Sting Baseball: My Site News
Sting finishes 3rd at
CABA/USSSA Virginia Fall State Championship Tourney/Showcase
OCT 14 & 15 in Petersburg,VA
Go to the tab at the very top of the homepage on the right side (Oct 14/15 showcase), call and make your hotel reservations early. Arrive on the 14th of October and depart on the 15th.
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Help with batting by Major League hitter Mike Epstein www.mikeepsteinhitting.com
How do I become a better hitter? Check out http://batspeed.com Some of the best advice out there on rotational hitting, the way the Pros hit with power. Check em out !
Four Sting Members chosen for USA Junior Olympics Team
Cameron Scott, Danny Crane. Chris Feagan, and Dillon Sheads have been chosen to be part of the "Most Valuable Player" out of Crofton MD. The Team will travel to Jupiter Florida in June to compete in the 2003 USA Junior Olympics. On the way back home the foursom will stop off at Myrtle Beach and participate in the MVP showcase at Coastal Carolina. Congratulations to all four players!
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Culpeper Boys in Jupiter, Florida - Marlins & Cardinals Spring Training Complex
Cameron Scott, Chris Feagan, Danny Crane, & Dillon Sheads in front of Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter Florida - USA Junior Olympics Summer 2003 .
Sting Players invited to Blue-Grey Events
The Blue-Grey Classic is a prestigous invitation only showcase which has over forty colleges represented as well as most Major League Baseball Teams.
Matt Neal Blue-Grey @ William & Mary 2002 Parker Neal Blue-Grey @ William & Mary 2004 Danny Crane Blue-Grey @ William & Mary 2003 & Wake Forest 2004 Steve Craun Blue-Grey @ Coastal Carolina 2003 Cameron Scott Blue-Grey @ Wake Forest 2003 & 2004 Mike Lang Blue-Grey @ Coastal Carolina 2004 Davis Newton Blue-Grey @ Coastal Carolina 2004 Matt Vinagro Blue-Grey @ Battle of the States II 2004 - William & Mary 2005 Patrick Hallett Blue-Grey @ William & Mary 2005 Jeremy Brown Blue-Grey @ Wake Forest 2007 Hunter Kenney Blue Grey @ Wake Forest 2007 Ross Karnes Blue Grey @Wake Forest 2007 Brandon Scott Blue Grey @ North Atlantic Classic 2008 Brandon Mack Blue Grey @ North Atlantic Classic 2008 Trevor Funk Blue Grey @ National Battle of States 2008 Josh Gardiner Blue Grey @ North Carolina Classic 2009 Bryant Hines Blue Grey @ North Carolina Classic 2009 Ryan Walker Blue Grey @ North Carolina Classic 2009 Brandon Scott Blue Grey @ North Carolina Classic 2009 Matt Ward @ Blue Grey North Carolina Classic 2009
Sunday, July 1
Sting players who went on to play college baseball
Bryan Coffey - Louisburg & Christopher Newport University (DRAFTED BY EXPOS IN '02)
Luther Snow - St. Marys
Nick Richards - UVA / Wise
Jamison Jarvis - Shepherd/ Eastern Mennonite
Andrew Pittman - Shippensburg/ Eastern Mennonite
Stephen George - University of Mary Washington
Darrell Lewis - University of Delaware
Clay Horn - Belmont Abbey / Longwood University/ EMU
Matt Neal - Presbyterian / Christopher Newport University
Justin Miller - Shenandoah
Danny Crane - Concord University/Christopher Newport University
Cameron Scott - Old Dominion University
Mike Lang - UVA / Wise
Chad Rhodes - Bridgewater
Craig Martin - Shepherd
Steve Craun - Randolph Macon
Dillon Sheads - Randolph Macon
Mike Lenox - Virginia Wesleyan College/Bridgewater
Corey Overholtzer - UNC-Greensboro
Parker Neal - Christopher Newport University
Jason Jenkins - Christopher Newport University
Matt Burch - Navy
Will Miller - Highpoint University
Ethan Russell - Eastern Mennonite University
Tucker Gernhard - Davenport University
Jeremy Brown - VMI
Hunter Kenney - Patrick Henry Comm. College
These nine former Sting Players are all headed off to College Baseball for the first time in the fall of 2009 -
Garrett Cole - Bridgewater
Allen Beall - Delaware Tech
Trevor Funk - Alderson Broaddus
Nolan Jenkins - Frederick
Brandon Mack - Chowan
Joey Powell - Rappahannock
Sillas Shaw - Delaware Tech
Lazaro Torres - Patrick Henry
Cody Whitlock - Patrick Henry
For the Fall of 2010, We've got nine more heading off to college to play ball !
