Under the radar guys in the Charlotte area

There are a lot of guys throughout Charlotte that have not received the recognition that they deserve. Who are the guys that you see that fly "under the radar?"

 

Andrew "LAWNMOWER" Lawing (Catcher - NW Cabarrus).

He's been flying under the radar of all of those recent Trojan stars. He gets to cast his own shadow this year.

 

One name that pops to mind right away is Hopewell’s Zach Turton (SR). Last season Coach Billings pulled his starters early and often in the games against teams that he felt were overmatched, in one game he called up the JV’s and let them play the whole game, so Hopewell’s starters stats may be a little low compared to some, so Zach only hit .323 last season. Zach is fast and also runs the bases well as he had 26 stolen bases during the season and, to the best of my memory, was caught only 2 times. On defense he plays CF, has a good eye for the ball and has great range. He can also play SS and pitch. Has a mid-80’s fastball. He should be lead off for Hopewell this season. Zach is a player.

Another lesser known Hopewell player is Anthony Sully (SR). A corner guy. Didn’t get in as many innings as he could as he was used primarily at 3B and played behind Adam Waters. He hit .355 last season. Anthony has power, make a mistake pitching and he can take it out so I wouldn’t expect the batter in front of Anthony to get pitched around. Will probably play 3rd and 1st this season (Waters could play some in the middle infield) as well as pitch. Has a low to mid 80’s fastball. Had mono and is nursing a leg injury, so he is working his way back but should come on strong.

A few of other names to keep in mind, and with good reason, at Hopewell are:

Blake McGee (JR), a MIF and C. Hit well last season (over .400), but didn’t get a chance to start due to two SR MIFs and a SR catcher, but may be even better this year as he has already hit 2 HRs in 3 scrimmage games. Blake has speed and is a threat to steal whenever he is on base. Will probably bat in the 2 hole. Could be a big surprise to some of Hopewell’s opponents.

Josh Shope (SR), has played a backup role due to the outfielders Hopewell has had the last couple of seasons but should get his chance to shine this year. Has looked very good in practice and in the scrimmage games on both offense and defense. If he carries it over to the season, he will be a big help in replacing the SR outfielders that graduated.

Cody Mrytle (JR) is a big strong OF. Has extremely good speed for his size and can hit it a ton. He started a lot of games last season as a SO. If his back has recovered from a holiday injury, he will definitely be a big factor in Hopewell’s success this season. Also pitches, with a low to mid-80’s fastball.

Rusty White (JR), younger brother of Dusty White at UNCC, is another player to keep in mind. He played well last season but has been slowed some in the preseason by a back injury. Hit and pitched well last season. When he gets fully recovered he will definitely be a contributor.

Drew Rochester (SR), who is just about recovered from a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the starting lineup and playoffs last season, can play 2B and C. When he gets rounded back into form he will be a big contributor. Has a nice swing and puts the ball in play – struck out only 3 times all last season. Was hitting .381 before his injury.

Brett Smith (SR), another outfielder that can hit the ball, a lefty batter. Can also play 2B and pitch. Didn’t get much chance last season, again due to the SRs in front of him, but the door is open for him this season. He has the talent.

Hopewell has to replace it’s middle infield, catcher, a couple of pitchers, plus a couple of outfielders. These are the guys, plus a few younger players that I don’t know much about, that have to do that and will make or break Hopewell’s season. Any of these guys could have that breakout type season. I am sure they will be able to hit and score runs. They have done that in the past, they did it all last season – even though these guys didn’t get much publicity - and have, so far, carried that over into in the preseason scrimmages. IF they get healthy and play defense like they can play offense, Hopewell could have another fine season.

 

I also heard during discussions with a friends son who plays at Hopewell, that Zack Turton, Cody Myrtle and Blake McGee were looking real good in practice and the scrimmages. He also told me there were a couple of others, forget their names, that were going to really surprise those that haven’t seen them before. Looking forward to the season cause it should be fun.

 

Trey Moody - Senior pitcher South Meck

Got to see him throw in a scrimmage the other day...strong right hander with a good fastball and decent curveball. Should be one of the top pitchers in the SW4A this year.

 

I have seen Turton, Sully and Lawing many, many times and all are very solid players... also quality kids!!

 

Senior Jacob Jernigan (Robinson)........He's Robinson's pitching ace and he was batting over .500 last year when he broke his hand....

 

senior Hunter Glass - 3b/1b Butler

Can't get much more solid defensively at 3b and 1b than this guy! Averaging a fielding % of .985 during the last 3 seasons ('06 Butler varsity, '06 summer legion and '06 fall playing for the Copperheads black team). Solid and capable offensively with less than 10 k's during the same 3 seasons. Nice pop off the bat and an excellent situational hitter.

Commited to the game, a strong leader on the field and a solid team player!

 

HUnter is a very good player and a pleasure to be around!! Smooth glove and solid all around player!!

 

Agree Coach....Hunter is a solid player, looking forward to having him in Legion this summer.