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ZooKeepers mound meeting June2023

ZooKeepers finally find some answers

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The Asheboro ZooKeepers have had mixed results from the mound during their games so far this season. (Photo courtesy of ZooKeepers)

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers made notable progress last week.

The biggest of those achievements was finally winning a game.

The Coastal Plain League baseball team lost its first six games of the season, which already has been disjointed by playing home games at UNC Greensboro while McCrary Park renovations are ongoing. The plan is to have the ZooKeepers playing in Asheboro by the end of this week.

At least they’ve experienced success.

The ZooKeepers didn’t pick up a victory until their seventh game of the season, defeating the Martinsville Mustangs 9-4 last Tuesday in Greensboro after facing a four-run hole. Tyler McPeak’s three-run home run was an offensive highlight.

Three nights later, they swept a doubleheader from the visiting Florence Flamingos. Shortstop Alex Lodise had a game-winning hit to end Asheboro’s 1-0 victory in the opener of the twinbill.

It was quite an introduction for Lodise, a soon-to-be Florida State player who was making his ZooKeepers debut. Lodise played for North Florida during the 2023 college season, mashed a school freshman-record 16 home runs and was an All-Atlantic Sun selection, but he’s transferring to Florida State.

Pitchers Jacob Dienes and Garrett Kangas combined for the shutout.

In the nightcap, Asheboro won 5-1 behind work on the mound by Jacob Halford and Ethan Snyder.

Pitching became a trouble spot for Asheboro during the weekend. A 13-4 loss Saturday at Florence was followed by Sunday’s 9-5 setback at Holly Springs.

In the Holly Springs game, Dallas Callahan of the ZooKeepers homered but it wasn’t enough to wipe out an 8-0 hole after three innings.

So with a 3-8 record through Sunday, the ZooKeepers were stuck in last place in the West Division. Asheboro’s .234 batting average was tied for the worst mark in the CPL. Monday night’s home game against the High Point-Thomasville HiToms in Greensboro was rained out.

Because of rescheduled games amid the adjustments because of McCrary Park’s status, Asheboro could be playing a total of eight home games in the last 10 days of June.

Post 45 Pierce Leonard batting spring2023

Returnees help Post 45 hit early groove

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Pierce Leonard takes a swing for Randolph County Post 45. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Randolph County Post 45 has been off a strong start to the American Legion baseball season.

The team has a good core of returning players who’ve produced across the first couple of weeks of the season.

Post 45 had a 7-1 record – capped with a 5-4 victory at Davidson County last week – before a five-day break in the schedule. The team is slated to be back in action this week.

The lone loss came by a 3-2 score at Rowan County. Twelve days later, Post 45 avenged the loss with a 10-5 home victory.

Tyler Parks drove in four runs in that triumph, while Ethan Frye and Braylen Hayes homered. Samuel Asbill was the winning pitcher.

Parks, Hayes, Tanner Marsh, Adam Cole, Josh Meadows, Drew Harmon, Connor Adams, Alex Martinez and Robert Garner are returnees from the 2022 team who’ve been key contributors this season.

Hayes homered twice as part of an 8-RBI night and Marsh scored four runs in a home romp past Davidson County. Meadows homered in a game at Mocksville-Davie County.

Cole won’t be with the team much longer as he reports for classes this month at East Carolina, where he’ll join the football program. Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh said he welcomed Cole’s participation this spring even though he knew it would be on a short-term basis.

Outfielder Carter Brown, since helping Uwharrie Charter Academy to a Class 1-A state championship, has been produced upon joining Post 45. He drove in three runs in the Rowan County and Davidson County games.

Pitcher Drake Purvis, who was coming off surgery and didn’t pitch until late in the high school season for Randleman, has been a boost to the pitching staff along with high school teammate Austin Lemons.

Other Post 45 newcomers include former Randleman standout Hunter Atkins plus Ethan Frye and Pierce Leonard from Eastern Randolph’s team.

Because of delayed completion of renovations at McCrary Park in Asheboro, Post 45 has played home games at Randleman High School. The team has practiced at McCrary Park and should be playing games there by the end of next week. Last Wednesday’s home game against Mooresville was cancelled because of weather-related concerns.

