Coach Dease- Orange High School

Coach Dease

Congrats and best of luck to Coach Dease and his fine program. He's a class act!

 

dease is the man

I agree... I have known Coach Dease for a long time and the program that he has built is second to none in the state. Sometimes a high school program is not just respected because of how many state championships they have produced but rather the type of people that come out of it. He has sent a ton of kids off to play baseball at the next level. He has a beautiful facility and works as hard as anyone with several state championships. He treats all of his opponents, coaches, staff, and parents with respect and class.
Just like all of you... I hope this is his year, and there is no other team I will pull for more. I bet that he won't get on here and post on any thread that compliments him like this one has.. That is just how he is. He'll just say he has a good group this year. But he works has butt off and deals with moving classifications 2 times in the last 6 years, his school shrinking, and some interesting parents.
All the best to a guy who deserves it as much as any. This state is full of coaches who work hard and do things the right way and it is great to see one of them getting his day in the sun.

 

I have had the blessing to be coached BY Dean Dease when he was an asst. coach for Pete Shankle, to coach WITH him in the state games, and to coach AGAINST him in many battles as a head coach when our teams square off annually. He is always the same...classy in victory, humble in defeat, professional, and personable, whether he's the winner or the loser that day. I can truly say no one is more deserving of a state title and I'll be pulling for him hard. Like has been said, Dean won't brag about his program, so it's great for us to do it for him!

 

Congrats to Orange HS

Coach Dease will take his Panthers to the State 2A finals next weekend. Congrats to him his players and his entire staff. It should be a great series between them and East Rutherford.

 

Way to go Dickie Dean. Not bad for a BCHS grad!!!
ORANGE High 2A Baseball State Champs 2008

 

The Fighting Deanos win the state Championship and get that good guy a day in the sun. Way to go coach Dease. You have built such a great program that all of Orange County is proud of. The old #21 gets the State Championship in his 21st year. Coincidence????

 

Well here goes:

It truly has been a thrill make a run for the state title. The outpouring of support and well-wishing has been overwhelming and very much appreciated.

Listen closely and I will tell you 21 tips to win a championship:

Have a lead-off batter like senoir Carvell Copeland who hit close to .400, stole over 20 bases, runs centerfield like Willie Mays and comes up with the game-winning hit in the final game. Maybe the hardest worker on the team and a great student who will be playing at A & T next year.

Have a LH #2 hitter like Marquis Riley at second base. Hit over .450 with 45 hits, 6 HR and 33 RBI. A 2-time All-State player and 4-year starter in the middle infield with great hands. Just a great talent. He has ONE strike-out in his last 77 games in high school. Also playing at A & T next year.

Have a player in the line-up like Tommy Wright who has no fear. He has a cannon from right field. He can play any position. He can close-out games on the mound or run out there and throw a complete game in a spot start. Hit .395 with 10 doubles, 5 homeruns and 28 RBI. Tommy lives for baseball and will be at Surry CC for new coach Josh Simmons.

Have a clean-up hitter and first baseman like Larry McDonald Jr. - 6'1" 290, with great bat speed and soft hands. Larry is the spiritual and vocal leader of the team. When he speaks the team listens (and who wouldn't?). He hit over .400 with 7 homeruns and 38 RBI, even stole 7 bags. Larry is one of the greatest young men I have ever coached. He will play football next year at Fayetteville State.

Have a LH pitcher like Ryan Walker, 6'3" 190, with a very good fastball and outstanding off-speed stuff. Ryan won 10 games for Orange and struck-out 109 batters in 63.3 innings. He was 3-0 in the play-offs with wins over Southern Guilford, North Lenoir and East Rutherford. Ryan is a great teammate who really wants to win. Ryan will be playing at UNC-W next year.

Have a catcher like junior J. T. Pope with a strong arm, soft hands and great mind behind the dish. This young man called almost every single pitch this season. He was awesome with our pitching staff. J. T. hit .386 with 5 homeruns and 26 RBI. J. T. will have a bright future. He is also super in the classroom (Top 10).

Have a LH pitcher/OF like junoir Jake Manzulich, who has been pitching on the varsity since he was a freshman. Jake hit over .450 and went 3-0 on the mound with 5 no decisions. He had to overcome an early season shoulder strain. When he made it back to full strength we began to click. Jake was the winning pitcher in the final game of the championship series, holding a powerful East Rutherford team to 2 runs. He also had a big RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh of Game 2.

