Ooltewah principal Jim Jarvis, left, congratulates Owls baseball standout Mitch Duncan on his signing a scholarship with Lee University at the high school on Thursday.
photo by Contributed
Mitch Duncan, a four-year starter for coach Brian Hitchcox’s Ooltewah baseball team, signed scholarship papers Thursday to play collegiately at Lee University.
Duncan, a versatile infielder and pitcher over his prep career, is expected to play on the infield for the Flames, coached by Mark Brew.
“It came down to just really Lee University and Walters State Community College,” Duncan said. “It’s close to home and when I visited up there I knew several of their players. It’s a good baseball program and they like to win.
“I’m really excited about having the chance to keep playing the game I love.”
There are three Chattanoogans on the Flames’ 2016 roster – McCallie’s Tyler Payne, Ooltewah’s Winston Whitener and East Hamilton’s Tyler Waters.
Duncan said Lee coaches talked mostly about him playing either third base or shortstop. Despite having played shortstop more at Ooltewah, Duncan said he now feels more comfortable playing third base.
“I feel sounder as a third baseman,” he said.
Hitchcox is one of Duncan’s biggest fans.
“He stepped right in hallway through his freshman year and played shortstop on a really good team, a team that lost 2-1 in the sectional to Riverdale,” Hitchcox said. “He’s done a good job for us ever since. He’s had a bunch of big hits and been the guy. He’s won a lot of big games for us pitching and has hit in the middle of the lineup since his sophomore year.”
That changed Thursday when Hitchcox put Duncan in the leadoff spot in a 7-2 win over South Pittsburg. Duncan had three stolen bases against the Pirates.
Hitchcox praised Duncan’s work ethic throughout his high school career and his drive to improve as a player.
“He’s an animal in the weight room, a really hard worker,” the Owls coach said. “He’s a perfect example of a guy proving that it’s not always necessary to spend $2,500 to play elite summer ball to become a better player and earn a scholarship.
“If you can play, colleges will find you. I think Lee wants him to be an infielder and I believe he’ll certainly have opportunities to play up there.”
Duncan did say that Brew did mention the possibility of him playing in a couple of tournaments this summer.
Duncan was not shy about giving Hitchcox credit for his steady progress as a player at Ooltewah.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Duncan said. “He’s taught me everything I know and made me a heck of a lot better player than when I came in here. Coach Hitchcox knows what he’s doing. My fielding mechanics are better. He’s shown the specifics of hitting; it’s more than just going up there and swinging the bat.”
Lee University is a member of the Gulf South Conference and was 28-14 overall and 16-9 in conference play as of Thursday.
Going into the South Pittsburg game, Duncan was 34 for 81 (.420 average) with four doubles, three triples and three home runs. He had driven in 21 runs and scored 23. He also had stolen 17 bases.
On the mound, Duncan is 3-1 and has 35 strikeouts in 33.1 innings with a 2.31 ERA.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)