Concord High to rename baseball field

Concord High School will have a dedication ceremony to officially rename its baseball field to honor former coach Bill Ford Friday at 6:30 p.m. before the Spiders' regular-season finale against rival A.L. Brown.

The school announced its plans to rename the field earlier this year. On Feb. 5, Ford, who from 1960-1989 was a fixture at Concord High serving as its baseball coach, athletic director and driver's education teacher, was recognized for his career between the Spiders' varsity basketball games.

Eagle signs with St. Andrews

First Assembly Christian senior Nate Cantadore signed to play basketball with St. Andrews University, a school in Laurinburg that competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Cantadore, a co-captain for the NCISAA 2A state runner-up Eagles, was an All-Metrolina Athletic Conference selection after averaging 15.2 points per game. The shooting guard led the team with a 92 percent free-throw average as well as with 3.2 three-pointers per game.

(From left) First Assembly coach Frankie Cantadore, Nate Cantadore, Frank Cantadore, his father, and Andrew Brown, St. Andrews University head coach

Cabarrus, Rowan baseball teams to face at tournament

The third-annual F&M Bank High School Baseball Classic returns to CMC-NorthEast Stadium, home of the Kannapolis Intimidators, with an expanded 10-school field from Cabarrus and Rowan counties facing off April 4-6 for the Classic Cup and bragging rights.

East Rowan, West Rowan, South Rowan, Carson and Salisbury will represent Rowan County, while Northwest Cabarrus, A.L. Brown, Mount Pleasant, Jay M. Robinson and Concord will participate from Cabarrus County.

CMC-NorthEast Stadium will host five games a day during the tournament.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for children 4 and younger.  A three-day tournament pass is $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

F&M Bank High School Baseball Classic schedule

Thursday, April 4th

9:00 a.m. - Mt. Pleasant vs. Carson

11:30 p.m. - Concord vs. West Rowan

2:00 p.m. - J.M. Robinson vs. East Rowan

4:30 p.m. - NW Cabarrus vs. S. Rowan

7:00 p.m. - A.L. Brown vs. Salisbury

Friday, April 5th

9:00 a.m. - Northwest Cabarrus vs. Carson

11:30 a.m. - JM Robinson vs. Salisbury

2:00 p.m. - A.L. Brown vs. West Rowan

4:30 p.m. - Mt. Pleasant vs. East Rowan

7:00 p.m. - Concord vs. South Rowan

Saturday, April 6th

9:00 a.m. - Concord vs. Salisbury

11:30 a.m. - J.M. Robinson vs. Carson

2:00 p.m. - A.L. Brown vs. South Rowan

4:30 p.m. - Mt. Pleasant vs. West Rowan

7:00 p.m. - Northwest Cabarrus vs. East Rowan

Seager named state 3A player of the year

Northwest Cabarrus' Corey Seager was named the 3A Player of the Year by the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association. Seager, the No. 18 overall pick in MLB draft by the L.A. Dodgers, was also the N.C. Gatorade player of the year. Seager hit .519 with 10 home run and 37 RBIs.


Jay M. Robinson pitcher Brody Koerner, who's will play at Clemson next year, was also named to the 3A all-state team.


Here is a complete list of all-state selections (with local players highlighted):

3A

1.   Harry Ferrguson            Currituck            POY      Northeastern Coastal

2.   Davis Kilpatrick            DH Conley            POY      Coastal

3.   Jacob Page                  Hunt                  POY      Big East

4.   Chastin Radford             North Lenoir      POY      Eastern Carolina

5.   Max Shrock                  Card Gibbons      POY      Carolina

6.   Nick Collins                  Union Pines      POY      Cape Fear

7.   Scott Ellington            Williams            POY      Mid State

8.   Jailyn Davis                  NE Guilford      POY      Mid Piedmont

9.   Sean Grant                  West Iredell      POY      North Piedmont

10. Corey Seager            NW Cabarrus      POY      South Piedmont

11. Alex Bostic            Weddington      POY      Southern Carolina

12. Tyler Chadwick          Marvin Ridge      POY     Southern Carolina

13. Eddie Hull                  Charlotte Cath      POY      Mega 7

14. Nick Triplett                  Crest                  POY      Big South

15. Davis Hanvey            Hickory            POY      Northwestern

16. Dustin Greene            Burns            POY      South Mountain Ath

17. Colby Fox                  No Buncombe      POY      Mountain Ath

18. Rob Howard                  Tuscola            POY      WNC

19. Markel Jones            West Brunswick

20. Brody Koener            JM Robinson

21. Reily Hovis                  Forest View

22. Nick Monroe            Eastern Alamance    

23. Nick Debo                  Orange

24. DC Arendas                  Northern Guilford

25. Jeremy Schellhorn      Weddington

26. Zach Mozingo            Eastern Wayne

27. Kevin Wise                  Southern Wayne

3A Player of the Year: Corey Seager - Northwest Cabarrus

Area athletes have good 3A track and field meet

Several Cabarrus County athletes had good showings at the 3A track and field meet last weekend.

