From staff reports
Belmont junior second baseman Daniel Wagner was drafted by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
The 2006 South Rowan graduate was selected in the 16th round, the 493rd pick overall.
As a junior, Wagner, a lefty hitter, had 10 homers, 57 RBIs and 24 stolen bases while batting .323 for Belmont’s Bruins.
On Wednesday, Wagner was gearing up to play for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the top wood bat summer league for college players, but then the phone rang with good news from the White Sox.
Now Wagner, 20, has turned his attention to getting a contract signed and getting his pro career started right away.
“If you’re a guy drafted in the first few rounds money is an issue, but it really won’t be for me,” Wagner said. “My passion’s not money. My passion is playing baseball, and this is the opportunity I’ve worked for my whole life.”
One of the positives about being drafted by the White Sox is Wagner could be playing for the Kannapolis Intimidators as early as 2010. Finding a place to stay won’t present much of a problem.
“When they have fireworks at the stadium, I can see them from my dad’s house,” Wagner said.
Rounds 4-30 of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft were held Wednesday. Wagner became the 25th player in Belmont history to be drafted. Belmont is a Division I school in Nashville, Tenn.
A story on Wagner is scheduled for Friday’s Post.
Several local standouts are potential picks as the draft concludes today with rounds 31-50, including Catawba’s Craige Lyerly, Ryan Query and Chris Ahearn and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Zach Glass.
n Rob Lyerly picked
Charlotte junior Rob Lyerly was drafted in the sixth round by the New York Yankees on Wednesday, with the 195th overall pick.
Lyerly has played many positions. The Yankees drafted him as a third baseman.
Lyerly’s parents, Robert and Sandy, are Rowan natives. Lyerly played at Piedmont High School near Monroe. His father played baseball at East Rowan and Pfeiffer.Lyerly, 6-foot-1, 205, batted .401 this season with 12 homers and a .493 on-base percentage. He was the eighth 49er in program history to bat .400 for a season.
Lyerly enjoyed an amazing game as a Charlotte sophomore when he hit three homers, two doubles and a triple to set the school mark for extra bases.
Lyerly, 21, began his college career at Campbell before transferring to Charlotte.
He is the highest 49er draft pick since New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine was picked in the sixth round in 2002.
n Intimidators rally
The Kannapolis Intimidators rallied for a 9-6 road victory against the Hickory Crawdads on Wednesday.
Kannapolis scored five unearned runs in the seventh inning to pull the game out.
The game included a rain delay of 1 hour, 32 minutes.
Seth Loman and Sergio Morales homered for the Intimidators (31-28).
The win went to Tyson Corley (3-0), who was back on the roster after spending the last two days with Triple-A Charlotte.
n American Legion
Concord beat Kannapolis Wednesday 3-1 in a game shortened by weather conditions to five innings.
Jordan Phillips had two hits for Kannapolis. John J. Tuttle had a double and did the pitching for Post 115.
n South Rowan put together good at-bats early in its game with Mooresville, putting balls in play and taking advantage of errors to forge a 3-0 lead before lightning halted play in the bottom of the second inning.
Ryan Bostian was on the mound for South, making his first pitching appearance of the summer. He worked out of jams in each of the first two innings.
The game was rescheduled for tonight. South cancelled a non-division game with Thomasville to make room on the schedule.
n Junior LegionCarson and Lexington were tied 3-3 after four innings Wednesday when the game was halted by weather.
No makeup has been announced.
n Wood bat leagues
Craige Lyerly (East Rowan, Catawba) went 2-for-4, scored twice and stole a base to help Asheboro beat Gastonia 8-5 in the Coastal Plain League on Monday. Nathan Furr (Catawba) started on the mound for Asheboro, worked into the sixth inning and allowed three runs.
Lyerly had two more hits Wednesday in a 3-0 loss against Thomasville.
n Forest City’s Wade Moore (West Rowan) was 2-for-3, scored three times and stole a base in an 8-0 CPL victory against Thomasville on Monday. Moore is 6-for-8 on steal attempts.
n Columbia’s Cameron White (Catawba) had two hits in a 12-5 CPL victory against Peninsula.
n Minor leagues
Round Rock’s Jeremy Johnson (Mooresville) had a strong Triple-A start on Sunday, pitching into the eighth inning of a 6-2 victory against Iowa.
Johnson (4-3, 2.68 ERA) didn’t allow an earned run. He struck out three and walked three.
n An MRI revealed Brewers pitching prospect Garrett Sherrill (A.L. Brown) has an injury to the UCL ligament in his right elbow.
Sherrill will be shut down for a period of time and has returned home to Kannapolis.
There’s a chance rest and rehab will heal the elbow but surgery may be necessary.
n Stockton’s David Thomas (Catawba) had an RBI double in a 7-2 loss to Modesto on Wednesday.
n Arena football
Quarterback Brad Roach (Catawba) was released during rookie training camp with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes and has signed with the Mahoning Valley Thunder, an af2 team in Youngstown, Ohio.
Roach, 6-foot-6, 250, is expected to debut when the Thunder takes on the Albany Firebirds Saturday. The strong-armed Roach is 24.
n Pfeiffer recruits
Pfeiffer’s women’s basketball program has signed a impressive recruiting class that includes Salisbury guard Kia Rice from the 2A state champion Hornets.
Coach Jill Thomas also has signed Kellie Rhoney (Bunker Hill), Olivia Surratt (Freedom), Charlotte Fuller (Moorestown, N.J.) and Christina Harvey (Orange, Va.), Brittany Cox (Bishop McGuinness) and Celeste Caudill (Alleghany).
n Racing in Florence
Timmy Hill won a rain- shortened race at Florence Speedway, starting on the pole and leading all 29 laps that were completed.
Local racer Justin Allison finished second, charging through the field after starting 12th.
n Salisbury soccer camp
Salisbury Summer Soccer Camp is recommended for prospects and established players by coach Tom Sexton.
Camp is conducted at SHS’ soccer park adjacent to Old Wiley School, one block from SHS.
Skills Camp is July 20-24 and costs $90. Team Camp is July 27-31 and costs $90. Both camps run from 10-1 daily. The combo price for both camps is $160. Camps are for boys and girls, grades 6-12.
Registration and payment can be made in the school office or the first day of camp. Insurance and physical eligibility forms are in the SHS front office.
Official practice begins Aug. 1.
Contact Sexton at 704-232-2206.
n West baseball campWest Rowan baseball coach David Wright will hold a Little League Camp Tuesday, June 16, from 9-12. Camp is for ages 5-12. Cost is $20.
This is a rescheduled event from Hurley/Little League Camp and will take place at West Rowan High.
E-mail Coach Wright at wrightdc@rss.k12.nc.us for info. Walk-up registration is okay at 8:30 a.m.
n Catawba football Catawba Football Camp is July 19-21. Contact coach Todd McComb at 704-637-4733 or tmmccomb@catawba.edu.