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Bryce Marsh of ZooKeepers July2022

Asheboro ZooKeepers cap strange, twisting season

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Southwestern Randolph alum Bryce Marsh had a strong season in power numbers for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

Marsh’s CPL-best homer count among team’s highlights

ASHEBORO – Things became better for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during the latter part of the Coastal Plain League season.

But not good enough to qualify for the postseason.

A somewhat awkward season came to a close with Saturday night’s 12-8 loss to the visiting Martinsville Mustangs at McCrary Park.

Asheboro’s 14-34 record in CPL games was a league-worst mark in the 14-team circuit. The ZooKeepers were also 2-2 on non-league games.

“It has been hard to get everything working,” said second-year head coach Jeremy Knight, who’s also the team’s co-general manager. “We’ve had so many roster changes. The schedule got so packed for a while. We stay in games and then we don’t have enough to finish.”

At least there were improvements as this season went on. After the ZooKeepers posted a 3-20 record in the CPL’s first half, they improved to 11-14 in the second half. Still, Asheboro shared last place with Martinsville in the second half in the West Division by ending the season on a three-game losing streak.

It was the first collegiate summer league experience in this type of setting for many of the players.

“It’s a nice experience,” said ZooKeepers infielder Michael Zarrillo, a Lafayette College player who’s from Atlanta. “You get to see a lot of different players from different places. Most of them you’re never going to see again.”

There were a few notable accomplishments among ZooKeepers players.

Southwestern Randolph alum Bryce Marsh turned out to be one of the CPL’s top power hitters. The first baseman blasted 13 home runs across 45 CPL games, ranking first in the league in that category. Marsh, who also homered once in three non-league games, smashed a long ball in each of the ZooKeepers’ final three games.

“We look for him to hit the ball hard,” Knight said.

Marsh was the team RBI leader with 35 in CPL play, moving past shortstop Trent Youngblood, who had 33 but only one in the final week. Marsh rated third in the CPL in runs batted in and Youngblood tied for fifth.

Marsh is a May graduate from Division III Pfeiffer with a degree in health and exercise science, though he has another season of eligibility remaining based on the NCAA’s approach because of the pandemic. Marsh homered seven times in 30 games for Pfeiffer this year, stretching his career college total to 21 in 101 games.

Youngblood, who also was used as a relief pitcher, batted a team-best .344, capped by a 3-for-5 effort in the finale. He ranked third in the league in batting. On the Asheboro team, he was the leader in doubles (10), triples (3) and runs (36) to go with his second-best four home runs.

Youngblood was also second on the team in stolen bases with 15 behind Ron Evans’ 18 (tied for fourth in the league).

No Asheboro pitcher had more than two victories. Connor Smith, a college pitcher for High Point, went 2-1 and logged four of the team’s five saves.

The 2021 season produced a 23-21 overall record in CPL play for Asheboro, which was then nicknamed the Copperheads. This year turned out more difficult.

The season had a strange component right from the beginning for the ZooKeepers because of renovations at McCrary Park that weren’t complete in time for the first few scheduled home games. That caused schedule juggling and a busy slate once the city-owned ballpark was available.

The upgrades largely revolved around the field, dugouts and bullpens, leaving limited seating for spectators. Next year, another phase in the renovation project is supposed to be complete in time for the CPL season, and those will be focused on new seating areas and fan amenities.

Trent Youngblood in field

Transylvania player puts together special season with ZooKeepers

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Trent Youngblood makes a play in the field for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Youngblood comes from Division III, but excels in CPL

ASHEBORO – Coming from a Division III program, it was natural to wonder how Trent Youngblood would fit in with the Asheboro ZooKeepers.

That hasn’t really happened – and that has been a good thing.

It turns out that the versatile infielder has stood out with the ZooKeepers and across the Coastal Plain League as a whole.

“I really just like competing,” Youngblood said. “It was a big adjustment coming from my school to here.”

