Top-ranked Holmes County chasing another ring
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Holmes County baseball team has surged to the top of the Rural Classification rankings and chasing its second state championship in four years.
The Blue Devils (13-3) look every bit a state title contender through the first half of the season.
Their only losses are to much larger high schools, including Arnold who they beat in their second matchup 9-1.
Holmes County is 6-0 against teams in the Rural Class and they defeated the defending state champions, Jay, in a come-from-behind thriller earlier this week.
Senior catcher and former Blountstown baseball standout, Tristan King transferred to Holmes County this spring in an attempt to help chase a state championship. He said the team has an incredible attention to detail which fuels their success.
'You can't go into a game and think, 'Oh, our goal for this game is to win the game,'' King said. 'You've got to win every pitch and every inning. You know, you take care of the little stuff and the big stuff can take care of itself.'
While the Blue Devils have five players with a .400 batting average or better (Bryant Mathis, Tristan King, Lyndan Flanary, Colby Powell, Rayce Griffin), their defense is their biggest strength.
Florida State University commit Lydan Flanary and Northwest Florida State signee Bradley Garrett lead a group of eight pitchers who have appeared on the mound this season.
Five pitchers have notched at least one win and Holmes County head coach Jeromy Powell says it has been a process to determine which arm to play in a particular situation.
'Getting all these guys on the mound when they need to be and when they want to be, it's two different times,' Powell said. 'You know what I'm saying? It's hard to balance it at times. But the locker room is bought into what we're doing and they understand what's going on. It was tougher at the beginning of the year, but it's something that we're really working out as we go.'
The Blue Devils have a mix of veteran leadership and veteran talent which is a perfect recipe for a deep playoff run.
Senior pitcher Bradley Garrett said the team's chemistry off of the field helps things on the field run smoothly.
'We really get together well on the field,' Garrett said. 'And another thing that helps that is we hang out a lot outside of baseball. So, it's not just baseball keeping us together and growing us close, we try to spend time together outside of baseball.'
As the top-ranked team in the Rural Class, Holmes County certainly has the rest of the state on high alert.
The consensus around the Blue Devils dugout is that a second state championship in four years in their only goal.
'I think we all believe in our hearts and know where we should be at the end of the season,' King said. 'And we know we go out there and do the little things and play the game the right way, we'll play with anybody no matter how big of a school it is, no matter who's on either side of the field.'
The Blue Devils will return from spring break with a road game at No. 8 ranked Cottondale on Monday, March 24.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports Betsy King grew up on 30 acres of land in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she honed a golf swing that would eventually land her in the LPGA and World Golf halls of fame. But golf wasn't her only passion. When older brother Lee left the house, mom often said, 'Take your sister.' And that's how King wound up playing baseball, basketball, hockey and, in elementary school, and tackle football with the neighborhood boys. Those memories come flooding back when King, a six-time major winner, sees biological males competing against females across the country. 'You know, when I was playing with the boys,' said King, 'I mean, it definitely helped my competitiveness to play then against other girls. But I was just trying to play well enough that that they would let me play. Obviously, even at that age, there was a physical difference.' Last week, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles made headlines when she called NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines a 'bully' and 'sore loser' for her criticism of biological boys competing in women's sports – in this particular instance, a high school state championship. Four days later, Biles apologized for her comments. 'In my mind, all I could think about is if a transgender woman started competing in what she (Biles) does, I think they could dominate,' said King, 'without a doubt.' Last December, the LPGA and U.S. Golf Association announced changes to their transgender policies that prohibit athletes who have experienced male puberty from competing in women's events. The move came as transgender golfer Hailey Davidson earned status on the LPGA's developmental Epson Tour. Sources say only a handful of LPGA players were in favor of allowing transgender athletes to compete. Even so, for King, the fight is far from over. Now she'd like to see a federal law put into place that would restrict the participation of biological males in female sports. In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called on the government to "rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities." But that hasn't kept it from happening at high school competitions across the country. President Trump said last week that California would face large-scale fines after a transgender athlete won two medals in the state's track and field championship. 'I just feel badly for the high school girls that have to face it,' said King. 