Charlotte Observer coverage

Langston

You asked for specific story ideas:

- First, the Ty Linton piece was great today.

Thank you. I hope everyone had a chance to read it. We also had a feature on Providence's hot offense last week. Here it is.

- The baseball coach at Myers Park, John Spencer, was actually laid off for a brief period last year in the cut backs. They found a way to save him and brought him back. How about a story discussing how much he has meant to the program and the kids there? This is a great way to bring out the added value that high school athletics and quality coaches provide to a high school education.

We actually did this story last year.

- A story on the East Meck baseball revival. The work on the field the parents did at East made it one of the best in the area - a real field of dreams. The program has made great strides in the toughest conference in the state while going through coaching changes and turnover in primary players - how have they been able to pull this off? I am guessing there are more than a few unsung heroes involved there...

Too late to do this now, but this would've been a great idea for earlier in the year. As you know East was knocked out of the playoffs for the second straight year by Hopewell last night.

- Charlotte Country Day is always playing in the shadow of Charlotte Christian (the 800 pound gorilla in private school play). They have very quietly had an outstanding year this year. Did you know they are 18-8 this year? Two of those losses were close games against much bigger SW4A public schools (Providence beat them 4-1 and Myers Park beat them 11-8, both competitive games.) I bet most people have not heard this story...there must be a story behind their success.

Well, Christian was upset today, but I don't have time to turn it so fast....Anyone have any story ideas about teams playing next week? Stuff I could still get to? Keep 'em coming.

This enough?? Haha
Seriously, thanks for all that you are able to do - kids like to see their names in the paper. Mom and Dad might even buy extra copies to send to relatives - helps your circulation and thus your ad revenue.

Do the Wednesday Baseball/Softball Weekly Roundup next year and watch sales spike on Wednesday next year....

Enough? Never enough. I appreciate the list though. I know kids love to see their names. We put them there every day and always will. Weekly roundups on Wednesdays and Saturdays? We already kind of do that.

Here is one from earlier this week.

 

I think you could still cover some of these stories even though some seasons are over. EM and CCD's seasons may be over but readers would still be touched by stories about those programs. The field at EM is unbelievable. Ask anyone who has played there! And the fact that they went from being in he bottom of the conference to contenders is definitely a great feat - in one year with a new coach. They beat every team in their conference this year - six game conference winning streak. All they got is a little blurb. Coach Koppe, in his first year as head coach, had that team believing in themselves. Look at their stats on Max Preps. Their pitching staff went most of the season with a team ERA of less than 2. At one point they were ranked #7 nationally in team ERA. They have two players sign to play ball next year (one in two sports) and an ACC team is looking at David Daniels. Why not do a recap of some of the team's seasons so you can get this stuff out to people? CCD had a great year also. Coach Hennessey did a wonderful job with his team. I'm sure someone more familiar with that program can give you numerous accolades. Let's not say that just because their season is over, you can't write about them.

 

I'll tell you what I think would be an interesting story. I'd like to hear from Mikal Hill from Mallard Creek. The team is flying under the radar, but the team won their 1st round matchup and should be favored in the next round

Mikal is one of the best players from our state, much less from our area. He committed to USC in his sophomore season and keeps getting better. Mikal also comes from a baseball family with his brother, Alex, playing for UNCW and his father, Chris, was all-everything at West Charlotte.

I'd like to hear from Mikal what it's been like to grow up in his household, to commit to a national program at such an early age and how is family shaped his young baseball career. Also, it would be interesting to hear Mikal's thoughts on how to attract more minorities into baseball. The young man has a lot to say and I would like to hear it.

 

I'll tell you what I think would be an interesting story. I'd like to hear from Mikal Hill from Mallard Creek. The team is flying under the radar, but the team won their 1st round matchup and should be favored in the next round

Mikal is one of the best players from our state, much less from our area. He committed to USC in his sophomore season and keeps getting better. Mikal also comes from a baseball family with his brother, Alex, playing for UNCW and his father, Chris, was all-everything at West Charlotte.

I'd like to hear from Mikal what it's been like to grow up in his household, to commit to a national program at such an early age and how is family shaped his young baseball career. Also, it would be interesting to hear Mikal's thoughts on how to attract more minorities into baseball. The young man has a lot to say and I would like to hear it.

I actually wrote this exact story last year. I couldn't find a link still alive but here you go:

BASEBALL IS STRIKING OUT WITH MANY BLACK ATHLETES
AREA HIGH SCHOOL COACHES CITE LACK OF 'COOL FACTOR' AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Section: SPORTS
Edition: STATE
Page: 1C
By Langston Wertz Jr., [email protected]

Mallard Creek High's Mikal Hill is a rare sight these days: a dominant African American high school baseball player.

Hill is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound sophomore shortstop who committed last fall to South Carolina. A lead-off hitter, he runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and is a switch-hitter, capable of producing from both sides of the plate.

Before Friday's N.C. 4A first-round playoff game at Greensboro Grimsley, he was hitting .357 with nine RBIs.

Hill, the only black player on the team, scored a run in Mallard Creek's 4-2 victory.

"He's got advanced skills for his age," said Ardrey Kell baseball coach Hal Bagwell. "And he's got the ability to run. In any sport, if you can run, it's a plus."

Said Mallard Creek coach Shawn McGeorge: "He does things that are just uncoachable."

But young black athletes like Hill are increasingly choosing sports other than baseball.

According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, based at Central Florida University, about 10 percent of Major League Baseball players in 2008 were African American. That number was up from an all-time low of 8.2 percent in 2007.

The institute surmises the increase is because of baseball's hiring practices. This season, there are a record 10 managers of color and a record five general managers of color.