He’s a rising junior at Transylvania, which is located in Lexington, Ky. He’s from Louisville.

Playing alongside and against players from a variety of Division I teams, Youngblood entered the final week of the season ranked fourth in the CPL with a .340 batting average and shares the league lead with 32 runs batted in.

“He’s obviously killing it,” said ZooKeepers infielder Michael Zarrillo, who plays collegiately for Lafayette. “He just consistently gets barrels.”

Youngblood, 20, said he knew he couldn’t be in awe of the competition if he wanted to have a strong summer on the field. He said he doesn’t dwell on what colleges others attend, the credentials opponents might hold or the idea that some CPL players might be playing in the pros in a couple of years.

“When you’re on the same field, it doesn’t matter what division you go to,” he said. “I’m not going to be intimidated. I tell myself when I get in the box, ‘I’m better than the pitcher.’ I’ve had success and I can hang in there.”

At Transylvania, he holds a .413 career batting average and through two seasons (and 78 total games) is atop the school’s all-time list for slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He bashed a team-high 10 homers in leading the Pioneers in about every offensive category, while – like with the ZooKeepers – he also filled in at times on the mound.

He played a key role on Transylvania’s NCAA regional team in 2021.

ZooKeepers head coach Jeremy Knight said Youngblood needed to see Division I-level pitching for a few games.

“Once he settled in and got adjusted to the speed of the game at this level, he took off,” Knight said. “He let his natural ability take over.”

Despite a dismal record for the Asheboro team, Youngblood said it has been a rewarding season taking on players from higher divisions.

“It’s seeing it on an every-day basis,” he said. “You start to adjust. Being out on the field every day has been awesome.”

In 43 CPL games with the ZooKeepers, he has team highs in doubles (10), triples (3) and runs (33) in addition to his batting average and RBI. His 13 stolen bases trail only Ronald Evans’ 15.

Youngblood hasn’t looked physically out of place in the CPL. He said he arrived as a 140-pound freshman at Transylvania before bulking up.

Naturally, with his last name and his school’s name he’s bound to draw attention, or at least curiosity.

“It makes people’s heads perk up,” he said.

So has his season with the ZooKeepers.

Trey Cooper with Sock Puppets

Randleman alum Cooper heads to Liberty after leaving N.C. State

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Trey Cooper has excelled with his college summer team and has selected a new college. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)

Transfer has been stellar for summer team in Burlington

BURLINGTON – Trey Cooper found a good summer gig and a new college home.

The left-handed pitcher from Randleman is transferring to Liberty after two seasons in the North Carolina State program.

“At the end of the day, I said I wanted to go somewhere I could play a lot,” Cooper said. “They wanted me to be a starter (at Liberty). Everything felt right.”

Cooper has been a standout in the Appalachian League with the Burlington Sock Puppets, who are in their second season as a college summer league team geared toward prospects and overseen by Major League Baseball with input from USA Baseball.

After only two appearances covering two-thirds of an inning for N.C. State this year, Cooper entered the transfer portal.

“That was a question I think everyone on the team was trying to figure out,” he said of the limited chances with the Wolfpack.

Still, he said he considered staying with N.C. State until deciding in early July to accept Liberty’s offer.

Much of this stemmed from his success with the Sock Puppets.

“To be able to come in and do my thing,” he said. “I took a couple of steps to kind of figure out I wanted to be a starter. That helped me out a lot. I wanted to come out here and get to work.”

Cooper, whose fastball clocks up to 95 mph, was the Appalachian League’s Pitcher of the Month for June without allowing a run in 20 innings.

He tossed five no-hit innings June 23 vs. Johnson City. A week later, he threw the first five innings of Burlington’s combined no-hitter against Pulaski. He’s the only pitcher in the league with multiple double-figure strikeout outings.

“I love catching him,” said Sock Puppets catcher Ryan McCrystal, who plays for East Carolina. “His stuff is so good.”