Have a shortstop like Bradon Reitano, who as a sophomore won the position with his arm, glove and bat. Bradon works as hard as anyone on the team. He also understands the game as well as anyone I have coached. Bradon hit .376 with 4 homeruns, over 30 RBI and stole 14 bases. Bradon oftened rallied this team with a key double, triple or bunt for a hit. He is one of those players who is just fun to watch.

Have a third baseman like Matt McKee, who had 4 homeruns and led the team in hit by pitches with 13. Matt would do what ever it took for us to win. He wanted it so badly. He was solid at third with a strong arm. His aggressive style of play sparked the Panthers. He gave us power near the bottom of the order.

Have DH/PH like Josh Pettiford, who came in to pinch-hit in the bottom of the seventh of Game 2 with ER and got a game-tying base-hit with 2-strikes. Josh hit over .300 on the year as our part-time DH and hit a grandslam in the playoffs. Josh also was a leader in the dugout. He will play football next year at Wingate.

Have a fourth outfielder like Robby Dow who can run and throw. Robby started many games in leftfield and also came in for defense in late innings. He ran the bases great. Robby is a super young man on and off the field, especially in the classroom. He leads by example and has earned the respect of all the players and coaches.

Have a relief pitcher/middle infielder like Scott Jarvis. Scott went 7-1 with a 1.41 ERA on the season. He recorded both playoff wins against Whiteville and went 3-0 in the playoffs. Scott can do so many good things on the baseball field- run, field, hit, throw. As a senior next year, he will be counted on heavily. He is also another of our outstanding students.

Have a senoir backup catcher like Blaise Haubert. Blaise knocked in 5 runs on the season in only 11 at bats. However it was not his offense the Panthers needed. Pitching is where Blaise was invaluable. He was in charge of our pitching staff. He made sure each starting pitcher was ready to go. He communicated with the our coaches on each bullpen performance. Blaise is our "unofficial" team captain. The team made sure he was the first one to touch the regional championship plaque. He is also a excellent student.

Have a junior pitcher/1B like Joe Winecoff, who was 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA on the year. Joe was a one of our starting pitchers but also had 5 relief appearances. Joe ate up some innings (30) like he and Larry were at the Golden Corral buffet. At 6'3" and 230 pounds Joe will be very important for us in the future. Joe gave the team everything he had every time he took the field.

Have a sophomore catcher like Rob Schlike, who hit .400 in limited action. It will not be limited for long. This kid can swing the bat. Rob caught countless bullpens and scrimmages on the year. He did a awesome getting our relief pitchers ready during the game. Rob was an integral part of this team. I know he wanted to play more but he never said one word. He put the team first.

Have assistant coaches like Richard Reynolds (pitching and first base), Chuck Moore (outfield, hitting and third base) and former assistant Matt McCay. These men are unbelievable. Their knowledge, attitude and work ethic make them a joy to work with and be around. The players love them and respect them. Also have caring JV coaches.

Have parents who support the team without interference. They let the coaches do their job, but if something is needed they are there. The parents fed the team on almost every road trip and they run our Dugout Club. We are very grateful.

Have good middle school and youth programs in the community to get kids involved in baseball early and teach the fundalmentals.

Have the support of the school's athletic department, faculty and administration.

Have the support of long-time fans, former players and coaches. I saw many of them last weekend and it was awesome.

Have a little luck and a few good bounces doesn't hurt either.

All of the above is why Orange HS won a state title. Thank you for all of the kind words and support.

 

What an awesome tribute! Your words about those that surround you speak volumes to me about who you are!

Congrats to you and the Orange High School Baseball family!

 

Somehow, I'm not the least bit surprised by Coach Dease's response. It is nice to see you give your opinion on your players, staff and the Panther Family.

If you don't mind, just a few questions from me.

- Was the experience winning the Championship what you imagined?

- Being the State Champions, how do you think it will affect Hillsborough, as well as Orange HS and the baseball program?

 

reply

- Was the experience winning the Championship what you imagined?

It was more than I could have hoped for. To see those kids celebrate and receive those medals was one of my proudest moments (the birth of my two daughters being tied at #1). To see Carvell Copeland named as series MVP, after knowing how hard this young man worked was so rewarding.



- Being the State Champions, how do you think it will affect Hillsborough, as well as Orange HS and the baseball program?

There has been a buzz around town that's for sure. The team appeared before the school board for recognition and WTVD Channel 11 Sports did a story on the team. Local coverage has been super.

We have had a some talented teams and players in the past that never got to finals. I hope they all know they are part of this too.

As for the future I am hoping that the #1 rated pitchers from Florida and California, the top first baseman from Texas and the two best outfielders from Georgia will now move to northern Orange County. BUT I doubt it, so we will continure to work hard and play hard.