Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 19, 1994 TAG: 9405200038
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
One coach retired, players went on to college programs and a hundred baseballs have left the yard.
They've shot Byrd baseball, sat on it, buried it up to its neck in quicksand and it will not expire.
They've put cyanide on its corn flakes, strychnine in its maple syrup and arsenic in its tomato aspic.
Byrd ball yet lives.
In 1992, the Terriers' enemies certainly thought, ``This is the end for them.'' Byrd's baseball heart was broken in a state Group AA semifinal, its coach - Gary Walthall - quit in search of a more quiet life and three All-Timesland types went off to play Division I ball.
They've had it now, the evil-eye guys thought in 1993, when Byrd lost three of its last five games and was tossed from the Group AA Region III tournament on its ear into the Liberty University parking lot. No way these guys are coming back after this, especially losing an outstanding shortstop in All-Timesland player Gary Wiggins and a monster of an All-Timesland catcher in Kevin Saunders.
It's curtains for Byrd for sure, the detractors said with a smirk.
Now what will they say? ``I stopped keeping score,'' said Scott Atkins, coach of Blue Ridge District rival Salem.
Byrd put a severe whipping on the Spartans last week, and the Terriers' coach, Rodney Spradlin, almost didn't know what to say.
Typical Byrd?
``Not at all,'' he said. ``We've won games on good defense, pitching and timely hitting.''
The 1992 team that went 23-1 rocked back on its heels and bashed balls to all sectors, especially over the fence, until the opposition cried ``Uncle!'' That usually happened by about the fourth inning. Last year's club won 15 in a row almost before anybody knew what had hit them.
This year, it's a different matter.
Out of seven Blue Ridge District games, four were won by one run; another by two runs. In consecutive games, the Terriers won 2-0 and 2-1 and had eight hits. The other guys had but three, though.
Oh, and by the way, Byrd is undefeated - again.
This Terriers team is from the old school, winning with pitching and fundamentals, and senior Chris Carr and junior Mike McGuire are at the head of the class. McGuire, a right-hander, has pitched his way to a 6-0 record and a 1.89 earned run average. Carr has gone 9-0 with 85 strikeouts and 17 walks in 511/3 innings.
McGuire plays right field when he doesn't pitch and is batting .350 with six home runs and a team-leading 19 runs batted in - astounding numbers for a guy who batted .260 with a ton of strikeouts a year ago. Carr is hitting .319 with six homers and 16 RBI while batting third in the order.
``McGuire and Carr are having great years, no doubt about that,'' said Spradlin, who has low-keyed his way to three losses in two years of coaching. ``But we have some others who are playing well, too.''
Guys such as Shannon Gray and Chuck Spraker in the outfield, veterans both. Gray started in center for the 23-1 team and is murder in the leadoff spot, hitting .400 with 17 runs scored and nine steals. He also has hit three homers. Spraker, a great glove guy, is batting .326 with six steals.
Then you have C.D. Polumbo at third and Ryan Caya at short. Polumbo bats cleanup and is hitting .300 with three homers and 13 RBI. Caya, a sophomore, stepped in for Wiggins without a hitch and is batting .306.
The same for Jason Porter at catcher. All he's had to do is make people forget about Saunders and his predecessor Josh Herman, probably the two best receivers Byrd has had. Porter has done fine, handling the pitching staff with aplomb and coming through with such miscellaneous hits as a grand slam and RBI double in the rout of Salem.
Then you have role players such as John Bradberry, who plays first when Carr pitches and right field when McGuire is on the mound. Or how about Rich Ellis at second, who sets the table for Carr, Polumbo and McGuire by batting second?
McGuire, who is 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, has surprised everybody with his bat.
``I spent a lot of time lifting weights this winter, and I also spent a lot of time in the batting cage before the season started,'' he said. ``That's helped me.''
So has playing basketball, an endeavor at which McGuire is quite good. McGuire started at point guard for the Terriers and was a double-figure scorer while averaging four assists per game.
``He was probably better suited to be a shooting guard, but he took our unsung hero award for playing the point and always guarding the other team's best player,'' said Paul Bernard, Byrd's basketball coach. ``He was an excellent player for us.''
Carr is another terrific athlete, going 6-4 and 200 pounds with a top time of 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Carr always was strictly a baseball player until Gray got him to go out for football in the fall.
``My father objected at first, but I went out and took it as a challenge,'' Carr said.
It was the first time he'd ever played football. By the end of the year, they'd taught him to be a receiver. He learned well, catching 31 passes for 557 yards and six touchdowns.
``We were surprised to see him come out, but he sure turned out to be a blessing for us,'' said Jeff Highfill, the Terriers' football coach. ``I wish we could have gotten him sooner. If we could have worked with him some, with his tools, he could have been a [scholarship] prospect.''
He's a college baseball prospect certainly, and VMI has shown interest, as has Longwood. Clearly, though, the football experience has made Carr a more tough-minded baseball player. Last year in baseball regionals, Carr took some criticism for asking to be relieved early in an opening-round loss. He wasn't really hurt, but he couldn't get loose and comfortable, he says now.
This year, Carr would be inclined to pitch through his difficulties.
``This is my last chance,'' he said. ``I want to give it the best I can. If I come off the mound now, I don't know if I'll be able to go back.''
by CNB