College Baseball

There are many Carolina teams with local players. Many of the D2 schools will play each other both in and out of conference - these schools are not state supported, and find that cutting down on travel saves money. These schools also find that playing Carolina teams creates rivalries as well as exposure to local high school talent, which is great.

However, I have to wonder why UNCC or UNC will not play many Carolina teams not in conference? UNCC does play Davidson, but I surmise that with Davidson's entrance requirements, tuition, room and board, UNCC is not afraid of recruiting competition. It would appear that state supported schools should schedule each other more often, especially if the level of competition is comparable. Travelling far with 20+ players, staff, and equipment spends a lot of dollars.

Case in point, WCU is currently ranked in the top 30 D1 schools. I travelled to Spartanburg last week to watch a double header with Wofford. I asked WCU's coach why they don't play UNCC, and the reply was that UNCC refused to schedule WCU, UNC refused also.

Also have to wonder why UNCC does not recruit locally? With the wealth of talent, as reported on this board, in the Metrolina area, one would think that Coach Hibbs could use some of the talent as well as fan interest.

Any comments?

 

That is an excellent question....

In the past years, UNCC did not believe the number of quality players in Charlotte was very good. They had a strong connection in Maryland which was a hot bed of players.

But there are two areas that would lead one to believe that Charlotte area should be a priority

1. It is much less expensive to have your players live at home...which frees up money for more players

2. Mike Shildt (ex- Asst. coach) and most of his staff at On Deck Academy are UNCC Alums...they have been instrumental in developing the quality of talent in Charlotte.....just makes sense

 

The current crop of Charlotte recruiters has stepped up their recruitment of Charlotte area players the last couple of years; a shortcoming that needed some attention. In particular, coaches Hall and Hill have been seen at quite a few games involving Charlotte area teams the past year. Meanwhile, 7 players on the Forty-Niners' current roster of 27 come from Charlotte or rural areas near Charlotte. Of the 27, 17 are from North Carolina.

With respect to UNC's scheduling of in-state competition, I don't think the assertion stands that they "duck" in-state schools. This year's schedule of 35 non-conference games includes 9 involving North Carolina schools. In chronological order, the Tar Heels scheduled Appalachian State, Davidson, Charlotte, High Point, East Carolina (twice), Elon, and UNC-W (twice).

It's a well-known fact in college coaching ranks that it's hard generally to get on UNC's schedule because it's a very popular place for Division I teams to play, particularly early in the season when teams are making trips to the East Coast. Coach Fox has to turn down a large percentage of the requests he receives for game dates, from both in-state and out-of-state schools. Just because they miss a few in-state names like WCU's in the process doesn't enable you to generalize that they "won't play in-state schools."

With regard to recruiting: of the 33 players on the UNC roster, 23 are North Carolinians; 8 of whom come from the Charlotte region

 

Hmm...it appears as if UNC is slightly more aggressive...of course, they are getting the cream of the crop

 

UNCC also for several years refused to play Davidson. However, this year they relented, came to Wildcat Park, and lost.

Davidson (coach Dick Cooke) currently has players from Vance, Butler, and Latin HS on the roster. He also has players from Rowan, Gaston, Lincoln, and Burke counties. I know of at least one freshman from Mecklenburg Co (Wilson - Myers Park) who will play for Davidson next year.

In summary, the 'Cats are doing better in recruiting local players. North Carolina is an excellent high school baseball state. I hope Davidson continues to recruit local talent.

 

Just a thought, I wonder how many offers have been made from UNCC to NC high school players that have been turned down? I know they don't do a very good job of recruiting in the mountains when there is some good talent here for them to choose from.