The Clarksville High School pitcher’s mound had No. 14 in chalk in honor of Donny Everett, who played for the Wildcats before joining Vanderbilt.
The Clarksville High School baseball field scoreboard on Friday was lit with No. 14, the former number of Donny Everett when he played for the Wildcats.
A small memorial was started at Clarksville High School’s baseball field on Friday.
CLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville community was in a state of shock and sadness Friday after learning of the death of former Clarksville High baseball standout and Vanderbilt freshman Donny Everett. As news spread of Everett’s drowning Thursday at Normandy Lake in Coffee County, the outpouring of grief was steady.
On Friday afternoon, Clarksville High baseball coaches honored the memory of Everett, 19, at the baseball field. His high school No. 14 was lit on the scoreboard in center field, and the number was lined in chalk on the pitcher’s mound.
“I’m just shocked and devastated,” Clarksville High baseball coach Brian Hetland said early Friday morning. “He had a tough year this year with injuries but was doing great down the stretch, and Vandy had huge hopes for him especially next year.
“But I’ve seen him grow in the past four years and become a huge figure in the community of baseball in Clarksville, the state of Tennessee and throughout the Southeast. Everyone knew who he was. He was a great teammate and a great senior for us at CHS, and I know he loved being in Nashville at Vanderbilt.”
Hetland said the Everett family has asked for privacy and is allowing Vanderbilt to speak for them. Vanderbilt’s team, along with coach Tim Corbin, traveled to Clarksville on Friday morning to meet with the family. The Commodores start NCAA Regional play this weekend against Xavier at Hawkins Field.
“I haven’t talked to his parents,” Hetland said. “My prayers are with them most of all. Donny was an only child, and the family is very private. I told them I didn’t want to talk with them through text, and I will talk to them at a later time if they’ll have me.”
Former teammates, opposing players and coaches have expressed concern for the family as well as shared memories of arguably the best pure baseball talent the city has produced. Montgomery Central coach Todd Dunn is the longest-tenured coach in Montgomery County, having led the Indians baseball program for the past 30 years. His memories of Everett remain strong.
“Baseball-wise, he was the most talented pitcher I’ve seen in my 30 years of coaching,” he said. “I never seen a kid throw as hard as him. He was throwing in the upper 90s. He’s the only high school kid we’ve faced that was throwing in the upper 90s. A lot of parents say their kid throws in the 90s, but they really don’t. He did.”
Everett was supremely talented at a young age and tore through the competition at the high school level, developing a fastball that could hit 99 mph as a senior last year for the Wildcats. College coaches and professional scouts were a weekly guest at his high school games during the spring and travel ballgames with the Clarksville Orioles during the summer months.
As a senior, the awards came flooding in, including the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee. It was his intensity on the mound that often left his opponents in awe.
“He is a year older than me, so he was always someone who we looked up to,” former Northeast High baseball star Justin West said. “That man was a warrior. You could see the pride he had and the fight he had on the mound. You look in his eyes, and if you’re not prepared, he was going to make you look bad in the batter’s box. He was like a real inspiration to us. And I’m not talking about just Montgomery County baseball players. There were players in other counties that looked up to him from like Dickson and Cheatham counties. Everyone was a fan.”
Everett was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 29th round of last year’s Major League Baseball draft but he bypassed a chance to turn pro to experience college life and the education offered by Vanderbilt.
Austin Peay redshirt freshman pitcher Josh Rye recalled how Everett kept things in perspective even as his athletic career took off. The pair played against each other in high school but played with each other as a member of the Orioles.
“I always thought it was interesting how humble he was,” Rye said. “Even though with his stature, he was the best player in Tennessee and pretty much in the Southeast, but he was still so humble. No matter who the opponent was, he respected the game and was able to succeed.”
Clarksville High School has not yet made arrangements for an official memorial or vigil to honor Everett, but Hetland said that it could put something together by early next week. Several of Everett’s former CHS teammates are out of town with travel ballclubs. Athletics director Shannon Cummings said the school is currently working on honoring Everett.
“We’re trying to show respect for the family and let everything go through Vanderbilt right now,” Cummings said. “My heart goes out to that family. A professional scout contacted me before last year’s draft and he said, ‘Mr. Cummings, I know about his stats but tell me about Donny, the person.’ I told him that he enjoyed life, that he enjoyed school. When the bell rang for third period to start, he was the first one in the classroom a lot of times. He had a smile on his face all the time. That’s the kind of kid he was and that’s what I told that scout.”
Autumn Allison contributed to this report. Reach George Robinson at 931-245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
