New Charlotte Schools

There are several factors that were working in Ardrey Kell’s favor that will not/may not be present at Rocky River when they enter the league next season and jump into the SW4A foray.

AK’s first year in the league, two league members (East Meck and Independence) were uncharacteristically struggling and at low points in their program. They have since rebounded. Independence has a very strong junior class this season and East Meck will via for league supremacy.

AK’s “feeder schools” were Providence and South Meck. Those two schools had been the league’s top baseball programs throughout the decade to that point. The talent pools there were extremely deep. Rocky River will be drawing from mainly Independence and Butler, two football powers. Just wondering how many possibly talented baseball players at those two schools have given up baseball in favor of playing football “full time” during their prep years.

AK was blessed to obtain a coach that was familiar with the SW4A and recognized as one of the states top coaches in South Meck’s Hal Bagwell.

Bagwell’s departure not only was a huge plus for AK but it ended up being a significant crippling factor at South Meck. In addition to losing their head coach, they also lost the entire coaching staff and nearly all of their junior baseball class due to the creation of AK. The new coach hired was from out of state and not up to SW4A standards and had football duties which lead to South not having any fall baseball program that season. These factors sent South in a deep spiral towards the bottom of the league, a place they had not been in decades.

Even with all these “inherited advantages” AK only won six games in their initial campaign in the SW4A. Five of those wins were against East, South and Independence. Those three programs are nowhere near the low level they were at in AK’s first season. In addition, Rocky River will have to face AK, now one of the top teams in the state.

As DancingInTheStands mentioned, the initial season for RR will feature no seniors. While there are excellent feeder programs in Mint Hill and Matthews and RR will get players, no other SW4A team is going to be lacking.

Does Rocky River have a chance to “hit the ground running” is to be determined. But the one think that can be said:

Play Hard!