4/29/12- Former Panther Bradon Reitano was named First Team All-Conference for the Mount
Olive Trojans. Mount Olive recently won the Conference Carolinas championship. Reitano, a sophomore from Hillsborough,
N.C., became the second player in Trojan baseball history to hit for the cycle and the first to do so at Scarborough Field
February 25 against Belmont Abbey. Reitano is batting .342 with 15 doubles, five home runs and 46 runs batted in. His 50 runs
scored are tied for 20th in the nation. Mt. Olive earned a bid to the NCAA II Southeast Regional beginng May 17.
2/28/12- Orange 9 East Chapel Hill 5
The Orange fought back from a 5-0 deficit
to defeat the East Chapel Hill Wildcats in teh season opener last Tuesday. The Panthers banged out eleven hits led by
Keon Holt who went 2 for 3 with a double and 4 RBI. Andrew Toney was 2-2 with a triple and one RBI. Nick Debo
and Jon Evans were both 2 for 4. Brennan Kirby knocked in a key and Kirk McKee had a double.
Sam
Wimberly earned the victory pitching 4 scoreless innings and striking-out 3. Evans pitched the seventh inning striking-out
the side for the save.
The Panthers host the Graham Re Devils on Thursday, March 8 and the Jordan
Falcons on March 9. both games are scheduled to start at 5:00.
Panthers gearing up for strong season
By Vanessa C. Shortley
News of Orange editor
The Panthers’
bats are ready to start swinging as student athletes gear up for the beginning of spring sports season.
Coach Dean Dease said the season has started out strong, and he hoped that trend would continue.
“We’ve had good weather up until [Monday], so that’s been good,” he said. “We normally
get a lot of field time in that first week. We went and played 14 innings last Saturday at Southern Alamance. We got to see
a lot of guys swing the bat and pitch. Overall, I think we did a pretty good job, it being the first time seeing live pitching.
We played Southern Alamance and Person, those being 4A schools. I think we held our own; I was pleased.”
The team is a mix of experience and youth, with 10 starters returning from last year’s 11-14
team.
“We have six position players that are returning, and we have four pitchers
that are returning,” he said. “But we have six seniors and eight juniors and three sophomores. So in a sense,
we’ve still got a fairly young squad but with the majority of the players being juniors and sophomores. But we do have
five of those six seniors are pitchers, so that’s good for experience. Most of our position guys are juniors and sophomores,
but most of our pitchers are seniors. If you’re going to have to have experience, the mound is the place to want it.”
Dease said there are several players that will be key in the Panthers’ lineup. He said pitchers
Kirk McKee, Henry Ricca and Sam Wimberly, offensive players Jon Evans, Nick Debo, Andrew Toney and Keon Holt, and, on defense,
catcher Joe Vance and center fielder Brandon Wood will be crucial.
Dease’s
goals will be familiar for the returning players: go as far as possible in the playoffs.
“We
tend to have the same goal every year, and that’s for a spot in the playoffs and see how far we can advance,”
he said. “We want to be in the running and compete for that conference championship every year.”
The Panthers fall into a fairly small conference, with only six teams total. Each game counts
against, though Dease said facing off against Oxford Webb, Chapel Hill and Cardinal Gibbons will be especially hard.
Their non-conference schedule is just as difficult, which explains last year’s 11-14 record,
the coach said.
“Our non-conference schedule is pretty loaded with Jordan,
Panther Creek, Cedar Ridge, Graham,” he said. “We have a tough non-conference schedule, the toughest in the area,
probably.”
Reitano has big start for Mount Olive
From the News of Orange
MOUNT
OLIVE—Mount Olive College sophomore Bradon Reitano, a graduate of Orange High School, recorded a pair of multi-hit games
as the Trojans took two of three games at Wingate University last weekend. In Saturday night’s doubleheader nightcap,
Reitano was two-for-four with an RBI-double and two runs scored. He drove in two in Sunday’s finale, adding two hits
and two runs scored.
Through Mount
Olive’s first six games, Reitano is hitting seven-for-18 with nine runs scored and two stolen bases.
After earning
a No. 1 ranking in the first regular season poll, Mount Olive (5-1) is ranked No. 6 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball
Division II Top 30 Poll, as voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association. The Trojans have now spent 21
consecutive weeks in the top 10, including the 2011 and 2012 preseason polls.
Last week’s ranking marked the first
time in school history a Mount Olive team has been ranked No. 1 in the first regular season poll. The Trojans have spent at
least one week at No. 1 in a national poll in four of the last five years. After winning the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball
National Championship, Mount Olive was ranked No. 1 in the 2008 year-end poll and the 2009 preseason poll.
11/18/11- 2012 Varsity Baseball Schedule Released - check the schedule link
10/3/11- UNC assistant coach Scott Jackson will headline the 2011 Fall Hitting Camp at OHS
on November 12. Cost is $50.00 for a full day of instruction and lunch is included. Go to our camps page to download
an application. Be sure to register early before the camp is full.