ZooKeepers front of dugout at UNCG June 9 2023

ZooKeepers take winding path to slow start

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Members of the Asheboro ZooKeepers hang out at the dugout at UNCG. (Photo courtesy of ZooKeepers)

GREENSBORO – College baseball players arrived to play a summer season in Asheboro.

So far, they’ve played only elsewhere.

That’s just part of the rough opening stretch of the season for the Asheboro ZooKeepers.

“It’s a little strange,” said third baseman Tanner Thomas, who plays collegiately for Longwood. “We’re very thankful that we have a place like this to play.”

He was referring to UNC Greensboro Baseball Stadium.

With a renovation project behind schedule at McCrary Park, the ZooKeepers have mostly played road games in the Coastal Plain League. They could be using the UNCG facility for select home games through June 21.

So the ZooKeepers played their ”home” opener Friday night at UNCG. The 3-0 loss to the Forest City Owls dropped Asheboro’s record to 0-5. In a rematch the next night at Forest City, the Owls won 6-5.

“We’re keeping a positive attitude,” ZooKeepers catcher Dallas Callahan, who played the 2021 summer season in Asheboro and is a UNCG product. “We’re piecing it together.”

That’s the message from first-year coach Korey Dunbar.

“We’ve got a young group of guys,” he said. “We’re going to continue to get better as we go once we start to figure things out.”

The Asheboro ZooKeepers line up with young fans for the national anthem prior to the “home” opener. (Photo courtesy of ZooKeepers)

Since the start of the season, some players have trickled in. For instance, Jake Holland, a catcher from New Mexico (and transfer who also played for Georgia Tech), was on hand for his first game Friday night.

Dunbar didn’t have pitching coach Josh Pike available until late in the week because of his commitments as a graduate assistant at North Carolina State.

Asheboro received a solid outing from starting pitcher Jacob Dienes, an N.C. State lefty. And by the ninth inning, the ZooKeepers had two runners on base when the game ended on Luke Holland’s lineout to second base.

“We’re not playing our best baseball and we’re in ball games,” Dunbar said. “We’ve got to do some work. I’m positive with these guys.”

Another scoring chance fizzled in the fourth after Dylan Driver’s lead-off double.

Thomas said he’s excited about playing the summer in the CPL after appearing in 44 games as a freshman for Longwood.

“We’re working every day and we’re constantly getting better,” Thomas said. “Little things here and there that aren’t falling our way. Everybody is trying to get kick-started.”

For Callahan, who played this year as a UNCG senior, he figured his playing days on campus had been completed.

“You play your last game here (for UNCG) and think you’re done here,” Callahan said. “And you’re back.”

About 100 spectators attended the ZooKeepers’ first game in Greensboro.

ZooKeepers general manager Melissa Godwin, who’s in her first season, is wife to UNCG coach Billy Godwin. She said she views the relocation of games as a short-term glitch.

“It’s a blessing to be able to use UNCG,” she said. “It definitely has been an operational challenge.”

Dunbar praised Melissa Godwin’s efforts to pull things together the past few weeks. The ZooKeepers have been able to use McCrary Park for practices while renovations continue on off-field fan areas.

“She’s making it a good experience and that’s what we want for the guys,” Dunbar said. “It’s going to pay off.”

Post 45 Tanner Marsh makes tage May 2023

ZooKeepers, Post 45 wait on McCrary Park

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Randolph County Post 45 shortstop Tanner Marsh makes a tag at second base against Davidson County during an American Legion game last week in Randleman, where the team is playing home games temporarily. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers and Randolph County Post 45 baseball teams are playing relocated home games for perhaps a few more weeks as the latest renovation project at McCrary Park is keeping the park off limits to spectators.

The ZooKeepers, a collegiate summer team, have reworked the early portion of their schedule and already have played road games. The team will play select home games at UNC Greensboro, beginning with Friday night’s game vs. Forest City.

Post 45, which won five of its first six games, is playing American Legion games at Randleman High School.

