Fish signs with Campbell University

Rocky Mount senior catcher Ben Fish signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Campbell University Thursday evening after the school's winter/spring sports banquet.

Pictured above (l-r) on the front row are father Don Fish, Fish and mother Ashley Fish. On the back row are RMHS assistant baseball coach Kent Cox, head baseball coach Pat Smith, assistant coaches Tom Jones and Hank Jones and RMHS athletic director Mike Gainey.

Fish finished the 2009 season as the team's leading hitter with a .427 average (32/75) and tops on the list in runs batted in with 28. He also had six doubles, three home runs and scored 20 times.

He completed his three-year varsity career with a school record 81 RBI, to go along with his 71 runs scored, 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He finished his career with 95 hits (fourth highest in school history) and a batting aveage of .380.

Bulldogs ease in through the back door

I was totally shocked, but extremely happy that Nash Central's varsity baseball team made the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs. The pairings were released by the NCHSAA Wednesday.

But how happy should I be?

The Bulldogs, who closed out the regular season with a 7-13 record, received a wild card entry into the postseason and will travel to face Coastal No. 1 seed D.H. Conley (14-9) in Hollywood Friday evening.

Three years ago, Nash Central made the playoffs as a wild card, but it had a whopping15 victories and a decent chance of making some headway in the playoffs. However, things must have been pretty bad in the eastern 3-A ranks this season for a wild card to get in with seven wins.

SouthWest Edgecombe must be really kicking itself. It had eight wins, but needed just one more win in NEW 6 play last week to head to the diamond party.

Who could've seen this coming? Early reports to me suggested either Eastern or Western Alamance had the wild cards spots sewn up.

But when Northern Guilford had to forfeit all its baseball wins Wednesday (as well as its boys 3-A basketball state title) as part of the school's messy multi-sport ineligibility scandal that is still ongoing, the door for the Bulldogs may have opened.

I wish the 'Dogs luck. They will need it!

The rest of the NEW 6: Rocky Mount will get the postseason party started Thursday when it hosts Eastern Carolina No. 4 seed Southern Wayne (12-14). Game time is 7 p.m.

Friday, weather permitting (my guess is that no one will get a game in around here Friday), NEW 6 No. 2 seed Northern Nash (14-7) will host Bartlett Yancey at 7 p.m. Early notice on the Knights' opponent was off, too.

At first, some thought Dudley would be coming to Red Oak, then it changed to Northern Guilford. But things can change in a couple of days, so the school that produced WTVD11's Larry Stogner will be headed to Nash County.

Southern Nash (8-13), the NEW 6 No. 4 seed, will travel to Erwin to face Cape Fear Valley No. 2 Triton (18-5) Friday. NEW 6 No. 3 Wilson Fike (12-8) will visit ECC No. 2 seed C.B. Aycock (18-6) and play each other for the third time this season come Friday.

Really early start: Two teams in the east got the playoffs going even earlier than Rocky Mount and Southern Wayne.

West Carteret and Currituck played their 3-A east opener in Barco Wednesday, with the Patriots winning on the road 10-1. They now await the winner of the Eastern Wayne-Northeast Guilford contest next Tuesday.

RMHS baseball stat leaders

Now that the regular season is technically over, you might want a gander at the Gryphons' team stat leaders - after 20 games. Here is the top five in each category. The NEW 6 Conference leader in each field will be in parenthesis at the bottom of the category.