Cox Mill's Tori Elliott finished second in the girls' 100-meter dash with a 12:06. The senior also placed fifth in the 200 meter with a time of 25.09 and third in the long jump with a jump of 16-9.75.

Jay M. Robinson's Madison Fulfrd was fourth in the girls' 300-meter hurdles. His teammate McCann Sheridan finished fourth in the boys' 800 meter runs.

Samara Tisdale was third in the girls' shot put with a 36-4.5 for A.L. Brown. She also placed 12th in the discus.

Hickory Ridge's Elizabeth Olesen was state runner-up in the girls' high jump, while teammate Nora Shafer placed fourth.

The Ragin' Bulls' Mikayla Kinloch was state runner-up in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

On the boys' side, Northwest Cabarrus' Will England was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and runner up in the 300-meter hurdles.

A.L. Brown's Damien Washington was third with a 21.82 in the 200-meter dash. He was also fifth in the long jump with a 21-10.

Aaron Sandifer was third in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles for Hickory Ridge. Teammate Jordan Warren was fourth the boys' triple jump.

Northwest's Josh Marco was fifth in the boys' pole vault. He had a 13-feet jump in the event.

Cox Mill's Ryan Hill was forth in the boys' 100 meters, while Elijah Goins was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles.

These are the meet's final standings for local squads:

3A girls

8. Hickory Ridge
17. Cox Mill
22. Jay M. Robinson
35. A.L. Brown

3A boys

12. Northwest Cabarrus
15. Hickory Ridge
16. Cox Mill
17. A.L. Brown
24. Jay M. Robinson
53. Concord
53. Mount Pleasant

For full results, go here.

Playoff update (May 22)

The spring high school season in Cabarrus County is officially done.

Hickory Ridge fell to South Rowan 8-2 to end its season in the third round of the 3A baseball playoffs, while First Assembly lost in the independent schools' 2A state semifinals 8-3 to Caldwell Academy.

In softball, both Jay M. Robinson and Central Cabarrus lost in the third round. The Bulldogs dropped a 5-1 game to North Iredell while the Vikings lost 7-1 to Weddington to wrap up their years.

Cabarrus is down to one team in baseball playoffs

With South Piedmont Conference champion Northwest Cabarrus losing 1-0 to Carson Thursday night, Hickory Ridge is the lone conference team to make the third round of the 3A state playoffs.

The Ragin' Bulls defeated conference foe Mount Pleasant 14-4 Tuesday to reach the district round.

Hickory Ridge will host South Rowan Friday night in Harrisburg.

Eagles playing in independent school semifinals

First Assembly's baseball team faces Caldwell Academy in the 2A independent school semifinals Friday afternoon at Rocky Mount Academy.

The Eagles, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, goes into the game with a 13-7 game. Caldwell Academy is the No. 1-seeded team in the bracket with a 20-4 mark.

The winner will face either Harrells Christian or Westchester Country in a best-of-three series starting at 7 p.m and continuing Saturday.

Robinson, Central still playing softball

The top two SPC softball teams, Central Cabarrus and Jay M. Robinson, both won their second-round games this week.

Robinson defeated Marvin Ridge 4-3, while Central Cabarrus won 4-3 against Carson to reach the 3A district round.

The Vikings will host Weddington, while the Bulldogs travel to North Iredell Friday night.

SPC girls' soccer teams all eliminated

Cox Mill was the only South Piedmont Conference team to reach the third round of the playoffs. The Chargers lost that game 4-0 to Charlotte Catholic.

A.L. Brown and Jay M. Robinson won their first-round game, but were ousted in the following round. Hickory Ridge and Mount Pleasant didn't get out of the opening round.

For full brackets: check out the baseball, softball and girls' soccer pages on the NCHSAA website.

Cabarrus playoff update (May 14)

This past weekend was a busy one in playoff action. Here is a recap of results (Cabarrus County teams in bold).

Baseball

3A

Hickory Ridge def. East Rowan 8-7

Mount Pleasant def. Harding 11-0

Asheboro def. Jay M. Robinson 2-0

Northwest Cabarrus def. North Guilford 6-3

Charlotte Catholic def. Cox Mill 12-5

Tuesday's second round games:

Mount Pleasant at Hickory Ridge

Jesse Carson at Northwest Cabarrus

Click here for full baseball brackets.

