Uwharrie Wampus Cats convey scrappy baseball to Albemarle, Stanly County
Printed 5:01 pm Friday, Might 26, 2023
- Uwharrie Wampus Cats head coach Houston Wright (left) talks to the gamers throughout Thursday’s apply at Don Montgomery Park. (Picture by Charles Curcio)
The legendary cat not too long ago noticed in downtown Albemarle will quickly make one other look, this time with the world’s latest baseball membership.
Memorial Day will see the home opener of the Uwharrie Wampus Cats, an unbiased wood-bat baseball league calling Don Montgomery Park in Albemarle its home.
Greater than 35 baseball gamers, together with native gamers like former West Stanly standout Charlie Carpenter and South Stanly standout Garrett Swink, have joined the brand new crew.
Former West Stanly standout Charlie Carpenter works within the bullpen throughout Thursday’s Uwharrie Wampus Cats apply. (Picture by Charles Curcio)
Head coach Houston Wright, a local of Gaffney, South Carolina, performed two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist and was named All-American. He went on to play on the College of Tennessee at Martin, however a torn labrum in his shoulder ended his taking part in profession. Wright presently coaches at Catawba Valley CC in Hickory.
Wright stated most of the gamers are from the world, comparable to Charlotte, Monroe and Indian Path, with possibly three or 4 out of state gamers.
“I tried to really stay local just to show there is a lot of talent where (Albemarle citizens) live,” Wright stated.
Within the recruiting course of, he added, the concept was to search out all-around gamers who had been higher teammates off the sphere.
“(The team has) really fun, good baseball players, but they are even better kids,” Wright stated.
The type of baseball the Wampus Cats will characteristic, he stated, can be a scrappy one, not counting on the lengthy ball however getting hits and working the bases.
Uwharrie can have some energy on the crew, he added, mentioning B.J. Williams, a former Clemson Tiger who suffered a shoulder harm however will convey an enormous bat to the Wampus Cats.
The unbiased nature of the crew, he added, will enable the Cats to play in opposition to a number of the greatest groups in college-bat leagues within the state and past.
“The caliber of players they are, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t win a lot of games this year,” Wright stated.
One crew the Wampus Cats will see rather a lot is the Carolina Disco Turkeys, one other unbiased crew owned by Cats proprietor Greg Sullivan. The 2 groups are scheduled to play 13 instances this summer time, with the winner taking away a brand new trophy, the Hwy. 52 Cup.
Wright stated the rivalry has already been rising on social media, including “when we go there…and when they come here, there will be good crowds. It will be entertaining and they will probably be dogfights.”
The Wampus Cats, Wright stated, actually affords gamers the possibility to get additional at-bats or innings pitched which they could not have gotten throughout their college’s common seasons.
“We want to win ball games, but at the end of the day, I want (the players) to get their ABs, their innings…when we do that, we are still going to win baseball games,” Wright stated.
About Charles Curcio
Charles Curcio has served because the sports activities editor of the Stanly Information & Press for greater than 16 years and has written quite a few information and have storeis as nicely. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Consultant of the 12 months and named CNHI Sports activities Editor of the 12 months in 2014. He has additionally received an award from Boone Newspapers, and has received 4 North Carolina Press Affiliation awards.
