ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997 TAG: 9704140134
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 SPORTS EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN
Robey Caldwell's father, Danny, used to tell him he could be a professional baseball player if he worked hard enough.
``I figured he's just got to say that because he's my dad,'' Robey said.
Now he believes it.
Caldwell is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound sophomore pitcher for Longwood College. He is far from the 6-2 and taller that baseball scouts like to see. But Caldwell, a right-hander from Cave Spring High School, has done something that football players - and basketball players, for that matter - struggle to do. He has overcome his size to make himself a pro prospect.
``You see it occasionally,'' said Longwood coach Buddy Bolding, who grew up in Hardy. ``All of a sudden, a pitcher becomes dominant.''
Caldwell's first dominant outing of the season came against Hampden-Sydney on March 20, when he struck out 10 in seven shutout innings. Five days later, Bolding summoned him in a relief situation against Mount Olive, the No.12 team in the NCAA Division II poll. He threw three scoreless innings and struck out the first four batters he faced.
The next Saturday, Caldwell threw a complete-game four hitter and struck out 12 against Barton College. Later that day, in the second game of a doubleheader, he earned a save.
Caldwell is averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings, the second-best mark in Division II.
Bolding, a Staunton River High School graduate and former Golden Eagles baseball coach, has earned many of his 523 victories with Roanoke Valley players. Caldwell should give him plenty more.
``Last year he had a good fastball and very little else,'' Bolding said. ``Now he has a great fastball, a good curve and a major-league change-up.''
Last year, Caldwell's fastball topped out at 83 mph. Now, thanks to his diligence, it's up to 88 mph and rising.
``Baseball is different from other sports,'' Caldwell said. ``You might not have all the talents, but you can work on individual things.''
``Robey's pulled down the arm and nothing but money's fallen out,'' Bolding said.
Right now it may be figure of speech, but one day it could be a reality.
WRIGHT OFF THE BAT: Former Salem Avalanche ace Jamey Wright is 2-0 with the Colorado Rockies after beating the Montreal Expos again on Saturday.
Wright had an encouraging first start this year for Colorado. Wright threw 95 pitches in seven innings, 63 for strikes, and got two-thirds of his outs on groundballs as the Rockies beat Montreal 5-4.
Catcher Jeff Reed told the Rocky Mountain News that Expos batters were coming to the plate during Wright's first start and asking, ``Does he have anything that's straight?''
Wright was intent on making a good impression, particularly when he discovered the Expos were starting Marc Valdes against him in that game. Valdes is a right-hander whom the Florida Marlins selected one pick ahead of Wright in the 1993 draft. Colorado also had Valdes at the top of its list for the 28th pick, but settled for Wright.
``They didn't have to settle for me,'' Wright said. ``They got lucky.''
Wright, 22, has been praised for his maturity and his willingness to try all of his pitches (including a highly touted sinker) instead of just rearing back and heaving the ball toward the plate.
Bryn Smith, the Avalanche's pitching coach, says that's the first thing he tries to teach his pupils; the idea of beating batters with a well-considered, complete arsenal, not just velocity.
AROUND THE BASES: Lynchburg Hillcats right-hander Kris Benson, the No.1 pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the June 1996 draft, has a Carolina League-leading 18 strikeouts in two starts this season.
Benson started the Hillcats' opener April 4 in Winston-Salem and struck out 10 in six innings without allowing a run. On Wednesday in Lynchburg, he struck out eight in five innings while surrendering one run. On Friday, he was named the league's pitcher of the week.
The Hillcats play one game in Salem on May 13 and return May 19-20. Benson could be with Class AA Carolina by then. ... Rockies roving hitting instructor Greg Gross, who was in town observing Salem's four-game series against Wilmington, began his professional career in 1970 with the old Covington Astros of the Appalachian League.
From the It Sure Doesn't Look Like Municipal Field Dept., the Avalanche just played a seven-game homestand without hitting a home run. ... Salem center fielder Garrett Neubart ended a five-game hit streak by going 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader. He went 3-for-3 with two runs batted in for the second game. ... The Avalanche had problems getting two-out hits before its doubleheader sweep Thursday. Shortstop Kyle Houser won the first game with a two-out, two-strike single. ``He's one of the best two-strike hitters in our organization,'' said Salem manager Bill ``Moose'' McGuire.
The Durham Bulls secretly may be hoping for some Colorado pitcher to go on the disabled list before their next visit to Salem. Durham has beaten Bill Swift, David Nied and Curtis Leskanic in its past two series in Salem. ... Nied has opted for retirement rather than being sent to Class AA Chattanooga by the Reds. The Rockies released him after the past season. ... Leskanic left Salem with a different impression of the Carolina League after his rehab assignment. Leskanic pitched for Kinston in 1991. ``When I was playing, we didn't even have a trainer,'' he said, looking around Salem's palatial facilities, which has a training room as big as many minor-league teams' clubhouses. ...
The Avalanche's Smith lost a little weight in his wallet when Scott Randall and Lariel Gonzalez combined on Thursday's no-hitter. ``I guess I've got to buy two bottles of champagne instead of one,'' Smith said. ``I could have saved 20 bucks if we'd just kept `Randy' in there.''
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Caldwellby CNB