HN . S
Kings Mountain High baseball
coach Bruce Clark has a situation
most baseball coaches would love
to have. He has all 18 players back
from a team which won its confer-
ence championship a year ago.
Having that many returning
players is bad news for younger
talent hoping to make their mark
on KMHS baseball, and it could al-
so be bad news for the
Mountaineers’ opponents in the
Southwestern 3-A Conference.
Clark, beginning his fifth year as
Mountaineer coach, has won two
conference titles and one state
crown in his first four years. He
. has already chalked up 76 victories
and could go over the 100-win
mark this year.
Clark's veterans this year include
Putnam, Lewis Nantz, Mike Smith,
Todd Ware and Rick Marr; and
outfielders Robbie Ruff, Doran
Moore, Johnny Bunch. TG Goforth
and Caja Ormand.
Clark had 56 players come out
for baseball and will carry 20 on
the varsity team and 24 on the
jayvees. He said his most difficult
decision as a coach this year will
be cutting some good players.
"It's going to be a difficult deci-
sion," he said. "We have only two
spots open on the varsity and we
have nine 11th graders competing
for them. We have 18 players back
and 16 of them are seniors, so we
could very well have six or seven
juniors playing on the JV team.
That makes it tough on the ninth
and tenth grade classes. What we
plan to do is, when we get ready to
cut, if we've got a ninth or tenth
grader that has equal ability with
an 11th grader we're going to keep
the ninth or tenth grader.”
Clark will get the first look at his
team in game situations next
Tuesday when the Mountaineers
host Fred T. Foard in a 4:30 p.m.
scrimmage. Regular season action
opens on Monday, March 15 with
Kings Mountain visiting East
Gaston.
The Mountaineers haven't gotten
outside much in pre-season drills
because of the weather. Clark said
the team has worked mostly on
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Coach Bruce Clark, right, hopes senior pitcher David Jenkins will
be back in top form this year after experiencing shoulder problems the
past two seasons. Despite his problems on the mound, Jenkins, also a
designated hitter, led the Mountaineers in hitting the past two seasons
and made the All-Southwestern 3-A Conference team both years.
conditioning and the fundamentals
of hitting and catching.
“We've tried to put more empha-
sis on base running than we have in
the past," he said. "But this has
pretty much been a conditioning
period. We're going to start this
week on getting in our basic cover-
ages as far as defense goes, and
start working on hitting more and
more as we get closer to the sea-
son."
Clark said the thing that has
pleased him most about practice so
far has been the players’ attitudes.
"I've always said this bunch was
not intense enough to. win the
‘whole thing,” he said. "I don't
know what it is about being a se-
nior as opposed to a junior or
sophomore, but they've come out
with a different look about them
this year and all of them are work-
ing very hard."
This group of Mountaineers,
who have played together since
they were about eight years old in
the Recreat’on leagues, has always
been known for their excellent de-
fense and consistent hitting. Last
year, their pitching improved
tremendously with Stephen Fisher
going 12-0 and several others post-
ing some big wins.
"I think this group will surprise a
lot of people with their offense this
year," Clark said. "They have
worked hard in the off-season. This
is as strong a bunch as we've had
here.
"The pitching is as good as it's
been since I've been here. The
mystery of the whole thing is if
David R. Jenkins is going to be
able to return from his shoulder
problems. If he does that, we really
strengthen our pitching staff. If he
can become a starter again we can
relieve with people like David C.
Jenkins and Robert Wingo, and
have Shane Webb as a closer-type
pitcher.
"We have four righthanders and
two lefthanders," Clark continued.
"We really have five righthanders
if we use Rick Marr, who can also
catch and play any position in the
‘infield and outfield. If we can get
ha 99
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS - The Tigers won the championship in the 10-11-12 year old basketball league
those two lefthanders (Ingle and
Wingo) to come in there and throw
strikes we're going lo be alright.
Pcople just aren't used to hitting
left-hand pitching."
Clark has four good assistant
coaches this year, including JV
coach Ronny Funderburke, Dean
Brannon and Richie Gold who
helped him last year. Joining them
is Rusty Bumgardner, who was the
pitching coach in 1989 when the
Mountaineers won the state cham-
pionship.
"We have an exceptional situa-
tion," Clark said. "We have five
coaches. When you keep 20 play-
ers you can break them down into
small numbers and get quality time
out of them. We're happy that we
can have that many people interest-
Saturday
at KMHS
The second annual KMHS base-
ball hit-a-thon will be held
Saturday at Lancaster Field.
Beginning at 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3
- p.m. and 6 p.m., groups of
Mountaineer players will be taking
a cut at 100 baseballs to raise mon-
ey for the KMHS athletic program.
Last year's event was so successful
the baseball team funded its entire
program and handed over addition-
al money to the athletic depart-
ment.
Players secure pledges for each
base hit, with double money for a
home run.
Mayor Scott Neisler will be a
guest hitter this year.
There is no charge and the con-
cession stand will be in operation.
"We invite the community to
come out at anytime during the day
and stay as long as they like,"
Coach Bruce Clark said. "This is
an excellent way to watch the kids
hit and see what we're going to
look like this year."
i Yn chse of inclement, weather,
pig said the event would be post-
poned until next Saturday.
WI
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®
Hardware
MARCH 1993
—T 000 =>
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J
ary March 4, 1993 -THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page 7A
Mountaineers eye big vear in baseball
will bc on thc Mountaincers as
many homctown fans and others in
the arca arc expecting KMHS to
win it all after going 20-4 and three
rounds in the state playoffs last
year.
"The whole key to our season
will be not trying to live up to what
everybody's trying to say about |
us...that we're going to win every
game and all that kind of stuff,"
Clark said. "In baseball, any given
day somebody can look great or
terrible.
"Everybody thinks we're going
to be a pretty good baseball team,
and we're going to try to be that,"
he said. "But to think we can go
out and win every game may be
pressing our luck a little too far.”
Clark said he looks to South
around here, and some college
coaches, South Point has the best
pitching staff in the conference,"
Clark said. "Our guys have fin-
ished second as sophomores and
first as juniors, and still arc not
predicted to win the conference.”
THE SCHEDULE
March 9 - Fred T. Foard (scrim-
mage) 4:30; 15 - at East Gaston, §
p.m.; 18 - at Crest, 4:30; 20 - at
East Lincoln, 4 p.m.; 22 - East
Gaston, 67 p.m.; 23 - R-S Central,
7:30; 26 at Shelby, 7:30.
April 2 - at South Point, 7:30; S -
at Harding, 7:30; 6 - Burns, 7:30; 9
- at East Rutherford, 7:30; 12-17 -
Gaston Neighbors Tournament at
South Point; 20 - North Gaston,
7:30; 21 - Independence, 6 p.m.; 26
- at R-S Central, 4:30; 27 - Shelby,
7:30.
pitchers Stephen Fisher, David R. ed in what we're doing." Point. which h ihre May 1 - East Lincoln, 4 pm; 4 -
Jenkins, David C. Jenkins, Shane Clark admits a lot of pressure i fi Shelby ® JIng Mehing South Point, 7:30; 6 - Crest, 7:30; 7
Webb, Benji Ingle and Robert ; : amc in at: Bums, 7:30; 11 = Bast
€ 4 of good athletes, to be the teams to
Wingo; catchers Kevin Melton and Id it th beat in the SWC. Rutherford, 7:30; 14 - at North
Chris Rider; infielders Damon { == on *According to aliithe coaches Gaston, 7:30; 1 17-21- SWC
Tournament at South Point; 25 -
State tournament begins.
COUNTRY
SETTINGS
204 Brook Road,
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
(704) 739-9142
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