by Lloyd Combs
Sports Reporter    
    Seniors Cody Billiter and John Hagy are four-year regulars who helped keep Grundy baseball alive through a difficult stretch.
    Several freshmen and sophomores, along with several promising eighth graders who will join them next year, hope to give Grundy baseball new life.
    Building a winning baseball program in Buchanan County, with few places or opportunities to play, especially between a player's little league and varsity years, is not an easy task.
   At Grundy it goes one step, and a few building blocks, at a time.
    Billiter and Hagy have helped coach Scotty Bostic keep the program going. Freshman like Cody Justus and Jonathan Kelly, if they get some help, have the potential to help the Golden Wave get things going in the right direction.
    "Cody Billiter and John Hagy have been there and stuck through some tough times with us," Bostic said. "We hope to make this year the best one they've had. I just hope these young guys have a better four years than John and Cody had to put up with. I feel like we're taking another step in the right direction.
    "New blood is going to help us. It tickles me the way they practice, diving for balls, trying to push each other. If they keep doing that, we'll be all right.
    This year I think we'll be more competitive than what we have been."
    Overall, six starters return for Grundy. Billiter, who will continue his career next year at Pikeville (Ky.)
     College, will catch when he isn't on the mound. Hagy, who, like Billiter has filled a number of spots the past four years, will see time at second base, shortstop and center field.

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     The Grundy girls and Haysi boys dominated the area's first regular season track and field meet Wednesday at Twin Valley Elementary-Middle School.
     A dozen different girls won the 13 individual events, including Misty Charles (400 meter dash), Kaitlin Christian (800 meter run) and Tabitha Whited (3200) of Grundy, which topped second-place Haysi, 156-81, in the team standings.
     The Lady Wave also picked up a win in the 4x400, or 1600 meter relay, with Charles, Holly Bowman, Kasey Bowman and Alex Stiltner.
     Grundy claimed team honors with its depth. Christian placed in five individual events, overall, and Whited placed in four.
     Other individual winners included Emily Ratliff (discus) and Katie Jo Lester (high jump) of Twin Valley and Holly Hyden (long jump) and Lynnea Robinson (300 meter hurdles) of Haysi and Mountain Mission's Adome Hailmarian (1600).
     On the boys side Chris Fleming and Caleb Powers led a Haysi squad that scored more points (212) than the other five boys teams combined.
    The Tigers won eight of 13 individual events and the 400 meter relay. Fleming (high hurdles and 300 meter hurdles) and Powers (shot put and discus) each won twice. Fleming placed in five events overall.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.