Big East Baseball Roundup - Wilson Fike's Flowers wins 400th career game

WILSON FIKE 6, SOUTHERN NASH 2

WILSON - Veteran Wilson Fike High varsity baseball coach Will Flowers notched his 400th career win Tuesday night in the Golden Demons’ 6-2 victory over Southern Nash to open 3-A Big East Conference play.

Jackson Pardue picked up the win in relief for Fike, 7-5 overall, striking out three, walking one and yielding one hit in 2 2/3 innings of work. Southern Nash fell to 4-3 and 0-1.

Fike jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Matt Owens reached on an outfield error and scored on Pardue’s RBI-double. Dustin Edwards followed with an RBI-single to bring in Pardue for a 2-0 lead.

Fike only tallied five total hits for the game.

Chris Phillips was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, while Pardue was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.

Southern Nash 000 101 0 — 2
Wilson Fike      202 002 0 — 6

WP - Jackson Pardue (2-0) 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
LP- Zack Parris

WILSON HUNT 4, NORTHERN NASH 3

ROCKY MOUNT — Senior Ches Lamm earned the win on the mound and drove in what proved to be the winning run as Hunt opened 3-A Big East Conference varsity baseball play with a 4-3 victory at Northern Nash on Tuesday.

Lamm improved to 3-0 as he went five innings, yielding three runs on five hits and five walks while striking out eight. His fifth-inning single scored teammate Parker Lamm, who had doubled, with the winning margin. Northern Nash (7-3, 0-1 Big East) reached Lamm for two runs in the bottom of the inning but reliever Alex Nguyen allowed just one base runner over the final two innings to notch his first save of the season.

Spencer Boykin drilled a solo home run in the top of the first for the Warriors (8-2, 1-0 Big East). In the third, junior Jacob Page, who was 3-or-4, slapped an RBI-single and Hunt added another run on Ches Lamm’s grounder.

WILSON HUNT 4, NORTHERN NASH 3

Wilson Hunt     102 010 0 — 4
Northern Nash 010 020 0 — 3

WP - Ches Lamm (3-0) 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 8 SO.
LP - Jeremy Lucas
S - Alex Nguyen (1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO

LEADING HITTERS — Hunt: Spencer Boykin 2-4, HR, RBI; Cory Nygard 1-4, 2B; Parker Lamm 2-4, 2B; Jacob Page 3-4, RBI; Ches Lamm 1-3, 2 RBI

(Courtesy of Wilson Times)

Big East Conference baseball action starts Tuesday

Big East Conference baseball action opens tonight at three sites. Here are the contests and the records of the combatants.

Game time for the three is 7 p.m.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE
BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday

Nash Central (10-1, 0-0) at Rocky Mount (8-3, 0-0)

Wilson Hunt (7-2, 0-0) at Northern Nash (7-2, 0-0)

Southern Nash (4-2, 0-0) at Wilson Fike (6-5, 0-0)

Bulldogs pushing Rocky Mount for Wachovia Cup lead

CHAPEL HILL - Rocky Mount had a solid lead in the Big East Conference's Wachovia Cup points standing after the fall season. But Nash Central is quicky gaining on the Gryphons.

And so is the rest of the league. Only nine points stand between the No. 1 and No. 4 schools.

After finishing first in women's swimming and wrestling, the Bulldogs are now nipping on the heels of the Gryphons at the conclusion of winter sports action.

Rocky Mount is still on top with 112.5 points, but it has a slim four-and a half-point lead over the Bulldogs (108 points) entering the spring sports season. The Gryphons managed to stay narrowly in front thanks to a tie for first in women's basketball and a second-place finish in boys basketball.

A solid winter season including a runner-up finish in men’s swimming kept Wilson Fike just in front of Wilson Hunt for the third spot in the conference with 104 points. Hunt (103.5 pts.) won the league's regular season men's basketball title. Northern Nash's first-place tie with RMHS in women's basketball helped keep it ahead of Southern Nash for fifth place.

Here are the conference standings through the winter sports season.

