Cedar Ridge Baseball

Photo by Marc Reidel:

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team honored senior and former Orange star Bailey Lucas during a tri-match at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Saturday. The Avenging Angels won both matches to extend its winning streak to nine, a season-long. Meredith defeated Pfeiffer 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-15. Lucas started and had a game-high 17 assists along with two digs and one ace. Meredith also swept Greensboro 3-0 on scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-21. Lucas had 19 assists with seven digs and an ace. Meredith also won two matches over Salem last week. On Tuesday, Meredith defeated the Spirits 3-0 on scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-16 at Varsity Gym in Winston-Salem. Lucas led the Angels with 17 assists, one ace and six digs. On Thursday, Meredith swept Salem again in Raleigh. Lucas finished with eleven assists and seven digs. The Angels are 18-6 overall, 12-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team was named the preseason #1 team in Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association media poll. The Flyers continued to prepare for the upcoming season with a 105-64 win over Blue Light College in a scrimmage in Pinehurst on Wednesday. McMullin lead the Flyers with 14 points. He also tied for the team lead with nine rebounds. Sandhills will start the regular season against Lenoir Community College in Kinston on November 3.

Trenton Gill: Miami defeated #18 N.C. State 31-30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Coral Gables, FL on Saturday night. Gill had six punts for an average of 49.2 yards per boot for the Wolfpack. His longest was 59 yards, one of three punts that went over 50 yards. Three punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Of Gill’s seven kickoffs, six were touchbacks.

Keshawn Thompson: For the third time this year, former Orange High linebacker Keshawn Thompson led Campbell in tackles in a game. Thompson registered 12 tackles, but #11 Kennesaw State routed the Camels 30-7 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson leads Campbell in tackles with 41 on the season. The Camels are 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the Big South Conference. They will travel to Charleston Southern next Saturday. Thompson has started all seven Campbell games.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team defeated New Hampshire 24-10 at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday. Chnupa entered the game as a reserve defensive back and assisted on a tackle. Elon has now won three in a row and is 4-3 overall, 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix will travel to James Madison next Saturday.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges made two more starts for the Elon women’s soccer team in a couple of marathon games last week. On Sunday, Elon defeated Northeastern 2-1 in overtime at Parson Field in Brookline, MA. Hodges played all 93 minutes before Kenney Jones scored the golden goal in overtime. On Thursday, the Phoenix played to a scoreless tie against William & Mary at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, VA. Hodges fired one shot and played all 110 minutes. Elon is 7-5-2, 2-2-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon will host #23 Hofstra on Sunday at Rudd Field.

Emerson Talley: Talley started Lenoir-Rhyne’s game against Newberry at the Smith Road Complex on Saturday. Newberry came away with a 1-0 win in double overtime. Talley played 36 minutes. Last Sunday, Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Tusculum 5-0 at Pioneer Field in Greenville, TN. Talley came off the bench and played 13 minutes. The Bears, in the Division II South Atlantic Conference, are 9-3-2, 7-2-1 in the SAC.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team shut out Tusculum 4-0 at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Wednesday. Former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Taylin Jean entered the game in the second half and preserved the clean sheet for the Saints, making one save. Limestone is 9-3-1, 5-3-1 in the SAC.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie against Mary Baldwin University at Pride Field in Greensboro on Wednesday. Daley played all 110 minutes for the Pride. Greensboro is 4-9-3 overall, 2-4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Daley will be honored on Senior Day on Sunday when Greensboro hosts North Carolina Wesleyan.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team lost in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday. Salem College scored in the final minute of the second overtime to defeat the Pacers 3-2 at Varsity Field in Winston-Salem. Rogers, a former Orange Panthers, started for the Pacers and played all 110 minutes. She fired one shot. On Wednesday, Peace played Pfeiffer to a 1-1 tie in Misenheimer. Once again, Rogers started and played all 110 minutes. Peace is now 4-6-3 overall, 2-4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Keshawn Thompson: It was a showdown between a former Orange Panther and a former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. The Campbell Fighting Camels, featuring former Orange linebacker Keshawn Thompson, faced off against the Elon Phoenix, which included former Cedar Ridge linebacker Adam Chnupa. The Phoenix defeated the Camels 24-23. For the second week in a row, Thompson led Campbell in tackles with nine. Last week, Thompson was honorable mention for Big South weekly football honors. Campbell is 0-2. They will face Presbyterian on Saturday in Buies Creek.

