2015 Wayne County Hot Stove: Brewers' Wooten returns home

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 3, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Jerry Narron likes to tease Rob Wooten once in a while.

He usually baits Wooten by asking if he has as many days in the Big Leagues as Narron has years.

Wooten just smiles at the friendly jab and says "I don't think so."

Now, Wooten says "Yes, I do."

The Fremont native returned home Monday evening to share his story of dedication and determination during the 9th annual Wayne County Hot Stove Banquet at Lane Tree Golf Club. Wooten thanked his former coaches, current coaches, family and friends for sticking by his side and offering advice through his most difficult times and of course, sharing his most joyous moments.

And it all started during an unusual conversation with UNC assistant coach Scott Forbes.

Wooten walked into his office after a rough outing on the mound the previous day, and asked to step down a spot in the pitching rotation. The question caught Forbes off guard.

But he agreed to Wooten's request.

"I owe a lot of my success to them because they stuck with me," Wooten said. "They could have very easily said 'we gave you a couple of years and we're going to try somebody else,' but they didn't. They could have easily pushed me to the side to work with the guys who were actually producing and helping (the team.)

"Every single day we were on the mound working and it paid off. Man, did it really turn into something special -- not only for me -- but the whole school because what an incredible run we had and we're still on that run, too, which makes me proud to see."

Wooten helped lead the Tar Heels to back-to-back trips to the College World Series in 2007 and 2008. He made a total of 11 mound appearances during that span, and continues to hold the school record for most pitching appearances in a career.

More than five years after he experienced those magical nights at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Wooten finally appeared in the "Big Show" when the Brewers promoted him from Triple-A Nashville in 2013. He posted a 3-1 record with 3.90 earned run average (ERA) in 27 games as a reliever.

Wooten started this past season in Nashville and returned to the Brewers in mid-May. Once the year ended, he participated on an all-star team that spent two weeks in Japan.

"It was an incredible experience," Wooten said. "But never in my life have I played on a team that got no-hit. They were prepared and whipped our butts."

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Wooten's journey from a small town to baseball's biggest stage is just one of many stories in Wayne County's tradition-rich history of the national pastime.

Marty Tschetter, local history curator of Wayne County Public Library, set up displays that documented more than a century of the county's baseball history before the banquet. He had pictures and stories from old newspapers that featured local heroes such as the late Clyde King, Marion Talton, Narron, the late Ray Scarborough, Johnny Peacock and George Altman.

Tschetter gave a brief synopsis of a semi-pro league that consisted of farmers and mill workers. He mentioned that several African-American teams, which existed in the 1890s, played teams up and down the eastern seaboard.

The most-treasured item of the project -- which remains in its infant stages -- is a picture of the 1910 Goldsboro Giants. Each player has his own baseball card, including the batboy. Old Mill Tobacco Company printed the cards.

Other items on display include Peacock's Red Sox uniform from the 1940s, a ball from a 1947 game King threw at Ebbetts Field, a hat worn by Scarborough when he pitched in the 1952 World Series for the Yankees, a catcher's mitt used by Talton in a game, a ball that was Narron's first-ever Major League hit and a jersey worn by Wooten in the College World Series.

"Baseball is evidently important to Wayne County history," Tschetter said. "The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum researches the history of the game as it fits into American focus, and we're using that same model to focus on Wayne County."

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The past, present and future success of Wayne County baseball is developed by its coaches, players and umpires.

Six individuals were recognized and each received a plaque for either their achievements or contributions on the baseball diamond in 2014.

* Jerry Narron Award -- Reed Howell, a freshman at Appalachian State and Rosewood alum. He compiled an 11-2 record and 0.90 ERA on the mound, and helped guide the Eagles to the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A eastern regional championship series.

* Clyde King Award -- Landon Letchworth, a freshman at Gardner-Webb University and North Lenoir alum. His father, Dana, and mother, Stephanie, accepted the award on his behalf since Landon could not attend the ceremony due to practice. Named the Eastern Carolina 2-A player-of-the-year, Letchworth fashioned a 7-0 record and 0,85 ERA on the mound for the Hawks, who advanced to the eastern 2-A regional championship series.

* Doyle Whitfield Award -- Rosewood head coach Jason King and Spring Creek head coach Heath Whitfield. King guided the Eagles to their third Carolina Conference regular-season title in the past six seasons. Whitfield's Gators manufactured a program-best 18 wins, a team ERA of 1.02 and surrendered just 16 runs total in 14 league games.

"To get an award from a guy I've idolized and has been my hero my whole life with his name on it, to me, it just doesn't get any better than that," Whitfield said.

* John Thomas Award -- Allen Nichols, who has spent 20-plus years volunteering his time to coach numerous teams in different capacities for the Spring Creek community. Nichols is the clock operator for home basketball games and scoreboard keeper during baseball season.

"When smart people are talking, you listen and I try to listen to all of y'all," a modest Nichols said. "I've tried to learn a little something. Richard Harrell has been with me about 90 percent of those years and my wife (Debbie) knows just about everything in the game."

* George Whitfield Award -- Tim Naughton, a freshman at N.C. State and Charles B. Aycock alum. Naughton compiled a 4.9 grade-point average in the classroom and graduated third out of his 258-student senior class. He is a walk-on with the Wolfpack baseball team and received a $500 scholarship.

Long-time umpire Jerry Johnson presented Rodney Bell with an NCHSAA Service Award, and recognized Leo Lockhart as the recipient of the Bill Suggs Award.

Hot Stove organizer Roger May presented three special awards -- a plaque to King and his RHS team for their outstanding season, a $300 donation to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in honor of Mr. King and a $300 donation to the Wayne County Babe Ruth Association.