Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 30, 1990 TAG: 9003290335
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Ray Cox
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If you don't have the guts to stand in against a smoking fast ball or to track a bouncing grounder through a bad-hop infield or to throw the high hard one inside, then you won't get very far in this sport.
In that spirit, I have had a sudden urge to show what kind of stuff I'm made of. Herein are my picks to win the three high school baseball districts of interest to New River Valley fans.
First, the Roanoke Valley. The choice is Cave Spring. Left-hander Mark Hazelwood (7-2, 1.96), Keith Spicer (1-0, 2.85) and Lenny Navitskis (5-1 on the junior varsity) give the 1989 Group AAA runners-up the league's most potent mound staff.
The Knights also have all kinds of pop in the lineup with the likes of right fielder Jason St. Clair (.348), second baseman Tom Nelson (.349), outfielder Jason Shafer (.362), outfielder Mike Fayed (.346) and shortstop Dee Dalton (.336).
Too much pitching, too much hitting, too much heartache for the Knights' foes.
The rest of the RVD should shape up, in order, like this: Pulaski County, Patrick Henry, Franklin County and William Fleming.
The Cougars are wondering about their pitching, which is inexperienced. Defense and hitting should be available in abundance. In this top-heavy league, that goes a long way.
Franklin County has some good hitters in Chad France (.561) and Greg Sigmon, but the pitching is untested and the program appears to be down from its glory days in the middle of the last decade. PH will be tough whenever lefty Kevin Gabbert takes the mound, but otherwise the Patriots are green. Nevertheless, the Patriots won their first five games and seem have the makings of a contender.
It's wait-until-next-year time again at William Fleming.
In the New River District, Carroll County, Christiansburg, Radford and George Wythe figure to make this a compelling race. And the winner is . . . Carroll County.
The Cavaliers have their usual quality assortment of ballplayers led by pitcher/catcher Matt Montgomery, pitcher/catcher Mike Reavis, outfielder Dennis Cobler and shortstop Brad Sharp. A looming problem is the condition of Montgomery's throwing arm. He's had a sore elbow lately, and if he continues to ail and is unable to pitch, then Carroll County could be in some difficulty.
Christiansburg, the defending champion, has good pitching with right-handers Mike Royal, Darren Graham and Scott Lucas. The potential weakness could be the infield, which must be totally rebuilt. Alan Ferrell has been moved from the outfield to shortstop to add stability and senior leadership in the infield.
The team to watch out for is Radford. If this squad gets any pitching at all out of Andrew White and lefty Chad Phillips, it can win the district. It's a cinch the Bobcats will score runs in buckets.
In its first four games, three of which it won, Radford had 51 runs and 52 hits. In the lone loss, to Graham, Carey Caldwell's drive to the fence was caught with the bases loaded to end the game.
Here's how the teams will finish: Carroll County, Christiansburg, Radford, George Wythe, Blacksburg and Giles.
The Mountain Empire District is going to evolve into a two-team race between Grayson County and Fort Chiswell. Possibly, but not very likely, challenges will come from Floyd County and Narrows.
Grayson County has the league's best player in catcher Mack Cassell and the best battery in Cassell and pitcher Devin Floyd. Coach Ed Goodson's group also has a fine tradition, the latest evidence of which was a Group A state semifinal appearance last year.
Fort Chiswell has heavy hitting with players such as Davis Goforth (.615); depth, particularly on the mound (11 pitchers available), and outstanding coaching in estimable first-year dugout boss Mike Dixon. The Pioneers are going to be tough.
Despite having its top three pitchers back, including strikeout artist Dale Marshall, Floyd County would seem to be a year away. Narrows might not have enough pitching, although the Green Wave has played New River favorite Carroll County extremely tough in two early-season losses.
Shawsville was a contender before defections (Corey Epperly to Salem; Sweeney to Christiansburg) and eligibility problems carved into Coach Billy Wells' stable of talent.
The predicted finish: Fort Chiswell, Grayson County, Floyd County, Narrows, Shawsville, Galax, Rocky Gap, Auburn, Bland.
\ Former All Timesland girls basketball player India Adams of Radford, who plays for Belmont Abbey, was chosen most valuable player in the Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. She averaged 16.7 points and eight rebounds per game this year.
by CNB