Adam Chnupa: Elon is now 1-1 after the victory over Campbell. Chnupa played special teams for the Phoenix in the win. Elon will travel to Appalachian State on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: In N.C. State’s loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS, Wilson suffered a shoulder injury. Wilson did register his first sack of the season. He finished with three tackles. There’s no word yet on whether Wilson will miss any action. Mississippi State defeated N.C. State 24-10. The Wolfpack were deprived of its first road win against an SEC team since 1977.

Trenton Gill: Former Cedar Ridge punter Trenton Gill was too busy for the Wolfpack’s liking against Mississippi State. Gill had seven punts on Saturday night. He averaged 43.6 yards per punt. His longest was 55 yards. One of the punts was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Wolfpack will host Furman on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Rodney Brooks: After missing the opening game of the season for the Division II Livingstone Blue Bears, former Orange quarterback/defensive back Rodney Brooks made his season debut on Saturday. Savannah State, an FCS team, crushed Livingstone 50-6 at Theodore Wright Stadium in Savannah, GA. Brooks, a safety, had four tackles.

Bryse Wilson: On Sunday at PNC Park, the Washington Nationals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Wilson suffered the loss for the Bucs. In four-and-one-third innings, Wilson surrendered five runs off seven hits and two walks. Luis Garcia, Alex Avila and Lane Thomas honored off of Wilson, who is now 2-7 this season with a 4.97 ERA. The Pirates travel to Miami next weekend.

Kayla Hodges: After a tight loss to N.C. State, the Elon women’s soccer team rebounded with consecutive wins last week. On Thursday, the Phoenix defeated Gardner-Webb 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. Hodges started and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, the Phoenix defeated American University at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. Once again, Hodges played the duration of the game and fired one of Elon’s ten shots against the Eagles. Through seven games, Hodges is tied for the team lead with two goals. Elon faces Furman on Friday in its final nonconference game of the year.

Brittany Daley: Emory University’s women’s soccer routed Greensboro College 6-0 in Atlanta on Saturday. Daley played all 90 minutes at centerback for Greensboro. The Pride will travel to Bridgewater on Wednesday.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team has won two in a row. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated Ferrum 3-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Rogers started at wingback for Peace. On Wednesday, Peace defeated Johnson & Wales University 2-0 in Charlotte. It was Rogers’ 40th game for Peace. The Pacers are 2-2. They will travel to Brevard on Wednesday.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team won two out of three matches over the weekend. On Friday, Christopher Newport defeated the Avenging Angels 3-1 on scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-23 and 25-12 at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh. For the first time this season, Lucas didn’t start for Meredith. She did finish with two kills, 14 assists and five digs. The Avenging Angels won both of its matches on Saturday. They opened with a sweep of Guilford on scores of 25-17, 25-8 and 25-22 at the Hermann Athletic Center in Raleigh. Lucas came off the bench and had 16 assists and one dig. Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1. Lucas led the Avenging Angels with 25 assists and seven digs. Meredith is 5-3 and will play a doubleheader against Brevard and Maryville on Friday in Brevard.