2010-11 Big East Conference Wachovia Cup Point Standings

(through winter season)

1. Rocky Mount 112.5
2. Nash Central 108
3. Wilson Fike 104
4. Wilson Hunt 103.5
5. Northern Nash 83.5
6. Southern Nash 82.5

Preview Baseball Capsules: Big East's Wilson County schools

Here is a preview look at Wilson County's representatives in the Big East Conference baseball race. Ironically, these teams finished at the top and the bottom of the coaches' preseason poll - Hunt at the top, Fike tied for the bottom.

Conference play begins Tuesday evening!

WILSON FIKE

Head coach - Will Flowers (29th season)

2010 record - 18-8, 6-4 Big East
Returning starters - 4
Strengths - Defense
Weaknesses - Pitching experience
Toughest non-conference game - Rosewood. North Johnston
Starters -
1B - Dustin Edwards, Jr.
2B - Matt Owens, Sr.
SS - Tyler Poythress, So.
3B - Hunter Cockrell, Fr.
C - Jackson Pardue, Sr.
LF - Richard Hinton, So.
CF - Travis Ricks, Jr.
RF - Nathan Everette, Jr.
Starting pitchers: Nathan Everette, Jr., Matt Owens, Sr.
Coach's expectations - " It's a transition year for us. Three starting pitchers graduated. We have a lot youth and we're rebuilding. But our goal remain the same - win the conference and go to the playoffs."


WILSON HUNT

Head coach - Jon Smith (4th season)
2010 record - 26-7, 8-2 Big East
Returning starters - 3
Strengths - Balance

Weaknesses - Inexperience

Toughest non-conference game - Holly Springs

Starters -

1B - Ches Lamm, Sr.

2B - Spencer Boykin, Sr..

SS - Parker Lamm, Jr.

3B - Corey Nygard, Sr.

C - Logan Butts, Jr.

LF - Dillan Howard, Jr.

CF - Jacob Page, Jr.

RF - Avery Harper, Sr.

Starting pitchers: Avery Harper, Sr., Ches Lamm, Sr.

Coach's expectations - "We'd love to compete for a conference championship."

Wilson Hunt picked to win Big East baseball title

Wilson Hunt didn't even win the Big East Conference baseball title last season. Yet, the Warriors ended up in the state championship series with East Rowan for the NCHSAA 3-A title.

With the 2011 conference season set to get underway next week, it could be a wide open race to see who will end up on top.

Despite having only three starters back this season, Hunt, by a small margin over Nash Central, has been voted to win the league title in a vote of the conference's head coaches.

Both teams received three first place votes, but Hunt, which tallied 23 total points, got two nods for second place, while the Bulldogs (21 points) got two votes for third place to give the Warriors the edge in the balloting. Nash Central returns seven starters.

Rocky Mount, the defending champion that went 10-0 in league play last season, received four second-place votes and a third-place nod to garner 19 points and third place in the voting. The Gryphons were also hit hard by graduation and only return four starters.

Northern Nash, with seven starters back for this season, placed fourth with 13 points. The Knights got three third-place votes and two fourth-place picks. Southern Nash and Wilson Fike finished in a tie for fifth place with seven points (each received two fourth-place votes and three fifth-place selections.

2011 Big East Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll

(Teams received five points for first place, four points for second place, etc. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.)

1. Wilson Hunt - (3) 23 pts.

2. Nash Central - (3) 21 pts.
3. Rocky Mount - 19 pts.
4. Northern Nash - 13 pts.
5. Southern Nash - 7 pts.
5. Wilson Fike - 7 pts.

RMHS senior Benton Moss is WITN-TV7's Player of the Week

Nash County HS baseball preview capsules

Rocky Mount sophomore pitcher/center fielder Jeremy Johnson

Here are preview capsules of Nash County's high school baseball teams. Play is in its third week of action.