Ronnie Pugh, who’s part of the family ownership group for the ZooKeepers and the manager of the Post 45 team, said challenges exist for both teams.

“As hard as it is with the Legion team, it’s more (difficult) with the ZooKeepers,” Pugh said. “There’s so much more to it and we’re playing at a university facility and there’s things that go on with using that. But everyone has jumped in and tried to make it work.”

First-year ZooKeepers general manager Melissa Godwin is wife to Billy Godwin, the UNCG baseball coach.

Pugh said McCrary Park should be open for games by June 22.

“We may very well be in before that,” he said. “It’s all a work in progress. We’ll see some improvement every week.”

The new grandstand is completed, Pugh said, but parking and grounds outside the gates need more work before it’s safe for spectators.

In some ways, the inconveniences are a recurrence of several weeks of the 2022 season when the first phase of ballpark’s renovations for the playing surface and dugouts were delayed. The ZooKeepers rescheduled numerous games, while Post 45 played home games at Southwestern Randolph.

For the ZooKeepers, the team will bus to “home” games at UNCG. The Coastal Plain League team’s other operations and interns remain based in Asheboro.

Among schedule revisions, the ZooKeepers also will have games June 13, 16 (a doubleheader), 19 and 21 at UNCG. The latest revision shows the McCrary Park home opener coming June 22 against the Boone Bigfoots.

Three ZooKeepers games, either non-league or exhibitions, have been cancelled. The regular season ends Aug. 5. The home finale is Aug. 1.

Unlike a year ago, the teams are able to hold practices at city-owned McCrary Park. An official re-opening for the ballpark is set for July 4, Pugh said.

** Post 45 has players from throughout the area, representing numerous schools. Randleman is an ideal alternative site, Pugh said.

“It’s a good place to play until we get back into McCrary Park,” he said. “We’ve worked with the high schools before.”

Up to four members of the Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball team, which won the Class 1-A state championship during the weekend, will be joining the Post 45 team, Pugh said.

Wheatmore girls soccer Summer Bowman reacts June 2022

Championships help define 2022 for Randolph County sports

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Summer Bowman of Wheatmore reacts after scoring a goal against Clinton in the Class 2-A state championship game. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Here’s a recap of notable Randolph County-related sports stories for 2022:

** Asheboro’s summer collegiate baseball team undergoes a rebranding that includes a name change. The new name is the Asheboro ZooKeepers in a switch from Asheboro Copperheads.

Randleman’s girls’ basketball team under the direction of coach Brandon Varner had a stellar season a year ago and the Tigers are off to another strong start this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

** Randleman’s girls’ basketball team goes through an undefeated regular season and completes a 25-1 season. The lone loss came in the Class 2-A West Region semifinals to Shelby.

** David Makupson of Trinity captures a state championship in Class 2-A wrestling at 138 pounds to cap a remarkable high school career. Uwharrie Charter Academy underclassmen Aldo Hernandez (132 pounds) and Grayson Roberts (160 pounds) are Class 1-A state tiltists.

Also, UCA reaches the Class 1-A dual team state final, where it lost to Avery County in Greensboro.

** Steve Luck leaves his position as athletics director at Asheboro High School. Later in the year, he becomes commissioner for the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

** Eastern Randolph’s Connor Carter is the Class 1-A state runner-up in Class 1-A boys’ golf.

** Providence Grove’s softball team racks up an incredible season, going all the way to the Class 2-A West Region’s fourth round before suffering a defeat. The Patriots finish with a 24-1 record.

** Wheatmore’s girls’ soccer team turns in a perfect season with a 25-0-0 record that culminates in a Class 2-A state championship. The Warriors defeat Clinton 4-1 in the title game in Cary.

** Randleman’s baseball team repeats as Class 2-A state champion with a dominating regular season and postseason. The Tigers are stocked with college prospects and churn out a 33-1 record, sweeping Whiteville in the best-of-3 state finals in Burlington.

** McCrary Park undergoes numerous changes at the beginning of a massive renovation project for the baseball facility in Asheboro. The project is off schedule causing Asheboro High School to play at an alternate site and the Asheboro ZooKeepers to begin the season with extra road games.