Kayla Hodges: After being a regular starter for the Elon women’s soccer team’s first Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship team last spring, Kayla Hodges scored her first college goal in the Phoenix’s season-opener against George Washington. In the 55th minute, Hodges scored off a corner kick when she chipped one in the net off an assist from Lily Harkes. Hodges, who started as a defensive midfielder, played 84 minutes as the Phoenix won 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. On Sunday, UNC Greensboro defeated Elon 1-0 at Rudd Field. Hodges earned another start and fired one shot. She played all 90 minutes. The Phoenix are 1-1 and will travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday. Hodges, a junior, started all ten games last year.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was placed on the Injured List by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16. Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington says the move is mostly about rest from fatigue. At the time he was placed on the Injured List, Wilson had just started against the Milwaukee Brewers in a no decision. Counting his time with the Atlanta Braves, Wilson has thrown 48 and 2/3rds innings and has an 5.55 ERA.

The fall sports season is underway for women’s soccer. It will officially start for football, volleyball and men’s soccer next week. Here are some Cedar Ridge and Orange graduates who will be competing in colleges throughout the country this fall.

Payton Wilson: A second-team All-ACC linebacker with N.C. State last season, Wilson returns for his redshirt sophomore season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders. It kept him sidelines for spring practice. Wilson ranks third among returning ACC players in career tackles. He’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s best linebacker.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter and soccer player is now a redshirt junior at N.C. State. Gill is N.C. State’s career leader in punt average with 46.3 yards–which is tied for the second-best mark among returning ACC punters. Gill’s has 4.997 career punting yards, which is 12 in school history. In 2020, Gill averaged 44.7 yards per punt, the fifth-best single-season mark in school history.

Keshawn Thompson: Thompson is now a graduate student with the FCS Campbell football team. Last year, Campbell played only four games in the fall and sat out the spring. Thompson totaled nine tackles. He started the season opener at Georgia Southern, a game where the Camels lost 28-27 when a two-point attempt in the waning seconds ended with an incomplete pass.

Adam Chnupa: The former Cedar Ridge linebacker returns to Elon’s football team as a redshirt sophomore. The Phoenix played last spring. Chnupa appeared in all six games and finished with six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Elon will open against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium on September 4. It will mark the 20th anniversary of Rhodes Stadium.

Rodney Brooks: The Division II Livingstone Bears of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association didn’t play in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Brooks will return as a senior with the Bears. The 2018 Orange graduate had 16 tackles for Livingstone in 2019.

Trey Grizzle: The former Orange linebacker, who graduated in June, has enrolled at Division III Averett University. Averett will face Ferrum College in Virginia on September 4.

Taylin Jean: The 2018 Big 8 Goalkeeper of the Year at Cedar Ridge, Jean starts her junior year at Division II Limestone College. Last season, Jean earned a spot on the South Atlantic Conference Commissioners Honor Roll. She appeared in four games for the Saints between the pipes.

Brittany Daley: A former All-Conference player with the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team, Daley enters her fourth season with the Division III Greensboro College’s women’s soccer team. Last season, Daley earned USA South All-Academic honors with a 3.9 GPA. Daley has played 45 games in her Greensboro career. Last year, she helped the Pride win the USA South East Division Championship, which was the only tournament the Pride was allowed to play in due to the pandemic.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace University women’s soccer team will open against Guilford College on September 1. Rogers, a former Orange star who is now a senior, has started all 37 games she’s played in for the Pacers in her career.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas enters her senior season with the Division III Meredith College volleyball team. Last season, Lucas appeared in 14 matches and had 108 digs. She led the team with 298 assists. The Avenging Angels open the season at Roanoke on September 1.

Phillip Berger: The season of the Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League ended on August 7 with a 4-2 loss to the Danville Otterbots at Northeast Community Credit Union Park. Berger ended the year 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA, including the first two wins in the history of the franchise. Despite being a middle reliever, Berger led Elizabethton in wins. In 22 innings, Berger had 19 strikeouts and nine walks. The last game that Berger pitched for the River Riders was on July 16 in a 13-10 loss to Pulaski at Calfee Park in Pulaski, VA. In two innings, Berger surrendered two runs off three hits. On July 10 against Johnson City, Berger threw three innings and surrendered two hits and one run with three walks. The Doughboys defeated the River Riders 6-5. The River Riders finished in second place in the Appalachian League’s West Division with a 26-22 record, six-and-a-half games behind the Greenville Flyboys, who captured the league championship with a 9-8 win over the Pulaski River Turtles in Greenville, TN. Berger will start his junior season at Division III William Peace University in Raleigh next week.

