Puryear diamond in the rough

By Adam Krohn
adamkrohn@daltoncitizen.com

July 02, 2008 11:09 pm

— If championships are won with hard work in the offseason, look out for Murray County’s Chandler Puryear and the Indians baseball team next spring.
Puryear put up big numbers from the mound for the Indians, who finished with an impressive 21-5 summer league record, according to coach Jason Lanham. Last weekend, Murray closed the season by defeating Northwest Whitfield, 5-3, and winning the Dizzy Dean tournament in Chatsworth.
The Indians either finished first or second in every tournament they played in this summer. In addition to the Dizzy Dean tourney, the Indians also won the Mossy Creek Classic in Dandridge, Tenn. They were runners-up in the Johnson City, Tenn., tournament and the Battlefiled Classic at Northwest.
But the story of the summer was Puryear, who went 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 27 walks in 29 2/3 innings. He allowed 15 hits and led a stingy three-man rotation that also included Tyler Jones (4-2, 2.71) and Ryan Greeson (3-1, 2.10).
“I just had a really good rhythm,” Puryear said. “I threw a lot of strikes to get ahead in the count. Once I did that, I could throw the way I wanted to. I never broke that rhythm.”
Puryear’s best performance came in a 13-5 thrashing of rival Dalton High in the Dizzy Dean tournament, in which he went the distance, struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run.
After two high school seasons in rugged Region 5-5A, the Indians are hopeful of turning around their fortunes when they begin competing in Region 7-4A next year, and Puryear is setting his sights high.
“We want to go to the playoffs and make a run,” Puryear said. “We’ve never played some of those schools in our region, and some are old rivalries. It will be good competition for us.”
Lanham has even loftier goals in mind for his talented left-hander.
“We’ve got big expectations for Chandler,” Lanham said. “We’re aiming for a college scholarship. He’s a fantastic player with a gigantic upside. He’s got a calm, cool and collected demeanor and he’s always in control. He’s a real leader on the field and we expect him to be a big component in our program.”
As impressive as Puryear’s pitching was this summer, one of his primary offseason objectives is to get even better on the mound by improving his arm strength. To do so, Puryear will participate in long-toss drills and bullpen sessions, along with special workouts for his triceps.
“The goal is to add velocity and work on my accuracy so that I’m hitting my spots,” Puryear said. “I want to improve my pitching as much as I can.”
But baseball is only half of Puryear’s workload. He also doubles as a standout for coach Greg Linder’s basketball team. Last season, Puryear lead the team in rebounds with six a game and was a defensive force.
Linder has seen Puryear develop over the past three seasons.
“He’s steadily improved every year he’s been in the program,” Linder said. “He’s a smart player that understands the game. And he understands his strengths and weaknesses and with that, he’s able to be successful.”
Linder wants Puryear to be quicker and more explosive next season so that he can be even more of a force in the front court. Toward that end, Puryear is hard at work every week with four days of weightlifting and two days set aside for speed training.
The coach has been pleased with Puryear’s effort thus far.
“I can’t say enough about how hard he’s worked,” Linder said. “He’s a two-sport athlete, which takes up all of his time in the summer, and he works hard to better himself in both sports.”
On the hardwood, the Indians have enjoyed success similar to the baseball team. In a scrimmage against Polk County, the Indians won by 35 points, with Puryear leading the way with his trademark defense and shot-blocking.
“I think we’re playing really good together,” Puryear said. “Unity is a big thing for us.”
Linder expects Puryear to be a team leader in his senior season.
“On and off the floor,” Linder said.
Puryear will gladly assume the added re-sponsibilities.
“The leadership role is real important to me because other people look up to you,” he said. “You’re expected to exceed the bare minimum in practices and games and go the extra mile, go above and beyond. I’m ready.”

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.