Senior southpaw hurler Jordan Burchett headlines a small, but talented roster for Webb's baseball team. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

"I do nothing different than I did at the college level," Rhoton said. "The big difference is numbers and we don't have near as many athletes here as we did at the college level.

"But, we don't water anything down because baseball is baseball no matter what age.

"You have to take a little different approach than what I'm used to, but it's been fun teaching because I'm doing a lot more of that than I have over the years and I enjoy that."

Speaking of numbers, Webb only has a dozen kids on the squad. However, a good core is back to help lead the team.

"Our down side is numbers," Rhoton said. "We've got 12 kids out and a couple of them are new to baseball, so it's a learning process. There's a pretty solid nucleus back from last year…the Foutch brothers and the Burchett brothers. They give us a nice base to work with because all four of them are athletic.

"The attitude of the boys has really been good and some of them are really excited about the chance that they have this year, so hopefully that will parlay into something positive."

Following the postseason run of the basketball team, Rhoton has had a little less time to prepare for the 2008 campaign.

"Nine players played basketball, so we're a little behind," he said. "But that's a good thing because they had such a good year (in basketball). We'll be ready by the time it rolls into April and hopefully into tournament time."

The Feet open the season March 13 at Cornersville.

Schedule a challenge for lacrosse team

Cody Rooks and the Feet are looking for a return trip to the TSLA quarterfinals. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

Feet lacrosse coach Jamison Fee pulls no punches. He realizes it could be a tough year for his young squad.

"We are facing a tough season this year, however, we should stand to finish well despite facing the traditional regional powerhouses of McCallie and MBA," Fee said. "In order to make it to the TSLA quarterfinals we have to defeat either Ravenwood, last year's Division I state champions, or Farragut, which I strongly believe is possible."

In order to accomplish that goal, Fee relies on a couple of key attackers and a solid defense.

"Our strength is in the offensive leadership of returning attackmen Robert McKee and Cody Rooks as well as in the seasoned defensive team, including goalie Scotty Wisniewski, in-close defensemen Stephen Barton, Chris Pruter, and newly-designated long pole Rob Steele," Fee said. "Our midfield is led by a triumvirate of seniors, Ty Travis, Luke Corley, and Robert Bray."

Despite an early 10-5 loss to Webb-Knoxville, where they relinquished the Founder's Cup, Fee says his lacrosse program has a lot to look forward to.

"The future of Webb lacrosse continues to build as we field the third junior varsity team and the Webb Middle School team is being coached by former Webb athletes Alan Stimpson and Rhea Hyatt," he said.

Soccer success appears likely

With a strong finish to the 2007 season and a solid nucleus returning, Webb soccer is primed for a very successful season this spring.

"Everybody is really excited about the season starting. We had a good finish to the season last year and we have a lot of young guys coming in that gives us a good mix with our older players," Feet soccer coach Adrian Anderson said.

Leading the Webb charge will be senior Sean Kim and junior Kwan Ho. Zack Crownover will be in goal for the Feet, while Daniel Hoover guides the defense on the back line.

"Our speed with the ball… we're real quick," said Anderson , regarding the main strength of his squad. "A lot of the teams we play have good athletes and are quick. We can match them with all-out speed as well as speed with the ball and that makes a big difference. That's really what it takes to be a good soccer team."

The Feet expect to have a legitimate chance to bring home the Division II-A East/Middle Region championship and make a serious run in the postseason.

"We played all the same teams last year and they know what we've got," Anderson said. "We're going to have to work for it, but it's all right there for us."

Webb opens with a scrimmage Thursday at Franklin County before beginning the regular season Tuesday at Riverside Christian.

Softball: Younger but much improved

The Webb softball squad enters the 2008 season with an abundance of youth but expects to be much more competitive than a year ago.

"With three eighth graders starting and no seniors, I expect it to be a year of growth," said Lady Feet skipper James Garcia, whose team hopes to improve from a 1-13 mark last year. "If they can learn from mistakes and be aggressive, I see no reason why we won't have a better year than 2007."

Freshman Elizabeth Lawrence and sophomore Savannah Scarlett will shoulder much of the leadership on the diamond.

"Just like basketball, (Lawrence) will be asked to do a lot for the softball program. She will be starting at shortstop and should improve upon a successful eighth grade year," Garcia said. "With an extra year of work Savannah will be carrying the load at pitcher. She had some nice games as a freshman but was wild at times. If she cuts down on the walks, we should be competing in a lot of our games."

Caitlin Simpson and Anne Windham also add additional depth for the Lady Feet.

"After sitting out a year, Caitlin brings a good amount of experience to the team. She will be asked to carry a great deal of the offensive load and create havoc on the base paths," Garcia added. "Anne did a great job as a freshman in centerfield and will need to have a repeat performance for us to be competitive."

Webb hopes to be playing its best ball of the season when tournament time rolls around.

"We should be competitive this season in our region. Davidson Academy will be tough and is the favorite to win the region," Garcia said. "St. Andrew's-Sewanee, University School of Nashville along with us will be competing for that second spot and a trip to the state tournament."

New players join tennis veterans

The Webb girls and boys tennis team head to the hardcourts with a solid mix of veterans and newcomers.

"We're all very excited and we have reason to be as well," Feet tennis coach Mike Rich said. "We have a lot of returning players who are seasoned and a couple of new eighth graders that are really good on the boys teams and veterans on the girls team."

Jai Chi returns to hold down the top position for the Webb boys, while Pratik Patel transitions from basketball to take over the No. 2 spot for the Feet.

Meanwhile, Katherine Caldwell will play No. 1 for the Lady Feet as Billy Hill follows up in the second position.

A total of 16 girls and boys combined make up the roster for Webb.

"We're very deep and I don't think anyone is head and shoulders above anyone else on our boys and girls team," Rich said. "Top to bottom I think we're going to be really deep and really competitive."