Teams under the radar

Ok guys, we have spent many days here tickling the keyboards and discussing teams that are pretty much common knowlege and are obvious Conference favorites, or even State Contenders.

My question is: Which teams across the state may be flying under the radar right now and may be really good teams that most prople may not know about?

Let's hear from you on this one?

 

Great thread!

One school that I think has flown under the radar is Independence. I know, they were one game away from being 4A State Champions, but some people think it was a fluke and have lost a lot of senior leadership.

But look who they have returning. Junior, Robby Bray, 15-0 last year, his brother, Aaron (UNCC), a terrific player and leader and one of the best OF's in the state in Marc Nicholson.

They have some very talented younger players having to step up, but I believe they will.

The other thing that I believe is not mentioned enough is the coach. Their coach is unbelievably good. Coach Coltrane has forgotten more about baseball than I will ever know. He's a fantastic motivator and gets more out of players than is expected. His gamemanship is smart, innovative and intimidating, at times. If an opposing coach sleeps in the dugout, he will beat you by his coaching alone.

Do not take Indy lightly this year...or you will have an early summer

 

I have to agree with Braves on this one. We've mentioned Independence repeatedly but we don't elaborate on them.

This isn't a 3 pony show over there folks. It's not just Aaron Bray, Robbie Bray and Mark Nicholson...... They have a cast of players who would be the envy of most high schools in the state.

Evan Taylor is an outstanding player. He's a Junior this year, but some one needs to be all over this kid. I don't know which D1 program he'll be signing with next season, but I know which one I'd like to see him sign with. He's a serious ball player. Look for him on the Junior State Games roster.

Trey Starnes, pound for pound is the strongest player I've seen. He's light, only about 150-160, but I swear he'll bench as much as players who are 75 pounds heavier than he is. He is a solid rock. He'll give you everything he's got on the field too. He's fun to watch.

Daniel Cooke may sign to play football primarily, but he wants to be a two sport guy in college. There's a lot of interest in him on the football field and good interest on the diamond. He's a pure athlete.

Steve and Shane Miller (yeah ... brothers) are solid players. There's been some D2 interest expressed in these two.

When you take the underclassmen into consideration, 8 of the starting players at Indy may eventually end up playing in college. Beginning to sound like Providence and South Meck?

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Before we go praising Indy too much, the trouble in the Meca-8 is going to come from two teams, Central Cabarrus and Hopewell. This season, the top half of the Meca-8 is going to be extremely tough. I'll try to pull some stuff together on those two teams. Don't forget Myers Park in the SW4A. They will be in the mix when it comes to states this year.

 

I couldn't agree more on Coach Coltrane. Last year in the playoffs against South Meck he refused to let his team watch SM's pre-game and instead had his guys in the corner staying loose> I have watched the pucker factor kill more teams in the playoffs (and regular season) than ANY OTHER FACTOR aside from sheer talent> You cannot play this game tight. Forget who had the most talent - he had them loose and ready and having fun. Bray looked like he was on a picnic when he came in to pitch.

 

Charlotte Christian Knights

 

I believe that Central Cabarrus is being over looked by some. I know they play in a strong Conference but they always have a good team and Coach Tyson always wins. You know one thing that will come out of Central Cabarrus team. They will hit. I Played with many guys from there and have coached some. They know the fundamentals of hitting.

 

Look back about 2 posts.... you'll see me warming up about Central....

I need to pull together some of my notes and update people on Central Cabarrus. I can't do it off the top of my head 'cause my brain gets too full of junk like the NCAA and stuff like that.

I need to do a core dump and reload it with baseball only. Does anyone have a spare head-drive????

 

Central Cabarrus has nearly everyone returning from last year's team. They will be very good this year.

The North Piedmont 3A conference should be led by a strong group of kids at Northwest Cabarrus,,,,, with A.L.Brown, West Rowan and East Rowan all battling for that 2nd position.

 

Franklin will be an interesting team to watch in the 3A Mountain Athletic Conference (MAC). They could have one of the best pitching combos in WNC with LHP Jared Crawford and RHP Ben Savaiko. Both are seniors that can dominate a game when they're on, but have been inconsistent to this point. They have plenty of talent to go along with these guys, so if they get quality starts from both pitchers they will be tough to beat.

 

WNCBB--I hope you don't mind me reflecting, but my favorite all time favorite baseball team was Franklin with Gary Morris, Greenwood and McDowell....and the fans were pretty special, too. That team had everything..talent, chemistry and leadership.