BA

.453 - Ben Fish
.397 - Collins Cuthrell
.388 - Brian Goodwin
.327 - Thomas Berry
.316 - Dillon Cockrell

(.440 - Cuthrell)

RUNS

24 - Collins Cuthrell
20 - Brian Goodwin
19 - Ben Fish
16 - Michael Whitehead
14 - Carter Varnell

(12 - Cuthrell, Goodwin)

RBI

25 - Ben Fish
16 - Brian Goodwin
16 - Dillon Cockrell
13 - Thomas Berry
12 - Collins Cuthrell

(16 - Fish)

DOUBLES

7 - Brian Goodwin
6 - Thomas Berry
5 - Ben Fish
5 - Dillon Cockrell
4 - Collins Cuthrell

(4 - Berry, Fish)

TRIPLES

1 - Brian Goodwin
1 - Collins Cuthrell
1 - Thomas Berry

(1 - Cuthrell)

HRs

3 - Ben Fish
3 - Brian Goodwin
2 - Carter Varnell
2 - Chris Pittman
2 - Collins Cuthrell

(3 - Goodwin)

STOLEN BASES

15 - Brian Goodwin
10 - Collins Cuthrell
5 - Hobbs Johnson
4 - Michael Whitehead
3 - Parker Helms

(6 - Goodwin)

PITCHING WINS

7 - Benton Moss
7 - Hobbs Johnson
3 - Nick Hahula
1 - Dillon Cockrell

(5 - Moss)

ERA

0.00 - Dillon Cockrell
0.97 - Benton Moss
1.04 - Hobbs Johnson
1.82 - Nick Hahula

(0.28 - Moss)

STRIKEOUTS

95 - Hobbs Johnson
50 - Benton Moss
19 - Nick Hahula
5 - Dillon Cockrell
2 - Parker Helms

(44 - Johnson)

• RMHS is averaging seven runs a game and allowing 1.5.
• The team's batting average is .319.
• The squad's team ERA is 1.32.
• RMHS has hit 13 home runs in 20 games. The 2008 team only 12 in 33 games.

Coach 'Diggs' says goodbye

(Click on picture to enlarge) Rocky Mount's seniors (l-r: Nick Hahula, Gabe Brown, Chris Pittman, Cameron Ramsey, Ben Fish, Brian Goodwin, Dillon Cockrell) huddle around Coach Diggs (aka. Jammy Mitchell) after the Wilson Fike game on Senior Night. (Photo/Don Fish)

It's so hard to believe its been four years since would-be ninth graders Ben Fish, Cameron Ramsey, Brian Goodwin, Dillon Cockrell and Gabe Brown played on that Nash County Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old All-Stars baseball team that made it to the World Series championship game.

All those memories came flowing back when I ran into Jammy Mitchell, the assistant coach on that great team, in the press box before Wednesday's Senior Night game with Wilson Fike. Of course. RMHS PA announcer Wes Bradshaw, who Jammy was talking with before my arrival, had the pleasure of broadcasting those games back to the area on WRMT 1490 AM.

Where has the time gone!

Mitchell came out to honor his boys. Their head coach Travis Ward would have also been in attendance too, but he was celebrating his first anniversary with his wife with a trip to New York City. But I know he was thinking of them when they hit the field for their last regular season home game.

More that likely, Mitchell will take in Northern Nash's home finale with Nash Central Friday to send off their seniors from his squad: Tyler Clark, Mike Williams and Tyler Joyner. Clark's dad Greg was an assistant with Mitchell on the team.

Fike's Flowers to be inducted into Barton's Athletic Hall of Fame

Barton College announced the 2009 induction class to its Athletic Hall of Fame Friday. Among the honorees will be Wilson Fike head baseball coach Will Flowers.

A member of Barton's Class of 1976, Flowers, a baseball standout at the school, is in his 28th season as the Golden Demons' head coach.

Flowers, who led Fike to the 1999 NCHSAA 3-A state championship, has a career record of 372-264 going into the last week of the 2009 baseball regular season.

The College's Bulldog Club and Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held as part of Homecoming Week on Friday, Oct. 23. This event will also feature a celebration of 100 years of intercollegiate athletics at the institution and a memorabilia display.

Congrats, coach!