NASH CENTRAL

Head coach - Jeff Mizelle (3rd season)
2010 record - 14-9, 4-6 Big East
Returning starters - 7
Strengths - Two starting pitchers return, more team speed, more offensive power
Weaknesses - Young players on the field
Toughest non-conference game - J.H, Rose
Starters -
1B - Mason Wallace, Sr.
2B - Jordan Taylor, Jr.
SS - Khalil Macklin, Fr.
3B - Dillon Moore, Jr.
C - Jeremy Sloop, Sr.
LF - Bennett Williford, Sr.
CF - Jalen Hendricks, Jr.
RF - Colton Vaughan, So.
Starting pitchers: Trellis Ashley, Sr.; Jeremy Sloop, Sr.
Coach's expectations - "We expect to finish in the top three of the conference and get back to the playoffs. We expect to have a real good season."
2011 record - 6-0


NORTHERN NASH

Head coach - Eddie Loesner (4th season)
2010 record - 14-9, 4-6 Big East
Returning starters - 7
Strengths - Defense should be pretty good
Weaknesses - Lack of depth, must stay away from injuries
Toughest non-conference game - South Central
Starters -
1B - Madison Mayo, Sr.
2B - David Williams, Sr.
SS - Luke Joyner, Jr.
3B - Steve Williams, Jr.
C - Braxton Bowden, Jr.
LF - Hunter Watson, So.
CF - Fuller Weatherly, Sr.
RF - Wes Pate, Sr.
Starting pitchers: Jeremy Lucas, Sr., Hunter Watson, So.
Coach's expectations - "There's a lot of parity in the league. So if we play well, I think we can be part of the playoff mix. The league winner may have as many as three conference losses."
2011 record - 3-2


ROCKY MOUNT

Head coach - Kent Cox (2nd season)
2010 record - 22-3, 10-0 Big East
Returning starters - 4
Strengths - Pitching depth - seven possible arms, senior leadership
Weaknesses - Very young, hitting, lost of offense to replace
Toughest non-conference game - J.H, Rose
Starters -
1B - Thomas Berry, Sr.
2B - Andy Morris, Fr.
SS - Spencer Ramsey, So.
3B - Matthew Berry, Sr.
C - Collin Watson, So.
LF - Benton Moss, Sr.
CF - Jeremy Johnson, So.
RF - Taylor Clontz, Sr.
Starting pitchers: Benton Moss, Sr., Jeremy Johnson, So.
Coach's expectations - "We have to get good pitching and some timely hitting if we are going to win this season. We're going to have to do all the little things to get some wins, including scratching out hits and runs."
2011 record - 4-3


SOUTHERN NASH

Head coach - Jeff Flowers (10th season)
2010 record - 5-14, 0-10 Big East
Returning starters - 6
Strengths - Experience, many kids that have playing time; team speed
Weaknesses - Offensive, pitching experience
Toughest non-conference game - Louisburg
Starters -
1B - Chris Martin, Sr.
2B - Luke Mercer, Sr..
SS - Garrison Vick, Fr.
3B - Josh Barnes, Sr.
C - Daniel Tyson, Sr.
LF - Zack Parris, Jr.
CF - Tevin Boykin, Jr.
RF - Ronnie Robbins, So.
Starting pitchers: Daniel Tyson, Sr.; Zack Parris, Jr.
Coach's expectations - "I'd like to see us get the program back to the way it was a few seasons ago. We'd love to make a great improvement over last season."
2011 record - 2-2

Moss moving up all-time wins list for RMHS

Rocky Mount senior Benton Moss

Senior Benton Moss has moved into fourth place on Rocky Mount's all-time wins list for pitchers.

Moss, who has signed with North Carolina, has the best winning percentage in school history (.893). But he needs five more victories to pass Jim Leggett to move to the top of the heap in career wins.

Below are all Rocky Mount pitchers who have at least 20 career wins. Former Northern Nash pitcher Tyler Joyner has the Twin Counties' record for victories with 30.

Moss has set career record for the Gryphons in strikeouts.

His 18 Ks this season puts him at 230 - ahead of former hurler Jeremy Ward for the top spot all-time. The top five pitchers on that list are below.

RMHS pitchers with 20 career wins

28, (28-7) Jim Leggett (2005-08)
26, (26-6) John Kennedy (1978-80)
25, (25-6) Donnie Bobbitt (1984-86)
24, (24-3) Benton Moss (2008-present)
24, (24-7) Carter Harrell (1999-2001)
23, (23-3) Bill Wilkes (1979-81)
22, (22-7) Chad Womble (2004-07)
20, (20-9) Jeremy Ward (1993-96)

RMHS' top career strikeout leaders

230, Benton Moss (2008-present)
215, Jeremy Ward (1993-96)
210, Hobbs Johnson (2009-10)
189, Doug Henley (1973-75)
174, Scott Gibson (1994-95)

The 18th edition of the Tarboro Easter Classic starts April 27

TARBORO - The pairings have been released for the 18th Annual Tarboro Easter Baseball Classic to be held Wednesday through Friday, April 27-29, at Tarboro's Historic Municipal Stadium.

