The learning curve: ECBL players fine-tuning fundamentals

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on June 20, 2015 11:41 PM

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Southern Wayne freshman Dylan Whitley missed a signal.

Of all the baseball 'do nots' -- and there are many -- missing a signal during a plate appearance ranks high on the list. It's the kind of mistake that during the spring season would earn you an earful from the coach.

Coaches encourage those mental errors during summer-league ball. It's an unusual concept that seems contradictory, but those are mistakes players in the Eastern Carolina Baseball League are expected to learn from for the future.

"He came back to me (after the missed sign," Southern Wayne coach Anthony Williams said, "and instead of going and sitting down in the dugout, he came up and asked me, 'what did I miss?' and asked questions about it.

"That's one of the things that's going on during these games -- you're learning the game."

Continuing to learn the game is one of the biggest driving forces behind why seven of the nine high schools Wayne County fielded teams this summer. Spots are limited on the Senior Legion team, so those who don't make the roster get a chance for playing time in the ECBL.

"We're looking at getting reps in," Eastern Wayne summer coach Randall Fields said. "We're looking to get pitchers that extra time on the mound -- that's why we're not throwing the older guys all of the time. We're looking to get some of our younger guys some development."

It's not an uncommon sight to see middle schoolers dressed in an ECBL uniform. Eastern Wayne called upon two ninth-grade pitchers in their victory over Wayne Country Day on Tuesday.

Players often play out of position, too. The ECBL offers coaches the ability to take a look back at how they created lineups this year and see if their players are better off suited at other positions.

"Everybody plays the field for us," Fields said. "They'll play every odd or even inning so that they get a lot of reps out in the field. We bat 11 guys so that hopefully guys can get at-bats that maybe they didn't get all year."

Unlike the school year and in Legion ball, the ECBL allows for manipulated lineups. These lineups often have two kids rotating in the field at the same position or multiple "extra hitters."

"Our goal (in the summer leagues) is just for the guys to get better," WCDS coach Michael Taylor said. "and for them to have better plate approaches and to work through jams as well as experimenting with guys in different positions."

One of the biggest challenges that ECBL coaches have to deal with day in and day out is the changing roster. Kids leave due to showcase ball obligations or family vacations. The silver lining, though, is that it gives everyone an opportunity to show that they can play.

"It's tough (to find a consistent lineup)" Taylor said after splitting a twinbill against Spring Creek on Thursday afternoon. "Today we had to fill some holes."

For the players, though, the games remain the same. The only thing that changes are who they're playing with on the field. With that said, building camaraderie with players from other schools and making new friends along the way is something all the kids seem to like most about the ECBL.

"It's great," WCDS pitcher John Strickland said. "You learn what (other players) do and how other people play. I think everybody really gels together and has fun. Everybody stays positive and it's been really fun so far."