Joey Berini: The Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League ended its season on July 30 with a 18-9 loss to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms at Finch Field in Thomasville. In 20 games, Berini hit .290 for the Copperheads with 20 hits and eleven RBIs. In a 9-7 win over the Forest City Owls on July 29, Berini went 2-for-4 and scored Asheboro’s final run off an error. Berini also had a single in the second inning and scored off a double by Will Stewart. On July 24 against the Holly Springs Salamanders, Berini went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Asheboro finished the second half of the season 12-10, five games behind the West Division champion, the Savannah Bananas. Savannah swept both halves of the West Division and captured the Pettit Cup with a 13-3 win over the Morehead City Marlins in game three of the best-of-three Coastal Plain League Championship Series.

Bryse Wilson: On Saturday, Wilson started his third game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. At PNC Park, Wilson got a no-decision in the opening game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. Over four innings, Wilson surrendered four runs on seven hits. Kolten Wong and Tyrone Taylor homered off Wilson. After Wilson left the game, the Pirates exploded for eight runs over the course of the fifth and sixth innings to win 14-4. In Wilson’s second start with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati edged the Pirates 3-2 at the Great American Ball Park. In six innings, Wilson struck out seven with one walk. He gave up six hits and three runs. Wilson is 0-2 with a 4.80 ERA.

Payton Wilson: Entering his redshirt sophomore season at N.C. State, Wilson was named to the Butkus Award watch list. The Butkus Award goes to the nation’s top linebacker. Last season, Wilson was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. He ranked fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in overall tackles and 13th in tackles per game. Wilson was named ACC Linebacker of the Week three times. Semifinalists for the Butkus Award will be named November 1, with finalists named on November 22. N.C. State starts its season against South Florida on September 2 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will then journey to Mississippi State on September 11.

Trey Grizzle: Grizzle, who graduated from Orange in June, committed to Averett University, where he will play defensive end. Last season, Grizzle played defense and tight end. He has announced plans to major in biology. Averett is a Division III school out of Danville, VA.

Bryse Wilson: The last time Bryse Wilson started a game in Durham, he admitted that his fastball wasn’t working for him.

On Wednesday night, it was.

In front of 4,205 fans at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Wilson threw seven scoreless innings for the Gwinnett Stripers. Wilson left the game in the eighth inning with the Stripers leading 1-0. Reliever Dylan Lee surrendered a solo homer to Durham’s Ryan Boldt, which cost Wilson a chance to win the game. Gwinnett’s Cristian Pache singled home Terrance Gore in the ninth inning for the winning run as Gwinnett prevailed 2-1.

Orlando Arcia homered in the third inning for Gwinnett.

On the night, Wilson allowed only three hits and a walk over seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts. At one point, Wilson retired 12 consecutive batters. Wilson threw 91 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. As usual when Wilson pitches in Durham, many Hillsborough residents and some of Wilson’s previous coaches were on hand to watch.

Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson is 10-2 with a 2.53 ERA and a .247 batting average allowed over his last 14 starts with Gwinnett.

This season with the Stripers, Wilson is 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA through eight starts. In 45 innings pitched this season, Wilson has 39 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Gwinnett improved to 23-26. Durham fell to 32-17. The Stripers start a homestead against the Nashville Sounds next Tuesday.

Phillip Berger: Berger made his latest appearance out of the bullpen for the Elizabethton River Riders last Saturday against the Danville Otterbots at American Legion Field in Danville, VA. The Otterbots defeated the River Riders 6-5. Berger suffered his first loss of the season. He threw the sixth and seventh innings for the River Riders and surrendered three runs off three hits. Only one of the three runs were earned. Berger walked one and struck out two.

