WC Hot Stove League: Travel issues prevent Wooten's presence

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on January 28, 2014 1:48 PM

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astevens@newsargus.com

Travel issues kept keynote speaker Rob Wooten from attending the eighth annual Wayne County Hot Stove banquet on Monday night.

The Charles B. Aycock alum had appeared at "Brewers on Deck", a fan event Sunday in Milwaukee. Flight delays caused Wooten to miss the event at Lane Tree Golf Club.

"I hate I missed the Wayne County Hot Stove dinner," Wooten said on Twitter. "Always a good event. Tough travel day. Maybe they will have me back next year to speak."

Those called upon to pinch hit for Wooten filled in well in the clutch.

North Carolina head baseball coach Mike Fox recalled receiving a phone call from Wooten prior to the hurler's freshman season in Chapel Hill. Wooten was in tears after learning he would need surgery to repair a torn labrum and was uncertain if the Tar Heels were still interested in his services.

Perseverance paid off for Wooten as he led the NCAA with 47 appearances as a junior and set an NCAA record with six appearances in a single College World Series.

"From that phone call to being in Wrigley Field last year and watching Rob Wooten pitch in the Major Leagues that was probably the biggest thrill of my coaching career without question," Fox said. "If you ask Rob he's blessed to be in the (Brewers) organization with people that know him. He's worked his way to get there."

East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin and University of Mount Olive coach Carl Lancaster each spoke briefly about their teams and the upcoming season. Lancaster and former Greene Central head coach James "Rabbit" Fulghum were also honored for their accomplishments on the baseball diamond.

Former Charles B. Aycock standout Adam Pate received the Jerry Narron Award as the area's player-of-the-year. During his senior season with the Golden Falcons, Pate posted a .419 batting average with 31 hits and 22 RBI. He also went 10-4 on the mound with a 2.16 ERA.

Pate is a currently a freshman on the baseball team at North Carolina.

Ben Brann, a former Greene Central pitcher, took home the Clyde King Award. Brann went 8-1 for the Rams this past spring with a 1.27 ERA and seven complete games. The 2013 Eastern Plains 2-A Conference player of the year, Brann is a freshman on the baseball team at Barton College.

Greene Central head coach Scott Jones earned the Doyle Whitfield coach-of-the-year award. Jones engineered the Rams' turnaround last spring from a 6-7 start to a 13-10 finish and a share of the EPC regular-season title.

Joey Paul, the president of the Charles B. Aycock Booster Club, was given the John Thomas volunteer award. Former Southern Wayne catcher Ashton Cox was the recipient of the George Whitfield Award which includes a $500 college scholarship. Cox is continuing his baseball career at Gardner-Webb University.

Nate Speight was honored with the Bill Suggs Memorial Umpire Award.