By Mike London

Salisbury Post

LANDIS — Time moves swiftly, and South Rowan senior Conner Coy is the last link, at least as far as the players, to the Raiders’ 2022 state championship baseball team that won 30 games and beat a powerful East Rowan team three times.

Coy was 0-for-1 as a freshman on that South team.

The 2022 SR team still makes the local sports pages every week, with 1-2-3 hitters and up-the-middle defenders Kane Kepley (UNC’s center fielder) and Catawba College’s double-play combination of Nathan Chrismon and Ty Hubbard still doing what they love. Then there’s talented Wake Forest lefty Haiden Leffew, who could have a pro future. First baseman JD James still follows his dream of playing DI baseball, as well, and is still in there swinging and picking balls out of the dirt for Caldwell Community College.

South’s high school team understandably has struggled some since nine regulars graduated with the Class of 2022 and head coach Thad Chrismon stepped down after achieving the pinnacle of high school sports.

South went 8-15 in a rebuilding 2023, former Northwest Cabarrus and Belmont Abbey player Grayson Miller’s first as head coach, and crept back up to 12-13 in 2024, tying for sixth in the rugged South Piedmont Conference with a 7-9 record.

The good news is South is on the way back up and looks like a 2025 playoff team. The Raiders suffered lopsided losses to West Rowan and East Rowan, probably two of the best squads in 3A, but South carried a 6-3 overall record and a 4-2 SPC mark into Friday’s rivalry game with Carson.

Coy, who is headed to Pfeiffer University, is a star now. He was all-county as a junior and is off to a sizzling start this season as South’s catcher and lead-off batter. He has a .536 batting average and an OBP north of .600. He has four doubles and he turns a lot of his singles into doubles by stealing second base. He has eight steals.

Catawba signee Marshal Faw is South’s other all-county returner. He’s a terrific athlete who is an offensive force as a hitter — lots of doubles — and base runner. He pitches or plays in the outfield. He has played center and right.

Faw (1-1) and junior Matthew Overcash (3-1) have been the 1 and 2 pitchers. Faw struggled against East, while Overcash took a loss against West, but they have strong strikeout numbers and are going to win more often than they lose. Junior Colton Helms (1-0) has provided some strong outings, and the Raiders also have gotten innings from junior Rhyne Keller (1-0) and senior Corbin Goodman (0-1, with a save).

South has impressive young players such as freshman shortstop Davis Kemp, freshman third baseman Lucas Cox and sophomore center fielder Brandon Winkler. They’re all in the regular lineup and are more than holding their own so far. Cox socked the Raiders’ first homer of the season in  a 15-2 blowout of Concord.

Junior Drew Pegram provides another big stick. He usually is the first baseman and cleanup man. He drove in three runs in a 4-2 win against West Cabarrus earlier in the week.

Other lineup fixtures for the Raiders are left fielder Macon Fuller and second baseman Landon Deal. They will usually hit at the bottom, looking to get on base for Coy, Kemp and Faw at the top of the lineup.

Corbin Cross has gotten quite a few DH at-bats.

Also in the mix for at-bats are outfielders James Ritchie, Zach Barham and Brycen Burris and infielder Brayden Mahaley.

 

South glance

Head coach: Grayson Miller (3rd year, entered season 20-28)

2024 record: 12-13, 7-9 SPC (tied for 6th)

2025 record: 6-3

Conference regular season championships: 1964, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2022