Former Panther Marquis Riley was named second team All-Conference in the
MEAC for 2011. A second baseman for North Carolina A & T University, Riley made the All-conference team for the
second strait year. Riley hit .353 this season 12 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homeruns and 38 RBI. Riley struckout just
4 times in 240 plate appearances.
Summer camp dates set. Click OHS Baseball Camps on the menu bar.
1/30/11 - Anthony Kent, a senoir pitcher for the Panthers, recently signed his
letter of intent to attend Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. Patrick Henry competes in
Region 10 of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Congratulations Anthony.
11/1/10- Duke Baseball Coach Sean McNally to Speak at "First
Pitch" Dinner
Sean McNally, a 1994 graduate of Duke University, returns
for his sixth year as head baseball coach and will be the featured speaker at the fourth annual Orange Baseball "First
Pitch Dinner on February 12th at Orange High School. McNally has led the Duke program to great success during his tenure.
With a 116-107-1 record in his first four years, McNally is off to the best start by any coach in Duke history.
In 2009, McNally became the first coach to reach 100 wins by his fourth year and the first to compile two 30-win seasons during
that span. McNally has also led Duke to more ACC wins in each of his first four seasons, capped by a 15-15 ACC record in 2009.
During his playing career at Duke, McNally was a four-year starter and served as team captain for his final
two seasons. As a senior in 1994, he received All-ACC honors and set single-season school records for batting average (.408)
and slugging percentage (.775) while finishing the season with 89 hits, 19 doubles, eight triples, 17 home runs and 71 RBI.
He ranks among the top five in school history with 17 triples and 181 RBI in his career and among the top 10 in runs scored,
batting average, hits and doubles.
Following four seasons in the Blue and White, McNally was selected
in the 16th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft by the Kansas City Royals and played nine seasons of professional
baseball. He reached as high as the Triple-A level with Calgary (Florida Marlins) in 2002, and Buffalo (Cleveland Indians)
and Tucson (Arizona Diamondbacks) in 2001. In 1999, McNally was named to the Texas League (AA) All-Star Team after posting
a .282 batting average along with 36 home runs and 109 RBI.
Prior to taking the reigns of the Blue Devil
baseball team, McNally spent three years coaching in the professional ranks for Cleveland Indians affiliates Burlington (A)
and Akron (AA). He served as the hitting coach for both squads before being promoted to manager of the Burlington Indians
in 2005.
2011 Orange Baseball Schedule Released
Panthers will play 14 of the 24 game schedule at home this season. Orange will once again host
the 2011 Hilltop Invitational Tournament. The Panthers will open the season at home on March 1 against East Chapel
Hill. The first Carolina 3A conference game will be against Northern Vance on March 9.
This year's nonconference schedule includes home and away series with traditional powers East
Chapel Hill, Graham, Jordan, and Cedar Ridge. Orange will renew an old rivalry when they travel to Burlington Williams
for an endowment game. The Panthers will host single games with Cary's Panther Creek High School and Moeller High School from
Cinicnnati, Ohio. Moeller finished the 2010 season ranked 12th in the nation. Past Moeller players include
Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, Buddy Bell, Adam Hyzdu, and Andrew Brackman.
The Hilltop will have 16 teams playing at four seperate sites. Other sites are Cedar Ridge,East
Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill. Orange will open tournament play on March 31 at 7:00.
The Panthers will look to improve on their 4-6 Carolina 3A Conference record last season, where four of the six conference teams qualified for the playoffs.
Defending champion Chapel Hill made it to the Eastern Regional Finals and return most of their starters from 2010. Oxford
Webb, Cardinal Gibbons, and Orange all advanced to the second round of the state playoffs a year ago. Cardinal Gibbons
return conference player of the year and University of South Carolina commit Max Schrock.
"This is one of our most challenging schedules in recent memory. Every time we take the
field, we better be ready to play. It's excitng to play teams of this quality. There is not an easy or sure win
on this schedule." - Coach Dease
McCay accepts position as Head Baseball Coach at Brevard College
May
21, 2010
Former Tar Heel standout and Assistant Coach takes over reins of Tornados Baseball
program
Brevard, N.C. - Brevard College
Athletic Director Kim Pate is pleased to announce Matt McCay, a former University of North Carolina letter-winner and a six-year standout in professional baseball, has accepted the position
of Head Coach of the Brevard College Tornados Baseball Program.
"I am delighted to announce the hiring
of Matt McCay as our next head baseball coach. Coach McCay brings an incredible depth of experience having played and coached at all levels.
Coming out of the top level collegiate baseball program of UNC Chapel Hill, he understands what it takes to establish a successful
winning program," said Athletic Director Pate.
An assistant coach for the Tarheels for three years,
McCay assisted in all areas of the UNC program, but worked specifically with the hitters and catchers.
"I
am very excited to be the Head Coach at Brevard College. This is such a great opportunity to be a part of a truly great baseball
tradition," Coach McCay had to say. "Brevard College is in one of the most beautiful places in North Carolina and
my family and I are extremely happy to be joining the Brevard family. My wife and I love the community and the college, and
we are very thankful that Brevard College has given me this opportunity to lead the Tornado Baseball Program. I know, that
through hard work, this program will be a place that alumni, the town of Brevard, and Brevard College will be very proud of."
