BASEBALL TAB: Merritt -- Knowledgeable players give Goldsboro program a boost

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on March 10, 2017 10:01 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

It's not much of a secret.

Those who coach or play baseball around Wayne County know that Goldsboro's program hasn't been the same for at least 20 years.

They know the Cougars' wins have been few and far between recently. They may even know that four different coaches have led the program in the past five seasons.

What they may not know, however, is that progress is being made.

Goldsboro skipper Danny Merritt -- who also coached from 2002-04 -- said it's the first time in 24 years that the program's culture doesn't feel comparable to the Cleveland Browns.

When Merritt returned for his second stint as coach in 2015, he said there was not much fanfare over the open position. Now, he believes there's a great interest in the job -- and that's because of the kids who are a part of it.

"These kids have played baseball their whole lives," Merritt said. "When they hit the field, they understand baseball. It's not going to be where people use the phrase, 'They're good athletes that they put on the field.' These kids are legitimate baseball players."

Merritt acknowledged that some players have experienced frustration, but it's more about wanting to meet a higher individual standard, and not anger toward teammates.

The third-year coach noted that each player has a burning passion within themselves.

"Everyone out here loves the game," Merritt said. "They self-motivate. There's a good team chemistry...We try to keep everything in perspective. We try to keep it fun. The object of the game is to win, but you go out there and you give it everything you've got."

It's a group that will look to change perception and erase previous years. The Cougars won three games in the 2016 season -- a modest total at first glance.

But Goldsboro hasn't won that many games in at least a decade. One of those wins came against Kinston, which gave the Cougars their first conference victory since 2010.

"They realized that was our first conference victory in a while," Merritt said. "But this team is different. They have different goals. Any team's goal is to come out is to win the conference. So we go from there."

Merritt said the team doesn't think much about what happened last season, but the coach said there were two key players whose contribution couldn't be forgotten.

Seniors Tommy Vick and Johnny Stevens spearheaded the 2016 campaign. Vick batted .353, while Stevens recorded a .340 average. No one else on the team hit better than .250.

They were the pillars of the team.

Merritt believes they paved the future for the younger players.

"(Vick and Stevens) were excellent baseball players, and they provided tremendous leadership," Merritt said. "They laid the foundation. And I think we'll continue to build on it. We have kids that aren't really boisterous or loud, but they lead by example."

That process will start with junior Chandler Patrick, the pitcher responsible for two of Goldsboro's three wins last season. He tallied a save in the third win, as well. Following him in the rotation will be freshman Matthew Lewis, who impressed in the summer league, according to Merritt.

Other arms include sophomore Brody Morton, freshman Natorian Nobles and sophomore Cameron Roux.

Patrick, Morton, Lewis and Nobles are expected to be the primary batters in the Cougars' lineup.

"Our pitchers will be around the plate. They're not going to overpower people," Merritt said. "We stress defensively sound baseball. Offensively, we'll be a team that manufactures runs. We believe in the philosophy, 'Get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in.'"

More than half the roster is comprised of freshman and sophomores, but Merritt believes the leadership will emerge as they progress into the season. He said success can't always be measured in wins and losses, but he expects Goldsboro to be a competitive team in the 2017 season.

Merritt wants this year's players to fight through the losses, and show they are capable of much more than past seasons.

"That's a trademark of these kids," Merritt said. "They've battled adversity their whole careers. Nobody expects them to do a whole lot, but they show a lot of character."