Off the field, there are changes announced after the 2022 season, including Melissa Godwin joining the club as general manager for the Coastal Plain League team, which is a summer circuit for college players.

** Randleman catcher Brooks Brannon is a ninth-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox. So he steps away from a baseball scholarship at North Carolina to launch a professional career.

Randolph County Post 45’s Tyler Parks slides home during an American Legion Southeast Regional game vs. Rock Hill, S.C., in Asheboro. It was one of the games at McCrary Park, where a new field surface was in place this year. Parks is a Southwestern Randolph standout. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record).

** American Legion baseball is a hot summer topic.

Eastern Randolph Post 81 has a breakthrough season and emerges as a contender in Area 3. Randolph County Post 45 is the host team for the Southeast Regional, but its bid to reach the national tournament is foiled on the second-to-last day of the regional tournament so the club finishes with a 31-13 record.

** Asheboro’s boys’ soccer program has unprecedented success, but falls one victory shy of reaching the Class 3-A state championship game. The Blue Comets post a 23-2-2 record.

** Eastern Randolph’s football team goes undefeated in the PAC for the second year in a row. The Wildcats reach the Class 1-A West Region semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Mount Airy.

** Tot Hill Farm Golf Club in Asheboro is sold from its original ownership group to a man who runs courses in the Charleston, S.C., area.

** Football coach Calvin Brown directs Providence Grove to another winning season. That includes the school’s first-ever football victory in the state playoffs by winning at McMichael. Weeks later, Brown accepts the coaching position at Asheboro High School.

Melissa Godwin and ZooKeepers

New GM for ZooKeepers holds unique background

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Melissa Godwin has joined the front office of the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (Courtesy photo)

ASHEBORO – Melissa Godwin has clear baseball connections and those could be a boost for the Asheboro ZooKeepers.

Godwin is the team’s new general manager and director of baseball operations. She’s wife to UNC Greensboro baseball coach Billy Godwin.

“My résumé is pretty good without Billy,” she said. “(Taking this job) was the culmination of everything I’ve done.”

She’ll largely handle the ZooKeepers operations. Dennis Garcia, who had been in that role, will concentrate primarily on the American Legion programs that are McCrary Park tenants and the annual fall baseball league for high school players.

ZooKeepers owner Ronnie Pugh said the division of workload should emphasize strengths.

“They’ll overlap,” Pugh said.

Melissa Godwin said it should be a good combination.

Godwin has coached softball at the high school, club and travel circuits. She also has coached volleyball. Before joining the ZooKeepers, she had been at teacher at Southeast Guilford.

“I was looking to get into an AD role,” she said of goal of becoming an athletics director.

Godwin is from Polk County. She played college softball for USC Upstate and later was an assistant coach there.

Her son, Dallas Callahan, played for Asheboro’s Coastal Plain League team in 2021 and is a UNCG senior.

Jeremy Knight, who returned to a teaching position at Southern Alamance High School in August, had the co-GM and manager roles for the past two seasons.

“It filled a void for us at that time,” Pugh said.

Pugh said Godwin’s connections regarding player personnel should be a boost in attracting players to the team.

“They’re spending a lot of time on (assessing) players,” he said.

Godwin said the process of securing player commitments for the 2023 season is moving along. It’s possible that the ZooKeepers’ roster could include players from 15 Division teams. She said a 40-player roster is the goal, and there aren’t expected to be any returning players from the 2022 team.

“I kind of wish you let the fall (season) get over with so you know more what you’re getting,” she said.

Again, there are bound to be players from UNCG.

“How can we not?” the new GM said. “We should have some good ones as well.”

She has also been in contact regarding players from Campbell, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Elon, Liberty, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina State and Texas Christian.

The latest renovation of McCrary Park – this time involving a new grandstand, restrooms and concessions area – is another perk for the front office.

“I know it’s bittersweet to see the old (grandstand) go,” she said. “The new stadium is going to have endless possibilities.”