Still, the drop-off is significant. In 1997, African Americans made up 17 percent of the league. In 1974, the number was 27 percent.

Richard Lapchick, director of the institute, recently wrote that fewer than 7 percent of college players were black "and the numbers decline even more at the high school and youth sports levels."

Area high school coaches point to three things they think hurt black turnout for baseball: lack of college scholarships, lack of the "cool factor," and high cost of entry, particularly for equipment.

Division I colleges offer 11.7 baseball scholarships to spread over the entire team, Lapchick said, compared with the full scholarships players can get in football or basketball.

Bagwell said families can spend thousands for a young player to compete through AAU and fall baseball during his high school years alone. He said baseball equipment, which must be updated regularly, is quite a bit more than "a pair of basketball shoes and a ball."

The Observer interviewed some of the best African American athletes in Mecklenburg County about baseball.

"I don't like baseball," said Butler All-American football star Hawatha Bell, who will play football at North Carolina in the fall. "We joke about it at school sometimes, but no one will play it."

Charlotte Latin two-sport star Ross Cockrell will play defensive back at Duke next year. He once played baseball but became bored with it, he said.

"You're just standing out there in the outfield or infield," Cockrell said. "Football was more interesting. You were tackling or hitting. So was basketball, where you're running up and down the court shooting hoops."

Cockrell, who played football and basketball at Latin, said around Charlotte baseball doesn't seem as important as other sports.

"It's not something we see or hear about all the time," he said. "You always hear about the Bobcats, or when I was little, the Hornets. You always hear about the Panthers. "

Ardrey Kell's Bagwell thinks many black players are missing out on a great experience playing baseball. In a long career that started at South Mecklenburg, Bagwell coached black stars such as outfielder Michael Daniel, now an outfielder with the Washington Nationals' Class AA team in Pennsylvania; and pitcher T.J. Worrell, who is South Mecklenburg's all-time wins leader.

Another former Sabres player, DeRon Chase, 26, is South Meck's home run and RBI leader.

Chase graduated from Elizabeth City State in December 2006 and works in sales for a local phone company. Like Bagwell, he's saddened to see the number of black players locally dipping.

"My parents were in the military," he said, "and I lived in a Hispanic community in Colorado Springs and blacks and Mexicans just played baseball. . . Now there are just more appealing sports around here like football and basketball.

"But I think kids are missing out on a good game. It's an opportunity to learn about the better things in life, overcoming obstacles. You're going to strike out or ground out seven out of 10 times. You have to deal with failure."

Like Chase, Mallard Creek's Hill grew up playing the game. His father Chris, a star at Harding from 1977 to 1979, later played in the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class AA team. Mikal's brother, Alex, is 20-year-old sophomore first baseman at UNC Wilmington.

"Baseball is a family thing," Mikal said. "Everybody in my house played."
He said he has seen fewer and fewer of his black friends play. His father said in "99 percent" of the junior tournaments they travel to Alex is the only black player.

Mikal said he frequently hears from classmates that "you shouldn't be playing baseball."

"They say I should be on the football team with real men or something like that," Mikal said. "I've heard it all my life. I'm like, 'Whatever, man.' I love this game."

Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133

Other Area Players
Just like in college and pro baseball, the numbers of black players in high school baseball is dwindling. But the area does have a few promising young players. Here's a list of some in the Charlotte area:

Anthony Boone, Weddington, Sr., outfielder/pitcher: National football recruit will play quarterback at Duke. Hitting .340 with nine doubles, eight home run and 22 RBIs. He had two wins and three saves as a pitcher.

Tyrone Conner, Olympic, Fr., pitcher/shortstop: Six-footer was 2-2 this season and also hit .298.

Caleb Cunningham, South Meck, Jr., outfielder: Promising young player with good speed.

David Johnson, Garinger, Sr., pitcher: Three-sport star (football, basketball) carries a 4.7 GPA and opposing coaches say power pitching is his strength.

Donovan McClary, Harding, So., shortstop/pitcher: McClary stole 11 bases and batted .510 with 15 RBIs, three doubles, six triples and two home runs.

Matthew Moore, Harding, Sr., outfielder, first baseman/pitcher: Moore is a four-year starter who batted .346 and was all-conference as a junior. This season, he had 15 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

 

Outstanding!!!! I missed that. I'm glad you found the link. Great job on that story. I'm sure the next time I see Chris, he will crush me for calling him a Lion instead of a Ram.

 

Most welcome, Braves.

 

You know Langston, there is a college coach that is a member on here who is always looking for talented players, especially minorities. Thanks for the info on some of those players. That's good stuff. By the way, Caleb just signed with Surry Community College.

 

K, thanks. Congrats to Caleb.

 

Salisbury Post "The Best In Prep Coverage"

That's why I read the "Post", they get info the "old fashioned" way... by asking. How many baseball "Sweet 16" have been published? I've seen a pre-season poll, but not much since then. I respect the heck out of Langston for showing up and answering some tough questions. However, when it comes to "scholarships", baseball players usually don't depend on them to play division 1, they get in with good grades and pretty much walk on. Due to MLB having the ability to draft HS seniors, it's a "roll of the dice" to sign a baseball player for a full scholarship and then lose him in the next draft.
Mikal Hill is a phenomenal athlete and more importantly one of the best baseball players in the state! He has earned that respect with his play on the field (trust me I know firsthand) not by the color of his skin. As the father of an Asian-American he wants to be recognized for his abilities as a baseball player and Mikal has earned that right! Not because he's white, black, green or asian... he can just flat out play!
Since Al Gore invented the "internet" a lot has changed (God bless him) information can be obtained at a click of a button. I know our conference results and standings within 24 hrs, so I really don't need a printed version. My point is ...it takes a little work but everyone is working a little harder these days.