Matt Lenox - Bridgewater
Brandon Scott - Mount Saint Marys
Derek Justice - Virginia
Ryan Walker - UVA - Wise
Eric Mehiel - UVA - Wise
Bryant Hines - Davis & Elkins
Jeb Early - Davis and Elkins
Cameron Ayers - Potomac State
Matt Ward - Charleston WV
Congratulations to all of these players for making it & taking it to the next level !
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Culpeper's Clay Horn Transfers To Eastern Mennonite University
Update, Clay Horn has transfered from Longwood University to Eastern Mennonite University, Clay joins former teammates Jameson, & Andrew.
Clay Horn, a Senior at Culpeper County High School and LH pitcher for the Blue Devils & "Sting", has signed to NCAA Div. II Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte, NC. He offically signed a National Letter of Intent during the November signing period. Clay, a 6'6" lefty just got back from the World Wood Bat Championship sponsored by Perfect Game in Jupiter, Florida on October 22-26, 2002. Clay made a great appearance and was seen by many scouts. Clay is the second "Sting" player to receive a baseball scholarship this fall, Matt Neal will be attending Presbyterian College located about an hour away from Clay at Belmont Abbey. Congratulations to Clay and his family!!! ( I can see we will be traveling to NC again in the spring of 2004)CLICK ON THE CAPTION UNDER CLAY'S PICTURE TO GO TO BELMONT ABBEY"S BASEBALL WEBPAGE.
reprinted from Virginia Preps
Clay Horn, LHP, Culpeper High, 2003 graduate
(Extracts from a Professional Scouting Report)
· Baseball America's second ranked Left Hand Pitcher in the state and the 211th ranked player in the nation for 2003 graduates.
· Excellent MLB body (6'6" 215 pounds).
· Major league arm, very loose with excellent strength.
· Has the makings of a Future Major League Frontline starter. Hard, sustained thrower who cruises at major league average speeds now and can touch 90 mph.
· Good control of the inside portion of the plate when facing left hand hitters.
· Movement on all pitches.
· Projects as a starting pitcher at one of the Top 15 Division I programs. A possible early middle round pick (15th to 25th) in the June 2003 MLB Amateur Draft
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Update: Matt has transfered to Christopher Newport University and will be playing ball there. Good Luck to Matt for continued success. Both Clay & Matt are playing in the Valley League this summer (2005).
Former "Sting" Pitcher/First Baseman and Strasburg High School standout Matt Neal has signed with Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. Matt has received a baseball scholarship to Presbyterian College. He signed a National Letter of Intent during the November signing period. Presbyterian College is a Division II College located about 1 hour south of Charlotte NC. and has been ranked in the D-II top 20 3 times in the last 5 years. His younger brother, Parker, played with the "Sting" this past Summer. We all wish Matt much success in his college baseball career. CLICK ON THE CAPTION UNDER MATT'S PICTURE TO GO TO PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE'S BASEBALL WEBPAGE.
Matt Neal, 1B/P, Strasburg High, 2003 graduate
(Extracts from a Professional Scouting Report)
· Good makeup.
· Mentally and physically tough. Good size at 6'4" 210.
