College baseball - Randolph Record

17 Jul

Clemson pitcher embraces Asheboro mound time with ZooKeepers

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Clemson Tigers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Noah Samol, summer college baseball

Noah Samol (Courtesy photo) ASHEBORO – Noah Samol still holds big aspirations as a college pitcher, and he came to Asheboro this summer to help get those on track. Samol is a Clemson pitcher who has taken the mound for the Asheboro ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League. “Glad to be out here,” Samol said. “You just got to go somewhere and just pitch.” It has been far from a simple path to this point. The start-and-stop nature of Samol’s baseball experiences began several years ago. He had Tommy John surgery as a high school sophomore in Mason, Ohio. He…

16 Jul

Padres select ZooKeepers’ Evans in draft

Bob SuttonSportsArizona Diamondbacks, Asheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, pro baseball, Ryan Waldschmidt, San Diego Padres, summer college baseball, Zach Evans

Zach Evans (Asheboro ZooKeepers photo) Former Asheboro player picked by Diamondbacks ASHEBORO – Asheboro ZooKeepers shortstop Zach Evans was selected in the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft Monday. Evans, a college player for Lenoir-Rhyne, was picked by the San Diego Padres with the 270th pick overall. Evans has been playing with the ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League, which is a summer circuit for college players. He batted .338 with five home runs in 31 games. Evans is the 10th player in Lenoir-Rhyne’s baseball history to be picked in the draft. He’s the school’s first draftee in six years…

12 Jul

Asheboro’s Miller looks for next baseball stop

Bob SuttonSportsAppalachian League, asheboro baseball, Asheboro Blue Comets, Burlington Sock Puppets, College baseball, Gage Miller, summer college baseball

Gage Miller signs a baseball for a young Burlington Sock Puppets fan after a game. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) BURLINGTON – Gage Miller’s winding baseball path has taken him to the Burlington Sock Puppets this summer. The infielder from Asheboro is still trying to carve out a stable college career. “I love baseball every single day,” Miller said. “I’m trying to get back into that groove. I knew once I got in the groove, I’ll be fine.” Miller left Asheboro High School’s team to play his senior season for Pro5 Baseball Academy based in Holly Springs, where he was…

10 Jul

Close games prove costly for ZooKeepers

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, McCrary Park, Owen Blackledge, summer college baseball, Zach Evans

Zach Evans takes a swing during a recent game for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (P.J. Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers were involved in a bunch of close games heading into the Coastal Plain League’s all-star break. Not all of those outcomes worked out well for the ZooKeepers. So when play resumed this week, the ZooKeepers were in sixth place in the eight-team West Division with a 5-6 second-half record in the split season. The ZooKeepers ended last week with a pair of games with the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Asheboro outfielder Owen Blackledge was dubbed the top hitter…

08 Jul

Randleman pitcher finds his Way to Liberty

Bob SuttonSportsCollege baseball, Liberty Flames, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Randleman baseball, Randleman Tigers, Seth Way, Virginia Tech

Pitcher Seth Way, right, confers with coach Jake Smith and catcher Isaac Yates during a game this year. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) RANDLEMAN – Seth Way has changed his college destination, but he’ll still be joining a Division I program in the state of Virginia. Way, who has been a standout two-way player for Randleman, announced a commitment to Liberty last week. “I knew as soon as I got on campus that’s where I wanted to go,” said Way, who had a standout high school career for Randleman. The right-handed pitcher had signed in November with Virginia Tech, but…

03 Jul

Atkins, four other ZooKeepers picked for CPL All-Star Game

Bob SuttonSportsAll-star game, Asheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Randleman baseball, summer college baseball

Nic Schutte fires a pitch for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during last week’s victory against High Point-Thomasville. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Third baseman Hunter Atkins of the Asheboro ZooKeepers is one of the team’s five selections for the upcoming Coastal Plain League All-Star Game. Atkins, a third baseman from Randleman, will join second baseman Sal Laimo and pitchers Mason Maniquez, Noah Samol and Dylan Dickert on the West team. The CPL All-Star activities will be held Sunday and Monday in Forest City. Atkins began this week with a team-best .306 batting average in 23 games. He had knocked…

26 Jun

Blackledge builds own career with Asheboro ZooKeepers

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, Owen Blackledge, summer college baseball

Owen Blackledge has brought energy to the Asheboro ZooKeepers for a second summer. (Courtesy of Asheboro ZooKeepers) Son of former NFL quarterback makes good use of time in Asheboro ASHEBORO – At about this time last year, Owen Blackledge had just left Omaha, Neb., where he was a member of a College World Series team. While some goals and destinations have changed, Blackledge is now in the middle of his second season with the Asheboro ZooKeepers. The rising senior outfielder knows how to make adjustments. He once played collegiately for national power Texas Christian University and now has one year…

17 Jun

Ex-Randleman standout Atkins looks for new baseball home

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Randleman Tigers, Randolph County Post 45, summer college baseball, UNCG

Hunter Atkins (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Former Randleman baseball standout Hunter Atkins said playing for the Asheboro ZooKeepers this summer is a treat. It’s also serving as an audition. After one season in UNC Greensboro’s program, Atkins has entered the NCAA transfer portal. That puts more emphasis on the third baseman’s production for the ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League. “Trying to get some stats up and see if I can get to a good home,” Atkins said. Atkins had a redshirt season in 2024, so he never took the field for UNCG. The Spartans had a…

15 Jun

College softball, baseball: Perdue, others collect USA South honors

Randolph RecordSportsBrody Gardner, College baseball, College softball, Greensboro College athletics, Kyler Perdue, Pfeiffer athletics, USA South Conference

Kyler Perdue (Courtesy photo) Area softball players made big impacts during the past season Kyler Perdue of Pfeiffer was named the USA South Conference’s Rookie of the Year for softball. Perdue is a Southwestern Randolph graduate. Perdue, a freshman shortstop, batted .350, starting in all 49 games. She was an all-conference second-team selection. Pfeiffer produced a 45-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Falcons went 2-2 in the tournament, eliminated in a 6-4 loss to regional host Christopher Newport in Newport News, Va. Freshman infielder Madison Varner, also a Southwestern Randolph alum, had one hit in…

11 Jun

ZooKeepers experience early ups, downs in CPL

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, McCrary Park, summer college baseball

Asheboro ZooKeepers teammates greet Alex Kean after his home run Saturday night against the Boone Bigfoots. (Asheboro ZooKeepers) ASHEBORO – A mix of results has been the norm for the Asheboro ZooKeepers in the opening weeks of the Coastal Plain League baseball season. So with a two-game winning streak, the ZooKeepers held a 6-7 record through Monday. On Sunday in Boone, Ryan Kennell and Zach Evans each had three hits as the ZooKeepers upended the Boone Bigfoots 9-8 in 10 innings. Davis Germann provided the go-ahead single in the four-run final inning. Owen Simmons and Mason Manriquez handled the pitching…