Prep baseball - Randolph Record

14 May

Eastern Randolph hits hot spot at right time, advances to fourth round in baseball playoffs

Bob SuttonSportsCade McCallum, class 1-A, Eastern Randolph athletics, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, McCrary Park, Nate Cockman, Prep baseball, Rayden West, state playoffs

Cade McCallum delivers a pitch during Tuesday’s game in the Class 1A state playoffs at McCrary Park. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO — The timing is right for Eastern Randolph to be playing its best baseball of the season. The Wildcats won their third consecutive game in the Class 1A state playoffs with Tuesday’s 4-1 victory against Mountain Heritage at McCrary Park. “We’re getting hot at the right time and it’s a great time to do it,” said Cade McCallum, who pitched a five-hitter. The Wildcats (14-12-1), who are seeded No. 15 in the West Region, move to…

10 May

UCA, E. Randolph, Randleman, Trinity advance in baseball; Cougars, Tigers, Eagles move on in softball

Randolph RecordSportsAlyssa Harris, Braxton Walker, class 1-A, Class 2-A, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Jake Riddle, Macie Crutchfield, Prep baseball, Prep softball, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Randleman's Jake Riddle made key contributions as the Tigers advanced through two rounds of the baseball state playoffs. (Randolph Record file photo) ASHEBORO — Two-time defending state champion Uwharrie Charter Academy pulled out a 3-2 baseball victory against 12th-seeded East Wilkes in the Class 1-A second round Friday. Brett Smith and Logun Wilkins combined to strike out 10 batters for the fifth-seeded Eagles, who travel to fourth-seeded North Stokes in the third round. UCA opened the playoffs with a 14-2 stomping of No. 28 seed Bessemer City. DJ Brandon, who drove in two runs, and Brody Eagle both supplied three…

05 May

Prep baseball: UCA seeks another state championship; Randleman to open postseason vs. league foe

Randolph RecordSportsclass 1-A, Class 2-A, Prep baseball, Randleman Tigers, state playoffs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Infielder Landon Zephir and the UCA baseball team will try to produce another special postseason. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) Uwharrie Charter Academy’s bid to win a third consecutive state championship in Class 1A baseball will come as the No. 5 seed in the West Region. The pairings and brackets were revealed Monday in advance of Tuesday’s first-round games. UCA is set for a home game against No. 28 seed Bessemer City. If the Eagles win, they’ll be home again Friday night in the second round. Six other teams from Randolph County also are in the state playoffs. Eastern Randolph…

03 May

Prep baseball: UCA ends up second in PAC after sweeping Southwestern Randolph

Randolph RecordSportsAndrew Thomas, Brett Smith, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Providence Grove Patriots, Randleman Tigers, Tate Andrews, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Uwharrie Charter Academy won twice in the final week of the regular season to secure third place in the Piedmont Athletic Conference baseball standings. The Eagles held off last-place Southwestern Randolph 8-1 and 3-2 in eight innings. Jose Ramirez had three hits and three runs batted in the first matchup, with Logun Wilkins notching the pitching victory. UCA’s Brett Smith went the distance in the second game, outdueling Jonah Campbell, who also worked a complete game. ** Third-place Trinity defeated fourth-place Eastern Randolph twice by scores of 14-3 and 5-1. Trinity’s Walker Parrish drove in five runs in the two…

29 Apr

Opinions vary on league baseball tourneys as PAC opts out this year

Bob SuttonSportsEastern Randolph Wildcats, Jake Smith, Nate Cockman, piedmont athletic conference, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Prep baseball, Providence Grove Patriots, Randleman Tigers, Rob Shore, Ryan Spencer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles, Wheatmore Warriors

The Providence Grove baseball team will be completing its regular season this week. (Randolph Record) There’s no Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament in baseball this year, something that would have taken place this week. Instead, teams are wrapping up their regular seasons. Opinions vary on the topic of whether to hold a tournament. The decision to nix the tournament was made prior to the school year. “It’s fun to have,” Trinity coach Ryan Spencer said. “We always got to have a couple extra games.” Teams can play up to 24 regular-season games, so a tournament provided opportunities, in some cases, for…

28 Apr

Prep baseball roundup: Blue Comets find late-season boost

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Asheboro’s baseball team went into this week’s Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament on a four-game winning streak. The Blue Comets toppled Jordan-Matthews twice in non-league play last week. A 10-2 home result came with Adam Curry and Gavin Allen leading the offense. Nolan Shaw and Mason Kotlowski combined for a shutout in the 11-0 road domination, with Cohen Caviness driving in four runs and notching three hits and Jacob Tevebaugh scoring three runs. ** Uwharrie Charter Academy and Wheatmore split Piedmont Athletic Conference games. UCA topped visiting Wheatmore 3-0 on Logun Wilkins’ four-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Jaxon Mabe scored two runs. The…

25 Apr

Randleman slams Trinity, secures another PAC baseball title

Bob SuttonSportsBraxton Walker, Jake Smith, John Kirkpatrick, piedmont athletic conference, Prep baseball, Randleman Tigers, Ryan Spencer, Tate Andrews, Trinity Bulldogs

Randleman’s Braxton Walker unloads for a tiebreaking grand slam against Trinity in the Tigers’ PAC-clinching victory. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) RANDLEMAN — Randleman’s baseball team ended up in a familiar spot by the time the Piedmont Athletic Conference portion of its season was complete. The Tigers are in first place again. “I had no doubt,” pitcher / first baseman Braxton Walker said. “The guys come to practice and we and the team morale is as high as it ever has been.” The clinching victory came with an 8-1 decision against visiting Trinity on Friday night as John Kirkpatrick threw…

18 Apr

Prep baseball: Area teams collect mixed results during spring break

Randolph RecordSportsAndrew Thomas, Asheboro Blue Comets, Braxton Walker, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Jake Riddle, Prep baseball, Providence Grove Patriots, Randleman Tigers, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles, Wheatmore Warriors

Trinity’s Nick Beane dives toward the plate to score a run against Wilmington Christian. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) There were many winners among Randolph County baseball teams during spring break. Asheboro and Randleman both won twice, while other teams largely struggled. Here’s a look at some of the results: ** In the ZooKeepers Classic at McCrary Park in Asheboro, Wheatmore, Southwestern Randolph and Eastern Randolph all finished with losing marks. Southwestern Randolph went 1-2, winning with an 11-1 whipping of Southern Lee behind three runs batted in apiece from Brady Armfield and Jake Gainey combined with Lane Poole’s pitching…

16 Apr

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jose Ramirez

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Jose Ramirez, Prep baseball, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Uwharrie Charter Academy, baseball Ramirez, a senior outfielder, has been one of the leading batters for the Eagles, who are contenders in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Ramirez had four runs batted in last week when UCA pummeled Eastern Randolph. The Eagles entered this week with victories in three of their last four games, with the lone loss during that stretch in extra innings.

13 Apr

Matchups set for spring break baseball games at McCrary Park

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Faith Christian, McCrary Park, Prep baseball, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Wheatmore Warriors, Zookeepers

ASHEBORO — High school baseball teams from six counties will appear during the ZooKeepers Classic this week. Most of the scheduled 14 games include at least one team from Randolph County. Ten teams will play at least one game. There were slight schedule changes from original versions. Beginning Monday, there will be five days of competition, all with predetermined matchups at McCrary Park. The event is no longer a true tournament format, but it allows for more schools to participate and for coaches to better plan the week when some players might not be available. “Coaches said they want to…