Wayne Country Day hopes hot start can continue
By Aviel Smolka
asmolka@newsargus.com
Mar 28, 2020 12:30 AM
The last thing the Wayne Country Day baseball team wanted to do was quit playing baseball.
Considering their last game was a resounding 12-2 win over Rock Mount Academy, who could blame them?
The Chargers are 4-0, and they have all the right ingredients for a great season.
Rowan Watt, Drew Spencer, Braeden Collins and Tanner Willman were all hitting .400 or better.
They have power and speed. They have strong pitching. Garrett Moffett, Mason Moffett, Cohen Waddell and Collins combined for a 4-0 record and a 1.59 earned run average on the mound.
All the Chargers’ potential showed up on Mar. 12 against the Eagles. The Chargers hit four home runs in the game, and the pitching staff gave up just one hit as the Chargers dominated the Eagles from start to finish.
The N.C. Independent School Athletic Association mandated that all athletic competitions cease at 11:59 p.m. on Mar. 13 until mid-April. However, the Chargers’ season ends on Apr. 30, so the odds of the season being finished decrease every day.
The Chargers were happy to get the celebrate their win, but that turned to the somber reality that no one knew the date of their next game.
Needless to say, Wayne Country Day head coach Adam Pate feels for his players.
“The players are still in school every day with virtual learning, but it’s tough because they’re kids,” Pate said. “They’re expected to be mature and make responsible decisions, but at the same time, they’re still kids, and they’ve had something taken away from them that all of them look forward to, and for some of them their baseball window is slowly closing.”
The Chargers can embrace their hot start to the season and hope to build off the momentum even if it means sitting out until May 18. The NCISAA suspended athletics followed the NCHSAA and suspended athletics through at least May 18 due to the coronavirus.
For now, the Chargers must be content with improvising in terms of staying ready. That means practicing social distancing, but also finding ways to hit, throw, field and pitch wherever possible.
And Pate is keeping his fingers crossed the season will resume in some form sooner rather than later.
“We’re in the coaching business, and people expect us to win, but at the same time, we’re trying to build men,” Pate said. “Life is tough, and there’s always something to be learned from a tough life situation, and this is definitely a tough situation for kids to miss out on something they look forward to.
“We just have to do the best we can to help them cope with it and help them learn that things in life are precious.”
By Aviel Smolka
asmolka@newsargus.com
Mar 28, 2020 12:30 AM
The last thing the Wayne Country Day baseball team wanted to do was quit playing baseball.
Considering their last game was a resounding 12-2 win over Rock Mount Academy, who could blame them?
The Chargers are 4-0, and they have all the right ingredients for a great season.
Rowan Watt, Drew Spencer, Braeden Collins and Tanner Willman were all hitting .400 or better.
They have power and speed. They have strong pitching. Garrett Moffett, Mason Moffett, Cohen Waddell and Collins combined for a 4-0 record and a 1.59 earned run average on the mound.
All the Chargers’ potential showed up on Mar. 12 against the Eagles. The Chargers hit four home runs in the game, and the pitching staff gave up just one hit as the Chargers dominated the Eagles from start to finish.
The N.C. Independent School Athletic Association mandated that all athletic competitions cease at 11:59 p.m. on Mar. 13 until mid-April. However, the Chargers’ season ends on Apr. 30, so the odds of the season being finished decrease every day.
The Chargers were happy to get the celebrate their win, but that turned to the somber reality that no one knew the date of their next game.
Needless to say, Wayne Country Day head coach Adam Pate feels for his players.
“The players are still in school every day with virtual learning, but it’s tough because they’re kids,” Pate said. “They’re expected to be mature and make responsible decisions, but at the same time, they’re still kids, and they’ve had something taken away from them that all of them look forward to, and for some of them their baseball window is slowly closing.”
The Chargers can embrace their hot start to the season and hope to build off the momentum even if it means sitting out until May 18. The NCISAA suspended athletics followed the NCHSAA and suspended athletics through at least May 18 due to the coronavirus.
For now, the Chargers must be content with improvising in terms of staying ready. That means practicing social distancing, but also finding ways to hit, throw, field and pitch wherever possible.
And Pate is keeping his fingers crossed the season will resume in some form sooner rather than later.
“We’re in the coaching business, and people expect us to win, but at the same time, we’re trying to build men,” Pate said. “Life is tough, and there’s always something to be learned from a tough life situation, and this is definitely a tough situation for kids to miss out on something they look forward to.
“We just have to do the best we can to help them cope with it and help them learn that things in life are precious.”
