WEEKLY
SPOTLIGHT: Bishops
enjoy a productive
summer on the diamond
Rocky Mount, NC
- While the average
college student was busy
soaking up the sun this
summer, four members of
the North Carolina
Wesleyan baseball team
spent time honing their
skills on the diamond.
Seniors Chris Pecora and
Matt Smith, along with
sophomore Ben Moore,
enjoyed productive
summers with the
Fayetteville Swampdogs
of the Coastal Plain
League, while sophomore
Justin Batts took his
skills to Tennessee
where he played for the
Tullahoma Bucks. Their
hard work will likely
provide dividends for
the Bishops this
spring and for their
individual futures, as
evidenced by former
Wesleyan hurler Blake
Rice's success. Rice
spent one summer with
the Wilson Tobs before
returning to Rocky Mount
for his senior season.
He was recently signed
by the Macon Music of
the South Coast League.
Pecora, who was drafted
in the 33rd round by the
Seattle Mariners in
2007, was the #6 ranked
prospect in the CPL
after hitting .340 with
a team-best 42 runs
batted in. He was
undoubtedly one of the
premier players in the
league. The right
fielder, who has
returned to Wesleyan for
his final season, also
led the 'Dogs with 65
hits. Pecora displayed
deceptive speed on the
bases, swiping 23 bags,
while defensively, he
showed off an explosive
arm. He recorded a
league high nine assists
from the outfield.
Smith
also turned in
impressive numbers in
Fayetteville. The
speedy outfielder had a
.338 batting average and
drove in 26 runs. He
and Pecora, in fact, had
the second and third
highest batting averages
on the squad, an
impressive feat
considering they were
the only two Division
III players to step in
the Swampdog batter's
box. Additionally,
Smith recorded seven
sacrifice hits and had
nine stolen bases.
On
the mound, Moore went
3-1 with a solid 2.36
earned run average. In
over 34 innings of work,
he allowed just nine
earned runs and eight
walks. Moore also
tallied nine strikeouts
and held opponents to a
.248 batting average.
Batts
crossed the North
Carolina line to play in
Tennessee
this summer, and his
numbers were equally
impressive. The
sophomore righty went
6-1 on the mound with a
2.00 ERA. He allowed
just six earned runs,
while fanning 18. At
the plate, Batts turned
in a .352 batting
average and a .410
on-base percentage.
All
four hope to follow in
the footsteps of Rice,
who will get to continue
his career beyond the
collegiate level. In
his senior year with the
Bishops, Rice had a 5-4
record with a 3.40 ERA
in ten starts, six of
which were complete
games. In addition, he
struck out 74 and
recorded the second
no-hitter of his career.
Blake led North Carolina
Wesleyan to the NCAA
Division III World
Series during his junior
year. He threw two
complete games in the
Regional Championship en
route to Co-Most
Valuable Player honors.
In the
championship, Rice
tossed his 11th complete
game of the season after
going ten innings,
allowing two runs,
striking out six, and
walking none. He
finished the season with
a 10-3 record with a
2.68 ERA with
two shutouts. He was
named a Third Team
All-American, First Team
All-Region, First Team
All-Conference, and the
USA Conference Pitcher
of the Year.
Congratulations to all
five players on a job
well done!
2007-08 SPOTLIGHT ARCHIVES
2006-07 SPOTLIGHT ARCHIVES
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