Softball

3A

North Iredell def. Northwest Cabarrus 13-0

Hickory Ridge def. Berry Academy 22-0

Jay M. Robinson def. South Guilford 6-0

Central Cabarrus def. Burlington Williams 7-2

Mount Pleasant def. Charlotte Catholic 5-0

Tuesday’s second-round games:

Hickory Ridge at North Iredell

Jay M. Robinson at Marvin Ridge

Jesse Carson at Central Cabarrus

Mount Pleasant at Weddington

Click here for full baseball brackets.

Girls' soccer

3A

West Rowan def. A.L. Brown 2-0

Marvin Ridge def. Jay M. Robinson 5-0

Cox Mill def. Parkwood 6-1

Tuesday’s third-round games:

Cox Mill at Charlotte Catholic

Click here for full girls' soccer brackets.

Boys' tennis

All of Cabarrus County representatives to the boys' tennis 3A state championship dropped early matches.

Victor Nechar (Cox Mill) lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 to Lenoir Hibriten’s Paul Hogan in the first round of singles play.  B.J. Beecher and Mason Croley (Concord) also lost in the first round of doubles play, dropping their match 6-3, 6-2 to Tito Poplawski-David Howerton (Asheville).

Baseball playoff match-ups announced for five Cabarrus squads

Five South Piedmont Conference teams made it into the 3A baseball playoffs when the N.C. High School Athletic Association released its brackets Wednesday.

Here are the Cabarrus County teams' first-round match-ups (with local teams bolded):

No. 5 North Guilford (12-10) at No. 1 Northwest Cabarrus (22-4)
No. 4 Asheboro (10-12) at No. 2 Jay M. Robinson (16-11)
No. 3 Mount Pleasant (14-10) at No. 2 Harding (3-12)
No. 4 Hickory Ridge (14-12) at No. 1 East Rowan (10-12)
No. 5 Cox Mill (13-13) at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (15-8)

For complete 3A and other classification brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

Check back later this morning for softball playoff brackets.

Five Cabarrus teams reach girls' soccer playoffs

South Piedmont Conference girls' soccer champion Cox Mill and four other Cabarrus County teams reached the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A playoffs.

The Chargers (13-6-1) will host Rockingham in the first round, which is slated for Wednesday.

No. 2 seed Jay M. Robinson will also have a first-round home game, hosting Southwest Randolph.

No. 3 A.L. Brown will travel to Charlotte to play Berry Academy, while No. 4 Hickory Ridge and No. 5 Mount Pleasant will play at West Rowan and Charlotte Catholic, respectively.

For full girls' soccer playoff brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

Trojans win SPC tourney title

Northwest Cabarrus added a SPC tournmanent title to its regular season conference crown Thursday, defeating Jay M. Robinson 12-2 in five inning. Northwest was impressive in the conference tournament, defeating its opponents 30-5 in its three games.

The Trojans will be the top seed out of the SPC when the 3A playoffs get under way Friday. Brackets are expected to be released Tuesday.

Central wins softball tournament

With an 8-1 win against Jay M. Robinson, Central Cabarrus capped its season undefeated against SPC opponents and claimed the SPC softball tournament title.

The Vikings finished their season 21-2 and will be the No. 1 seed out of their conference in the playoffs. The 3A softball brackets should also be released Tuesday. First-round games are scheduled for Friday.

Koerner, Seager named all-state

The N.C. Baseball Coaches Association named two local players, Jay M. Robinson's Brody Koerner and Northwest Cabarrus' Corey Seager, to its 3A all-state team.

Koerner was 6-3 on the mound for the Bulldogs while also recording 108 strikeouts and a 1.51 ERA. The rising senior was named the South Piedmont Conference Pitcher of the Year. Koerner, a Clemson commit, led Robinson (14-10, 9-6) to a fourth-place conference finish. The Bulldogs were the SPC tournament runners-up.

Seager had another good season as he led his Trojans (18-8, 12-2) to a share of the SPC regular season championship. The shortstop, who has committed to play at South Carolina, seems to be following in the footsteps of his older brother, Kyle, on his way to NCAA and possibly professional baseball. His other brother, Justin, plays at UNC Charlotte.

