Cancer took its coach but Charlotte Christian baseball is ready for a season like no other
BY STEVE LYTTLE FEBRUARY 26, 2023 5:30 AM
This will be a baseball season like no other at Charlotte Christian. The Knights might field the best team in the school’s storied baseball history.
Despite the graduation of three standouts now playing Division 1 college baseball, Charlotte Christian is loaded. Four seniors have committed to Division 1 programs, and college scouts are looking at several sophomores and juniors. But even if Charlotte Christian somehow falls short in some way, this will be remembered as the season without Greg Simmons.
Simmons, who guided the Knights for 30 seasons and coached 16 state championship teams, died in January at age 57 of cancer. Assistant Reid Fronk, who played for Simmons at Charlotte Christian and had been an assistant at the school for several years, has taken over. His team is No. 1 in The Observer’s baseball Sweet 16 preseason rankings. The Knights also are getting national attention with a No. 30 ranking from Maxpreps. ‘
TAKE IT DAY BY DAY’ “
There’s no manual for how to handle something like this,” said Fronk, a college standout at North Carolina who played minor league ball for several seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. “We take it day by day.”
Coach (Simmons) was my Lower School PE teacher,” Fronk said. “He opened the door for me every day when I arrived in the car pool line. He was a coach, and then a mentor, a friend, a colleague, and a confidant.”
“It’s been hard,” Fronk said about the adjustment to life without the architect of the Knights baseball program. Charlotte Christian’s players say Simmons won’t be far from their minds this season.
“Everything we do is for him,” said senior starting pitcher Ryan O’Rourke, who was 5-1 on the mound last season. “The impact he left on us is something that will carry with us for a long time,” added sophomore infielder-pitcher John Lash, who is being recruited by dozens of schools in both baseball and basketball.
Fronk said the first weeks after Simmons’ death were very tough for everyone in the program. Gradually, every-day life is taking away some of the sting.
“Just the process of scheduling games – getting dates on the calendar, aiming for opening day – that has helped,” Fronk said.
“It’s been great, just to get out on the field.”
A BONDING TRIP
The Knights will have a chance to bond this week, having left Saturday for a mission/baseball trip to the Dominican Republic. It’s a trip Simmons used to schedule for the team .
“It should be a good experience for us,” said senior pitcher Wesley Jones, a Charlotte commit who was 7-0 last season and will be the Knights’ No. 1 starter this spring. “We’ll get to do some mission work, play ball against some really, really good teams, and bond.”
Fronk said he knows some people expect a lot from this year’s team. “But we lost a lot,” he said, referring to Judd Utermark (now at Ole Miss), Calvert Clark (Charlotte) and Everette Harris (N.C. State).
“Those are three guys who played D1 baseball last weekend.” Fronk said the Knights will build around five senior starters and will depend on new faces.
“We’ve got some really talented young guys, and it’s their time to step up,” he said. Fronk said the Knights won’t rely on power quite as much this year. That might be good news for motorists on neighboring Sardis Road, whose vehicles were sometimes in the flight path of Utermark’s 400-foot-plus home runs last spring.
“We’re more well-rounded,” Fronk said. “We can play the small-ball game, we have solid pitching, but we’ll have some power in the middle of the lineup.”
Senior closer Johnny Joseph, a Queens commit, said Charlotte Christian’s strength will start on the mound. “Our pitching will be strong,” he said. “We have several really good starters and strong relievers. And I’m sure we’ll have new guys who step up.”
So Charlotte Christian has lots of talent -- and lots of expectations. That’s all normal. Not having Simmons? That isn’t.
“It still seems strange,” Fronk said of life without his mentor. “Sometimes I’ll be driving up and see someone walking at the field, wearing a sweatshirt. Just for a minute, I’ll think it’s Coach. “Our goal is to keep this program at a high level, just like Coach had it. I think we can do that.”
SOME TOP PROSPECTS
Some of the players expected to have key roles this spring: ▪
Jones, who had a 2.42 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings. ▪
O’Rourke, who will be the starting pitcher often this spring. ▪
Grant Nicholson, a sophomore pitcher (and Wake Forest commit) who is 6-6 with a big fastball. ▪
Joseph, whose relief pitching was key in the Knights’ run to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A state title last year. ▪
Taylor McCammon, a senior shortstop (Elon commit) who batted .387 with five homers. ▪
Lash, who can pitch in addition to playing first base. ▪
Drew Beard, a junior centerfielder who hit .326 with 19 RBI. ▪
D.J. Layton, a junior infielder who is an excellent fielder and can pitch. ▪ Cohen Betancourt, a sophomore catcher who has already captured the attention of college scouts with his defensive ability.
