Opening day is finally here! We’re excited to break down the  2A SW Randolph High School located in Asheboro, North Carolina. Learn more about the 2023 Cougars in today’s edition of Program Preview.

What’s the outlook on the Cougars? What’s the strength’s of this year club?
The Cougars are a veteran club this year returning seven starters on defense. We returned all but two innings pitched last year. We have a ton of guys that have varsity experience and new faces that will contribute as well. I look for our guys to be competitive on a nightly basis in the tough PAC-7 conference.

Two things stand out as far as strengths go.
1. This will be the most team speed we’ve had in a long time. I feel like we will be able to put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses.
2. Overall depth – we have 16 guys that get after it. They are going to make it really tough to write a lineup every night.

What are some key games on this year’s schedule?
Obviously in our conference, they are all key games. Each team features a lot of guys with varsity experience. Non conference wise: Southern Alamance to start the season will be a good test for us. Asheboro always has a good club. Orange later in the year will be a good test for us as well.

Who are some names on the Cougars 2023 roster we should look for?
I wish I could name all 16 of them because the way they have been working. For us it will start with seniors Tyler Parks and Adam Cole. Those two guys have been all conference for us the past two seasons. Seniors Grant Little and Easton Clapp will be behind the plate, handling our pitching staff.

I’m excited to see how our three sophomores (Jonah Campbell, Kam Carter and Zack Scruggs) will develop in their second season of varsity baseball. Looking forward to big things from our two freshmen as well. (Brady Armfield and Grant Kirk)

When thinking about Southwest Randolph baseball, what’s one word that comes to mind?
Toughness – After struggling a little bit last year we have worked extremely hard to right the ship. I’m looking forward to seeing the hard work every one has put in throughout the off-season payoff during the season.

What’s a typical practice look like for the Cougars?
We will stretch throw and then go straight into some type of base running skill we want to work on that day. After base running, we will do some type of defensive work whether it be individual or team defense. To wrap up, we will take some type of BP. It could be charted, three plate or just normal. I like to mix it up for our guys every day so they stay on their toes.

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

Leader: Tyler Parks
Gamer: Adam Cole
Hitterish: Adam Cole
Bulldog: Austin Harvell & Grant Little
Selfless: Caleb McNeill
Competitor: Grank Kirk

Also can you please name a few notable alumni:

Bryce Marsh – Pfeiffer
Jake Hall – UNCG
Hunter Ridge – UNCW
Adam Mills – App State
Chris Watson – NC A&T

Stay tuned for another exciting episode, coming up Wednesday…