Rose Alumni Continue to grow together
The Rose baseball team has historically been one of the school’s strongest parts of the athletic program. Since Coach Ronald Vincent’s arrival in 1973, the team has been no stranger to sending athletes to play college baseball at all different levels.
Typically, after high school, players split off and go their separate ways to different colleges, but this was not the case for former Rose players Ty Williams and Caleb Grandy, as they both decided to take their talents to Lenoir Community College.
The Lancers have had a strong start to the season as they are currently fourth in the conference and hopeful of making the big conference tournament at the end of the year.
Playing any sport at the collegiate level is extremely fatiguing to the body. Every practice is another step towards a greater goal, and each day is an uphill battle. Despite the early mornings and long nights, the results are worth every second for Williams and Grandy.
“It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of practice, but I mean, it pays off when we win a lot,” Grandy said.
The team has been putting in work together since the beginning of last summer and their focus to take that next step of making the conference tournament has reaped several benefits so far during the season. Most players have even taken it upon themselves to make an effort outside of practice to ensure their job gets done. Williams is extremely confident in his team and the way they continue to develop at a rapid pace.
“It’s been very positive, I’d say we look great in the position standings,” Williams said. “We’ve been hitting really well, pitching is right there with it, and I’d say we’re really going to have a great turnout this year.”
One of the biggest aspects of playing college sports is the overall transition from the high school level. Oftentimes, coaches are harder on players, practices become longer, and schedules are jam-packed. Every single player is of a high caliber, and the competition significantly narrows during this process, but Rose has prepared the two for what’s to come.
“Rose has always been a competitive baseball school, so it gets you used to being in close games,” Grandy said. “The Rose baseball culture is pretty electric.”
The relationship between Williams and Grandy has helped guide both of them throughout the year as they have picked up right where they left off from Rose. Their bond has only gotten stronger in terms of reliability and belief in one another.
“I can trust Caleb, so I feel like trust and chemistry is the main thing that’s already there,” Williams said. “I feel like we can definitely hold each other more accountable because we have more history together.”
On top of support from peers at the college, the Kinston area as a whole has backed up the team and has formed a really strong community to help push the team to achieve their absolute best. This has only led to more success and growth among the team as they know that they have people in their corner who truly care about them and want to see The Lancers succeed.
“[The culture] is really good here,” Grandy said. “Everyone’s really supportive of the baseball team, and we’re pretty big around campus.”
The overall team morale is high, and players continue to focus on how they can contribute so the team can reach their full potential as they progress to play at a high level. Williams and Grandy look to further their efforts and lead the team into the second half of the season as they approach the postseason.