Wooten, Burroughs honored in jersey ceremony

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on October 21, 2017 9:40 PM

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Family.

Such was the prevailing theme communicated by former Charles B. Aycock greats Rob Wooten and Meredith Burroughs on Friday, just hours ahead of the pair's jersey retirement ceremony as part of the school's annual homecoming gala at Hardy-Talton Stadium.

For Wooten, a member of the Cincinnati Reds, the occasion marked an opportunity to revisit a part of his past that continues to make significant marks on his present.

Naturally, that part is former CBA baseball coach Charles Davis.

"He's been there so long," Wooten said, "The wins and the losses are nice, but it's not even about that... his integrity, his personality -- it's second to none. He really taught me what it was like to be a baseball player and to be a man... and it continues today."

Wooten, who now makes his home near Pinehurst, frequents the Pikeville area whenever possible and still views his formative time with Davis -- both on the diamond and off --  as one of the most important in his life.

The old ball coach, never one to shy away from the truth, stressed to his young player the importance of doing things the right way -- all the time, without fail and with no exceptions.

"I think I've learned a lot of life lessons from him, so it's hard to single one out," Wooten remarked. "That relationship still lives... he's a great model to live by."

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For Burroughs, a naturally gifted softball player whose journey through the sport began in earnest at a travel ball tournament in Virginia, the hype around the evening was nice, but easy to distill.

There are, she insisted, plenty of people to thank for helping her achieve such an honor -- with one group in particular fronting the list.

"The whole Matthews family, they're just great people who helped me on and off the field," Burroughs said. 

Much like Wooten, the former Maxpreps All-American was excited to share the night with the people who made it possible -- and in a place that is still very much home.

"As long as my family and my coaches are there, I'm fine," she said. "They're my go-tos."

Spoken like many who have worn the powder blue over the years, and who chased their dreams in the dirt along the shoulder of Highway 117 North. 

It's just that in the course of  attaining them, the duo never forgot why they were possible in the first place.