Davis, Trenton Beavers, Colton Berrong, Dawson Headley

Hiwassee Dam didn’t end their 2023 campaign the way they had hoped, losing 8 of their last 11 games to finish with a 7-12 overall record and 4th in the SMC. But it’s a new year and good things are on the horizon for the Eagles. Clay Davis could make a case for SMC player of the year in his senior season if he continues his trajectory, and if Beavers, Headley, and Berrong can be efficient this season at the plate then I don’t see why HD can’t finish in the top 3 in the SMC at the end of the year.