Cooper holds a 2-1 record with a 3.96 earned run average. In 25 innings, he has allowed 12 hits, 23 walks and racked up a league-leading 45 strikeouts.

“When someone beats him, it’s so rare,” McCrystal said. “And then he beats (that batter) the next time.”

Cooper has drawn praise regarding his pitch command and demeanor.

“One of the things I like about Trey is when an umpire makes a bad call, he’s able to handle it,” second-year Sock Puppets pitching coach Anthony Essien said. “He doesn’t have bad body language.”

In the Appalachian League, the catcher calls pitches for at least the first six innings. Essien said that requires good coordination between the pitcher and catcher. Giving instruction to Cooper has been a smooth process.

“Probably the biggest thing is he’s moving more efficiently,” Essien said of the left-hander’s mechanics. “He showed up a little out of sync.”

After a stint as a reliever, it was time to use him as a starter.

“He wanted to be a starter and he has run with it,” Essien said.

Cooper’s senior high school season with Randleman was shut down because of the pandemic. Later that summer, he suffered a ligament injury that called for Tommy John surgery. He sat out as a redshirt in 2021 at N.C. State and then played briefly last summer for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms in the Coastal Plain League. He attended the 2021 state finals when Randleman won the Class 2-A crown at Burlington Athletic Stadium, which is his home field this summer. He missed this year’s title run by the Tigers because the Sock Puppets were on a road trip.

There’s almost two weeks left in East Division-leading Burlington’s season. Cooper, 20, reports to Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., in mid-August.

Update: Cooper has been selected for the Appalachian League All-Star Game, which will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, in Burlington.

Trevor Marsh in CPL diving at first base2021

Trevor Marsh could join ZooKeepers for final stretch

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Trevor Marsh turned in a solid season last summer for Asheboro’s team in the CPL. He could be returning. (Randolph Record file photo)

ASHEBORO – Trevor Marsh might be back with Asheboro’s Coastal Plain League baseball team after all.

The former Asheboro High School standout hasn’t played this summer following surgery on his left hand’s index finger that caused his season to be cut short at UNC Wilmington.

Marsh, an outfielder, said last week that he might join the Asheboro ZooKeepers for the final few games of the season if he’s given medical clearance. Last year, he played for the CPL’s Asheboro Copperheads (who since changed names to ZooKeepers).

ZooKeepers head coach Jeremy Knight said adding Marsh could be a boost to the struggling team if the timing work outs despite the limited remaining games.

“He’s itching to get out there,” Knight said.

Marsh has played three seasons for UNCW, with 58 starts. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining because of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. This year, he started in 18 of the 23 games in which he played, batting .294 with one home run (a grand slam vs. Ohio State), one triple and seven doubles before the injury interfered.

If the ZooKeepers aren’t in postseason contention, Knight said it would be easier to give Marsh regular at-bats as he’ll need to work his way back to form.

“We’re falling farther and farther out of the playoff hunt,” Knight said Sunday night after a non-league loss to the Catawba Valley Stars. The ZooKeepers ended last week with five straight CPL defeats.

The ZooKeepers have had another rash of player moves, with injuries and other commitments impacting those. Outfielder Kennedy Jones of UNC Greensboro had his season cut short because of a hamstring injury.

“If it can happen, it has,” Knight said of roster shakeups.

The season ends for the ZooKeepers on July 30 with a home game against the Martinsville Mustangs. Before that, the home slate includes games Saturday night against the High Point-Thomasville HiToms, Monday night against the Savannah Bananas, Tuesday night against the Carolina Disco Turkeys and next Thursday night against the Wilmington Sharks.

Brooks Brannon with MVP award

Randleman’s Brannon: ‘Feels like a dream’ after Red Sox select him in draft

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Brooks Brannon had an award-winning high school career with Randleman. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RANDLEMAN – Catcher Brooks Brannon of Randleman was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft Monday.