· Good hitter and projects well with power potential.
· Solid defensively at first base. Good infield actions, quick reflexes, and he stretches well making good picks at first base.
· Must increase his velocity in order to establish a fast ball as a plus pitch. He has to throw consistently in the middle 80's to get the opportunity to pitch at the college level.
· Expect that one of the regional universities such as Virginia Tech, William and Mary, or ODU are looking very closely at Matt to fill their needs at first base.
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Mike Lang OF/MIF has committed to UVA-Wise. Mike, a Senior at Stafford HS, has played for the Sting, Stafford American Legion, and Stafford High School Varsity Baseball. UVA-Wise is located in Wise, VA and is a NAIA College. UVA-Wise has recently built a new baseball field. Congratulations and much success to Mike !
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COFFEY TRANSFERS TO CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY
Culpeper's RHP Bryan Coffey was drafted by the Montreal Expos (6/'02) and played for the Clark Griffith Fauquier "Gators", this summer (2004) Bryan is playing for the Culpeper "Red Devils" in the Apple Valley League. He accepted an offer from Louisburg College. Louisburg is a juco located about 30 miles from Raleigh North Carolina.
Louisburg Baseball is recognized as one of the top juco teams in the Nation. The Hurricanes have won 24 conference or regional championships and been to the NJCAA College World Series 10 times since 1971.
Bryan is another success story from the "Sting" in it's continuing tradition of sending players onto College Baseball and beyond. Good Luck Bryan.
Update: 2-01-05, Bryan has completed two years at Louisburg and has transfered to Christopher Newport University as a pitcher.
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Former Culpeper County High School standout Luther Snow graduated from St. Marys with a degree in economics. Luther played for the St Marys Seahawks under Coach Lew Jenkins. Luther is currently a police officer for the Town of Culpeper.
Nick Richards transfered from Shepherd WVA to UVA-Wise and graduated with a degree in Business Administration.
Congratulations to both of these former "Stingers" on the continuation of their baseball and professional careers.
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When I sat at the kitchen table on New Years Eve morning 2003 and read the local paper my day changed and probably other days will be changed by this story.
Back in 2000 when I coached the local 13-15 Babe Ruth team, The Indians, we held the draft for the kids moving up from the majors to Babe Ruth. I picked this kid after watching him work out, he didn't do all that well at try-outs, but he showed desire and he hustled.
Moving on, at the first practice for that season I asked him what he played? He said outfield, I said ok lets give it a shot. I noticed he had a strong arm and I asked him if he had ever pitched? He responded no, the coaches in the younger league had always put him in the outfield. I brought him to the mound at practice and showed him the mechanics and worked with him.
The next season started, I saw an oppurtunity for him to pitch and I told him he would start on the mound that day. He looked up at me with a grin on his face and said OK. Well he pitched and didn't do too bad, we won the game and after the game I gave him the game ball and told him to take it home and keep it somewhere safe since it was the first time he had ever pitched a game, he replied "thanks coach" with a big smile.
Moving on, we won the championship in 2001, After the win Dylan gave me a ball with all of the player's signatures on it. Later that summer I left the Babe Ruth program and started coaching with the Sting program. I kept up with him and and my other former players when ever Rappahannock would play Strasburg I would try to get by the game to see most of my Babe Ruth players play High School Ball. His mom called me a couple of times about him coming to the "Warehouse". Last spring was the last time I saw Dylan it was after a high school game, I asked him how his game was going and he said fine and he was now going to be a High School pitcher, I responded great, I'll get to one of your games next year.
Back to New Years Eve 2003, as I read my morning paper I glanced at the obituary page and saw the name Dylan Corbin, age 16, that boy I picked at Babe Ruth try-outs and had helped to learn to pitch had been killed in a motor vehicle crash, three miles from his home. Dylan's 18 year old brother was driving, they were on their way home from a party.
