Mavs fall just short of Spring Fling return
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Anderson County’s Conner Dabney dives safely back to first base ahead of a pickoff attempt during the Mavericks’ Class 3A sectional game against Greeneville at Pioneer Park. Anderson County carried a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning before the defending state champion Green Devils rallied for four runs to claim the victory and end the Mavericks’ season, one win shy of the state tournament. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County catcher Nolan Benson snares a pitch behind the plate during the Mavericks’ TSSAA Class 3A sectional game against Greeneville at Tusculum University on Thursday, May 14. Benson reached base on a walk Thursday after collecting two hits and scoring Anderson County’s lone run in Game 1 of the series Wednesday night. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County Coach Josh Boynton delivers a pregame message to the Mavericks before Game 2 of the TSSAA Class 3A sectional series against Greeneville at Tusculum University on Thursday, May 14. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Jackson Harris races from second to third base after a hit to center field during Game 2 of the Mavericks’ TSSAA Class 3A sectional series against Greeneville at Tusculum University on Thursday, May 14. Harris collected a team-high three hits in the contest. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Jeremiah Owens makes a running catch in deep left-center field during the Mavericks’ TSSAA Class 3A sectional game against Greeneville at Tusculum University on Thursday, May 14. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Kris Pelliccio fires a pitch during Game 2 of the Mavericks’ TSSAA Class 3A sectional series against Greeneville at Tusculum University on Thursday, May 14. The Pikeville signee pitched six innings, throwing 68 strikes on 116 pitches. - Tony Cox
Anderson County High School narrowly missed making a return trip to Murfreesboro and the Class AAA state baseball tournament.
The Mavericks, who won the District 4-AAA regular-season championship, finished runner-up in both the District 4-AAA tournament and the Region 2-AAA tournament to earn a trip to the sectional round of the state playoffs.
Anderson County’s opponent in the best-of-three series was defending state champion Greeneville.
Things didn’t go the Mavericks’ way as they were swept by the Greene Devils at Tusculum University.
Anderson County got off to a good start in Game 1 of the series, which was played Wednesday, May 13, but fell 9-1 in the opener.
Greeneville scored nine unanswered runs after Mavericks leadoff hitter Nolan Benson scored the game’s first run with the help of an error by the Greene Devils.
Benson went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Wil Ridenour singled and drove in a run.
Anderson County managed just five hits and committed four errors.
In Game 2 on Thursday, the Mavericks opened a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. They extended their advantage to 2-0 in the fourth, only to see the Greene Devils storm back with four runs in the top of the seventh to claim the win and the series.
Jackson Harris sparked the Mavericks’ attack as he went 3-for-3. He scored one run and drove in another. Blake Lowe was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Clay Fletcher was 1-for-3 and scored a run.
“We came into the season knowing that, in our district, Gibbs was going to be good, so we played the role of the underdog,” Anderson County Coach Josh Boynton said.
“We knew that going to Greeneville was going to be tough. You have the defending state champ and they have a ton of guys back.
“So I played the role of the underdog again, and I told them that no one outside of Anderson County was giving us a chance,” the coach said. “Greeneville is a good team, and good teams find a way to win. We got into the box, and we were ready to compete.”
It was an up-and-down season for ACHS, which finished 26-22 in 2026. But Boynton was pleased with his team’s effort.
“No doubt, the expectation this year was to have another successful season, but 22 losses is not great, but we played a tough schedule,” Boynton said. “Hardin Valley is good. Oak Ridge is good, and Halls was good.
“The teams we saw at the beach were good. When we were down there, we saw a Louisville commit, and he shoved it up our tail. It wasn’t great in the moment, but when our kids got to Greeneville, they weren’t scared. They were ready to go, and they were ready to compete, and that’s all I can ask for as a coach.”
Anderson County, which reached the Class AAA state tournament in 2025, will miss the Spring Fling this year, but Boynton said he is pleased with the direction of the program.
“When I got the job five years ago, my goal was to have the program continue to be on the rise,” he said. “You knew last year was tough to top.
“We had 31 wins last year, and that was the second most wins in team history, so we knew getting back to 31 was going to be tough. Our goal was to get 20 wins. If you get 20 wins in a baseball season, you’ve had a successful year.
“The season was kind of like a roller coaster. We won some games that I thought were going to be hard for us to win, then we lost some games that I thought there was no way we should lose. It was up and down emotionally. But I don’t want the kids to hold their heads down because we didn’t make it back to Murfreesboro.”
The Mavs will lose nine seniors who left their mark on the program. Boynton, however, remains optimistic about the future.
“Our expectation at Anderson County is that we’re going to be back next year,” he said. “We’re going to compete for a district championship, and we’re going to compete for a region championship, and we’re going to try to get back to Murfreesboro.”
