DeKalb County High School baseball’s ace pitcher for the Tigers, Patrick Cantrell, signed a letter of intent last Wednesday afternoon, announcing his intentions to play ball for Freed-Hardeman in Henderson, TN, as he moves on into his collegiate career.
Cantrell was joined by his family, along with his coaches and teammates for the signing with Freed-Hardeman, where he plans to play for the Lions next season.
Cantrell helped lead the Tigers to the Class AA Sectional last season, where they lost to Signal Mountain 3-1. The Tigers finished the year at 16-13-1, and 8-2 in the district.
When asked why he chose Freed-Hardeman, Cantrell said it had that hometown feel. “I visited the campus and went down there for a showcase, and I fell in love with their field. A couple of months later they had me down for a campus visit. Its’s a small town like ours and very beautiful. I just loved it so much,” he said.
When asked what were one of his best memories of playing for the Tigers so far Cantrell said “Probably going all the way to sub-state last year. We fell short but we are really working hard, every single one of us to get farther this season.”
Cantrell said he intends on becoming a teacher and sees baseball in his long-term future. “I am going to study education. My plan is to get my four-year degree there and then after that get my teaching license and hopefully come back here to teach and help Coach Webb with the baseball program.”
Tiger Head Baseball Coach Tad Webb had high praise for Cantrell saying he was a big contributor to the team’s success last season. “He is a major contributor to our program,” Coach Webb explained. “He is one of our leaders. This is something that he’s getting paid back for, for all the hard work and effort he’s put in over the years. I’m very proud of him at this point.”
“He’s usually our starting pitcher, our lead-off guy, and we look for him to fill the same role this year. Last season he went 9-1 with 80 plus strikeouts for the year. He was very dominant in the district for us. We had one loss in the district, but he’s one of the reasons we did what we did last year. We finished in the sectionals and got beat by Signal Mountain, but like I said, he was our ace going in and we went very far with him leading us,” said Coach Webb.
Coach Webb said Cantrell contributed not only as a pitcher, but also in the batter’s box. “He swung it well for us last year. He is in the middle of our lineup. He got hot during the season and came through in some clutch situations and he plays left field for us as well. So, it’s not just pitching for us, he’s a major component out in the field for us. He’ll play left [field] and could potentially play center this year when [Isaac] Knowles goes to the hill. He’s not just a pitcher, he’s is an everyday player for us, which we are grateful for.”
“This is a moment he has dreamed about. I know his family and everybody is proud, and as a coach and a program we’re extremely proud of him, not just for the athlete but for the way the young man carries himself and the way he conducts himself. He puts God first and that’s the way it needs to be,” Coach Webb concluded.
Freed–Hardeman is a private university associated with the Churches of Christ and located in Henderson, Tennessee. It is primarily undergraduate and residential, enrolling full-time students of traditional college age. The university also serves some commuting, part-time, and adult students on-campus and through distance-learning programs. The university offers a limited number of master’s and doctoral level graduate programs including Bible, Business, Counseling and Education. Arts, science, and professional degrees are conferred.
Freed–Hardeman teams, nicknamed athletically as the Lions and Lady Lions, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level. Until the fall 2020 semester, they primarily competed in the American Midwest Conference, but since have become part of the Mid-South Conference. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, and tennis; while women’s sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