Here is the action for Day 1:

11 a.m. - Brooke Point (Va.) vs. Lawrence Academy

1:30 p.m. - Arlington Country Day (Fl.) vs. Washington
4 p.m. - Kerr-Vance Academy vs. SouthWest Edgecombe
7 p.m. - St. Maria Goretti (Md.) vs. Tarboro

Ticket prices are as follows:

Adults - 1-day pass $7, 3-day pass $16

School-Aged Children - 1-day pass $5, 3-day pass $10

Non-School-Aged Children - Free

Game times are the same each of the three days.

Brooke Point (attendance 1,700, nickname Black Hawks, located in Stafford, Va.) and Arlington Country Day (attendance 400, nickname Apache, located in Jacksonville, Fl.) are new to the tournament, while, as far as out-of-state schools are concerned, St. Maria Goretti has played every year of the tournament.

Lawrence Academy is the defending champion.

Gryphons to play in IMPACT Invitational Saturday

Rocky Mount's baseball team, which is off to an inauspicious 2-3 start, will play in the annual IMPACT Invitational High School Baseball Tournament Saturday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.

The Gryphons, under .500 for the first time since the 2004 season, will open the day (11 a.m.) against Forsyth Country Day, the No. 2-ranked school in ImpactBaseball's poll of NCISAA 3-A teams.

Here is the complete schedule for the day:

IMPACT Invitational

High School Baseball Tournament
Saturday - March 12, 2011

USA Baseball Complex

Thomas Brooks Park, 200 Brooks Park Lane, Cary

*Admission: $8 (covers all three games)
*Concessions: Will be run by the USA Baseball
*NO pets allowed passed gate

IMPACT Invitational Schedule

11:00 am: Forsyth Country Day vs. Rocky Mount 
1:45 pm: North Davidson vs. Kerr-Vance Academy
4:30 pm: Wesleyan Christian vs. D.H. Conley

I included the actual address for you guys who will use a GPS to find your way there!

2010-11 Big East All-Conference Basketball Teams released; Freeman, Brown voted top players

WILSON - The Big East 3-A Conference has released its 2010-11 All-Conference boys and girls basketball teams.

Three first-team players were awarded to the conference champion in each sport, two players each to the second- and third-place teams and each of the remaining teams received a player each. Each squad also was allowed an honorable mention selection. The Player of the Year and the Coach of the Year was also announced. 

So here they are:

BOYS 

First Team

Scottie Harris, Wilson Hunt
Damont Williams, Wilson Hunt
Tyrell Vinson, Wilson Hunt
Exzavier Cooper, Rocky Mount
Tevin Taylor, Rocky Mount
Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central
Demetrey Clark, Nash Central
Deshawn Freeman, Northern Nash
Josh Sessoms, Southern Nash
Antonio Hinnant, Wilson Fike

Honorable Mention

Quen Ballard, Wilson Hunt
Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount
Nathaniel Pittman, Nash Central
Darius Freeman, Northern Nash
Marcus Hicks, Southern Nash
Josh King, Wilson Fike

Coach of the Year - Dwight Taylor, Wilson Fike
Player of the Year - Deshawn Freeman


GIRLS

First Team

J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount
Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount
Timisha Walker, Rocky Mount
Quinesha Lynch, Northern Nash
Alexus Hill, Northern Nash
Khadijah Richardson, Northern Nash
Jamika Ruffin, Wilson Fike
Meredith Pruden, Wilson Fike
Quanisha Brown, Wilson Hunt
Miya Bryant, Southern Nash
Jasmine Williams, Nash Central

Honorable Mention

Marquita Hines, Rocky Mount
Jessica Lyons, Northern Nash
Alisha Baines, Wilson Fike
Lizzie Madden, Wilson Hunt
Khadijah Manning, Southern Nash
Niya Styles, Nash Central

Coach of the Year - Pam Gainey, Rocky Mount/Grover Battle, Northern Nash
Player of the Year - J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount