Stories
Varsity Baseball 3/13/24 & 3/18/24

CHA Varsity Baseball vs. Faith Hurt and RVCS
Christian Heritage Academy Varsity Baseball team started the season off with a win. Their first away game against Faith Christian Hurt on March 13, 2024, resulted in a final winning score of 13-1. At 4:30 pm, the varsity team set out with a well rounded team of seniors, juniors, and sophomores. This team has been together for one previous season. Hunter Manning and Gavin Hodges, both sophomores, pitched for CHA for this game. Manning, CHA’s starting pitcher, struck out nine players. Christian Heritage Academy Varsity Knights stole a staggering total of 13 bases throughout the game. Tommy Rooney, Brodey Oakes, Ty Turner, and Hodges contributed to stealing these bases. Overall, the Varsity Baseball Team collected ten hits. Will Grey and Dylan Mullins secured a lead for CHA. Their batting developed plays in which their teammates could make three runs.
CHA didn’t just perform significantly in those areas; they made zero mistakes in the field, thanks to Rooney. CHA’s Varsity Baseball team is off to a great start this year with such a talented team. They continued this with their first home game against Roanoke Valley Christian School. The game took place at Waid Park at 4:30 pm. CHA had a tight game nearing the end, but they held their own. They ended the game with a final score of 5-7. Manning continued to prove his pitching skills by striking out 12 players of the RVCS baseball team. He also had the highest batting percentage; he was 3-for-4. In the first inning, Oakes took a hit from the pitcher, which resulted in a run. Colston Rooney helped build a lead in the first inning by doubling and scoring two runs. CHA was up by three at the end of the first inning. Rooney later on showed up as a relief batter, batting two runs. Rooney secured the bag for CHA by scoring half of the CHA’s points. In the fourth inning, RVCS started gaining on CHA, and they began to put up numbers on the scoreboard. However, CHA managed to keep their lead and won the game. CHA’s Varsity Baseball team gained two consecutive wins early in the season.
2023-24 Spring Sports

Christian Heritage Academy Knights kicked off their spring athletic season on Tuesday, February 20th. CHA’s five spring athletic teams consist of middle school and varsity baseball, middle school girl’s soccer, middle school softball, and middle school and varsity track and field.
CHA’s middle school baseball team has a new head coach, Wallace Chitwood, while Scottie Manning will coach the CHA varsity baseball team again this year.
Jennifer Overstreet will be the head coach again for this spring’s Middle School Girls Soccer team. Last spring was the first year in many that CHA fielded a declared girls' soccer team, and Overstreet led them to win the VACA State Championship. We are excited to see what this season has in store for this team.
This will be the third season that CHA has fielded a softball team. This year’s head coach is CHA Bible teacher and Rocky Mount Church of God Pastor Rob Meredith.
Todd King will once again coach the Track Team. CHA’s track team has been incredibly successful over the past few years, winning several VACA State Championship titles for the Middle School Boys and Middle School and Varsity Girls teams.
F.L. Slough, the new Athletic Director at CHA, said, “Spring sports are always an exciting time to begin, with greener grass, longer days, and warmer weather. I'm eager to see our teams in action.”
Quality Start: 2018 Knights Baseball Season Recap

So it wasn't the first baseball season in the history of Christian Heritage Academy (CHA), but to say that it was the first season of relevancy wouldn't be much of an understatement.

"In our first baseball team meeting at the beginning of the season, I discussed with the guys about wanting them to be the foundation of many years of baseball to come at CHA," first year head coach Brad Cassady said in a note to the school. Cassady's group did more than lay a foundation — they fortified the future of the team with a successful year, tallying three wins against Temple and a season sweep of Timberlake. The majority of the team's practices were held on a soccer field, and when it had the opportunity to play on its home field at Waidsboro Ruritan Field, it was considered a luxury. Cassady can't help but be elated with his team's level of production with everything considered. "I couldn’t be more proud of them," he said. "...[We] were in almost every game we played down to the last out."

In a season that desperately needed consistency, Anthony Turner provided that on both sides of the baseball. Specifically, pitching, where Turner undeniably dominated over the course of the season. The team's Most Valuable Player racked up three wins over the duration with over 75 strikeouts, including his no-hit, 20 punch-out performance against Timberlake Apr. 23. Ethan Riddle's opening plate appearance of the season cannot be forgotten among the season highlights, too, where he homered in the Knights' 10-0 victory against Temple. Riddle also won the team award for the Offensive Player of the Year. "The season was a win in my book," Cassady added. "...They [the team] deserve to hold their heads high and be proud of all that they have accomplished, and they have definitely set the bar high for next year’s team."
About the Author |
|
![]() |
James Cameron Ross is currently a Media Studies major at the University of Virginia. Ross is a former student athlete at CHA and member of the Class of 2014. |