Since then, Elizabethton has won three in a row, including a 9-2 victory over the Johnson City Doughboys on Wednesday night. Berger still leads Elizabethton with three wins. In seven pitching appearances, Elizabethton is 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA. He has thrown 13 innings and has 12 strikeouts with four walks. Elizabethton is 12-10 and in third place in the Appalachian League’s Western Division. The River Riders are two games behind the Greenville Flyboys for first place.

Joey Berini: Berini continues to play regularly for the Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League. On June 25, Berini started at 2nd base for the Copperheads as they defeated the Forest City Owls 4-3 at McCrary Park in Asheboro. Berini went 0-for-4, but had two assists at second base. On June 26, the Florence RedWolves defeated Asheboro 4-2 at Cormell Field in Florence, SC. Berini started at shortstop but finished 0-for-4. On June 27, the High Point-Thomasville HiTome edged Asheboro 10-9 in ten innings. Berini, who started at second base, finished 1-for-5.

The Coastal Plain League crowns it champions over two halves of the season, similar to how the lower levels of minor leagues used to crown champions. Asheboro finished the first half in third place in the Western Division with an 11-11 record, eight games behind the division champions, the Savannah Bananas. Asheboro has opened the second half 2-0 with wins over the Martinsville Mustangs and High Point-Thomasville.

Phillip Berger: The Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League, now a summer, wooden-bat collegiate league, faced the Burlington Sock Puppets on Tuesday night at Burlington Athletic Stadium. It was a near-homecoming for former Cedar Ridge pitcher Phil Berger, who now pitches for Elizabethton, as well as with William Peace University in Raleigh. The Rivers Riders defeated the Sock Puppets 4-3 on Tuesday. The two teams will play again tonight. Elizabethton is 7-9 and Berger currently is 3-0. Last Tuesday, Berger picked up his team-leading third win of the year when the River Riders cruised past the Kingsport Axmen 6-1 at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, TN. Berger relieved starter Drew Gillespie and threw two innings. He gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. On Saturday, the Bristol State Liners defeated the River Riders 9-4. Once again, Berger relieved the starter, Andy Quintana, in the bottom of the second inning. In two-and-one-thirds-innings, Berger gave up two hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout. In five appearances this season, Berger has a 3.00 ERA in nine innings pitched. He has eight strikeouts and three walks. After leaving Burlington on Wednesday, the River Riders will continue its six-game road trip against the Pulaski River Turtles on Thursday.

Bryse Wilson: On Sunday, Wilson made his first start for the Atlanta Braves since May 22. He struggled in a 9-1 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals at Truist Park in Atlanta. In four inning, Wilson surrendered five runs on eight hits. He had four strikeouts. This season in Atlanta, Wilson is 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA. After the game, Wilson was reassigned back to Gwinnett of Triple-A East. On June 15, Wilson earned the win for Gwinnett in a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Sounds at Coolray Field in Gwinnett, GA. Wilson struck out nine batters in six innings. He gave up just one runs on five hits with one walk. Wilson threw 86 pitchers, with 57 of them strikes. This season with the Stripers, Wilson is 4-1 with a 4.36 ERA with 29 strikeouts and ten walks. Wilson could return to action this weekend for Gwinnett’s road trip to Norfolk.

