Cal Stark Pitches In Rangers High A Game
Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
Ben Joyce was not the only former Vol and Farragut Admiral to throw a strikeout Tuesday.
Catcher Cal Stark made an unexpected appearance on the mound for the Hickory Crawdads, the High A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
Stark trotted out to the mound in the ninth inning of the Crawdads’ shutout loss to the Rome Emperors, the High A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
He only got to pitch to one Emperors batter, but Stark struck him out swinging.
Catcher Cal Stark came in to finish the 9th and struck out the only batter he faced! pic.twitter.com/s68deIGOQy
— Hickory Crawdads (@HickoryCrawdads) September 4, 2024
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Stark has found himself on the mound in the last four seasons.
Stark took the mound in 2021 for the Charlottesville Tom Sox in the Valley Baseball League, a collegiate summer league. Tuesday’s outing was a lot better than the one in 2021 as Stark gave up a hit and two earned runs while hitting a batter and walking another.
Stark was able to find his way into the pros after the national title, going undrafted to the Texas Rangers farm system.
He is actually one of two Vols from the 2024 College World Series team that currently plays for the Crawdads. Dylan Dreiling starts at left field and bats leadoff for Hickory.
