December 16, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
Patrick Cantrell, a senior and ace pitcher for the DCHS Tiger baseball team signed a letter of intent with Freed-Hardeman University on Wednesday to play collegiate ball for the Lions after he graduates.
Joining Cantrell at the signing were members of his family, coach, and teammates.
Last year, Cantrell was 9-1 on the mound and helped lead the Tigers to the Class AA Sectional where they lost to Signal Mountain 3-1 on May 21. The Tigers finished the year 16-13-1 with an 8-2 district mark.
Cantrell said he took a shine to Freed-Hardeman the moment he visited the campus.
“I 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.
Cantrell plans to become a teacher and baseball coach after he completes his college education.
“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,” said Cantrell.
Although he has shared many great moments with his teammates, with perhaps still more yet to come as another high school baseball season looms on the horizon, Cantrell said the one that will always standout for him is last year’s appearance in the state sectional. “Probably going all the way to sub-state last year is my most memorable experience as a player. We fell short but we are really working hard, every single one of us to get farther this season,” added Cantrell.
Tiger Coach Tad Webb said Cantrell’s dominant pitching performance was a key ingredient to the team’s success last year.
“He is a major contributor to our program. He is one of our leaders. This last season he went 9-1 with 80 plus strikeouts for the year. He was very dominant in the district. We finished in the sectionals and lost to Signal Mountain, but he was our ace going in and we went very far with him leading us,” said Coach Webb.
Although known for his pitching prowess, Coach Webb said Cantrell contributes as a hitter and outfielder.
“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 is also a major component out in the field for us. He plays left field and could potentially play center this year when (Isaac) Knowles goes to the hill so Patrick is not just a pitcher. He is an everyday player for us which we are grateful for”.
Coach Webb added that his star pitcher has earned his accolades and is proud that Cantrell will be taking his athletic talents to the next level after his high school days are done.
“This is a moment he has dreamed about, and it is something he is getting paid for with all the hard work and effort he has put in over the years. I know his family is proud of him. We are equally proud of him as a coach and a program but not just for the athlete he is but for the young man he is as well. We’re proud of the way he conducts himself. He puts God first and that’s the way it needs to be,” said Coach Webb.
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.