BY STEVE LYTTLE FEBRUARY 26, 2023 5:30 AM
This will be a baseball season like no other at Charlotte Christian. The Knights might field the best team in the school’s storied baseball history.
Despite the graduation of three standouts now playing Division 1 college baseball, Charlotte Christian is loaded. Four seniors have committed to Division 1 programs, and college scouts are looking at several sophomores and juniors. But even if Charlotte Christian somehow falls short in some way, this will be remembered as the season without Greg Simmons.
Simmons, who guided the Knights for 30 seasons and coached 16 state championship teams, died in January at age 57 of cancer. Assistant Reid Fronk, who played for Simmons at Charlotte Christian and had been an assistant at the school for several years, has taken over. His team is No. 1 in The Observer’s baseball Sweet 16 preseason rankings. The Knights also are getting national attention with a No. 30 ranking from Maxpreps. ‘
TAKE IT DAY BY DAY’ “
There’s no manual for how to handle something like this,” said Fronk, a college standout at North Carolina who played minor league ball for several seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. “We take it day by day.”
Coach (Simmons) was my Lower School PE teacher,” Fronk said. “He opened the door for me every day when I arrived in the car pool line. He was a coach, and then a mentor, a friend, a colleague, and a confidant.”
“It’s been hard,” Fronk said about the adjustment to life without the architect of the Knights baseball program. Charlotte Christian’s players say Simmons won’t be far from their minds this season.
“Everything we do is for him,” said senior starting pitcher Ryan O’Rourke, who was 5-1 on the mound last season. “The impact he left on us is something that will carry with us for a long time,” added sophomore infielder-pitcher John Lash, who is being recruited by dozens of schools in both baseball and basketball.
Fronk said the first weeks after Simmons’ death were very tough for everyone in the program. Gradually, every-day life is taking away some of the sting.
“Just the process of scheduling games – getting dates on the calendar, aiming for opening day – that has helped,” Fronk said.
“It’s been great, just to get out on the field.”
A BONDING TRIP
The Knights will have a chance to bond this week, having left Saturday for a mission/baseball trip to the Dominican Republic. It’s a trip Simmons used to schedule for the team .
“It should be a good experience for us,” said senior pitcher Wesley Jones, a Charlotte commit who was 7-0 last season and will be the Knights’ No. 1 starter this spring. “We’ll get to do some mission work, play ball against some really, really good teams, and bond.”
Fronk said he knows some people expect a lot from this year’s team. “But we lost a lot,” he said, referring to Judd Utermark (now at Ole Miss), Calvert Clark (Charlotte) and Everette Harris (N.C. State).
“Those are three guys who played D1 baseball last weekend.” Fronk said the Knights will build around five senior starters and will depend on new faces.
“We’ve got some really talented young guys, and it’s their time to step up,” he said. Fronk said the Knights won’t rely on power quite as much this year. That might be good news for motorists on neighboring Sardis Road, whose vehicles were sometimes in the flight path of Utermark’s 400-foot-plus home runs last spring.
“We’re more well-rounded,” Fronk said. “We can play the small-ball game, we have solid pitching, but we’ll have some power in the middle of the lineup.”
Senior closer Johnny Joseph, a Queens commit, said Charlotte Christian’s strength will start on the mound. “Our pitching will be strong,” he said. “We have several really good starters and strong relievers. And I’m sure we’ll have new guys who step up.”
So Charlotte Christian has lots of talent -- and lots of expectations. That’s all normal. Not having Simmons? That isn’t.
“It still seems strange,” Fronk said of life without his mentor. “Sometimes I’ll be driving up and see someone walking at the field, wearing a sweatshirt. Just for a minute, I’ll think it’s Coach. “Our goal is to keep this program at a high level, just like Coach had it. I think we can do that.”
SOME TOP PROSPECTS
Some of the players expected to have key roles this spring: ▪
Jones, who had a 2.42 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings. ▪
O’Rourke, who will be the starting pitcher often this spring. ▪
Grant Nicholson, a sophomore pitcher (and Wake Forest commit) who is 6-6 with a big fastball. ▪
Joseph, whose relief pitching was key in the Knights’ run to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A state title last year. ▪
Taylor McCammon, a senior shortstop (Elon commit) who batted .387 with five homers. ▪
Lash, who can pitch in addition to playing first base. ▪
Drew Beard, a junior centerfielder who hit .326 with 19 RBI. ▪
D.J. Layton, a junior infielder who is an excellent fielder and can pitch. ▪ Cohen Betancourt, a sophomore catcher who has already captured the attention of college scouts with his defensive ability.
