How Kentucky baseball commit Kaden Powell made impact on, off field in first year at Beech

SHACKLE ISLAND - It didn’t take Kaden Powell long to become a familiar face at Beech High School.

Transferring from Smith County at the start of the year, the Kentucky baseball commitment stepped into the starting quarterback role on the football team and has been a key piece on a Buccaneers baseball team that just secured its spot in the Class 4A TSSAA state tournament.

Powell is batting .381 with six doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 41 RBIs this season.

The sophomore, has hit three of his eight home runs in the postseason as Beech has gone 7-0, most recently defeating Lincoln County 6-0 in the second game of their sectional series last Thursday. Beech (25-14) will play Farragut (36-5) at 4 p.m. on May 21 at Siegel in its first TSSAA state tournament game.

“I was originally born here in Hendersonville and my whole family has been here, except my mom and my brother didn't graduate from here. My dad graduated from Beech and I've always wanted to come to Beech," Powell said. "(Some of my) first memories are just coming to Beech games.”

Powell’s father, Keith, played football at Beech, graduating in 1993 and later going on to coach football at his alma mater from 2008 to 2012, where he was defensive coordinator on the Buccaneer’s 2009 state championship winning team.

Powell’s uncle, Kenneth, is the principal at Beech.

When Powell transferred to Beech, already committed to Kentucky, Buccaneers baseball coach Kris McWhirter had never heard of Powell. It took only a few calls from area coaches to let McWhirter know he’d gotten a top quality player.

While his talent is obvious, it’s Powell’s off-field attributes that make him so special, McWhirter said.

“Anybody can see how great he is, you know, the way he swings the bat and the way he throws and stuff, but it's the intangibles (that) make him so wonderful …," McWhirter said. "Humble kid, good Christian kid. He doesn't get too high or low, and that's what makes him so special. It's not what he can do athletically. It's what he does mentally and the way he is as a team leader.”

It didn’t take long for colleges to begin noticing Powell’s ability on the field. While playing club ball his freshman year, he received an invite to a camp at Kentucky. The scholarship followed quickly.

“The funniest part is when we went to the camp; when we left (Kaden) didn't really think he did that good," Keith Powell said. "It was kind of just a big surprise, how it all fell out.”

Powell was quickly sold on Kentucky and after one phone call with the coaches in Lexington, the whole family was in lock step with him. Powell said his parents spoke with Wildcats coach Nick Mingione for at least 45 minutes, as he was hardly able to get a word in.

Those conversations along with Kentucky’s facilities, atmosphere and recent success made the choice easy, as Powell committed in March 2023.

Before heading off to Lexington, Powell hopes to improve upon virtually every aspect of his game in his final two years, and McWhirter believes he’s in the perfect spot to do so.

“Being here and the teams that we play — we played Farragut, we played Clarksville, Rossview, the big schools around here," McWhirter said. "And I think it's taught him that 'Hey, you know, I can't just go out here and just play, I've got to put in some work to compete with these guys. ”

While Powell has shown repeated flashes of brilliance at the plate and this season he began featuring them on the mound, a new position. While never having pitched prior to this season, Powell believes he can be a starting pitcher before leaving Beech.

“We're just touching the surface of what he's going to be by the time he gets out of here," McWhirter said. "He's already phenomenal, but give it two years and I think if he stays healthy and keeps doing his thing, he'll be just fine.”

Harrison Campbell covers high school sports and more for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Kentucky baseball commit Kaden Powell excels after transfer to Beech