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Gate City’s Sarah Thompson just completed her junior year, one that included a state basketball title for the Lady Blue Devils.
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Sports Live

Lady Blue Devils' Thompson looks back on exceptional junior year

Gate City multisport star Sarah Thompson took some time out to answer some questions about winning a state championship in basketball, the loss of the spring sports season and her future.

May 26, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Jaycie Jenkins starred for Daniel Boone on the volleyball and basketball courts as well as in the classroom, though she was not able to finish out her senior softball season.
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Sports Live

Boone's Jenkins NET female athlete of year

Jaycie Jenkins played just a couple of games in what most consider her best sport. Despite missing most of the softball season because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Daniel Boone senior was the easy choice for the 2019-20 Times News Female Athlete of the Year.

May 24, 2020 at 12:30 PM
Daniel Boone pitcher Nickolette Ferguson was an obvious choice for Sweet 16 softball player of the year.
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Sports Live

Ferguson is Sweet 19 player of the year

Unusual circumstances led to Daniel Boone senior pitcher Nickolette Ferguson being chosen the Times News/Johnson City Press Sweet 19 softball player of the year.

May 23, 2020 at 12:00 PM
The Sweet 19 team was comprised of student-athletes who excelled on the playing fields and in academics.
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HIgh school softball

Top NET softball players honored for academic, athletic prowess

It was a season that ended shortly after it began for Northeast Tennessee softball. But there were still players deserving of special recognition. This year’s Times News/Johnson City Press Sweet 19 team is a reflection of that.

May 23, 2020 at 10:00 AM
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College softball

Union’s Light, Lebanon’s Long among UVA Wise softball's nine-player signing class

Two local standouts are among nine players from four states who have signed on to play softball next spring at Virginia-Wise.

May 20, 2020 at 12:45 AM
A view from the top of the stands at Engel Stadium in 2002. The message on the right field wall welcomes fans for Spring Fling IX, the last year of the event in Chattanooga.
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Column

Spring Fling's first home run was location, location, location

If Ronnie Carter wanted to shoot for the moon, why not blast off from a stadium with such a rich history that it was the site where a 17-year-old girl struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession?

May 18, 2020 at 1:00 PM
The Southwest Virginia-based Rampage softball program fields teams for five ages groups, including 2019 14-under squad shown here.
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Youth softball

Rampage softball program coming off best season in history

COVID-19 does not discriminate when it comes to the type of sports being affected this spring. The Rampage softball program is among those feeling the sting of the coronavirus pandemic.

May 4, 2020 at 5:00 PM
Cloudland batter Leah Birchfield reaches out to bunt during the 2019 District 1-A championship game against Unaka. Birchfield and the Lady Highlanders had high hopes for the season.
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Sports Live

Abrupt end for Watauga Valley softball season of high hopes

Two Carter County teams were expected to battle it out for the Watauga Valley Conference softball crown, and both had clear goals of making it much further down the road.

May 2, 2020 at 2:45 PM
Unicoi County's Ashtan Vance is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run home run against Greeneville.
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HIgh school softball

Three Rivers softball teams had big expectations for 2020 campaign

The Three Rivers Conference was expected to feature plenty of depth as several softball teams had dreams of deep postseason runs.

May 1, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Daniel Boone's Jaycie Jenkins gets out Dobyns-Bennett's Makaila Collier on a fielder's choice and tries to complete a double play in the seventh inning of a 2019 game.
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Sports Live

Big 7 softball teams had big dreams for season that didn’t happen

This was expected to be a big year for softball in the Big 7 Conference, which boasted a pair of teams with strong state tournament hopes.

Apr 25, 2020 at 5:00 PM
Eastside High School baseball’s Tracy Stallard Field in Coeburn sits empty because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sports Live

SW Va. coaches ponder options for players to play — when time comes

No matter where you go in Southwest Virginia, the story is the same. High school baseball fields, softball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts and tracks all stand empty — no players, no coaches, no officials, no parents, no spectators.

Apr 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Dobyns-Bennett senior Kassidy Miller stands beside her Tribe softball jersey, which hangs in her window as a show of support for local players.
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Sports Live

Lady Indians senior Miller hangs softball jersey in window as ‘tribute to everyone’

For Kassidy Miller, having her jersey hanging in her window is not just a symbol for her. It’s also for all the other senior softball players who miss the sport they love.

Apr 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Hannah Light Cress was a dominating force on the mound for Coeburn, and the VHSL record book shows it. She threw eight perfect games while in high school, the second most in state history and No. 1 in Group A. Two of those perfect games came during her junior year when she threw three consecutive no-hitters.
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Sports Live

Coeburn’s Light shines brightest in SW Va. softball

Former Coeburn ace Hannah Light Cress was the top vote-getter in an informal poll asking fans to select the top all-time high school softball players in far Southwest Virginia.

Apr 12, 2020 at 1:00 PM
Shown is the current crop of 11-under Heaters baseball players.
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Sports Live

Wise-based Heaters teams nearing 1,000 program wins

A none-too-successful trip to Cincinnati became the start of one of Southwest Virginia’s most successful youth sports programs.

Apr 7, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Whether it be Union basketball, football, baseball, softball or volleyball, there’s an excellent chance Gary Thompson, right, is somewhere close by either keeping the scorebook or running the clock.
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Sports Live

Bulldogs or Bears, if there’s a game, there’s Gary Thompson

Don’t ask Gary Thompson about his favorite Appalachia or Union game. He’s seen too many to narrow it to just one or two. After all, the 1975 graduate of Appalachia started working basketball games even before he got out of high school.

Apr 1, 2020 at 1:00 PM
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