Trio of Haywood ball players headed for State Games

Jun. 9—Three Haywood County baseball players are headed for the Body Armor State Games after being selected from among the top players in the western region.

Pisgah junior Walker Fox, Tuscola junior Brayden Cockrell and Tuscola freshman Amos Rich were chosen to represent Region 8 during a week-long baseball tournament.

The State Games will be held from June 12-16 at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium on the campus of UNC Charlotte.

Tuscola head baseball coach Zach Shepherd is an assistant coach on the Region 8 team after coaching in the same role last season.

Coaches participate in a four-year cycle, with their final year functioning as the team's head coach.

Erwin High School's head coach, Dylan Jones, is this year's Region 8 head coach, while Shepherd, Enka's Todd Griffin and A.C. Reynolds' Michael Staircar are the three assistant coaches.

Shepherd said players had to try out to make the State Games roster.

"The tryouts went well, but it was a hard decision," he said. "We fought tooth and nail for certain guys, and then we had to come together and take what we see position-wise, who the 20-best were."

Shepherd said one thing that complicates the tryouts is that you may have a talented player who plays a stacked position, so guys have to be willing to move around

"Your best players usually play the same 3-4 positions in high school. It makes the tryouts really hard because you've got to look at the big picture," he said. "You also want to make Region 8 the best you can.

The first day at the State Games is a scout workout.

"There will be 60 college coaches and 16-20 major league scouts," Shepherd said. "You go through a traditional showcase workout — 10 swings, a throw from right field to third base to home plate, five grounders at shortstop, run the 60, and if you're a catcher, they get your pop time. You want to get guys that look good in that part."

Shepherd said the scout workout is essential to getting a shot at the all-important college scholarship.

"At the end of the day, state games are about getting these kids looked at. It's another way to get kids looked at," he said. That becomes even more important given the high level of play at the collegiate level.

"These kids will get to see what high-level baseball looks like," Shepherd said. "It shows them how competitive college baseball really is."

Shepherd said there is still a stigma around junior college baseball, but kids would be ill-advised to discount those programs.

"You'll have a kid down there say, 'He's unbelievable.' And look him up, and he's going to a junior college or a Division II school. That's because college baseball is so stacked right now," he said. "This opens their eyes. There are 160 players down there, and all of them can play baseball."

After the scout workout day, there are baseball games every day. Since there are so many players who can hit, throw and run, each player will need to make the most of every opportunity, Shepherd said.

"When you have 20 guys, and all 20 are high-level players, and you have only four games, you may only get to lay three innings and get one at-bat," he said.

What makes it more difficult is that many of the players at the State Games are used to getting a full-games worth of playing time and up to four at-bats at their own schools.

"It's something they will have to get used to," Shepherd said.

Shepherd played in the State Games as a player and is in his second year as an assistant coach. One big draw for him is the interactions he gets with other coaches.

"It's fun to be with other baseball coaches," he said. "State Games puts all the coaches in the same hotel, so you get to hang out with coaches from Wilmington, for example. It's fun to pick people's brains that you would never have gotten the chance to otherwise."