Spirits high as Austin-East continues to build baseball program
By Ken Lay
The 2025 high school baseball season is scheduled to begin today (March 3) for most area teams and athletes at Knox County’s Austin-East High School are just grateful to take the field for a fourth consecutive season.
Austin-East rebooted its baseball season in 2022 after a seven-year hiatus, and Michael Gladney will return for his senior season, which officially begins Tuesday night when the Roadrunners head to Karns to take on the Beavers at “Chief” Dwight Smith Field.
Gladney, who also had a football career at Austin-East, has been with the baseball program since the first day that coach Kaylin Chesney decided to reboot the program, which hadn’t played a full season since 2015.
“Michael is our center fielder and he’s a four-year starter. He’s come back and he’s continued to get better,” Chesney said at the second annual East Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Media Day, which was held Wednesday at Dick’s House of Sport at West Town Mall.
Gladney is one of two veteran players to attend last week’s event. Junior shortstop Tyler Scott was also there and he’s back for his third baseball season with the Roadrunners
Like Gladney, Scott is also a football player. But he’s also no stranger to baseball or Chesney.
“Tyler’s a junior and he’s our shortstop and he’ll pitch some for us,” Chesney said. “I actually coached him in tee ball.”
Since its return to baseball, Austin-East has struggled. The team, however, continues to hit the field and battle.
Wins have been few but that doesn’t mean the game hasn’t had a positive impact on those who don the Blue and Red.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth,” Gladney said. “I’m really excited for the new season and I’m looking forward to going out there and playing with my friends.
“It’s tough sometimes, but it’s fun.”
Baseball has long been a summer pastime in Knoxville and it sometimes all begins in city parks for younger players. It’s a fun game.
It can also, however, be a cruel mistress as players can go through some prolonged slumps at the plate and sometimes have problems finding the strike zone from the mound.
But the challenges are what kept Gladney coming back to the ballpark every day.
“What appeals to me is the challenge. It’s not an easy game but I will accept this challenge,” he said. “That’s how life is.
“Life is hard. Life is not easy.”
Scott has also seen the program grow and he loves that his teammates are back at practice every day.
“It’s just great to see people keep coming back,” he said. “The more you keep practicing and the more you play, the better you keep getting and the more chances you have to win.
Scott’s desire to continue to play the game is driven by one simple factor. He wants to win.
“The thing that really appeals to me is the motivation to win,” he said.
Gladney, Scott and others on the 2025 Austin-East squad are relishing the opportunity that they wouldn’t have had if Chesney hadn’t taken the bold chance and rebooted a program that had been dormant since 2015.
But the coach said that he’s had the East Knoxville Community’s support as people have rallied behind the program.
“We’ve had the support from the community,” Chesney said. “The community has really rallied behind these guys, this team.”
When Chesney decided to bring baseball back to Austin-East, he had to recruit players in the hallways.
He hasn’t had to do as much of that lately.
“I’m excited that these guys keep coming back, and now we’ve reached the point where people are coming to Austin-East to play baseball, so I don’t have to go out and find players,” Chesney said.
A new home for the Roadrunners: Excitement is palpable around the Austin-East program and now, after three full seasons, the Roadrunners will have a home field that will belong exclusively to them.
“This year, we will have games at home at our field on campus,” said Chesney, a 2000 Austin-East graduate.
After opening the season away from home for its first five games, Austin-East will play its first home game on March 15 as it hosts Tyner at 2 p.m.