2009 NEW 6 Boys/Girls Track and Field Results

Here are the complete results from Wednesday's NEW 6 Conference Boys/Girls Track and Field Meet held at Nash Central High School. RMHS' results are in bold:

GIRLS

Rocky Mount (RM) 204, Nash Central (NC) 99, Fike (F) 85, SouthWest Edgecombe (SWE) 61, Southern Nash (SN) 51, Northern Nash (NN) 45.

Results

SHOT PUT -- Denise Harrison (SWE), 34 ft., 8 in; Whitaker (RM), Alzer (NN), Harper (F), Battle (NC), Hinton (NC).

DISCUS -- Denise Harrison (SWE), 106-11; Johnson (SN), Whitaker (RM), Ward (RM), van Bree (F), Pittman (SWE).

LONG JUMP -- Jessica Barnes (SWE), 16-7 1/2; Applewhite (RM), Cofield (NC), Farmer (RM), Blizzard (F), Davis (RM).

TRIPLE JUMP -- Domonica Coleman (SN), 35- 1/2; Applewhite (RM), Brown (RM), Farmer (RM), Washington (NC), Mills (SN).

HIGH JUMP -- Jasmine Williams (NC), 5-8; Battle (RM), Flinn (F), Pitchford (NC), Bass (NC), Batten (NN).

POLE VAULT -- Rachel Boykin (SN), 8-0; Thai (RM), Worley (RM), Pitchford (NC), Emig (SN), Davis (RM).

4 X 800 RELAY -- Rocky Mount (Michaela Thorne, Marquita Hines, Nancy Thai, Erika Wesonga), 10:31; Fike, Northern Nash, Nash Central.

100-METER HURDLES -- Xaviera Bass (NC), 16.81; Sledge (RM), Thompson (RM), Barnes (RM), Williams (SN), Pitt (F).

100 -- Jessica Barnes (SWE), 13.25; James (F), Cofield (NC), Brown (RM), Harper (F), Tyner (RM).

4 X 200 -- Nash Central (Garbielle Foster, Jennifer Cofield, Jasmine Williams, Tyrqua Washington), 1:52.80; Rocky Mount, Northern Nash, SouthWest Edgecombe.

1,600 -- Jentzen Jones (F), 5:47; Hanson (F), C. Warren (NC), Wesonga (RM), Thorne (RM), K. Warren (NC).

4 X 100 -- Fike (Shaa Locus, Jaleesa Harper, Tramicka James, Talaya Hall), 52.87; Rocky Mount, SouthWest Edgecombe, Nash Central, Northern Nash, Southern Nash.

400 -- Jasmine Williams (NC), 1:01.18; Applewhite (RM), Farmer (RM), Hines (RM), Whitehead (SWE), Cooper (NC).

300 HURDLES -- Domonica Coleman (SN), 51.96; Thompson (RM), Sledge (RM), Barnes (RM), Clark (NN), Springer (NN).

800 -- Erika Wesonga (RM), 2:30.31; Jones (F), Thorne (RM), Hines (RM), Batten (NN), Ross (NN).

200 -- Jennifer Cofield (NC), 27.49; Euwell (SWE), Brown (RM), Tyner (RM), Bullock (NN), Foster (NC).

3,200 -- Hanson (F), 12:45; McKenney (NN), C. Warren (NC), Reaves (F), Davis (F), Thai (RM).

4 X 400 -- Rocky Mount (Erika Wesonga, Marquita Hines, Micheala Thorne, Latoya Applewhite), 4:24.82; Northern Nash, Southern Nash, Nash Central.

BOYS

Nash Central (NC) 184.3; Northern Nash (NN) 126.5; Fike (F) 115.4; Southern Nash (SN) 47.5; Rocky Mount (RM) 46.9; SouthWest Edgecombe (SWE) 36.4.

Results

SHOT PUT -- Keith Thomas (NN), 46 ft.; Jordan Crudup (NC), C.J. Baines (F), Howard (SN), Evans (NC), Young (NN).

DISCUS -- Jordan Crudup (NC), 134-02; Baines (SN), Pittman (NC), Thomas (NN), Williams (SN ), Evans (NC).

