UMO: A well-known baseball factory hidden in eastern North Carolina

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on July 4, 2015 11:02 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- One of the smallest Division II schools in the nation, University of Mount Olive continues to make a name for itself on the baseball diamond.

It's easy to understand why after the recent 2015 Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Three different teams selected Jason Morozowski, Gunnar Kines and Hunter Barnett.

An outfielder, Morozowski is with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kines and Barnett, both starters out of the Trojans' bullpen, are in the Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays organizations, respectively.

It was UMO's biggest draft class since 2008 when the Trojans had five picks after winning the NCAA Division II College World Series crown.

Regarded as one of eastern North Carolina's best-kept secrets, veteran head coach Carl Lancaster has turned the former NAIA program into one of the nation's top collegiate titans.

"Early on in my career it was all about wins and losses," said Lancaster, who surpassed the 1,000-win mark in his career this past spring. "Now that the program is where it's at now, I take more pride in seeing young people turn into good kids. But I think that comes with age and so many games played.

"It's been such a thrill to see these guys go on (to play professional baseball). My favorite part of the job is to give these guys a chance."

Mozorowski, Kines and Barnett hope to join the likes of Carter Capps and Tommy Layne, two pitchers who played at Scarborough Field and are now thriving in roles as major league players.

The robust pipeline of major league-level talent coming through Mount Olive has not only helped the current players advance their careers, but it's helped the coaches as well.

"Oh, it's absolutely a part of our recruiting pitch," Lancaster said. "That's what our kids love to hear -- that we can get them to minor or major league baseball. The more often we can do that the more likely we can get another (recruit).

"We had some Division I-bound kids rethink where they're going."

The Trojans host a scout day every year, when they invite MLB scouts from all 32 teams to come down and take a look at their players. It's a system that not only allows for kids to get looks, but allows the coaching staff to make connections with scouts for future years.

"(Scouts) come back. We made ourselves a priority for them," assistant coach Rob Watt said. "Having two guys in the majors is a huge feather in our cap. But in the end, it's tough to win without good players. We've put up some consistent seasons for pretty much a decade now. The wins correlate with talented players.

"Any time a scout sees consistent winning there's a strong correlation. The area scouts have been here for a while, and they have a good relationship with Lancaster. The other coaches have gotten to know them now, too. There's a trust and understanding between us. It's a good working relationship."

That scout day was something that helped all three players, Barnett in particular, establish season-long conversations with teams interested in taking them. It was there where Barnett had talked with the Blue Jays and where scouts got a first look at Mozorowski. A former high school pitcher who hadn't played a field position in years, Morozowski ended up in center field and didn't commit an error all season.

The attention from pro scouts doesn't only affect some on-the-fence recruits, either. The program, according to Lancaster and Watt, sees a long-term, positive ripple effect from every player who hears his name called during the draft.

"I think it's more of a broader-based picture," Watt said. "You have to look at it as a larger sample size. The immediate and most recent season does help for late recruits, but this year's success in the draft will show up years down the road because the days are numbered here in regards to next year.

"We look at the bigger picture."