Diamond in the rough: NCCU prepares for baseball's return
September 20, 2006
By MIKE POTTER,
The Herald-Sun
Henry White says using all of fall practice to teach his brand new
N.C.
Central baseball team how to play defense is nothing new for
him.
That's the way he's always done it.
White, who had a 327-272 record in 21 seasons as St. Augustine's
head coach, had to start from scratch while getting the Eagles'
baseball team ready for its CIAA schedule this season and the
planned move to NCAA Division I in 2007.
With the players he brought in for the fall sessions, there is no
batting practice and no long stretches of taking ground balls. He's
teaching them situational defense in what now will be the Eagles'
way.
"Pitching and defense win ballgames," White said. "They're going
to get enough batting practice later."
The Eagles wrap up fall practice today at Durham Bulls Athletic
Park, which will be their home field for at least one season and
possibly longer until their permanent home at historic Durham
Athletic Park has been refurbished.
"I haven't had a single recruit turn me down after I showed them
where we were going to play," White said. "And we're getting calls
from all kinds of schools that want to play us in this ballpark.
The Durham Bulls' organization has been outstanding in the way
they've helped us."
Twelve of the Eagles' 21 players are freshmen.
First baseman Tye Gray, a freshman from Waldorf, Md., said that
baseball definitely brought him to NCCU.
"I wanted to help start a new program," Gray said. "I wanted to be
part of history.
First baseman/outfielder Justin Terry, a freshman from the
Richmond, Va., suburbs, said he wanted to play baseball at a
Historically Black College.
"And I knew this was one of the better ballparks on the East
Coast," Terry said. "And I had heard about Coach White's
reputation."
Freshman pitcher/third baseman Alex Weathersby, an all-conference
pitcher from Southeast Raleigh, already knew of White and DBAP
before he was recruited.
"I wanted to play for him and play in this stadium," said
Weathersby, who wants to major in criminal justice. "And I wanted a
chance to play at the D-I level."
NCCU last competed in baseball in 1975, back when colleges still
were using wooden bats. But the university had to add one men's
sport to be ready for the Division I move, and with Chancellor
James Ammons being a big fan of the sport, baseball was the one
chosen.
The Eagles will have 24 home games, including nine doubleheaders.
They open Feb. 4 at Belmont Abbey, followed by a 1 p.m. home
doubleheader against St. Andrews the next day.
The CIAA opener is March 5 at home against St. Paul's. The Eagles'
only foray into Division I competition this season will be
back-to-back home games against Delaware State on March
7-8.
White didn't say this team would be good enough to challenge for
the title in its only year in the CIAA, but he did say he's hoping
to be competitive.
The champion of the CIAA Tournament, which is April 18-22 at
Virginia State, gets a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Shaw
is the reigning champion.
COPYRIGHT 2006 by The Durham Herald Company.
All rights reserved
