Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/789771
22 UCW FEBRUARY 22-28, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM It was a clear, cool afternoon the day before Valentine's Day when the Cape Fear High School softball team gathered for its first official workout of the 2017 season. Close to 40 candidates for the team were on the field taking swings at the plate and fielding balls in preparation for another 20-plus win season and a deep run in the state playoffs. Or will that be the case? Folks have just come to assume Cape Fear is an automatic winner in the sport after a string of championship chases and last year's trip to the 4-A title series at N.C. State. But this season, co-coach Jeff McPhail has a new situation on his hands. He doesn't have a veteran pitcher on the team and is looking to split time early in the season between freshman Mackenzie Peters and sophomore Katie Murphy. Neither has varsity experience. "Mackenzie hits her spots real well and she's got three or four good pitches,'' McPhail said. "Murphy pitched for the junior varsity last year and is a lefty, so that's a plus for her. She's got three good pitches too.'' McPhail plans to use the two pitchers equally in preseason scrimmages, then when the nonconference schedule begins he may use one pitcher about two-thirds of the game and let the other finish. While the pitching may be a work in progress, McPhail feels the team's hitting looks solid. Haley Cashwell, the record-setting Colt shortstop, is finally a senior. Hers isn't the only strong bat in the lineup as Sammi Jo Loney and Bri Bryant also return. "I think we should be a tad better than last year,'' McPhail said of the hitting. "We'll miss Aubrey's (pitcher Reep) stick, and we might not hit the home runs.'' Cashwell, who is one of the best slap hitters anywhere, said the Colts will miss Reep's performance on the mound, but she thinks Peters and Murphy are both capable pitchers who will surprise other teams. "They are a good mix together,'' Cashwell said. "I've got a lot of confidence in both of them. People don't know what to expect.'' There will also be an adjustment defensively for the Colts with the new pitchers on the mound, but Cashwell is ready to tackle that from her position at shortstop. "I have to be a leader in the infield,'' she said. "I'm going to learn our pitchers and where they pitch, make sure everybody is on their toes all the time. Make sure they are ready.'' You don't have to look at Cape Fear's recent records in softball long to know that being ready isn't likely to be one of this team's problems, and if the young pitching comes through, the Colts can likely count on another of those deep playoff runs. A New Pitcher for Cape Fear High School by EARL VAUGHAN, JR. There are things woven into the fabric of the game of baseball, like "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," hot dogs and the seventh- inning stretch. But starting this season, the classic argument between umpires and managers at home plate will be history in North Carolina, at least as far as high school baseball and softball are concerned. Neil Buie, the N.C. High School Athletic Association's regional supervisor of baseball and softball officials in the Cape Fear region, has been speaking to coaches and athletic directors about a drastic change in the rules. It's called the zero tolerance policy, and its aim is to promote sportsmanship by cutting down on confrontations between coaches and umpires. Beginning this spring, no head coach will be allowed to confront an umpire in fair territory between the white lines. If a coach questions an umpire's call, the umpire will meet with him at a midpoint between home and that coach's dugout. If the coach expresses displeasure with the call, he or she could lose a defensive conference with the team. If the argument escalates, he'll be restricted to the dugout and possibly ejected. It's even tougher on assistant coaches. They can't say a word in complaint. If they do, they're ejected and the head coach is restricted to the dugout for the rest of the game. "I believe it's going to help the game,'' Buie said. "If you keep coaches calm it'll help keep fans calm.'' Buie added there's no place for poor sportsmanship in education-based athletics. Buie said there will be growing pains, and it's possible the rule will need to be tweaked after this first season. "If it goes well and is accepted by coaches and athletic directors, the punitive part may be relaxed a little,'' he said. "But I don't think they will allow coaches to come back on the field. I think that's permanent.'' Another big rule change involves high school baseball pitchers. They will now be subject to a pitch count established by the NCHSAA. The rule is detailed and complicated. To read about it, go to www.nchsaa.org. Follow the links to the baseball section and look for the link on the rules presentation for this season. The pitch count rules are detailed there. During a game, each team will chart pitches and the schools will post them to their MaxPreps.com pages using either MaxPreps or GameChanger software. A tracking form for each game must be kept for the entire season, in addition to posting the totals online. The home book will be final, so Buie strongly urges scorekeepers to consult each half inning to make sure the counts are correct. "It's going to make a big difference in the way coaches can adjust and use pitching staffs,'' Buie said. Once a pitcher has thrown 105 pitches in a game, he has to rest for at least four days. When games get rained out, and teams have to play multiple contests in a week, it's going to force coaches to go deeper on their bench and use players with less experience. This could result in much longer games and later finishes if a young player has trouble finding the strike zone. But the good news is it will be giving more players a chance to play, and more rest for young arms, so there will be less chance of a burnout early in their careers. New Rules Apply at High School Baseball Games by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Haley Cashwell EARL VAUGHAN,JR. Sports Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-987-5311 HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Mackenzie Peters Neil Buie Katie Murphy