In addition to his on-field work, McCay worked closely with the Tar Heels' strength and conditioning program
and with the team's nutritionist regarding all team meals. He also assisted with on-campus recruiting and other administrative
duties.
McCay was an instrumental part of Carolina's run to the 2008 and 2009 College World Series and
he has worked with a pair of catchers that were selected in the first seven rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft - Tim
Federowicz and Mark Fleury - over the past two seasons.
"Matt has been an extremely valuable member
of our coaching staff these past three seasons. I cannot thank him enough for his hard work and dedication to our program.
I have known Matt since high school and as a player for me both at N.C. Wesleyan and North Carolina," said UNC Head Baseball
Coach Mike Fox. "No one cares more about UNC, the game and its people than Matt. He was beloved by all our players here
not only for his knowledge of the game but his willingness to help them in any way and his great sense of humor. Matt is most
deserving of this opportunity at Brevard and I am extremely confident he will do well. I personally will miss him and Julie
[his wife] dearly."
In the summer of 2008, McCay skippered the Thomasville Hi-Toms to the Coastal
Plain League Petitt Cup Tournament title.
Prior to joining the UNC staff, McCay worked as an assistant
coach at his alma mater, Hillsborough's Orange High School, for seven seasons and spent the summer
of 2007 working as a coach and instructor at the Impact Baseball showcase camps and with Dirtbag Baseball, an elite North
Carolina-based travel team. McCay graduated from Carolina in December 2006 with a degree in exercise and sport science after
playing six years of independent league professional baseball.
McCay played the 2000-03 seasons with the
Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints of the Frontier League. He was a three-time all-star selection, earned a spot on the organization's
all-time team and was named the team's MVP in 2003. He ranks as the Paints' record holder in both career and single-season
hits (2002). Before returning to Chapel Hill to finish his degree, McCay played the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Northern
League's Joliet (Illinois) Jackhammers.
McCay played for Fox for two seasons at North Carolina Wesleyan
(1997-98) before joining him in Chapel Hill for the 1999 and 2000 campaigns. In two seasons at Carolina, McCay hit .297 with
seven home runs and 78 RBI in 119 games as an outfielder.
While at Wesleyan, he was a second-team NCAA
Division III All-America and also earned all-region and all-conference honors in 1998 when he hit .441 with 10 homers and
60 RBI. McCay also led the team in hitting as a freshman with a .391 average.
Coach McCay’s final
comment was, "I want to lead the Brevard College Baseball program in a way that is one of the best experiences for the
student athlete. I want our players to work hard to earn a degree, work hard on the athletic field, and leave the school and
program as a better person because they chose to come to Brevard College."
The Brevard College Tornados
baseball program went 9-35, 2-22 in the South Atlantic Conference in their second full season as members of the NCAA Division
II.
10/19/09- 2010 Orange Baseball Schedule Released
The Panthers will play 24 games against some of the best competition in
the area. At least twelve of the Panthers' opponents were teams that qualified for the state playoffs last year.
The nonconference slate will be a challenge as the Panthers take on former conference rivals Jordan, East Chapel Hill,
Person (PAC-6) and Graham, Cedar Ridge (Mid-State). Orange will co-host the 2010 Hilltop Invitational along
with East Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge on April 1,2 and 3. The Panthers will also play in the Impact
Invitational for the second consecutive year at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.
The Panthers move up in classification this year to the 3A ranks and should
face difficult challenges from Webb, Cardinal Gibbons, Chapel Hill and Northern and Southern Vance. Orange
will open play in the new Carolina 3A Conference at J. F. Webb on March 19.
10/5/09- Horton Named One of the Top 50 Propects in the Texas League
Former Orange Panther All-American Josh Horton was recently ranked as the 41st best prospect in the Double A Texas
League. Horton hit .263 with 21 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homeruns and 62 RBI for the Texas League champions Midland Rockhounds.
7/2/09- Daniel Hargrave Named New Assistant Coach at UNC-Wilmington
Former All-State Orange player Daniel Hargrave was recently named as
an assistant baseball coach for the Seahwks at UNCW. Hargrave was an All-Conference player for UNCW and graduated in
2008. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and spending a year in the minors, Hargrave developed a
desire to coach. His father Doug Hargrave has coached baseball in Orange County for many years. The younger
Hargrave now joins Matt McCay, asssistant coach for the UNC Tarheels, as former Panthers now coaching in the college
ranks.
6/18/09- North Carolina and South Carolina split the All-Star games in Myrtle Beach.
Orange High head baseball coach Dean Dease was selected to coach the North Carolina team last winter. "It
was an honor to go down there with some of the best players in the state and complete with squad from South Carolina.
The South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association did a wonderful job hosting these games. All of our players
were Division I college signees and a few were drafted in the recent Major League Draft. It was a great experience."
5/4/09- The Orange and Cedar Ridge baseball teams joined together on Thursday
May 7 to raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Both teams wore pink during the game.
OHS players collected donations during school. There was a special collection at the game. Over
$500.00 was raised for breast cancer awareness. Thanks to all who contributed their time and money.
