It is a long way from Detroit, Michigan to Roan Mountain, Tennessee, but for Cloudland High School’s baseball coach, Cory Rhodes, the journey was worth it.

Rhodes came to Cloudland in 2016, and since then he has been working to change the attitude and culture of baseball in Roan Mountain and at Cloudland High School.

“I went for a job interview for a math position in the Carter County School System, and there were eight people there to interview me,” said Rhodes. “I told them I was looking for a job teaching math and coaching baseball.

“When I said that, Mrs. (Lisa) Benfield (Cloudland’s principal) spoke up and said that was exactly what Cloudland was looking for and I was hired.

“It was a perfect fit for what I wanted.”

Roan Mountain was a major change from where he grew up and went to college.

“I thought Bristol was small, but when I came up to Roan Mountain, it was a big shock,” laughed Rhodes.   

Rhodes was born in Detroit, Michigan and his first memory is of holding a baseball.

“It feels like before I could walk, I was holding or throwing a ball. It just seemed to come naturally and some of my best memories are of playing T-ball when I was 5 or 6,” Rhodes stated.

Athletes run in Rhodes’ family. His 6’4 father played football as a lineman in college and was recruited by several colleges.  Rhodes’ brother also played baseball and football and played for a junior college.                                                                

Rhodes, himself, was a star pitcher in high school and has pitched his entire life starting when he was ten years old.

He went to the University of Central Florida for one year and transferred to Polk County Community College.

Eventually, a recruiter spotted him and gave Rhodes’ name to a scout at King College in Bristol. He graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Education from King and started playing professional baseball in 2014.

But fate would bring him to Roan Mountain during the fall of 2016 when he took the job at Cloudland.

“People wished me luck and said they had heard it was pretty rough up there,” stated Rhodes. “I knew it would be a big change for me, and I had my work cut out for me.

“The first problem I saw was the field. It was the worst field I had ever seen. We have worked very hard to make it presentable, and it is not bad today.”

That first year Rhodes only won three games beating Hancock County twice and stunning University High.

“I have tried to motivate our kids and push them to want to play better. I have tried to help them grow and mature as a baseball team. Baseball is fun, and they should be excited about playing,” said Rhodes.

Rhodes’ philosophy is to break the cycle of losing.

“The team, school and community must get tired of not being physical and ready for games,” Rhodes stated.

Going into his third year at Cloudland, he has seen some progress but he does wish he had done some things differently.

“That first couple of years I should have tried to schedule smaller schools and made the schedule easier- that way they would have had time to grow in the sport,” Rhodes said in retrospect. “I didn’t do that, and we just weren’t ready for the bigger teams. This year I have tried to schedule schools that are similar in size to us.

“I have a ten-year plan. I hope we can compete with any school within ten years and go to the state championships.”

This year he has proudly watched as every member of his team has improved. 

“Every one of the players has already improved tremendously this year,” Rhodes stated.  “I love it in Roan Mountain. I love the support from the community we receive. “We are learning that to have more people at the games we have to be more competitive.”

According to Rhodes, the community and especially the parents help him with everything that the team needs.

“One of the things we have not been able to get is a scoreboard. We don’t charge admission to the games and don’t have the money for one right now,” Rhodes commented.

“My goal is to get one for us and the fans in the near future.  As far as I know, we are the only high school baseball team in east Tennessee that doesn’t have a scoreboard.”

“I hope I have made a difference at Cloudland,” continued Rhodes. “I want to prepare each of these young men for the future and I try to have a great relationship with all my current and former players.

“I hope they have learned more than baseball from me. I hope they have learned a little about life.”

Coach Corey Rhodes is making a difference in his school and in his community one student at a time. His passion for the game and compassion for the students will help him succeed at Cloudland High.