JD James batting for the Statesville Owls.

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

STATESVILLE — Two years ago, on the best day of his baseball life, Joseph David “JD” James was honored as MVP of the 3A State Championship Series.

James, South Rowan’s senior first baseman, went 6-for-10 in that three-game series against a South Brunswick team led by Walker Jenkins, who would be the fifth pick in the MLB draft a month later.

South went 30-6 for coach Thad Chrismon in 2022 and won three epic games against immensely talented East Rowan to secure critical home-field advantage for the playoffs. The Raiders had a roster that featured well-known players such as Haiden Leffew, Kane Kepley, Nathan Chrismon and Ty Hubbard. It wasn’t hard for James, a lefty-hitting first baseman who batted .305 with two homers and 22 RBIs, to get overlooked in that deep talent pool, but there he stood after the final pitch at Ting Park in Holly Springs, holding the MVP plaque.

A lot of James’ damage that season came in the postseason.

“I’ve always felt like I’m at my best in the big moments, and that no moment is too big,” James said. “We had a great team at South  in 2022 and we beat a great East Rowan team three out of four in front of the biggest crowds I’ve ever played in front of. The rivalry with East was intense, and it was there from the time we were about 8 years old. Iron sharpens iron. We all made each other better by competing as hard as we did for as long as we did.”

South had to come back after losing Game 2 of the Western Regional series with East Lincoln. It was James who crushed the memorable three-run homer in Game 3 that gave South a walk-off victory and sent the Raiders to the state championship series.

“You always think of walk-offs as being one-run games, but that homer gave us a 10-run rule win,” said James, whose hobby is selling baseball cards at shows with his father. “We came back from some serious adversity to win that East Lincoln series. Then we lost the first game at states, but we came back again. We had a special team.”

Many of the South and East players from those classic games are on the fast track to professional baseball.

East shortstop Cobb Hightower, a sophomore in 2022, was a recent third-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres. South’s Leffew and Kepley and East’s Cameron Padgett and Chance Mako suit up now for major college programs and are competing in summer ball in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. All four are almost certain to be MLB draft picks in 2025 or 2026.

While players like the gas-throwing lefty Leffew are rolling down the interstate highway to baseball fame and fortune, James is chasing his dreams quietly on the bumpier back roads. He’s still in school playing ball for Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute in Hudson.

“I had put in a lot of hours in high school working at being a football long snapper and I had some college offers to long snap, including Division I opportunities as a preferred walk-on,” James said. “But while I liked football, I loved baseball. Baseball is the sport I really wanted to play in college and when I got an offer from Caldwell, I committed about halfway through my senior baseball season.”

James plays his summer ball, along with a host of other players produced by the Rowan County high schools, with the Statesville Owls of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.

James was solid this summer with a wood bat, hitting .320 with three homers and 25 RBIs. He scored 32 runs and had a .450 on-base percentage. The highlight of his season was a grand slam. He’s considered a fine defensive first baseman and at 6-foot-3, he’s got ideal size for the position. He played 32 games for the Owls without an error.

“I’ve always been comfortable and confident with my defense at first base,” James said.

The home field for the Owls was West Iredell High, a short ride west on Interstate 40 from Statesville.

While his Cape Cod League friends play in front of an army of scouts and autograph-seeking fans, the Owls played mostly in front of their families and close friends. But it was competitive baseball, and James enjoyed his two summers with the Owls. The Owls secured the regular-season championship with a 22-8 record, edging their rivals and neighbors, the Mooresville Spinners.

For James, the best thing about summer ball is getting four at-bats every night. He’s learned a lot from the coaches at Caldwell, but he’s had to pay more dues than he anticipated, red-shirting his first year behind an All-American and handling a backup role in his second year after a higher-profile player was brought in.

“I still got some clutch hits,”  James said. “I got a chance and had four hits in the conference tournament.”

He’s got one more year at Caldwell. He knows he needs to make it a big one if his career is going to continue.

“I’ve hit for good averages, but I know I need to show I can hit more home runs because college coaches recruit first basemen who can hit homers,” James said. “I set a goal of hitting at least five this summer. So far, I’ve got three.”

James has never lost faith, never lost confidence and never lost the drive to play big-time college baseball. He still has a chance to reach that goal. A lot depends on how many balls he can hit over the fence next spring.

James isn’t thinking ACC, but he believes a program such as UNC Asheville could be the right fit.

“I’ve always bet on myself and I’ll continue to do that,” James said. “I’ve faced Padgett and Mako, and the goal is to get back to facing pitchers who are that level. I’ve never stopped working toward the goal of Division I baseball.”