By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — Speed kills in football.

It doesn’t necessarily kill in baseball, but it helps offensively and defensively.

Speed takes extra bases. Speed steals bases. Speed creates pressure on defenders, forces bobbles and wild throws. Speed creates runs, and runs win games.

On defense, a lightning-quick center fielder or shortstop can save a run almost every game by having the range to make a play other players can’t make.

East Rowan senior center fielder Nathan Hayworth can really run.

Baseball prospects are timed in the 60-yard dash, and Hayworth has been clocked as fast as 6.45 seconds. It’s hard to be that quick every day, but even on his bad days, he’ll run a 6.7, and that’s fast enough to play center field in the majors.

Hayworth runs so well that he makes coaches wonder if their stop watch isn’t working properly. He’s got game-changing, difference-making speed, and while he’s had to wait his turn at East, and while he hasn’t piled up humongous stats yet, his time is coming. He’ll be a name to know in March.

“I remember when we called him up to the varsity at the end of his freshman season,” East head coach Brett Hatley said. “We had some seniors who could swing it, but we had a couple of really fast young kids (Hayworth and Logan Dyer) and we brought them up to run the bases for us. Nate went in to run at first base, and we hit one in the gap. I start waving, and I look up and, man, the kid is flying. I knew he was fast, but I didn’t realize he was that fast.”

Tusculum has seen enough from Hayworth to sign him. He batted .286 as a junior for East and not many .286 hitters get signed by a program as good as Tusculum’s, but speed never slumps. Tusculum is getting on the ground floor. Hayworth might bat .486 as a senior. He’s going to be hard to throw out on bunts or on two-hoppers to shortstop.

Hayworth isn’t a one-trick pony, While his wheels stand out in the batter’s box and center field, he’s got more baseball tools that are being refined. While he’s not big (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), he has a strong right arm. He’s got the potential to be a helpful pitcher for Tusculum’s Pioneers, as well as a center fielder. He was throwing 84s in the fall, with a decent breaking ball, and with Chance Mako and Morgan Padgett in the college ranks, he’s going to get regular work on the mound for East this spring for the first time.

“He’s one of those kids that’s always worked and has kept getting faster and stronger,” Hatley said. “He had some injuries last season that hurt him — and hurt us — but he can really do a little bit of everything on a baseball field.”

Hayworth may even play some shortstop this year because East’s stellar regular shortstop Cobb Hightower, a UNC recruit, is going to be pitching some.

Like most East baseball players, Hayworth got started young and figured out that baseball was his thing young. Not long ago, East had two exceptional groups of youth players that came along back-to-back. He was in the second wave.

“I was playing competitive travel ball when I was 7,” Hayworth said. “I was a pitcher and shortstop, but when got to be about 10 or 11, they discovered my speed. That’s when I moved to the outfield.”

Hayworth remembers his varsity debut, flying around the bases as a freshman courtesy runner to score four runs late in the year.

As a sophomore, he played on a loaded East team, but he got some starts and a decent amount of at-bats. He went 11-for-25 (.440), and one of those hits was a bases-clearing triple.

On the mound, he showed that the potential was there for good things.

“The best moment of my sophomore year was a game we played against Piedmont,” Hayworth said. “I came into that game in relief. It went extra innings and I pitched  7 2/3 innings with not many hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts. That game gave me confidence that I could be successful as a varsity pitcher.”

He was set for his first big season as a junior, but a shoulder issue affected his throwing. He worked his way back and broke a finger in the conference tournament.

Through all that, he still had a decent season with 25 runs scored, 18 stolen bases and only one error in the outfield. He batted fifth for the Mustangs when was healthy. He clobbered his first varsity homer against Marvin Ridge.

“I’ve got confidence that I can hit,” Hayworth said. “I had three hits in a game with South Rowan, two against (Wake Forest recruit) Haiden Leffew, and there aren’t many pitchers better than him.”

Hayworth’s career batting average for East is 330, with 47 runs scored.

He might score 47 this season alone if he is luckier as far as his health.

“That’s the plan,” Hayworth said cheerfully. “Big senior year.”

Hayworth has played for several travel baseball and showcase teams. He credits the Charlotte Megastars for his recruitment by Tusculum.

“They contacted the Tusculum coaches and told them they should come see me play, they did, and I performed well when they were watching,” Hayworth said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to play there and to go to school there.”

The Tusculum Pioneers compete in the Division II South Atlantic Conference, with schools such as Catawba, Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne.

Tusculum is in Greeneville, Tenn., deep in the Great Smoky Mountains, natural, unspoiled and beautiful country. The athletic programs, especially the baseball team, have elite facilities for a D-II school. The school is sort of in the middle of nowhere, but once you finally get there, it can take your breath away.

Hayworth is an excellent student. He plans to major in business management, with a minor in sports management and marketing.