Improvements of Charlotte area baseball

Excellent, Braves.
Looking forward to your next post.

 

Region 6....

NCBBALLFAN, so if you see what I see about Region 6 baseball talent growing,,,,, then what specifically has helped Region 6?

...a lot of AAU in this area???

 

No doubt that has helped tremendously. Playing "Little League" or "Pony League" on a recreational level doesn't prepare a player very well for the HS game the way it's played now. You have to have that competition against the best in order to push yourself and help establish your own goals.

We had a discussion up at the State Games about "Athletes" in general. You can put an Athlete on the playing field/court in other sports and he can contribute. That's not the case necessarily in baseball. There are a lot of great athletes in baseball, but the skills have to be developed and that takes time, effort, repetition and good coaching.

Yes, an Athlete can run down a fly ball in the OF, but needs to develop the skill of reading the ball off the bat. The footwork and glove/hand transfer of an infielder is a skill. Pitching/catching are probably the two highest skill positions in all of sports.

Then there is hitting a baseball, which is extremely difficult at best. Then you start seeing curves, sliders, changes, tailing fastballs, cut fastballs, late movement, downward tilt, etc, etc, etc.

In my opinion, the biggest single change has been the improvement in teaching baseball in the area. And that has to be attributed (to a large extent) to the growth of AAU/Travel teams, which has brought better teachers into the area. Talking to many former college players, the skill level you see on many HS players is the same that they used to see just in college 20 years ago.

 

Competitive Baseball...

About 8 years ago a man named Jim Berger decided that baseball in the Charlotte area was not living up to it's potential like it was in places like the metro Atlanta area, Knoxville area etc, so he decided to do something about it. Coach Berger and Terry Shelton took a group of about 14 players to a 5th place national finish in the first AABC, AAU purely travel team from North Carolina. After that first year as 10 year olds (which grew out of Matthews Recreation Athletic Association (MARA) each year more teams started doing the same thing and became exclusive travel teams reaching for that more competitive baseball player. Players on that first Charlotte Lightning Team included: Jim Berger (Myers Park), Kyle Shelton(South Meck), Jonathan and Chris Ahearn(Providence), Bryant Goodman(Charlotte Christian), AJ Mason(Providence), and later on Chris Taylor(Mt. Pleasant) Jonathan Ratledge (South Meck), Elliott Arrington(South Meck), Scott Pesta(South Meck), Patrick Adams(West Rowan), Jay McConnell(East Gaston), Dane Phillips (Harding)and many more Charlotte area kids. Then another strong team came out of this area called the Mudcats, and coached by Tommy Little. He also drew many players out of the MARA program such as: Reid Fronk(Charlotte Christian), Greg Little(Providence), Sean Snell(Latin) and the list goes on! Then Mike Schildt came into the picture about four years ago and OnDeck was born, along with more teams from the Steele Creek area, North Mecklenburg area. Also, Randy Layman and instrumental in bringing AABC to the Charlotte area, and his supportive/active committee members that assisted in running the league were:
-Robert Patterson
-Marvin Rogers
-Joe Moody
-Mike Schildt
-Gemetta Stanford
Also we have to remember that American Legion has a strong tradition. I would say baseball in the Region 6 area has definately evolved over the past eight years, because I know at one time very few college coaches recruited this area, and now it seems to be a hot bed or talent and very rich traditions and rivalries are growing strong in the high schools. I know I have left out some very important people that added to this process so people out there help me out!! I think one could say that Charlotte and the metro area is a hot bed for baseball players now. Just look at all the signed players going to college to play! Wonderful :applause: :applause:

 

AABC of the Carolinas - Competitive baseball play...

AABC baseball, which is really BIG in the far and mid West, was originally brought to the Charlotte area and chaired by Randy Layman after he left the Park Sharon Athletic Association as it’s President for many, many years and brought some of PSAA's long time board members with him who had players that were ready to move on to more competitive baseball play to run and service the AABC baseball program along with some other interested parties that had long supported and been associated with several recreational athletic leagues in the Charlotte area.

