Paxson's plight lands him in World Series

The third-ranked Senators might have found the road to the Junior College World Series a little bumpier if not for JB Paxson's presence. The freshman catcher carried a team-high .441 average to Grand Junction, Colo., where Walters State is one of the favorites to win the national championship.

Walters State plays Connors State in the double-elimination tournament on Saturday.

Tiller insisted the 6-foot-4 Paxson, a defensive lineman from Greenwood, Ind., start bulking up after signing with the Boilermakers.

"As soon as I signed, they wanted to get me up to 300 pounds and that wasn't something I wanted to do," said Paxson, who narrowed his choices to Purdue and Tennessee. "I wanted to stay where I was or drop weight."

Paxson, 19, had good reason. He didn't want to close the door on his baseball career. Anyone remember the last major league catcher to weigh 300 pounds.

Initially Purdue wouldn't release Paxson -- Tiller later changed his mind -- so Paxson's alternative was to go to a junior college to concentrate on baseball and he picked the Morristown school.

"My mom and I traveled some interstates and back roads across the country," he said.

Paxson doesn't want anyone to think he suffered.

"A lot of people in the state of Indiana think I had to go to Walters State as punishment. If he (Tiller) wants to slap me on the wrist and tell me a 56-7 record and a trip to the World Series is punishment, then I'd just as soon do it again."

Paxson likely will be packing his bags once more. Western Kentucky appears to be the front-runner for the catcher next season.

"That's the rumor as of now, but I haven't signed," he said. "I'm going to wait and see what the rest of the season brings."

Don't be surprised if another school raises the ante after the Series. Big 12 schools usually save part of the 11.7 scholarships for a World Series standout.

"It's nothing against Walters State," said Paxson, who has another year of eligibility with the Senators. "You've got to take the next step."

He scoffed at the notion of walking on any larger Division I school, including Tennessee. Vols coach Rod Delmonico scouted Paxson last fall.

"They already have a talented catcher in J.P. Arencibia," Paxson said. "They don't need two of us there and that's perfectly fine. Business is business and they did what they had to do. I'm sure they'll be back in the World Series next year."

Two of Paxson's teammates have signed with the Vols. Right fielder Chad Maddox (.395, 23 HRs, 85 RBI) and reliever Zane Stone (7-3, 3.37 ERA, 9 saves) are headed to Knoxville.

"It's really hard for your blood not to run orange," said the 5-10 Stone, a graduate of Baylor School in Chattanooga. "When I was little I always wanted to play baseball -- and football -- for UT. Fortunately for me, it's worked out."

Stone won't have the drudgery of facing Walters State's lineup in intrasquad games again. The Senators set a school record with 127 home runs and batted .350 for the season.

How do you pitch to such a lineup?

"I'd put them all on," Stone said with a laugh.

"There are no easy outs in the lineup," he said. "Not only can our guys hit really well, but after they see you a couple of times they know what you've got and your tendencies. They're gonna really be sitting on what you're throwing. You have to be really creative."

Nobody has a track record of being tougher on Stone than Maddox. The Cookeville native feasted on the right-hander.

"He's got to be like 59-for-59 against me," Stone said. "I can't get him out. No matter what I throw, he hits it. You'd think if you just threw it over the plate, he would get himself out once. It's mind-boggling."