Skyland – T.C. Roberson Rams got to their spring break in a hurry, scoring nine runs in the first inning and beating Erwin 16-1 on April 5 in one of several TCR games shortened two innings by the ten-run slaughter rule.
Roberson (9-5) is unbeaten at 5-0 in Mountain Athletic games, in a three-horse race. McDowell is 4-0. Asheville (9-5; 3-1 MAC) is also right up there.
Asheville and Roberson end their regular season in a two-game series, just as they did in 2022 when they split. They will play on May 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Skyland, then in Asheville on Friday, May 5 starting at 5 p.m.
Last season, Roberson went 22-8 and won four playoff games. They averaged a score of 11-3 in those first three playoff victories. AHS was 21-4, won the MAC at 10-1, but was upset in a 4A playoff opener.
The Rams eye a state title. “We definitely are looking to win it all,” said East Carolina-bound senior shortstop and reliever Nick Parham. Ram players’ chants include the famed soccer cheer of “Olé, Olé, Olé, Ohhhlé, Ohhhlé!” that is derived from Spanish bullfighting. The Rams are taming rival beasts’ bats and arms.
Persistence, Pressure
Eric Filipek, TCR’s veteran head coach, prepared players after the Erwin win for tougher challenges. He urged hitters to “put the pressure on” elite pitchers they will face in the MAC and playoffs. “Make them work,” by patiently taking off-target pitches as part of an “incredible approach.”
He noted that a key to Ram success is that hitters “pick each other up” – if one struggles, the next batter comes through to drive in a run.
The coach praised how Zeb Swangim did that. Swangim twice doubled in two runs against Erwin (6-6; 1-4). In the nine-run first inning, he belted a deep blast to right-center field. He thrust arms up in celebration, upon reaching second base.
Swangim said after the win that it felt great to “get on the board in the first inning,” and to bat around. Those nine runs are the most that TCR scored in the first inning of a game in this season. The 16 total TCR runs are the most that the Rams scored, other than in their 20-1, five-inning win at North Buncombe on March 15.
Parhams Partake in Stardom
The Parham brothers shined as usual. They are the middle infielder combo. Nick is the Ram pitching “closer” in tight games. He bats about .450. The lefty smashed a three-run home run to right field on April 5, for a 9-0 lead. A week later, the ball was reportedly still orbiting Earth. As long as Chinese satellites do not shoot it down, the homer ball threatens to burst through the weakened ozone layer.
Nick’s brother Jake Parham was the starting and winning pitcher. He then shifted to second base, and made two superb defensive plays. He raced well into center field for a diving catch. Earlier, he slid to snare a sharp grounder. He made a backhanded flip of the ball to his brother, who covered second base, for the force out. “Did he just throw that backhanded?!,” a startled teammate wondered.
The Parhams and Swangim are among Rams who are hitting the ball even harder and further in 2023 than before, after further working out with weights and boosting strength.
Third baseman Swangim, Jake Parham, tall first baseman Caden Davidson, and lanky pitcher-DH Micah Simpson all starred as freshmen in 2022. They keep the Ram dynasty rolling. Davidson bats third. Lorenzo Lyles, another sophomore, plays left field.
Veteran Talent, Leadership
Roberson graduated six seniors in 2022, and has merely six seniors among 18 current varsity players. However, the six are a veteran nucleus crucial to Ram success. J.T. Gordon leads off ahead of fellow senior Nick Parham, and plays center field. Catcher Nick Moses runs the bases like a charging bull.
Tyler Kytta is a four-year standout, mostly at third base. He pitched on the eve of surgery on his left hand, his mitt hand, that is sidelining him. Kytta said that doctors estimate he can field and possibly bat as early as two more weeks, and pitch in about a month or so.
Jake Parham “set the tone” on the mound, Filipek said. Parham, senior Cole Penland, junior Carson Heath, and then Kytta took turns pitching. They held Erwin to two hits in five at-bats.
Erwin’s sole run was on senior Coseh Henry’s third homer of 2022. He bats .344. Husky catcher Nick Schultz entered the game batting .485 with four homers. Hunter Cromer now leads the Warriors at .459. Dylan Jones coaches Erwin.
Roberson’s top two starters again are junior Reno Jeter, the star football runner, and lefty Simpson. As Nick Parham says, “we have our pitchers back, and most of our hitters” from the 2022 team.
Challenging Slate
Roberson sent a message on March 9 that it is the Asheville area’s premier team by winning 4-1 at West Henderson, and beating Falcon ace Truitt Manuel. The teams meet again at TCR on Saturday, April 29 at 6 p.m.
The Rams started 8-0, averaged nine runs of offense, and were nationally ranked. They closed March by losing all four games in the USA Baseball 2023 National High School Invitational in Cary. They managed merely 1.75 runs. Roberson is the sole team from this state among the 16 powerhouses from eight states that competed. Huntington Beach (Calif.) Oilers won.
Ram players said that it felt good to get hitting back on track against Erwin, in grand style. The next evening, after beating Erwin 16-1, TCR fell 3-0 at private school power Wesleyan Christian Academy (9-2) in High Point. Simpson started on the mound.
Roberson hosts Charlotte Christian on Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m., is at Erwin April 17, plays McDowell twice, hosts Reynolds April 25, then is at ACR two days later.
AHS, ACR
Asheville swept West 3-1 and 4-3. Last week, the Cougars split four games in the Mingo Bay Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. They beat James Madison (Va.) 5-4 and Lancaster, S.C. Buford 5-1. Bill Hillier, Jr. coaches the Cougars. They are led by seniors Davis Hayes, Kyle Moshier, and Connor Hillier; sophomores Jay Secretarski and Hayes Hillier, and freshman Trent Maybin.
The Cougars host Erwin on Friday, April 14 and Reynolds on April 18 — also at 5 p.m. — then play at ACR on April 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Reynolds usually rivals TCR for the MAC crown, was winless in the MAC last year, but is improved in 2023. The Rockets are 6-6, and 2-2 in league play. Michael Staicar coaches them. Leading Rocket batters are Cade Gardner (.444), Luke Nesbitt (.393), Bryson Moseman (.391), Ayden Hines (.389), and Jaxton Bartley (.312).
Russell Barnett, their Shrine Bowl defensive lineman, pitches and plays first base. The senior said that he is pleased that the team is better, and is enjoying spring sports to finish his Rocket athletic career.
ACR plays at North Buncombe (5-10; 1-5) on Friday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. Black Hawk leading hitters are shortstop Reagan Smith (.409) and Kaleb D’Alessandro (.324). Enka (3-9) is also 1-5 in MAC games. Jet standouts include Camden Crook, Sam Waddell, and Owen Michelson.
Owen (3-8; 3-3 WHC) is coached by Michael Huntsinger, and led by D.J. Graves at .478.