Baseball season is here and rolling.. A program that’s becoming a household name in North Carolina is the Cary High School Imps. The last several years they have put a really good product on the field and 2023 will be no different. Learn more about the Imps in today’s program preview…

Since you arrived in Cary in 2019, you really have made some progress in the field renovations and also the play on the field. What’s the secret?
We really focus on culture. We motivate guys with a vision of what we want to become (state champions) and then explain how we are going to do that, what baseball workouts will look, the absolute necessity to be in the weight room with me (not other weight lifting classes- lifting as a team), what fundrasing will look like, intentionally plan out every workout/field day/improvement etc. I am just very lucky at the end of the day to do what I love, to have great support, great assistant coaches, and extremely dedicated players.

What’s one thing people should know when coming to watch the Cary Imps play?
I hope people will know we play hard, play with energy, play for each other, and 1-9 at any time we will play small ball. Its all about applying pressure.

What’s one area this off-season you really focused on with the Imps?
We are really focusing on competing. Thats always been a huge push for me each year. Find new ways to challenge guys- 1 on 1 bp, timed bp with team against team, competitions after lifting, “Juice Points” for energy, charting throwing actions to keep accountability high. In all three programs I have been at, it has been the same story. Taking a program and pumping pride, competitive drive, and building a culture where guys want to work and play hard.

What’s the strengths of the 2023 Cary club?
I think our strength will be our pitching and defense. We have some arm talent as starters that give us a chance to keep opponents in check, some bridge guys that show a very different look, and a legitimate closer that should hit a 95 or 96 this spring as junior.

What are some key games you are looking forward to on the schedule?
Our whole schedule is going to be good. The game we are on is the most important of the season and will get our focus and attention. Our league has a ton of talent and should make for a very competitive spring.

What’s your gut tell you about the 2023 year?
This season we are “on mission”- this means to play our best baseball in May, to keep getting better, to take care of our arms, to have a group of guys that will be battle tested. If those things come to fruition then we will have risen to our ability and maxed out. I like the pieces we have, a lot. Just have to make it happen.

Wherever you have been, you have a great track record of success more importantly developing really good players. What would you attribute this too?
I am not a win at all cost guy. A lot of coaches get arms to 105 before the season and ride that all year. We want 65-70 in March, and with enough depth on the mound it might be that way all season. Having played at a variety of levels (small high school, ACC, JUCO, Big South) I think I have enough varied experiences to be able to pour into the kids an education in baseball. We choose to focus on development. Sitting down and creating a plan for each guy. We stagger our practices so they, JV/younger guys get field time but we (players and coaches) can still make an impact with fundamentals. The staggered look allows for specific early and late work for our Varsity guys.

Below I’m going to list adjectives, list the player on the 2023 roster who it describes:

Gamer: Angelo Herrera
Hitterish: Zack Chavis
Bulldog: Gavin Turner
Selfless: Keir Fulcher
Competitor: “Team” Collins Black and Will Vetter probably a tick above with habits and actions but close call here.

Stay tuned for another exciting article coming up Monday..