“It felt like a dream come true,” Brannon said Monday night. “Excited isn’t even the word. It was ecstasy.”

Brannon, 18, is enrolled at North Carolina, where he’ll play for the Tar Heels if he decides to pass on this pro opportunity.

Brannon was selected with the 279th pick overall during the second day of the three-day draft that concludes Tuesday. In that spot, the projected signing bonus is about $158,000, but he could be in line to sign for over slot because draft projections had him going in earlier rounds.

Brannon said he expects a decision about his next steps to be revealed this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday.

Pro scouts were regulars at Randleman games this season to watch Brannon. The Tigers posted a 33-1 record, winning the Class 2-A state championship for the second year in a row.

Brannon was the 20th catcher picked in the draft, and the first taken by the Red Sox. Only one other high school catcher was selected ahead of Brannon, with Lamar King Jr. out of Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland going in the fourth round to the San Diego Padres. King, a Georgia Tech signee, is a native of Canada.

Red Sox scout Spencer Brown had a good attendance rate at Randleman games.

“He was at so many games,” Brannon said. “Some of the scouts joked that he was there so much that he was going to get a locker (in the field house).”

Brannon watched the draft unfold on television from his Randleman home.

“There were definitely some anxious moments, for sure,” Brannon said. “God rewards people’s patience.”

Brannon’s draft status had been a curiosity for many of his now-former Randleman teammates.

“I feel like he’s going to get out there and do his thing and he’s going to work his butt to the majors,” said center fielder Braylen Hayes, a classmate. “That’s what I want to see.”

Randleman coach Jake Smith said Brannon did so much through his high school days that he’s in position to pick between two good choices.

“He has the hard part out of the way because he has a great opportunity at Carolina to go in and make an impact right away,” Smith said. “He’s in a win-win situation the way I look at it.”

Since Randleman won the state title in early June, Brannon stayed away from playing.

“Summer school at Carolina and then whatever happens after that,” he said following the championship series. “I’m just excited to get to Carolina.”

Brannon said his five weeks in Chapel Hill were worthwhile. He was limited to individual workouts, but he said he got better through those.

Brannon had gained scouts’ attention well before the record-setting 2022 season. His 20 home runs were the most in the nation among high school players this year, tying the single-season North Carolina record set by his father, Paul Brannon. He also set state records for a season with 91 runs batted in and 70 hits.

Player Headshots

Youngblood receives CPL honor

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HOLLY SPRINGS – Trent Youngblood of the Asheboro ZooKeepers was named the Hitter of the Week in the Coastal Plain League after batting .556 and driving in eight runs in five games.

Youngblood had two doubles and scored five runs. He also drew three walks and stolen three bases.

Youngblood, a utility player, is a rising junior at Transylvania. He’s from Louisville, Ky.

Youngblood was the only Asheboro position player to appear in Sunday night’s CPL All-Star Game at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. He was a pinch hitter and then played shortstop, going 0-for-2 for the West, which won 3-2 against the East.

Pitcher Hunter Shuey of the ZooKeepers was a replacement player for the All-Star Game. He logged one shutout inning of relief with one strikeout.

The ZooKeepers, who compiled a 2-3 record last week, are scheduled for CPL home games tonight (July 12 vs. the Martinsville Mustangs), Friday night against the Peninsula Pilots and Monday night against the Forest City Owls. The Owls also return three nights later for a July 21 game. Amid that stretch is Sunday’s non-league home game against the Catawba Valley Stars with a 6 p.m. start.

AHS_Youngblood

Asheboro duo picked for CPL All-Star Game

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Trent Youngblood has given the Asheboro ZooKeepers a boost in several ways so far this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO — Infielder Trent Youngblood and outfielder Kennedy Jones will represent the Asheboro ZooKeepers in Sunday’s Coastal Plain League All-Star Game in Holly Springs.