McCary Park grandstand demolished Oct 2022

McCrary Park takes on another new look

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The grandstand has been flattened at McCrary Park as another phase of the renovation is in the works at the baseball park in Asheboro. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO — The grandstand is gone, and renovations are picking up again at McCrary Park.

This latest development marks the latest phase in the upgrades for the baseball park.

“It’s a lot of work to do,” said Ronnie Pugh, an owner of the Coastal Plain League’s Asheboro ZooKeepers. “It’s moving along, and it’s pretty exciting. It can’t happen soon enough.”

For any past visitors, the sight of the grandstand no longer in place might be jarring. The concession stand and restrooms will have the same fate.

Grading for the construction of a new grandstand is supposed to be completed in early November.

Asheboro mayor David Smith said recently that he considers renovations to the city-owned ballpark as part of a larger plan to lure more visitors to the city and provide the facility’s main tenants with a top-notch venue.

Before the past season, a playing surface and dugouts were installed. That phase of the project was geared toward on-field participants, while the current stage is aimed at making the facility more fan-friendly.

“They’re doing a first-class job on it,” Pugh said.

The Kiwanis Club has donated $50,000 toward a playground at the site. With matching contributions, it basically doubles the funds available for that project, Pugh said.

Asheboro High School played at Kiwanis Park for the 2022 season because of the McCrary Park renovations. Delays in completing that phase of the project meant that Randolph County Post 45 began its American Legion season playing at alternate sites (mostly Southwestern Randolph High School), and the ZooKeepers had a reconfigured schedule until the field was ready in June.

Pugh, who is the manager of the Post 45 team, said it’s too early to know when the facility will be ready to use, so he’s not looking at alternative plans yet.

“We’ll just have to do whatever we have to,” he said.

Without the grandstand, games won’t be played because that provides the backstop. Netting also needs to stretch from dugout to dugout.

The American Legion season begins in mid-to late May and the ZooKeepers start soon after.

McCraryPark03

Area Sports Briefs: Fall baseball league nears; Poole, Shiflet help college teams; Check on Caraway

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Fall league approaches for area high schools

ASHEBORO – The annual fall baseball league that involves teams representing high schools around the region is set to begin next week at McCrary Park.

Seven teams will participate, representing Asheboro, Uwharrie Charter Academy, Chatham Central, Jordan-Matthews, Lee County, Montgomery Central and North Moore.

There are two games on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with one game Thursday at 6 p.m. Each team will play two games per week.

The Asheboro ZooKeepers organization is the host for the league.

 

Poole plays role for  Citadel in opener

At Buies Creek, Randleman alum Dominick Poole of The Citadel returned to his home state for last week’s season-opening football game.

Poole, a sophomore defensive back, was credited with seven tackles in the 29-10 loss to Campbell. His tackles total tied for second on the team.

Shiflet starts strong  for Greensboro volleyball

Freshman Payton Shiflet of the Greensboro College volleyball team has made a strong early impression on the college level. She was a standout last year for Southwestern Randolph’s Class 2-A state championship team.

With Greensboro, Shiflet posted a team-leading 44 kills through four matches. She also provided four aces as the Pride began the season with a 1-3 record last week in the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament. The team’s victory came against Pittsburgh-Bradford.

Greensboro will play its first home match Sept. 13 against Averett at Hanes Gym.

Caraway gears up for more racing

At Sophia, racing action returns to Caraway Speedway Saturday night for the “9/11 Night of Remembrance.”

It’s a night to remember those who lost lives in the 2001 terrorist attacks and honor area first responders and law enforcement officials.

On the track, racing divisions will include features for Challengers, Mini Stocks, UCARs, Legends, Bandoleros and Any Car classes.

There wasn’t racing during Labor Day weekend at the track.

Caraway Speedway has three scheduled dates with events in September and at least one more in October as the area stock-car racing season winds down.

Post 45 player Alex Martinez in Aug2022

Post 45 could have core of roster back next year

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Alex Martinez, shown here batting for Randolph County Post 45 during the Southeast Regional earlier this month in Asheboro, could be among the team’s returning players for 2023. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – When the season ended for Randolph County Post 45 earlier this month, it was a downer.

