Baseball Fever
Page 7
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Kings Mountain High's -
baseball team enters the 2005
season with high hopes of
winning its conference cham-
pionship and going deep into
the state 3A playoffs.
Second-year head coach Eric
King has a wealth of returning
talent, plus some talented
younger players who will
push the veterans for starting
roles.
The Mountaineers are com-
ing off an 18-8 season in which
they finished 9-3 and in sec-
ond place in the Southwestern
Foothills 3A. But an upset in
the conference tournament
knocked them out of a state
playoff berth and they’ve had
a bitter taste in their mouths
since.
On paper, this year’s team
should be a strong contender
for the conference champi-
onship but King cautions that
the players will have to stay
focused and play “one game
at a time.”
Last year the Mountaineers
led the conference race until
the final two weeks, and a pair
of one-run losses (to Crest and
Hickory) knocked them off
their perch. Then, they lost to
Burns in the SWFH tourna-
ment and Burns went on to
win the tournament to take
away KM'’s state playoff seed.
“On paper, we've got a good
shot if they'll just take it one
game at a time and not look
down the road,” King says.
“What happened last year
may have been that we proba-
bly thought we were better
than we actually were. We
have to learn how. to finish
people off when we have them
on the ropes.”
Winning the SWFH won't be
a piece of cake, though. :
Hickory has an excellent
returning group that includes
two Division I signees, and
even though they suffered
some heavy losses Crest has
Kings Mountain pitcher Josh Melton guns down a runner during a recent game with South Point
in Belmont.
the potential to win its second
straight league crown, King
says. He also looks to Fred T.
Foard to surprise a lot of
© teams.
With only two playoff spots
available, every game could be
a must-win situation.
The strength of a high
school baseball team is usually
the middle of the field, and
King thinks he has an out-
standing pitching staff, good
catchers, middle infielders and
outfielders
He has what he calls “six
quality pitchers,” led by All-
State right hander Tyler Leach
who has already signed a let-
ter of intent to play for .
Virginia Tech and who is also
+ getting a look from major
league scouts. Leach went 6-3
with two saves last year with
two losses coming by one run.
He struck out 103 batters and
compiled a 2.03 earned run
average
When not pitching Leach
will be starting at either first
or third base. He led the
Mountaineers in hitting last
year (457) and most other
offensive categories, including
BEE OSE) BEE
home runs (8), hits (32), runs
(31) and RBI (24). With the
Mountaineers, he played first
base when he was not on the
mound but he played third
base for the Gaston Post 23
American Legion team and
- King says that may be where
Mountaineer fans will see him
this spring.
“Tyler just worked so hard -
to get where he is today,” King
. said. “He has elevated his
game by working year round.
He's a hard guy to beat
because a lot of times he just
refuses to get beat.”
Leach’s younger brother,
Ryan Leach, a sophomore,
will also see a lot of mound
duty. He was 1-0 last year
with 26 strikeouts in 20
innings. He has also improved
tremendously and has good
pitching mechanics. Both of
the Leaches, though right han-
ders, remind longtime
Mountaineer fans of their
father Tim, a southpaw who
set the school career strikeout
record while pitching the 1980
Mountaineers to the state
championship game. Both
have good speed for their age,
good control and usually stay
ahead of the hitters.
“Ryan works out a lot with
Tyler and has made a lot of
progress since last year,” King
says. “He has a lot of potential
ahead of him. He's a gritty-
type kid that’s going to fight
tooth and nail to get ahead.
Both have picked up speed
- through weight training.”
Josh Melton, who didn’t
play last year after being one
of the team’s leading hitters
his sophomore year, will also
see pitching duties. Most peo-
ple will remember him as a
right fielder but he has the ae
size and talent to play just
about anywhere.
“His physical build is pretty
intimidating,” King says of the
6-3 senior. :
Another returning pitcher, is
southpaw Trey Glass, who
did a good job for the
Mountaineers last year in
starting and reserve roles and
also pitched for the Shelby
American Legion team. He -
was 5-1 for KMHS with 27
strikeouts in 30 innings of
work.
“Being a left hander is an -e
advantage being able to spot
his pitches” King says of
Glass. “He’s quiet but he’s a
competitor.”
Brad Camp, a senior who
couldn't pitch a lot last year
because of injuries but who
did a good job filling in at
See Mounties, Page 8