CPC

Cubs,,,, I'm not sure if I've ever seen anyone from South Rowan or East Rowan posting on this message board, and I'm not from either school so I can't give firsthand info about what those 2 schools have coming back this year, but trust me when I say that those 2 are always strong in HS baseball. Anyone else familiar with these 2 programs will surely agree with me that you'd be crazy to overlook SR or ER in baseball.

 

I agree with tj21. Personally, I only feel qualified to talk about North Davidson. That's not a slight to anyone else, that's just all I know. I'm sure Tabor, Reynolds, S. Rowan and E. Rowan will compete just has hard as anyone, but I just don't know enough about any of them to say who they return or how I think they'll be. One thing I do know about all of those schools though - they all have outstanding coaches!!! Really the whole conference does.

Herndon has won a state championship.
Pope has gone to the finals.
Meadows won a state championship as an assistant with Glenn
Welch got paid to play and probably could make even me a good hitter
Lovelace was nasty in his day (I know first hand) and has coached some really good teams (and players) at Davie and Mockville Legion
Hightower may be one of the biggest competitors I've ever met and took a Statesville program that was pretty bad and made them competitive
Williams has one several conference championships at South and is always in the fray.

Really a quite impressive bunch.

 

Davie

Chris Kinard who transfered from South Meck to Davie IS eligable... the only reason there was any question was becuase his grades/info was delayed getting transfered from Chapel Hill. He has changed his attitude and is doing much better in a new environment at Davie and will be a HUGE gain for davie. He played for the South Charlotte Panthers showcase team and was a major asset for their success.

Being from Davie County it may seem as a biased opinion, but there arent any positions where davie is weak. They are stacked in pitching and absolutely Loaded in hitting. The '07 class has now grown up and teamed with the seniors will produce a very tough baseball team this year, nothing like last years, every position has an allconference caliber player.

The CPC will be very fun this year... and only time can tell who really is worth all the hype.

lets play ball

 

Just my opinions & perceptions:

North Davidson will be better in the infield & on the mound than last year. Best pitching staff they've had for at least 6 years. Best catcher too. Replace the outfield (which I think can be done) & the Knights have a great shot at making some noise.

My understanding is that Reynolds will really be hurting this year. They graduated 4 irreplacable stars, including their entire pitching staff (other than Dusty Johnson). Will be a re-building year for certain.

I was told (by a knowledgeable person) that South Rowan was in a similar situation...will be working toward the future. I was also told that East Rowan is not as strong as they have been some years. I cannot verify those statements.

West Forsyth has to be the favorite once again because of Holt alone. The road to the title goes through Clemmons & Coach Pope.

Davie will be strong in the field & at bat, especially if the Kinard is as good as advertized. However unless the Johnson kid is better than I remember, I doubt their pitching staff is as good as WF or ND.

My guesstimate:
West Forsyth
North Davidson
Davie
Mt Tabor
E Rowan
S Rowan
Reynolds

 

I had the chance to see Levi play in several tournaments this year and he will be special before he leaves N.D. Not only is he smooth at short but also can hit from both sides. He is a really nice polite kid.

 

Is coach Jones still at Mt. Tabor? I had heard that he had moved to another school.

 

UK7Dook3,,,, great to hear from you. As for East Rowan, the best that I can remember from their last year's team, I'm thinking your source is right. East certainly is not as strong as they have been in recent years when they were 3A state powers year-in and year-out; however, with that said they have tons of revolving talent coming through that neck of the woods and they merely reload. They may be young, but Coach Hightower will have them playing very disciplined and they simply don't beat themselves. Even on so-called down years, they can still beat you. As for South Rowan, again I'm not a South supporter, but based on seeing them pretty often (HS & legion) they should have a pretty good team this spring. Simply can't remember many names, but looking at your standings, I would place South above East, just not sure where those 2 fit with the rest of the league because I'm not familiar with your league. All I'm saying is with these 2 schools that usually field sound baseball teams, don't let either one of them surprise anyone.

 

I confess my ignorance on the 2 Rowan teams. I based my guesses on one conversation with a South Rowan ex-player & a friend from Salisbury. What I know is this: Freshmen & Sophomores & transfers make pre-season projections moot. I'll enjoy smoking a stogie & watching the kids prove who is best. I love this game.

Hat tip to you, TJ.

 

South Rowan, should be in pretty good shape this year.. maybe top 4
Players i recall coming back :

Daniel Wagner
Jonathan Basinger
Jared Elliott

and one of the best outfielders that didnt make the varsity last year is 2 year legion starter Justin Lane.

 

Hey Intimidator, Hope all is well with you.

What about South Rowan's pitching? Didn't they graduate their 2 key starters? That's what I was told...