The team lost back-to-back games to be eliminated from the Southeast Regional in American Legion baseball in its home ballpark.

Yet there might have been a ray of hope regarding the future that day at McCrary Park.

“Only three of our 17 players are gone,” Randolph County manager Ronnie Pugh said. “We could have a lot of these guys back.”
Post 45 ended up with a 31-13 record this year. It was an automatic regional entrant based on its role as the host team.

Given the experience on Randolph County’s team, it might have seemed strange that only three of the players will age out. Pugh said that trio is right fielder Blake Marsh, second baseman Tatum Marsh and catcher/utility player Trey Way. All three of them were pitchers as well.

Granted, those are significant losses because all three usually occupied spots within the top five pegs in the batting order.

Blake Marsh (Catawba) and Tatum Marsh (Brunswick Community College) spent the 2021-22 school year at post-secondary school stops, while Way was a 2022 senior on Randleman’s second consecutive Class 2-A state championship team. Way is beginning his freshman year at Virginia Tech.

Several other Post 45 players will be heading to post-high school programs during the school year that’s just starting. That includes center fielder Braylen Hayes at UNC Greensboro, catcher Alex Martinez at Brunswick Community College and pitcher Robert Garner at Wake Tech.

Other Post 45 starters are rising high school seniors. That list includes left fielder Adam Cole (Southwestern Randolph), third baseman Tyler Parks (Southwestern Randolph), shortstop Tanner Marsh (Asheboro) and first baseman Josh Meadows (Asheboro). Several other players still in high school – such as Grant Little (Uwharrie Charter Academy), Drew Harmon (Montgomery Central) and Connor Adams — were part of this year’s postseason contributors.

In some cases, the 2023 college players or high school seniors might opt for other summer destinations rather than American Legion baseball.

After losing the Area 3 title game to Rowan County, Post 45 went 2-2 in both the state tournament and the Southeast Regional.

“We’ll get back out there and start recruiting,” Pugh said of encouraging eligible players to participate in American Legion baseball.

So there would be a strong quest for Post 45 to contend for a spot in the 2023 American Legion World Series in Shelby.

Earlier this month in Shelby, Troy Post 70 became the first Alabama entry two win the American Legion World Series since 1967 by defeating two-time defending champion Idaho Falls (Idaho) Post 56 in the championship game.

Camden (S.C.) Post 17, which won the Southeast Regional in Asheboro, went 1-2 in World Series bracket play and failed to advance to the semifinal round. Camden’s lone victory came against eventual champion Troy.

ZooKeepers coach Jeremy Knight 2022

ZooKeepers coach departs after two seasons

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Jeremy Knight decided to give up his job with the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Jeremy Knight has stepped away from his roles with the Asheboro ZooKeepers.

After guiding the Coastal Plain League baseball team for two seasons, he decided to resign as head coach and co-general manager.

“It was becoming too much with two kids,” he said, calling it a family decision. “This year wore me out.”

Knight’s record with the college summer team was 37-56, including a league-worst 14-33 mark this season.

He’s returning to a teaching position at Southern Alamance High School.

“It wasn’t because we didn’t have a great season,” Knight said of the change.

Knight, 37, has been a regular with college summer baseball, including time in the Virginia-based Valley Baseball League before joining the then-Asheboro Copperheads (before the nickname change).

“It’s time to be a dad a little bit more,” said Knight, who lives with his wife and two children in Whitsett.

Knight was supposed to be an assistant coach for the 2020 Asheboro team, but that season was cancelled because of the pandemic. Then he became the head coach for the past two seasons, also holding administrative duties.

He wrapped up his time with the ZooKeepers during the past weekend aiding operations for the American Legion’s Southeast Regional at McCrary Park.

He’ll remain involved in baseball at Southern Alamance, returning to a role as an assistant coach that he held in the past. He’ll also be back in a role as a teacher for exceptional children.

Southern Alamance coach Jason Smith is the father to Maddux Smith, a Davidson pitcher who was on this year’s ZooKeepers team.

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