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Trent Youngblood

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.

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.

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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.