'You know, I've seen a couple of them on TV talking about it. And it really bothers me that the adults haven't stood up for these girls as much as they should.' As for the LPGA's new policy, King would like to see the tour return to a female-at-birth mandate, calling the trend of childhood transitions frightening. "I don't know that at 7 years old, if you really know what you are, who you are, or know what you want to do, to make a decision that will impact you the rest of your life," said King. "We don't listen to many 7-year-olds about a lot of things, right? That you would decide to listen to them about this is kind of frightening." A New York Times/Ipsos survey released in January 2025 found that 79 percent of Americans polled were against allowing biological males who identify as women to participate in women's sports. And yet, so few Hall of Fame-caliber female athletes have come out publicly against it. King, 69, posts frequently about the topic on social media and was especially disheartened recently when, during a floor debate on the Save Women's Sports Act, Pennsylvania state senator Lindsey Williams said, 'I want all girls to know that there are elected officials like me who believe female bodies are just as strong and fast and capable as male bodies.' King said she found Williams' comments to be ridiculous and went searching to confirm they weren't a parody. Five years ago, tennis icon Billie Jean King joined World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe, the WNBA's Candace Parker and nearly 200 athletes in supporting transgender youth participation in sports as part of a response to Idaho legislation that banned trans girls from competing in schools. 'There is no place in any sport for discrimination of any kind,' Billie Jean King said in a Women's Sports Foundation release. 'I'm proud to support all transgender athletes who simply want the access and opportunity to compete in the sport they love. The global athletic community grows stronger when we welcome and champion all athletes – including LGBTQI+ athletes.' Another tennis icon, Martina Navratilova, however, sees it differently than Billie Jean and has been vocal about the subject for years. She's one of the few decorated female athletes to do so. Growing up, Betsy King didn't have the same opportunities as her brother to play organized sports. As a three-sport athlete at Furman, King recalled going to the president's office each year with other female athletes to ask for more money. Female athletes stood up more back then, she noted, out of necessity. Some in King's circle and beyond have commented that there are more pressing issues currently facing the country. Her response: It's possible to be concerned about more than one subject. For example, in September, she'll head back to Africa for the umpteenth time (26th or 27th, she's not sure) to check in on some schools her Arizona church funds in Tanzania. After winning 34 times on the LPGA, King launched her Golf Fore Africa foundation in 2007 and raised roughly $20 million for World Vision, enough to fund 400 wells, at least 50 mechanized water systems and eight maternity wings for local hospitals. Though her work with the foundation has come to an end, she's finding more ways to use her platform. 'You know, I have nothing to lose,' said King on the divisive gender topic. 'I don't have any sponsorships at this stage. I've always been kind of outspoken and strong about values that I think even if I were playing, I would speak up.' Her mother, Helen Szymkowicz King, graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1940 and was elected into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame as a three-sport athlete. King looks at how much the landscape has changed for women's sports in recent decades and views the transgender debate as a step backward. 'Many of us fought for places to compete when none existed,' King said. 'We cannot surrender our sports or our spaces.' Put another way by one of golf's most decorated American players: It's simply not fair.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid jersey number confirmed
The squad number set to be afforded to incoming Real Madrid signing Trent Alexander-Arnold for the upcoming Club World Cup has on Wednesday been revealed. The number in question? 12. A long-running saga surrounding defender Alexander-Arnold's future was of course finally brought to an end last month. Advertisement This came upon Real Madrid announcing the signing of the Englishman, ahead of the expiration of his contract with Liverpool at the end of June. Alexander-Arnold had since finished out the 2024/25 campaign at Anfield, before linking up with the England national team squad for a pair of fixtures against Andorra and Senegal. On Thursday, though, the 26-year-old will at last be presented in front of the media in Blancos colours. And as alluded to above, the evening prior, confirmation of the jersey number set to be donned by Alexander-Arnold has been provided. As showcased below, in Xabi Alonso's official squad for the Club World Cup, the right-back has been pencilled in as no.12: Conor Laird – GSFN


NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Chris Pollard hired as Virginia's baseball coach after 13 seasons at Duke
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Chris Pollard has been hired as Virginia's baseball coach after spending the past 13 seasons at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke. Virginia athletic director Carla Williams on Tuesday announced the successor to Brian O'Connor, who left June 1 to take the job at Mississippi State. Pollard was 420-296 and led the Blue Devils to seven NCAA regionals, four super regionals and two ACC Tournament championships. Duke hosted a super regional this season, losing in three games to Murray State. Pollard is 806-614-3 in 26 seasons as a head coach. He also has coached at Pfeiffer (2000-04), Appalachian State (2005-12) and Duke (2013-25). As he did at Duke in 2025, Pollard led Appalachian State to the NCAA Tournament during his final season with the Mountaineers in 2012. The Blue Devils are coming off back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in program history. Pollard takes over a Virginia program that went to 18 NCAA regionals, nine super regionals and seven College World Series in 22 seasons under O'Connor. The 2015 team won the national championship. Virginia went 32-18 this season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.