I went to his funeral and walking past a group of tables with some of his things I saw a baseball in a clear plastic box. I reached down and picked it up and saw he had written on the ball "First Babe Ruth Game I pitched, we won" it was the ball I had given him back in 2001, boy, that broke my heart.
His mom told me she was going to have Dylan call me to see if he could play on the Sting this year.
Guys please respect cars and know they can kill you, kill you in a hurry !
/S/ Jeff
WOOD BATS
Editorial: 12/30/01
Bob Howdeshell
High School Baseball Web
Let me state that my ultimate goal and hope is to see a return to the use of wooden bats in high school baseball. My belief is that for that to ever happen the college game must change first.
There are few events as pure and special as the NCAA Division I College World Series. The city of Omaha, Nebraska has become a a single word name every bit as recognizable as when a person says "Thermos".
When asking a Division I coach what the goals are for his team in the upcoming season, the simple one word answer, "Omaha" says it all.
This year it has been announced that the outfield fences at Rosenblatt Stadium will be moved back thrity (30) feet. Why is this necessary? Omaha is home to a minor league baseball team. Does the minor league affiliate need the longer fences?
The answer is NO. The reason for the deeper fences is the College World Series.
The past few years have seen 175 pound second baseman hitting homeruns into the outfield bleachers, it has seen 200 pound, power hitting outfielders blast balls over the massive Rosenblatt light towers.
Is this because the players are bigger and stronger than in years past? To a degree this is true. But then why is that not the case with the Omaha minor league team? Aren't the minor league professionals bigger and stronger than their predeccors? The answer is yes.
We all know what the real reason and answer is for the need to lengthen the fences in Omaha and probably in many of the college baseball stadiums around the country.
The answer is the metal bat. Each year the manufacturers improve their products. Yes, I know we now have "Bat Speed Exit Ratios" (BESR) that are meant to compensate and result in a ball leaving a metal bat at no greater a velocity than it would from a wooden bat. How is it that the "powers that be" in the NCAA are missing such an easy point, that most of us easily see?
Fewer players can hit a ball with a wood bat at the same velocity as those with a metal bat. We all know that it has to do with swing mechanics and bat speed, etc. This is proven each year by the number of great or very good college hitters than can not make the transition to hitting every at bat in professional baseball, with a wood bat.
Rumors and comments abound that the college coaches will not approve any change to wood bats because many would lose lucrative endorsement deals for both themselves and their teams.
I would hope that is not the real reason. However I am not naive enough to believe it could not be a possibility.
Only the upper level programs and coaches are getting "bat deals." Many college baseball programs do not buy any bats at all. The players are expected to furnish their own.
I have had several college baseball coaches tell me that it does not matter to them which bats are used
One coaches comment was, "If everyone uses sawed-off broom sticks, so will we!
With the top (most expensive) metal bats now priced at almost $300 dollars a college player could buy 7 or 8 wood bats a season for the same money. Then factor in that most of the top line metal bats will not make it through a complete spring season, (dent, crack or lose their "pop") the cost in metal bats may reach $600 - $800 per player buying bats. How many wood bats would that be? I think you get my point.
What about Major League Baseball? Would they be interested in helping defray the costs of changing to wood bats, at least for the first couple of years?
Imagine how much less of a gamble their scouting would become. How much easier it would be to project how a hitter will do at the professional level. How a pitcher will fare when facing wood bats versus today's "rocket launcher" metal bats. Seems like the money saved in player's drafted and never panning out, due to not being able to hit with wood could fund this program.
Baseball is a game of traditions. Loud cries erupt from people at the slightest proposed change to the time proven rules of the game. How did the college and high school games get to this point?
I have never met a baseball fan that does not love the sound of a ball being sharply hit with a wood bat. Why then are we willing to accept the "ping" of a metal bat at Rosenblatt Stadium each June?
It is time for the college coaches to look into their baseball hearts and make the change back to wooden bats. The high school game will follow that lead. Leave the metal bats to the game of softball, where they originated.
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