Here is a complete list of the NCBCA 3A all-state baseball team:

Parker Lamm, Wilson Hunt
Benton Moss, Rocky Mount
Seth Bresseale, Union Pines
Peter Owens, Chapel Hill
Jordan Deloatch, DH Conley
Zach Mozingo, Eastern Wayne
Ryne Rush, Asheboro
Brody Koerner, J.M. Robinson
Nick Monroe, Eastern Alamance
Sean Grant, West Iredell
Alex Jensen, Charlotte Catholic
Jordan Newsome, Weddington
Josh Vales, Currituck
Brian Hardy, North Lenoir
Corey Seager, Northwest Cabarrus
Colby Fox, North Buncombe
Kevin Wise, Southern Wayne
Jon Taylor, CB Aycock
Garrett Brown, Erwin
Spencer Wiles, Belmont South Point
Jeffrey Springs, Belmont South Point (2011 3-A Player of the Year)
Dylan Baker, West Henderson
Chastin Radford, North Lenoir
John Edwards, Jacksonville
Luis Paula, Northeast Guilford
Damon Hogg ard, West Carteret
Pete Guy, Ledford

Seager recalled to Triple-A

Photo courtesy of Ben Van Houten/Seattle Mariners

After a 15-day stint with the Seattle Mariners, former Northwest Cabarrus baseball player Kyle Seager was optioned back to Class AAA Tacoma, Wash., the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

Seager, who was drafted in 2009 out of North Carolina, only had three hits in his 15 days in the majors. The 23-year-old had been called up to the MLB on July 6, making his debut the next day against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Kyle Seager makes MLB debut

Former Northwest Cabarrus and North Carolina baseball standout Kyle Seager made his Major League Baseball debut for the Seattle Mariners Thursday.

The 23-year-old Kannapolis native, who started his first game at third base against the L.A. Angels, was called up by the Mariners after spending less than two weeks at Class AAA Tacoma (Wash.) Rainiers.

He batted .455 and hit two home runs and 12 RBIs for the team after being bumped up from Class AA Jackson (Tenn.) Generals June 23.

Seager hit .312 and recorded 37 RBIs and 25 doubles in 66 games for the Generals, being named to the Southern League All-Star Game.

Seager, who was drafted in 2009, led UNC to three consecutive NCAA College World Series.

Seager went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his MLB debut. Seager, his former Tar Heel teammate Dustin Ackley, Seattle's second baseman, and the rest of the Mariners will again take on the Angels tonight.

Kannapolis native Kyle Seager (left), who was just called up to the majors, can't make the tag on time as L.A. Angels shortstop Erick Aybar slides at third base. AP photo

Kyle Seager was an All-American standout at Northwest Cabarrus. File photo - John W. Adkisson

Quick hits: May 16

SPC baseball teams see mixed results in first round

Northwest Cabarrus and Jay M. Robinson were the only two South Piedmont Conference teams that made it out of the first round of play in the NCHSAA 3A baseball playoffs. The Trojans (18-7) will host Parkwood tomorrow, while the Bulldogs (15-10) will travel to Marvin Ridge. Here are first-round scores for SPC teams:

Weddington 8 - Hickory Ridge 4

NW Cabarrus 8 - North Forsyth 0

Mt. Pleasant 0 - Jesse Carson 1

Marvin Ridge 9 - Cox Mill 2

West Iredell 0 - Jay M. Robinson 5

Cox Mill girls finishes third at 3A track and field meet

Behind junior Tori Elliott's performance, Cox Mill finished tied for third place at last weekend's 3A track and field championships. Elliott won the long jump, while also finishing second in the 100- and 200-meter races as well as leading the Charger 4x100 team to a second-place finish. Cox Mill's Ameenah Bey Shaw also helped, finishing second in the triple jump

The Chargers finished the meet with a score of 42, only nine points behind state champions Winterville South Central.

Concord, behind Juanita Leto's second-place finishes in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, finished 17th with 16 points. Hickory Ridge was 22nd, while A.L. Brown and Jay M. Robinson finished 30th and 36th, respectively.

The Trojans' Jill Moore claimed the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter wheelchair titles.

Robinson boys place 7th in state track meet

Braedon Koerwitz's state championship in the 1,600-meter race helped Jay M. Robinson finish seventh at Friday's 3A track and field meet. Neshawn Dingle also contributed by finishing second in the state in the boys' shot put.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the meet with a score of 25, which was 17 points behind state champions Fayetteville Douglas Byrd.

Hickory Ridge finished 11th, while Northwest Cabarrus and Mount Pleasant tied for 29th place. Central Cabarrus (32nd) and A.L. Brown (42nd) also saw representation at the meet.

For full track and field results from the 3A state meet, click here.