Randy Layman started the ball rolling that brought AABC to Charlotte as an alternative means of playing competitive baseball which was a step up from the recreational leagues but did not have the demanding and trying schedule as that of the traveling teams that were, at that time, roving from town to town every single weekend looking for good competitive teams to play that were scattered around North Carolina and South Carolina. The name of the Charlotte AABC organization was soon renamed to the AABC of the Carolinas shortly after it was formed.

The AABC of the Carolinas reserved all the finest high school fields in the area for baseball play and many, many traveling teams began playing in a lot of Charlotte double headers on Saturdays and Sundays in the Charlotte area as opposed to traveling out of town every single weekend. Teams like the Matthews Mudcats, Carolina Copperheads, Cornelius Copperheads, On Deck Tigers, On Deck Cardinals, Carolina Royals, Charlotte Rebels, Carolina Cougars, Mint Hill Scorpions, Mint Hill Breeze, Catawba City Storm, Kernersville Cardinals, Rowan Red Sox, Raleigh Red Wings, Carolina Vipers, Charlotte Bearcats, Carolina Wildcats, Carolina Blues, Matthews Cougars, Carolina Clash, Charlottoe Diamondbacks, S. Charlotte Panthers, Sardis Blues, Carolina Red Sox, Charlottoe Rage, Charlotte Express, Carolina Pirates, Stanly Red Raiders, Carolina Giants, CAA Black Sox, Tri-City Hurricanes, Hartsville Braves, and the Palmetto Bulldogs (just to name a few), played years of competitive baseball play in the Charlotte area while the AABC of the Carolinas organization was in existence.

Randy Layman’s supportive committee members that assisted in running the AABC of the Carolinas league while it was in existence were:
-Robert Patterson
-Marvin Rogers
-Joe Moody
-Mike Schildt
-Tommy Little
-Gemetta Stanford
-Larry Andress

Although it is not now in existence, the AABC of the Carolinas was ran efficiently and strongly for about 5 years until it's committee member's children aged out of this particular baseball program and no interested parties stepped up to continue on the AABC of the Carolinas baseball program after last year, which was very sad and disappointing to hear.

But...I'm sure that this discussion on AABC baseball play should be another thread ALL in it's self?!?

 

Thanks..

Thanks for bringing the other names in that I did not know for sure. I hate leaving anyone out... and yes you are right, this probably should have been on a thread by itself. Just trying to answer the question on why baseball has become so strong in this area. Trying to shed some light on some of the history! I think baseball in this area is going to continue to grow, and I hope one day OnDeck will be better known than East Cobb. :xyzthumbs

 

Just a side note to some of the local players that played against those same Express and Mudcat teams.
Piedmont Cougars had about 6 or 7 players now headed to play college ball .

 

Randy Layman, who is a member of this board, will love reading this Now, if I could only get him to post.

Although everything you posters have said is true and all names mentioned should be congratulated, Region 6 has so many great players outside of the Charlotte area....although many of them (cabarrus, gaston and stanly) are starting to matriculate (like that word Pops?) to On Deck, Megastars and other Charlotte area teams.

Having read the reasons for better baseball in this area I would have to say the one common denominator is this. The players have been taught that to succeed long term they must practice year long. With a few exceptions, the one's that don't are being surpassed by those that do. The committment towards baseball excellence now far exceeds the committment of yesteryear.

There are 4 names that I feel have been pioneers in baseball excellence:

1. Mike Shildt
2. Jeff McNeely
3. Gary Robinson
4. Pete Snell

 

To add to that, from what I hear, there are plans in the works to bring a facility with several fields and indoor training to the North Mecklenburg area, much like East Cobb, as early as 2005. I have been told that plans have been drawn up and land has been purchased and I have heard rumors, as I don't know for sure, that the Carolina Copperheads Baseball organization (out of the Cornelius, Huntersville area) is involved in some way.

 

Me too..

Now that you mentioned it I have heard that also. I hope they do come and we do end up with a facility and most of all a program that will exceed what is happening at places like East Cobb. If I win the big lottery I would do it in South Charlotte