Armstrong: Hard work and dedication do pay off
Bruce Armstrong
It's February, very cold, and snow is on the ground. It must be time for the high school baseball season to begin! Sounds ridiculous, but it's true. We start the high school baseball season in the dead of winter. The coldest I've ever been was at a high school baseball game.
Local teams are already having "open field" practice, players only with no coaches. Coaches are allowed to work with up to eight players on the field prior to the official start of full team practice and tryouts Feb. 15. After only one week of practice and only four days after final cuts, teams play their first game Feb. 23. Compare that to the month of preseason practice for football and the six to eight weeks of spring training for professional teams.
In my opinion, this abbreviated preseason practice and cold weather start lead to many baseball injuries, particularly shoulder and hamstring injuries. The season ideally should start the second week of March after three weeks of conditioning and practice. Unfortunately, the early start and limited practice are because of the desire of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association to conclude regular season play in April to allow a longer state playoffs schedule with more teams. The NCHSAA coincidentally gets the gate receipts from playoff games, and the more teams and longer playoffs raise more money for the NCHSAA. So, if you're freezing at a game in February or early March, or if your son injures a throwing shoulder or pulls a hamstring in a cold weather game, you can thank the NCHSAA.
Another consequence of baseball scheduling is that high school and college baseball are played at the same time. As a result, college coaches almost never have time to attend a high school baseball game. The chance of a high school player ever being seen or scouted by any college coach at a high school game is almost zero.
To be evaluated by college coaches, high school baseball players have to play in the summer and fall. American Legion and Scholastic League summer teams offer some opportunity for college coaches to scout players; however, most scouting by college coaches is done at "showcase" events where elite travel teams compete in weekend tournaments held on a college campus. If coaches see a "showcase" player who interests them, they invite that player to camps or tryouts at their school in the summer and fall.
This system of summer and fall scouting, evaluating and recruiting makes it especially difficult for multi-sport athletes, especially those who play baseball and football.
I'd like to share the story of a very dedicated South Cumberland multi-sport athlete.
Dale Urquhart Jr. is a junior at South View High School. He plays both football and baseball. He has started for the baseball team since ninth grade and has a chance to be the starting quarterback in football his senior season. Dale dreams of playing quarterback for South View, but he also dreams of playing college baseball.
I first observed Urquhart's dedication to both sports during the summer of 2008 following his freshman year. He was the only ninth-grader on the Hope Mills Boosters American Legion team that advanced to the state tournament in Gastonia. Unfortunately, the American Legion state tournament conflicted with preseason football practice. Dale would attend two-a-day football practices, and his dad would then drive three hours to Gastonia for the baseball game at night. After the baseball game, they would drive three hours back home. After a short night's sleep, they would do the same again the next day. They did this for each of the three games Hope Mills played in the tournament. American Legion coach Doug Watts said it was the most dedication he had ever seen from a player and his parents.
Last fall, Dale would play football Monday through Friday, and as soon as the Friday night football game was over, he and his father would drive several hours to the location of that weekend's baseball showcase tournament. He played in nine baseball showcase events during the football season at Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, South Carolina Methodist, Lenoir Community College, Wingate College, UNC-Wilmington, East Carolina and the Baseball USA complex in Cary.
Dale's fall season in both sports ended when he fractured his ankle Oct. 30 and required surgery. For three months he wore a cast and then a boot and could not work out. He was released by his doctor to return to regular activity on Jan. 20. The next day, Dale received a call from the East Carolina coaching staff inviting him to the ECU hitting camp on Jan. 26. Dale explained to the ECU coach that because of his ankle surgery, he hadn't hit a baseball for three months, but that he would come and do his best. At the ECU camp, 50 invited prospects took batting practice and got instruction from the ECU staff. Despite his long layoff Dale hit two home runs, and the ECU coaches promised to stay in touch with him.
Hard work and dedication do pay off.
See you at the games. Bring a heater.
Bruce Armstrong is a lawyer who lives in Hope Mills. He can be reached at LawyerArmstrong@aol.com.