JAXEN WAGGONERStaff Writer

This article is a final part of a summer series entitled Sports Rewind. This summer, The Manchester Times looked back at Coffee County Central High School’s 2022 Graduates that continued to play their sport at a Collegiate level. Rewind the clock and take a look at the CCCHS Class of 2022’s Freshman Year in Collegiate Sports. This series has run from May 24 to August 16, 2023.

On Jan 5, 2022, Olivia Evans signed to Tennessee Tech to play softball. “This past year has been amazing,” Evans stated. “Of course, I miss my people from Coffee County and my biology classes are hard, but I love what I’m doing and I love what I am learning. There’s always a goal to work for and another person to beat out every single day, and I hope to continue my passion for agriculture and softball for as long as I can.”

She continues, “Practices were hard at first getting used to new people and finding a way to work together seamlessly, but after a week or two I knew I was in the right place. The whole time management concept in college is way different the 6am workouts were definitely trying at the beginning. But once again I fell right into groove after a week or two, I actually started to like waking up early and starting my day with a good lift.”

The freshman year experience for Evans is different from many others. “My performance was different this year since I redshirted,” Evans said. “I can most certainly say I worked hard, loved every second of it and am ready for this upcoming season.”

That doesn’t mean this past year has been anything less than fun though. Evans recounts, “My favorite memory with Tennessee Tech Softball so far would probably have to be our Halloween inter squad and home run derby. We all dressed up as different things and tried to hit the ball as far and as hard as possible. I don’t think anyone could have laughed as hard as we did that day.”

While at Tennessee Tech, Evans is studying agribusiness management. Evans says, “I am not exactly sure what I intend on doing with it but I know I love learning about agriculture and being outside. As of right now I am leaning towards large corporation farm management, which mean I will be the head of a large farm and manage all the day to day operations. My struggle with finding my career path has been deciding if I would like to focus on crops or livestock.”

Evans continues, “Tennessee Tech has such a hold on my heart because it’s just small enough and it reminds me so much of home. They have an amazing agriculture program and of course I love my coaches and my teammates like they’re my own family.”

Although Evans is currently loving Tennessee Tech, it does not diminish her love of Coffee County. “Coffee County softball has laid a foundation for this next level, Evans explained. “I personally think that most of my physical game I learned while being at Coffee County. It has shown me to be true to who I am and how to be proud of my small town roots. Believe it or not everyone knows Coffee County and from my experience we’re known for sports and Bonnaroo.”

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.