ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9605030017
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
GRAY Hodges wants to be known for more than being the kid in Franklin County whose major league baseball career ended when he was 6 years old.
That's how old he was when his dad, Ron, ended his 12-year playing career with the New York Mets. Gray Hodges wasn't born in a ballpark, he just grew up in one. Shea Stadium was like a second home to him during his dad's playing days.
``He would go into the clubhouse and meet players when he could barely walk,'' said Ron Hodges.
Father-Son Day at Shea was a time when he and his big brother, Riley, would play ball with his dad and his famous teammates such as Tom Seaver and Rusty Staub. Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry used to stop by the Hodgeses' summer home in Flushing Meadow, N.Y., to pick up Gray's dad for games.
The boy was so baseball crazy, he was even born 18 springs ago in St. Petersburg, Fla., during spring training - two months prematurely.
``We laugh about how he didn't want to miss spring training,'' said Gray's mom, Peggy.
It was all just part of growing up in a ballpark. The Hodges kids spent the school year at home in Rocky Mount, then moved north to become boys of summer.
``To them, it was normal,'' said Peggy Hodges. ``They thought everybody spent summer vacations that way.''
Too bad for Gray that he was too young to remember most of it.
``When he was little, he would cry when his dad left for a road trip,'' said Peggy Hodges. ``When he got older and realized what he had as a child, he'd say, `Boy, Dad, I wish you were playing now.'''
In those halcyon days of youth, there was little doubt that young Riley and Gray would want to be ballplayers when they grew up. Riley turned into a fine catcher at Franklin County High School, and now plays at Ferrum.
Then again, being the son of a former major leaguer and the younger brother of a former high school star is sort of like facing an 0-2 count with two out and a man on third: The pressure can be suffocating and there's no one who can bail you out. You've just got to go up - or down - hackin'.
``I want to prove that I'm not getting to play just because my dad was a major leaguer,'' said Gray Hodges. ``Dad always tells me, `You've got to make a name for yourself.' I've tried to do my best not to be seen just as Ron Hodges' son or Riley Hodges' brother.''
He's doing a fine job of staking out his own baseball territory. Hodges has already inked a scholarship with Virginia Tech, quite an accomplishment for a kid who had played just one year of varsity ball before his senior season.
``I think he and Riley and his two younger brothers [Nat and Casey] are proud of their dad and my accomplishments, but they know and realize if they're going to play pro ball or college ball, they've got to be good enough on their own,'' said Ron Hodges.
For two years, Gray found himself in a predicament more pressing than metaphorically toiling in lengthy shadow of his father, who was inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. He was stuck behind Eagles star Chad Foutz, who gracefully fielded the position Hodges was playing on the jayvee - shortstop.
There was little chance of upward mobility for young shortstops in the Franklin County program as long as Foutz was around. So, Hodges was moved to the outfield, where he has played brilliantly for two seasons.
He swiftly chases down airborne baseballs headed for unoccupied outfield gaps and changes their destiny from doubles or triples to outs with his glove. His outfield prowess is matched by his ability to get on base as a leadoff hitter and produce runs.
Through last week's games, Hodges was batting a robust .355 and had scored 18 runs for the Roanoke Valley District leaders. He was getting on base 57.5 percent of the time and had been successful in all eight of his stolen-base attempts. Not surprising, since he's run the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds.
``He's a guy who does little things that help you win,'' said Franklin County coach F.L. Slough. ``He's not flashy; he just plays the game the right way.''
Ironically, Hodges can partially attribute his early signing with the Hokies to Foutz, the guy who precipitated his position move.
Foutz signed with the Hokies last spring and was playing American Legion ball with Rocky Mount Post 6 during the summer when Tech coach Chuck Hartman came to town to take a look at his future infielder. Hartman left Franklin County that day equally impressed with the Post 6 centerfielder - Hodges.
Hodges went 2-for-3 that day with a double and a pair of stolen bases and a pair of nice running catches. Hartman filed away Hodges' performance in his memory, then signed him later in the fall.
``After I moved to the outfield, everything sort of clicked,'' said Hodges, who mans centerfield for the Eagles. ``I love centerfield. It gives me a chance to run. I guess it sort of suits me. I love to run balls down in the gap and make the plays I'm not supposed to make.''
In the process, he's making a name for himself and living up to the family legacy at the same time.
``His best baseball's ahead of him,'' said Slough.
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ARNE KUHLMANN/Staff. Through last week's games, Franklinby CNBCounty's Gray Hodges was batting .355 and had scored 18 runs for the
Roanoke Valley District
leaders. color.