East Meck Eagles--SW4A

I wanted to post a thread about them because they never get any recognition. This is a team that competes in, arguably, the toughest 4A conference. A conference that annually will have up to 6 teams ranked in the top 16.

East Meck is almost back to the respect and talent they had years ago. Coach Chet Greeson has his boys back....and the conference better beware.

They won today against Empsey Thompson's always tough A.L. Brown 5-1. Olen Little, QB on the football team, picked up the win while the hitting was led by the Double D's---Leighton and David Daniels. If you have not had a chance to see these boys play, you are in for a treat. They are still going to have to learn how to win the big games, but for the first time in years, Coach Greeson is organizing a very competitive team and one that will cause problems in the conference against their opponents.

Now here is the other thing that I want to mention. There are some absolutely beautiful HS fields in our area. It is a testament to the commitment the coaches in the Charlotte area have in building and sustaining a program.

But, The Ed Bryant Field at East Meck is unbelievable. Hopewell and East Meck have the best playing surfaces that I have seen, but the outfield wall at East Meck is the Picasso. There is nothing else close to match the magnificent wooden wall they have built. It is beautiful (you can smell the cedar from behind homeplate), majestic and one of a kind! When they are completely through with it in a couple of weeks I'll post a panoramic picture. Coach Greeson and his staff have now established a new standard...that I'm sure will cause his opposing coaches in the SW4A grief. Each coach tries to outdo each other each year and as of today...Coach Greeson has pulled ahead.

I'd like to congratulate the whole coaching staff at East Meck for not getting down when the times got a little tough. They worked just as hard with their program and it's now time to start to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They're not all the way back yet. They are still not one of the elite teams...yet. But they are positioning themselves to be one of the big dogs in the near future.

 

Progress

I am a 1999 graduate of East Meck and I could not be happier for the baseball program and the job that Coach Greeson has done over there. My sophomore year, Butler High School was built and that's when they redistricted southeast Charlotte. I was sent from a stellar baseball program at Providence to a program at East Mecklenburg. I really didn't know what to expect but I knew that we had a chance to start building a respectable program in a very tough conference.
(These were the days of Gary Smith's Providence team that was ranked 5th in the nation by USA Today, Bagwell's South Meck teams with Chris Jones and Mark Mennitt's Independence teams that were always contenders for the SW4A title)

When I went to the field my first year at East for winter workouts and saw the batting cage filled with 3ft tall weeds interspersed with 40 oz. bottles of Schlitz and Old English....not to mention the sloping and pothole ridden outfield that the football team used as a practice field...I was in shock. We spent just as much time on field and facility maintanence than we did practicing for the first 3 months. We put up a windscreen on an outfield fence that had no idea what a windscreen was....added an irrigation system in front of the dugouts so they wouldn't be 6 inches deep in water.....had the art classes come out and paint an Eagle on the press box and dugouts....and finally got rid of all the beer bottles and overgrown weeds that were in that batting cage.
We started that season off by no-hitting West Charlotte and ended it by falling short to a VERY good Independence team for the last playoff spot 5-4.
That was the beginning of a very good run which included players like Greg Mangum, Tyler White, Chad Tilley, Ben Buchanan, etc...

I came back to East as a coach on the Weddington staff in 2006 and saw what the field looked like and what a good job Coach Greeson had done. When the announcer called my name for the pregame lineups I was announced as an East Meck alumni....

....and I couldn't have been more proud.

Good luck to Coach Greeson and the Eagles this year.

 

Off to a good start

East Meck 5, A.L. Brown 1

Brown 1-3-3
East 5-7-2

WP: Ryan Robinette
LP: Arron Spano

Leading Hitters: EM - Leighton Daniels 2-3, 2B; David Daniels 2-2; Logan Porter 1-3, 2 RBIs.

EM 1-0; ALB 0-1

 

Chet (who is a Kannapolis boy) has always had a great baseball mind and he's a great coach who has always put a lot of time into anything baseball related. IMO, clearly one of top coaches in Charlotte area.

 

great stuff braves and all. i've heard the new wall is top of the line and look forward to seeing these guys play. part of me wishes that my guy eddie m hadn't moved over to grace, because this is a great group of kids. glad to see the daniel brothers and logan have a great start.

 

good words east99

 

I didn't know this until Coach Greeson told me yesterday, but both Coach Thompson and Coach Joe Hubbard at NW Cabarrus played for him when he coached the Kannapolis Legion team.

 

Couldn't get...

Chet off my back......three times NOT GOOD... How do you strike out 23 in 7 innings YET lose 3-1 I believe it was???????? Bounced us from the Confey tourney to boot in 02.

 

East Meck wins big vs. East Gaston

East got back to their winning ways Wednesday night vs. an East Gaston team that had previously scored 18 and 10 runs their previous 2 games.

Lou Trosch (soph) got the win while surrendering no ER in a 15 - 5 victory for East. Trosch went the distance. Christian Lee continued his torrid hitting pace as he went 3 for 3 and the Daniels brothers (Leighton and David) also hit great.

East is 2-2 with two one-run losses. Braves is right about the field. Looks top-notch. Fun place to watch a game and the team is shaping up this year!

 

Yeah, SCPBUC posted this under the "week 2" thread, but it's nice to read it again. "Sweet Lou" must have pitched a really good game: I wished I had seen it. I was hoping to see the game tomight against SM, but I assume it's been cancelled.

By the way, is "war eagle" an Auburn fan? I hope you don't know that ne'er do good Walter Hutto. Your credibility will be tarnished....forever!

Just kidding..they don't get any better than Walter. Then again, God doesn't make anyone like him either.