LONG JUMP -- Darrus Parker (F), 21-8; Brake (NC), Dunican (F), Jenkins (SWE), Wiggins (NN), Rogers (NC).

TRIPLE JUMP -- Jory Stephens (F), 42-8; Powell (SN), Brake (NC), Alston (RM), Bovia (F), Copeland (NC).

HIGH JUMP -- Martez Finch (F), 6-2; Bovia (F), Hicks (SN), (tie) Richardson (NC), J. Dupree (SWE), Copeland (NC), Simmons (RM), Stephens (F).

POLE VAULT -- Devin Williams (NN), 12 ft.; Chambless (RM), Bowers (RM), Taylor (NC), (tie) Barrett (SN), Lara (NC).

4 X 800 RELAY -- Fike (Joseph Speight, Calvin Dorvilier, Jonathon Bennett, Cody Jones), 8 min., 20 sec.; Nash Central, Northern Nash, Southern Nash, Rocky Mount.

10-METER HURDLES -- Danny Allen (NC), 14.86; Leonard (NC), Banks (NN), Wiggins (NN), Jones (RM), Thomas (SN).

100 -- Michael Farr (F), 11.46; R. Parker (F), Michael (NC), Wiggins (SWE), Howard (SN), J. Dupree (SWE).

4 X 200 -- Northern Nash (Devin Williams, Danny Fretz, Tavis Richardson, Travon Banks), 1:31.02; Fike, SouthWest Edgecombe, Nash Central, Rocky Mount, Southern Nash.

1,600 -- Dillon Hawley (NC), 4:30.15; White (NC), Williams (NN), Hannon (RM), Frazier (F), Judd (NC).

4 X 100 -- Fike (Michael Farr, Zamese Braswell, Rashad Parker, Melvin Howard), 43.79; Nash Central, SouthWest Edgecombe, Southern Nash, Rocky Mount, Northern Nash.

400 -- Devin Williams (NN), 50.09; D. Jenkins (SWE), Felix (NC), Deans (RM), (tie) Simmons (RM), Williams (NN).

300 HURDLES -- Travon Banks (NN), 39.82; Allen (NC), Leonard (NC), Thomas (SN), Brake (NC), Wiggins (NN).

800 -- Danny Fretz (NN), 2:01.2; McLaughlin (NN), Richardson (NC), Jones (F), Bennett (F), Alfaro (RM).

200 -- Devin Williams (NN), 22.82; T. Michael (NC), C. Michael (NC), Mosley (NC), D. Dupree (SWE), Coppedge (SN).

3,200 -- Dillon Hawley (NC), 9:43; White (NC), Williams (NN), Hannon (RM), Frazier (F), Warren (NC).

4 X 400 -- Northern Nash (Travon Banks, J.J. McLaughlin, Tavis Richardson, Danny Fretz), 3:30.7; Nash Central, Fike, SouthWest Edgecombe, Southern Nash, Rocky Mount.

NN's Joyner has milestones vs. Gryphons

Gryphons baseball fans may not want to see this, but here you go.

As many who attended the first Rocky Mount-Northern Nash baseball game a few weeks ago saw, Northern senior pitcher Tyler Joyner recorded 15 strikeouts. Among those Ks was his 300th career strikeout. But Joyner and the Knights lost the contest, 2-0.

Well, when Tyler and his boys faced the Gryphons last week in their 2-0 victory, the win was Tyler's 25th of his career. After beating Wilson Fike in the first of two games in Northern's historic doubleheader (never had a league doubleheader been played) Tuesday, Joyner, who has signed with East Carolina, moved to 26-8 for his four-year career.

And his draft stock has also picked up in the last few weeks - going by the number scouts seen at his recent games. Even his future head coach Billy Godwin checked in on his lefty signee at the most recent RN-NN war.

We may see him and Brian Goodwin drafted on June 9.