3A softball brackets announced

Five South Piedmont Conference teams made it into the 3A softball playoffs. Here are the matchups for local teams. Games will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Central Cabarrus at Parkwood

S. Guilford at Northwest Cabarrus

Jesse Carson at Jay M. Robinson

Cox Mill at Marvin Ridge

Hickory Ridge at N. Iredell

For the 3A West softball brackets, go here.

Cougars named No. 1 seed in softball playoffs

After a 15-2 year, the Cannon softball team claimed the NCISAA 3A softball championships' top seed. Here are the brackets for the tournament, which kicks off today:

No. 1 Cannon School vs. No. 8 Charlotte Country Day

No. 5 Charlotte Latin vs. No. 4 Providence Day

No. 3 High Point Christian vs. No. 6 Wesleyan Christian

No. 7 Cary Academy vs. No. 2 Hickory Grove

First Assembly, Cannon soccer wrap up season

The First Assembly and Cannon girls' soccer teams both lost its opening games in the NCISAA 2A playoffs to finish their seasons. The Eagles lost 3-0 to the tournament's top seed, Caldwell Academy, while the Cougars dropped a 3-1 game to Greensboro Day School. First Assembly wraps up the year with a 6-9-3 record, while Cannon finishes 6-10-4.

Eagle baseball reaches second round

First Assembly's baseball squad claimed a 3-2 win against Asheville Christian in a close 12-inning game Friday in the first round of the NCISAA 2A playoffs. The Eagles (12-9) will play No. 1-overall seed Kerr-Vance Academy (20-6) Tuesday. The game will be held in Hendersonville.

Cougars to fact top boys' lacrosse seed

Cannon won its first-round game against Greensboro Day School 15-5 to reach the second round of the NCISAA boys' lacrosse championships. The Cougars (5-13) will travel to Asheville to face No. 1 seed Christ School Tuesday.

Bulldogs in state quarterfinals

The Jay M. Robinson boys' tennis team will travel to Charlotte Catholic Tuesday in sectional finals for the NCHSAA dual tennis tournament. The Bulldogs are playing for a chance to go to the state semifinals. The match will be held at 4 p.m.

Cannon tennis wins

Cannon's boys' tennis team (8-8) won its first-round match in the NCISAA dual team tennis championships. The Cougars, which defeated North Raleigh Christian 7-2 Friday, will play No. 1 seed Providence Day (17-2) Tuesday.

Baseball playoff brackets set

The NCHSAA announced its high school baseball playoff brackets today.

Five South Piedmont Conference teams - Northwest Cabarrus, Mount Pleasant, Hickory Ridge, Jay M. Robinson and Cox Mill - made it into the 3A postseason tournament.

For a full 3A West bracket, click here.

Playoff play is set to begin Friday.

SPC baseball tourney begins

The South Piedmont Conference baseball tournament gets under way today.

Northwest Cabarrus, the defending champion, is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will host the semifinal and final games tomorrow and Thursday respectively. Today's first-round games are held at the higher seeds' stadiums at 6:30 p.m.

To read a team-by-team preview by freelance writer Jay Edwards, click here.

Here are tonight's first-round matchups:

No. 1 Northwest Cabarrus vs. No. 8 A.L. Brown

No. 4 Jay M. Robinson vs. No. 5 Cox Mill

No. 3 Mount Pleasant vs. No. 6 Concord

No. 2 Hickory Ridge vs. No. 7 Central Cabarrus

Northwest Cabarrus leads baseball standings

With three games left in the South Piedmont Conference regular season, Northwest Cabarrus is still in first place in conference standings after a win Tuesday against A.L. Brown.

Second-place Jay M. Robinson kept up their pace, defeating Mount Pleasant Tuesday, while third-place Hickory Ridge won their game against Concord.

The Trojans will face the Wonders again Friday before playing an non-conference game against Mooresville. They will close out the regular season with two games against Cox Mill. The path to back-to-back SPC regular season championships looks easy, but Northwest can't get overconfident the next two weeks.

Here are last night's scores and the updated conference standings:

April 12 SPC baseball scores

Northwest Cabarrus 10 - A.L. Brown 5
Cox Mill 10 - Central Cabarrus 7
Robinson 11 - Mount Pleasant 1
Hickory Ridge 14 - Concord 0

SPC baseball standings

Team	SPC wins	SPC losses	Games behind
Northwest Cabarrus	10	1	-
Jay M. Robinson	9	2	1
Hickory Ridge	7	4	3
Mount Pleasant	6	5	4
Central Cabarrus	4	7	6
Cox Mill	4	7	6
Concord	3	8	7
A.L. Brown	1	10	9