2K15 Deacon Jones Invitational: Coaches anticipate facing quality competition

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 9, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- There may not be a clear-cut favorite when the 2015 Deacon Jones Invitational -- weather permitting -- gets underway today on the Fred Bartholomew Jr. Athletic Complex baseball diamond.

One thing is for certain, Rosewood returns to defend its title and seek its sixth Invitational crown overall since 2006.

The Eagles (6-2 overall) face North Johnston (6-3) in a rematch of last year's championship game won by the Eagles in mercy-rule fashion. First pitch is 4 p.m. The nightcap is Spring Creek (4-4) against Invitational host Princeton (6-5).

"I'm looking forward to seeing some good baseball because we have three quality teams coming to Princeton," PHS head coach Bruce Proctor said. "They are all well-coached and playing really well right now. We want to play to the best of our ability and continue to try to get better.

"We are also very thankful for Deacon Jones sponsoring this tournament."

The Bulldogs are hitting .284 as a team and their pitching staff has compiled a 2.42 earned run average. Individually, Princeton has had different players step up and produce since Carolina 1-A Conference began.

PHS is 4-1 in league play -- one game behind Rosewood.

The eastern regional runners-up last season, the Eagles have won emerged victorious in their last six outings. They've allowed just three runs in conference play and 17 overall.

The strength has been the 1-2 punch of Jordan Gurley and Ethan Chapin. The duo is a combined 4-1 on the mound and each has a microscopic ERA of 0.49 or lower. The team ERA is 1.19.

Not surprisingly, the Gurley and Chapin are the team's top two offensive performers. Gurley is hitting a crisp .400 with seven RBI, while Chapin sits at .368 with five RBI.

"I feel like our team is playing the game well right now, making plate adjustments, pitching and defens have all been improving," RHS head coach Jason King said. "We are looking forward to the challenge of playing two days in a row. Our approach to the tournament is the same as any other game, we want to play well and win."

Runner-up in three of the last six Invitationals, Spring Creek hopes the two-day event turns into a positive springboard when conference play resumes. The Gators started 0-3, but have won four of their last five games.

They're led by the "big three" -- Sawyer Smith, Allen Coor and Chad Spurgeon. The trio has combined to 37 hits, 27 runs. Coor, who has committed to Limestone (S.C.) College, leads the team in total hits (15), total runs (12) and batting average (.517).

Smith is 2-1 on the bump with a 2.19 ERA in 16 innings of work. Bullpen mate Will Rouse is 1-1 and has recorded 18 strikeouts in a team-high 20 2/3 innings.

"We have played pretty decent of late other than running into a really hot Rosewood team," SC head coach Heath Whitfield said. "We are going over there of course to try to win the tournament, try to get better and gain some momentum."

A former Invitational champ, North Johnston brings in two top pitchers -- Michael Stott and Steven Worley. Stott is 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 17-plus innings. Worley is 1-0 with a 0.70 ERA.

Garrett Littleton leads the Panthers' offense with a .429 average. He's cranked out 12 hits, knocked in 10 runs and scored 10 runs. Jacob Wall and Dallas Krob are batting .421 and .370, respectively.

The Panthers hit .310 as a team and have 30 stolen bases.