So many unbelievable things – the Warmath family story, Kyle Ginn’s homer and the SportsCenter feature – occurred during Covington’s state title run last spring, one crucial story got overlooked.
Carter Davis, then a junior, went 7 for 10 with a homer during Covington’s first three state tournament games and pitched a complete game in a semifinal that propelled the Chargers into the state title game. He finished the season with a 9-1 pitching record and a .75 earned run average, both team bests.
One person did not overlook that storyline.
Mike Corn, the head baseball coach at Columbia State Community College, was among dozens of college coaches looking for talent that week in Murfreesboro. He took note of Davis, watched him play again last fall and eventually offered him a scholarship.
Davis, in front of teammates, coaches, family members and friends, signed with Columbia State Monday morning in the CHS library.
“It was very important but, obviously, at that time, I wasn’t thinking about a college scout being there,” Davis said when asked about his performance at state. “The goal was going in there and winning a state championship. My thinking was to do whatever I could do to help us win a championship.”
“First and foremost, Carter comes from a good, solid program and there’s something to be said for players who grow up in a tight-knit baseball community and know the value of hard work and what it takes,” Corn said. “It (his state tournament performance) certainly opened some eyes. He’s been under the big lights and performed well. That’s a good recipe for a player.”
Covington head coach Brad Warmath said Davis’ offense output in Murfreesboro was crucial, but his pitching performance in the semifinal game was probably bigger. He struck out three and allowed just five hits in a 7-3 win over Nolensville.
“Him providing us with the semifinal game allowed us to have what we considered to be our top two pitchers (Ty Warmath and Christian Delashmit) for the state championship game,” Warmath said. “Had Carter not been able to accomplish that we might not have had those two available.”
Corn said it’s to be determined if Davis will be a pitcher, position player or both once he gets to Columbia. He talked about his athleticism, versatility and character as being his best qualities as a player.
“When I speak about Carter Davis, I say he’s one of the hardest working players I’ve had the luxury of coaching,” Warmath said. “He works hard and he’s very coachable. That’s something you really want as a coach. He’s very mature for his age. We’re going to lean on him this year as he becomes the man for us.”
