By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Effective pitching helped North Rowan remain competitive as it worked to improve offensively and defensively last season.
Head coach Rob Linder expects better results in those two dimensions this year, but he’ll also be breaking in an inexperienced group of hurlers.
In 2008, Billy Veal and Nick Smith handled most of the mound duties as the Cavs went 4-17 overall. They were 4-8 in the CCC.
North had three one-run losses, three two-run setbacks and two three-run defeats.
“Offensively we couldn’t get it done and defensively we couldn’t get it done,” Linder said. “I do think and hope this year we’ll be better in those two areas. I’m kind of thinking it’s going to need to be just because of the young pitching.
“They’re pretty good 10th-grade pitchers, but they’re facing 11th- and 12th-grade hitters. For the most part I think they’ll throw strikes.”
Linder will count on sophomores Dakota Brown and Patrick Snider to lead this year’s pitching staff.
Veal struck out 74 batters in 522/3 innings last season, and Smith threw 311/3 innings. Brown and Snider accounted for 85 percent of the remaining innings tossed by North pitchers.
Brown had a 7.00 ERA in 17 innings, and he picked up a win against Lexington after allowing no earned runs in five innings of work.
Snider allowed one earned run in five innings as he got the win in a 3-2 victory against the Yellow Jackets. He had a 4.27 ERA in 192/3 innings.
“Overall we’ll have more experience, but it’s going to be young experience,” Linder said.
Drew Laurens, a senior, and left-handed Matt Laurens, a sophomore, have moved back into the area from Mooresville and are projected to help in North’s rotation. Linder can also turn to Kyle Munday and David Cheek.
When they’re not pitching, Brown, Snider and Munday will fill the left side of North’s infield. Brown can play shortstop, and Snider will probably slide over from third when Brown takes the mound. In that scenario, Munday steps in at third.
Brown led the team in runs scored (11), hits (24) and batting average (.369) last season as a freshman. Snider had nine hits, and Munday batted .267 with 12 hits.
Travis Honeycutt returns at the other corner infield spot, and he batted .283 with 17 hits in 2008. Cody Hancock and Matt Mauldin are competing for time at second base, and Linder called sophomore catcher Wesley Barker a fundamentally sound player.
“I think we’re hopefully a little stronger and will be a little more disciplined by just having a year of varsity under their belt and being older,” Linder said.
Drew Laurens is expected to play center field, with his younger brother possibly manning right.
Munday, Zach Buchholz, Raleigh Watson, Greyson Shelton, Thomas Baker, Taylor Johnston and Anthony Ferguson are capable of contributing in the outfield. Ferguson and Jeff Nelson could earn at-bats as North’s designated hitter.
One of the team’s most important arrivals won’t get to take any live swings. Linder said he is excited about the addition of assistant coach Aaron Rimer, a former North Rowan and Catawba slugger.
“One of the things that’s going to help is having Coach Rimer there,” Linder said. “He’s going to be a lot of help; he’s already been a lot of help. He hit a lot of home runs, so we let him stay pretty much in charge of the hitting.”