Joey Berini: After East Carolina’s season ended in the Super Regionals of the NCAA Baseball Tournament against #4 Vanderbilt, Berini ventured into the Coastal Plain League, another summer collegiate, wooden-bat league. Berini will spend the summer with the Asheboro Copperheads, which call McCrary Park home. Ironically, McCrary Park is where Berini’s high school team, the Orange Panthers, has its season end against the Asheboro Blue Comets last week. Berini has come out of the gates strong for the Copperheads with hits in each of his first four games. He’s hitting .615. On Tuesday, Asheboro defeated the High Point-Thomasville HiToms 4-2. Berini had an RBI single in the second inning. Berini opened the season in a doubleheader against the Martinsville Mustangs at Hooker Field in Martinsville, VA. In the opening 4-2 loss, Berini went 2-for-3 with a stolen base. In the nightcap, the Copperheads won 6-5. Berini started at second base and went 3-for-4 with a double. On Monday, Asheboro defeated Martinsville 16-7. Berini went 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs. After hitting 9th against the Mustangs on Sunday in the closing game of the doubleheader, Berini led off on Monday. Asheboro will return home to face the Forest City Owls at McCrary Park Thursday night.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team announced its year-end awards after the completion of its first full season. Andrews, a freshman who played second base for Orange, was presented with the Silver Slugger Award. This season, Andrews finished with a .442 batting average, a .750 slugging percentage, 53 hits and 41 RBIs.

The power of Cedar Ridge’s baseball lineup have been named to the All-Big 8 Conference first-team.

Junior first baseman Aidan McAllister and senior shortstop Bryce Clark were honored as All-Conference selections on Friday. The official year-end honors were released after Northern Durham, the only Big 8 team to win a game in the 3A State Playoffs, was eliminated by D.H. Conley.

McAllister, in his first year as a varsity starter, looked like an All-Conference player from his very first at-bat of the season when he roped a double against Northwood in Pittsboro. He would eventually score off a single by Christian Macias as Cedar Ridge won 8-2. It was the Red Wolves first win in Pittsboro since 2014. A week later against Orange at Panther Field, McAllister led off the game with a solo homer, then followed with a two-run homer in the second inning to bring in B.J. Thornton.

McAllister led Cedar Ridge in multi-hit games. He went 2-for-3 against East Chapel Hill on June 4, 2-for-4 at Chapel Hill on May 25, 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs against Northern Durham on May 7 in Hillsborough. In the first game against Chapel Hill, McAllister scored three runs as the Red Wolves rallied from a 9-2 deficit to get within two runs at 9-7 before falling short.

On May 18, in a 7-6 loss to Bethany Community School in Summerfield, McAllister went 1-for-3 and scored after a single by Thornton in the top of the sixth inning to put the Red Wolves ahead 5-4.

This was McAllister’s first year as a varsity player. During Cedar Ridge’s three games in 2020, he was on the junior varsity team.

Clark was the Red Wolves’ starting shortstop after transferring from Orange last summer. Earlier this month, he signed with Lenoir Community College in Kinston to continue his baseball career.

Against Orange on June 8 (the game officially started on May 4 but was suspended after two innings because of rain), Clark became the first player to hit a home run off Orange’s top starter, Ryan Hench, this season. Clark reached base in every plate appearance against the Panthers and scored three runs. In the fifth inning, he came in off a balk to put the Red Wolves ahead 6-2.

In the first game against Orange on May 4, Clark went 3-for-3 with two doubles and 2 RBIs. That included a two-out double in the sixth inning, which led to Garrett Ray driving him in with a single. In the fourth inning, Clark knocked in Braedyn Jacobson with an infield single.

Three nights later against Northern Durham, Clark had an RBI double to plate Jacobson to start a Red Wolves comeback after Northern jumped out to an 8-1 lead. Later in the inning, Ray scored Clark with a single to centerfield.

In Cedar Ridge’s 6-1 win over Northwood on May 21, Clark opened the game with an infield single and scored off a double by Ray as the Red Wolves bolted out to a 3-0 lead. In the third inning against the Chargers, Clark had a two-run single to scored Thornton.

Clark had a sacrifice fly against Northwood on April 27, which scored Thornton and put the Red Wolves ahead 4-0 and well on track for a win in its season opener.

In 2020, Clark was the starting second baseman for Orange. In four games, Clark hit .625, going 5-for-9 with three runs scored before the season abruptly ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Against East Chapel Hill on May 11, Clark went 2-for-5 with an RBI double.

