Another Shut Out

This spring the teams that play run-catch and hit at Rocky Mount High School are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Baseball, one of the top teams in the state continues to impress holding their third straight team to zero runs. Softball another ten run loss.

Parker Helms pitched the first four innings and Jeremy Trevathan the final two innings as Gryphon baseball wins 10-0 in six innings.

I think we all know that if you look at the summer recreational league in Rocky Mount, it is tilted for boys. If you were a girl and wanted to play softball then you played in Nashville. Slowly that is changing but the results needed take years to produce quality softball players.

Baseball is on the rise in Nash County in part because of funds provided by Richard Sarmeinto with the travel leagues. Babe Ruth baseball was the first result of all these kids playing all over the world on weekends. Babe Ruth teams in the last ten years have played in several World Series after winning state titles and Southeast regional titles.

High school baseball have shown the fruits of all this baseball playing with Northern Nash twice playing for the eastern titles and Rocky Mount winning a state title, all of this within the past three years. Legion baseball last year made it to the state tournament for the first time in decades while the Rocky Mount junior legion team finished third in the state.

The changeover to fast pitch a few years ago has effected the areas most who didn't take softball as serious as those that did. It is very difficult to teach a pitcher how to throw fast pitch in three weeks and when you don't see good fast pitching in practice it is hard to even learn to hit fast pitch. Pitching machines throw fast but they can't simulate the whipping action that a pitcher uses.

There is hope for softball. Their lack of experience right now has resulted in all but two games ending by ten run rule. Pitching is getting better, their hitting is improving and their is no lack of desire from this group. The score board doesn't show it yet but softball is getting better. maybe be as this year unfolds they will see a win or two.

Tashawn Mabrey was named to the AP all state basketball team Wednesday. I don't think there was any way that Tashawn wasn't going to make all state team regardless of how Rocky Mount finished in the playoffs but his last three games in the Regional and State Finals with the whole state watching made all state a no brainer.

ECU has hired former Carolina Basketball player Jeff Lebo as their new basketball coach. Basketball in Greenville is the #3 sport behind football and baseball. If Carolina continues the tradition I bet the Heels play in Greenville in the fore see able future. I wonder when was the last sellout for basketball?