Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406140106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For Bill Worrell, it was a matter of a long wait.
Carr, the Timesland baseball player of the year from William Byrd High School, credited extensive weight training for the uncanny season he had as a pitcher and as a hitter for the Terriers.
Worrell, the Timesland coach of the year who has had some terrific teams in his 25 years as the only coach at Carroll County, had to wait until this season for the Cavaliers to win their first Group AA Region IV championship and first trip to the state tournament.
At 6 feet 2 and 210 pounds, Carr is one of the best athletes Byrd has had in years. That isn't to say he was so gifted that he couldn't be improved by pumping a little iron. The training began when he played football for the first time this past fall.
"My pitching came around a lot better than I ever thought it would," he said. "One of my football coaches [George George] worked with me a lot individually in the weight room. Ever since I Worrell went out for football, he told me that he was going to make a football player out of me or it was going to kill him."
George survived the experience (call it an ordeal, if you wish), and Carr went on to catch more than 30 passes for more than 500 yards. More importantly, as far as baseball was concerned, the training made Carr a more effective player.
"I know it gave me an extra 4 or 5 miles per hour on my fastball," he said.
The extra jolt translated into some impressive statistical accomplishments.
Carr went 12-1, with a save, a 2.19 ERA, 102 strikeouts and only 30 walks in 70 innings. At the plate he batted .300, walked 17 times, hit six home runs and drove in 18.
Byrd got a lot out of Carr, both in the regular season - he beat Glenvar twice and Cave Spring once, and both those teams went to regionals - and in the postseason. At the Region III tournament, Carr won two games, the second in relief, to get Byrd to the state tournament.
He came back on Friday on one day's rest, after having pitched 10 innings Monday and Wednesday, but he only had enough to go a couple more innings in a loss to Tunstall. Still, when he came off the mound, Byrd trailed only 3-2.
At the plate, he struggled early, hitting .054 in the first couple of weeks.
"That's a lot to come back from," he said. "I talked to Coach [Rodney Spradlin] and he told me that I wasn't getting enough good pitches to hit, that I was pressing. I had to be more patient and wait on my pitch."
Worrell, 55, started his career at Cumberland High School and was there for three years before moving on to J.I. Burton. Then he returned home to Hillsville, where the new Carroll County was opening.
Over the years, Worrell doesn't deny that he's had more gifted teams at Carroll County than the current outfit.
"Physically, yes," he said. "But this team has something mentally. They hang in there."
Particularly guys such as Kenny Ward, who essentially came out of nowhere after projected No. 1 pitcher Brad Leonard developed elbow problems during the first game of the season. Ward went on to be 10-0. Others who have helped immensely include infielder Jason Kilbourne, catcher Tony Berrier and first baseman Brian Hawks. Kevin Dalton, a sophomore, went 6-1 as the No. 2 pitcher.
Worrell didn't downplay the role of luck in his season, either.
"This year, things just seemed to go right," he said. "It used to be that only one team came out of the region. We've been to the region 14 times, but it seemed like we always ended up playing in Bristol [the home of perennial powerhouse Virginia High].
"Another thing that helped us this year was that we got a bye, so we only had to win one game to get to the state."
Worrell is cagey about his plans, although sources close to the situation say this may be his final year.
"The length of my coaching career is undetermined at this time," he said.
No matter how you look at it, he's had a great run in the dugout.
"If we hadn't made it to the state this year, I wouldn't have felt as though my career came up short," he said. "But it's nice to make it just the same."
by CNB