One day closer to the official start of High School baseball here in North Carolina. We’re less than ten days away from opening day and the excitement continues to grow.  Today we traveled down to Concord and sat down with Head Coach Eric Brown to break down the 2023 Chargers.. Find out more in today’s edition of Program Preview.

What’s the outlook on the Chargers? What’s the strengths of this year’s club?
We believe that this team can and will compete for a conference championship in a very tough conference and has all the pieces to make a run in the state playoffs. I believe we will be strong offensively and will have an improved and deeper pitching staff from last season.

What are some key games on this year’s schedule?
Our conference is very competitive, we’ve got every single one of those games circled. Our non-conference schedule, by design, is challenging as well. We will make trips to both South Caldwell and Myers Park. Those will be big time playoff atmosphere games and we look forward to the challenge.

Who are some names on the Chargers 2023 roster we should look for?
Sr. Tyler Zedalis (USC commit) has won player of the year in our conference two years in a row and is poised to have another big season. He will move over to short stop and see some time on the mound for us. Sr. James Green (Louisburg College) and Jr. Braylon Whitaker are returning GM4a all-conference selections. Both are super athletic and can do just about anything on a baseball field. James will anchor our outfield in center and Braylon will have a key role for us on the mound and play beside James in right, they will be fun to watch all year long. Junior Collin Pritt has a chance to be a really good hitter for us. He’s worked hard during the summer and fall to put himself in position to make a jump and be a key contributor for our team. Junior Brett Cassell has potential to make a big impact this season, specifically for our offense. Sophomore Jackson Caldwell has progressed well and will have a key role this year for us both on the mound and in the lineup. Freshman Gavin Barber is a name to watch and could find himself pitching significant innings for us as well.

When thinking about Cox Mill baseball, what’s one word that comes to mind?
This is difficult one. But I’m going to say tradition. Reason being is because I believe that we are in position now to start building that tradition and continue the momentum that has been gaining over the last few years. The school is just in its 2nd decade of existence and 2023 will be our 2nd year competing in 4A. Being my 1st year as head coach with a plan to be here long term to build a program that our school, community and alumni can be proud of. That excites me as a coach and our players as well.

What’s a typical practice look like for the Chargers?
Energetic and loud. We practice how we want to play on game day, so we move around with a lot of juice. We focus on communication, quality reps and putting the players in pressure situations so they will be comfortable in the games. We love to compete and find ways to incorporate competition into our practices daily. Every practice is different but will include loud music, baserunning, defense and offense.

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

Leader: James Green
Gamer: Braylon Whitaker
Hitterish: Collin Pritt
Bulldog: Cruise Ungaro
Selfless: Bryson Blackwell & Brett Cassell
Competitor: Tyler Zedalis

Also can you please name a few notable alumni:
Julian Smith – LA Dodgers
Nick Aldafer – Queens University
Darrien Whitaker – North Greenville (2022 national champion)
Marty Gair – Florida Southwestern State College
Zach Zedalis – University of South Carolina
Chandler Riley – Campbell University
Austin Fox – Francis Marion
Justin Fox – Anderson University

Stay tuned for another exciting episode of Program Preview coming up Wednesday..