It was a season of near-misses for Cedar Ridge, who officially ended the year 6-9 (including four forfeit wins, two each against Southern Durham and Vance County). In six of its losses, Cedar Ridge either had the lead going into the seventh inning or trailed with the game-tying run on base when the final out was recorded.

Three very different paths to playing college baseball all culminated at the same place.

Just three days before Grady Ray, Bryce Clark and Matt Hughes graduated together inside Cedar Ridge Red Wolves Stadium, they gathered at the new J-Wing to sign their respective letters of intent. Ray will play at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. Clark will be at Lenoir Community College in Kinston. Hughes signed with Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, NC.

Both Clark and Hughes will be in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon. Presiding over the event was Red Wolves Athletic Director Andy Simmons along with Principal Dr. Carlos Ramirez.

By the end of the day, Ray, Clark and Hughes played their final game together at Cedar Ridge High against Kernersville Glenn. When Ray took off his uniform for the final time on Wednesday night, it ended four years of service to Cedar Ridge athletics that spanned three sports. He played football as a freshman, but basketball and baseball were his loves. He’s played basketball since he was four years old, and was a member of the varsity Red Wolves for four years. Ray joined the varsity for baseball when Mitchell Frazier was the head coach of Cedar Ridge in 2019, and helped current coach Bryson Massey establish his presence in the program despite an interminable interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Ray, the son of Jennifer and Warren Ray, played for the Sweponsville Sweepers of the Old North State League, a summer collegiate league. He’s also a member of Cedar Ridge’s International Baccalaureate Program and plans to major in, naturally, Exercise Science.

“I really like the school,” Ray said. “I’m really excited to play under Coach (Tom) Austin. Coach Massey was a huge part of this decision. I would talk to him after going to some camps. I looked at some different schools. He really helped me.”

Ray will now be conference rivals with the most successful pitcher in Cedar Ridge history. Phillip Berger, who won a school-record 21 games with the Red Wolves, just ended his sophomore season with William Peace University in Raleigh. Peace and Methodist are both in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Hughes, the son of Greg and Amy Hughes, started on the mound for Cedar Ridge in his final high school game. Like many members of the Class of 2021, Hughes had to deal with losing a substantial amount of time due to COVID-19. His junior season was limited to only two pitching performances. He opened 2021 with arm problems, which hurt Cedar Ridge’s pitching depth. However, he recovered to throw four scoreless innings against East Chapel Hill on June 4 in the most impressive stint of his Red Wolf career. Hughes struck out eight and scattered only one hit. Of 59 pitches he threw, 40 were strikes.

The Brunswick Dolphins, coached by Robbie Allen, was ranked #7 in the final NJCAA Division II Baseball Rankings on May 17. They finished the regular season 35-13.

“They have a winning tradition,” Hughes said. “I look forward to being a great pitcher for them.”

Hughes, who had other offers from various Division II and Division III schools, started playing baseball with the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association when he was 5. He went on to Stanford Middle School before joining the Red Wolves. He plans to major in Arts.

“I’m going to remember all the great memories and the great teammates I had,” Hughes said.

In his freshman year, Hughes was on a team that went 18-6 and finished second in the Big 8 Conference with a 11-3 record. Cedar Ridge defeated Southern Alamance in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs in Hillsborough.

Clark, the son of Brian and Stephanie Clark, is a study in perseverance. At the age of 14, his baseball career was at a crossroads when he underwent Tommy John Surgery. It cost him his entire freshman year and a large portion of his sophomore season.

“The doctors asked me if I wanted to quit baseball,” Clark said. “I decided to get the surgery and continue with it.”

Clark, a shortstop, says he didn’t get full strength back in his right arm until this season. He spent three years at Orange, including the 2020 season as the starting second baseman for all of four games before the pandemic. In those four games, he hit .429.

He transferred to Cedar Ridge last summer. Against Orange last month, he became the first player to hit a home run off Ryan Hench, the Panthers’ ace starting pitcher. It was the first run that Hench conceded in four starts.