Youngblood, who plays in college for Transylvania, leads the ZooKeepers with 23 runs batted in and co-leads the team with ten extra-base hits across his first 29 games. He entered this week as the only player to appear in every CPL game for Asheboro.

Kennedy is a standout for UNC Greensboro. Because the Spartans were in the NCAA Tournament, he missed the early part of the season with the ZooKeepers, but he has made an impact since joining the lineup.

Jones hit at a .420 clip in his first 13 games with the ZooKeepers.

The ZooKeepers were the worst team in the CPL’s first half. But they began the second half with five consecutive victories before Monday night’s 9-5 home loss to the Holly Springs Salamanders.

Asheboro has one home game remaining this week at McCrary Park with Saturday’s matchup with the Wilson Tobs.

Next week, the ZooKeepers have CPL home games July 12 vs. Martinsville and July 15 vs. Peninsula before a non-league assignment July 17 with Catawba Valley.

Grande

There’s still hope for Asheboro ZooKeepers despite tough times

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Andrew Grande hopes his time with the Asheboro ZooKeepers leads to other opportunities. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

Injury stalls plans for ‘free agent’ in search of new team

ASHEBORO — No baseball team in the Coastal Plain League is probably ready for the season’s second half more than the Asheboro ZooKeepers.

It’s bound to get better.

The college summer league has had unfortunate stop-and-go nature for the ZooKeepers, both from a team perspective and an individual level.

The ZooKeepers were forced on the road and into several situations necessitating make-up games because of delayed renovations at McCrary Park.

Then there’s the case of Andrew Grande, a once highly coveted college prospect trying to get back on track. That’s what made Asheboro an ideal summer destination, though an injury has stalled Grande’s season.

“It’s a really good league,” Grande said. “You play against really good players every night, so it’s a really good place to get reps and help this team in Asheboro to win some games and eventually find a new home for myself as well.”

It has been somewhat of a whirlwind for Grande. He was set to play in in college for Rice, but the May 2021 firing of coach Matt Bragga created a change of course. That led Grande to a spot on Charlotte’s 2022 roster. 

“I was originally committed to Rice and they had a late coaching change,” he said. “Houston was a long way to go, so I was thankful for Charlotte picking me up late.”

Several weeks into the season, he sensed it wasn’t the right fit, entering the transfer portal.

Grande, who generally plays as a corner infielder or corner outfielder, began the CPL season with a clear objective. He holds a version of the NCAA’s free-agent status, eligible to be a redshirt freshman in 2023.

“It’s an odd situation,” ZooKeepers head coach Jeremy Knight said. “The portal has added an interesting dynamic (to summer ball).”

Landing with the ZooKeepers meant Grande could showcase his talents.

“Everyone here wants to play all summer and have a good summer experience,” he said a few weeks into the season. “Super thankful for Coach Knight. It has been a great place so far. Playing every day. Everybody kind of goes through the ringer a little bit the first 15 games. We’ve had so many make-ups.

“Just kind of getting back in the groove of things and seeing pitching every day has been the best part of it I would say. Seeing pitching and playing every day is the best reps you can have.”

It began well. He homered in the team’s first game at Holly Springs, a road game that took him relatively close to his Clayton home. His parents were on hand for that game.

Then after a dozen CPL games, a hip ailment caused him to miss the last two weeks of the CPL’s first half. Knight said it’s uncertain if Grande, a 6-foot-5 player with a powerful bat, will be back in the lineup. He had a five-game hitting streak during a stretch before taking time off.

Knight said Grande, who finished his prep career at Christ School in Arden, has been in contact with some colleges. Ideally, he’ll have more chances to the ZooKeepers.

“The swing has been up and down, which is something you expect for someone who hasn’t played that much (for the last several months),” Knight said.

The ZooKeepers hope to have Grande’s bat back in the lineup for the final month of the season. His team compiled a league-worst 3-20 record in the Coastal Plain League in the first half to go with some other disappointing non-league results.