With the Lenoir Lancers, Clark will play at historic Grainger Stadium, the longtime home of Kinston’s franchise in the Carolina League. He plans to major in Health Science.

Joey Berini: Berini saw action for #12 East Carolina during its Super Regional series against #4 Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field in Nashville, TN. The Commodores swept the best-of-three series to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, NE. On Saturday, Berini entered the game as a pinch-hitter replacing Bryson Morrell. He flew out to right field. Berini played the 9th inning at shortstop. Berini also played in Friday’s game, a 2-0 Vanderbilt win, pinch-hitting for Ryder Giles. He grounded out to second base. The Pirates struggled against Vanderbilt pitching all weekend. ECU managed just three hits on Friday and two on Saturday. East Carolina ends the year 44-17. In his freshman year, Berini played 15 games for the Pirates. He hit .250, including an RBI single against Charlotte in the Greenville Regional on June 5. On May 13 against Cincinnati, Berini had a putout and three assists at shortstop. Berini will play summer baseball with the Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League, who played its home games at McCrary Park. 

Bryse Wilson: Wilson won his third game of the season for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Wednesday. The Stripers defeated the Memphis Redbirds 5-4 in a seven-inning game at AutoZone Park in Memphis. In five innings, Wilson gave up four runs off seven hits. He had one strikeout with one walk. In 79 pitches, Wilson threw 51 strikes. Wilson is 3-1 this season for the Stripers. Gwinnett entered Sunday’s game against Memphis with an 18-17 record. 

Phillip Berger: The Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League started its second full week of the season. On Wednesday, the Kingsport Axmen defeated the River Riders 4-3. Berger faced five batters. He threw one-and-one-thirds shutout innings with two strikeouts and one walk. On Saturday, Elizabethton defeated the Bluefield Ridge Runners 6-2 at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark to end a four-game losing streak. Elizabethton is 3-5. The River Riders will travel to Burlington to face the Sock Puppets on June 22 and June 23 at Burlington Athletic Stadium. 

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle was named to the Region X All-Academic team for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. In her freshman season with the Patriots, Hurdle played 40 games. She hit .328 with ten home runs and 32 RBIs. She also made 17 pitching appearances with two starts. In the circle, Hurdle went 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 17 walks. The Patriots finished 2nd in the Region X Western Division with a 13-7 record, one game behind Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Patrick Henry was 22-20 overall. Hurdle was a member of two Big 8 Softball Championship teams at Orange and started at first base as a freshman on the 2017 3A State Championship team. 

After graduation ceremonies over the weekend, there will be some Cedar Ridge Red Wolves and Orange Panthers who will make their debut for Alumni Update this August. Congratulations to all of these graduates. Among them will be:

Emerson Talley-Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team

Kessel Summers-Bluefield College Wrestling 

Grady Ray-Methodist baseball

Will Walker-Pitt Community College

Bryce Clark-Lenoir Community College

Matt Hughes-Brunswick Community College 

Ivy Gardner-N.C. State women’s soccer team

When Cedar Ridge senior Grady Ray took off his baseball uniform for the final time on Wednesday night, it ended years of service with Red Wolf athletics. Ray played baseball, basketball and football with Cedar Ridge. On the day of his final baseball game, Ray signed with Division III Methodist University, where he will play baseball with the Monarchs in Fayetteville. As fate would have it, Ray will compete in the USA South Athletic Conference against a former classmate, Phillip Berger, who is the winningest pitcher in Cedar Ridge history. Berger plays for William Peace University in Raleigh. This season, Ray started in left field. Among his senior highlights was going 1-for-3 against Northwood on opening night. He scored two runs as the Red Wolves won in Pittsboro for the first time since 2014. Ray was also a regular rotation player in basketball for Coach Jaison Brooks the past two seasons. Ray ended his stint on the hardwood with four straight wins over crosstown rival Orange.