Orange Baseball

Sophomore Joey Berini went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and 3 RBI in the opening game of Friday night’s doubleheader against Southern Durham, which was Orange Coach Dean Dease’s 500th victory. This season, Berini leads the Panthers with a .407 average, 22 hits, nine doubles and a .571 on-base percentage. Orange is now tied for 3rd with East Chapel Hill in the Big 8 Conference. The Panthers will host senior night on Tuesday against Northern Durham. 

Orange Baseball Coach Dean Dease is already in exclusive company solely from remaining as the head of the Panther baseball program since 1988.

On Friday, he goes for his 500th career victory when Orange hosts Southern Durham for a doubleheader starting at 5. Once Dease earned his next win, he will move into even more exclusive company.

How exclusive?

According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, there are only seven members of the 500-win club among North Carolina high school baseball coaches.

The most recent totals were updates to the NCHSAA in 2013, according to spokesman James Alverson. At the time, three coaches had reached the 500 win plateau. Since them, four more have joined the club. The most recent was Charles Davis, who retired from C.B. Aycock in 2016 with 512 career wins.

The all-time leader is Ronald Vincent of J.H. Rose, who won his 900th game last season.

What are the playoff implications going into the final week of the regular season?

Of greater importance for Dease is Orange’s standing for the state playoffs. After Cedar Ridge’s 10-0 win over Hillside on Thursday night, the Red Wolves are in sole possession of 2nd place in the Big 8 Conference with a 8-3 record, one game behind first-place Chapel Hill. The Red Wolves travel to Durham on Friday.

If Orange sweeps Southern Durham, they will be 8-4 in conference play, placing them in no worse than a tie for 3rd place. On Friday afternoon, Northwood travels to East Chapel Hill. The Wildcats, were started last week tied for 1st with Chapel Hill, have lost three in a row and are tied with the Chargers for 4th at 7-4. Next week, Chapel Hill will face East to wrap up the regular season.

What are Cedar Ridge’s chances of trying for the Big 8 Championship? 

Average. As mentioned before, Cedar Ridge played the toughest part of its schedule in the opening five weeks of the season when they faced Northwood, Chapel Hill, Orange, East Chapel Hill and Northern Durham. If the Red Wolves win its final three conference games, they have to hope Chapel Hill loses two of its final three league games. Chapel Hill will face Northern Durham on Friday before starting the East Chapel Hill next week. Cedar Ridge and Chapel Hill split its season series, with Cedar Ridge winning 3-1 on March 19. Chapel Hill took the rematch four days later. If the Red Wolves and Tigers finish tied, the tiebreaker would greatly depend on where Northwood and East Chapel Hill finish in the league standings, which won’t be determined until the regular season ends next Thursday.

Mia Davidson: For the 3rd time this season, Davidson was named the SEC Rookie of the Week after Mississippi State took two-of-three games from archrival Ole Miss. On April 16, Davidson hit her 15th home run on a 7-6 loss to the Rebels, tying her with Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo for the SEC lead. Against Ole Miss, Davidson went 6-for-10 with a double, a home run and three RBI. On Friday, Davidson hit her 16th homer against #5 Florida in a 8-3 loss. Mississippi State is now 33-15 overall, 6-12 in the SEC. Davidson was also named a Top 25 Finalist for the National Freshman of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Davidson has started all 48 games for the Bulldogs, leading the team with a .413 batting average with 16 home runs and 41 RBIs (team lead in the latter two categories). She also leads the team with 13 doubles, 127 total bases and a .480 on base percentage. Davidson is two home runs away from tying Iyhia McMichael for the school single-season record.

Rachel Peel: The Meredith Softball team ended its season over the weekend with a four-game, non-conference road series. Pfeiffer swept the Avenging Angles 8-0 and 4-3. Meredith defeated Guilford 9-0 to end the season 28-17. Against the Quakers, former Orange catcher Rachel Peel went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and a double. In the first inning, Peel knocked in Alyssa Drake on an RBI fielder’s choice. In the next frame, Peel laced an RBI single to right, scoring Kelsey Mabe. In the 6th, Peel doubled to left field to bring in Drake and Mabe. In the 4-3 loss to Pfeiffer, Peel went 1-for-4 with a run scored. In 23 games this season, Peel hit .323 with 21 hits, five doubles and eleven RBI. Peel was named to the USA South Conference East Division first team, one of eight Avenging Angels honored.

Bryse Wilson: The 2016 Orange graduate got a no-decision on Saturday afternoon as the Florida Fire Frogs defeated the Lakeland Flying Tigers 7-5 at Osceola County Stadium. Wilson gave up four hits and four runs, only one earned, through four-and-two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking two. On April 15, Wilson earned his first win of the season against the Palm Beach Cardinals, throwing five shutout innings and yielding only one hit. Wilson struck out five and walked none. Through three games, Wilson is 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA with 15 strikeouts and three walks.

Mackenzie Cates: Lenoir-Rhyne Softball captured the South Atlantic Conference regular season championship outright on April 14 after sweeping a doubleheader from Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The Bears captured the nightcap 7-5 in eight innings. In that game, former Orange catcher Mackenzie Cates hit her team-record 12th home run of the season in the 7th inning. On Wednesday, Lenoir-Rhyne swept another doubleheader from Newberry, 11-0 and 6-3. In the opener, Cates hit a three-run homer. On Friday, King College ended Lenoir-Rhyne’s 16-game winning streak with a 2-1 defeat of the Bears. The Tornado went on to capture game two 4-3. Lenoir Rhyne will be the top seed in the South Atlantic Conference Softball Championship starting Saturday in Anderson, S.C. Cates leads Lenoir-Rhyne with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. She also hitting .347.

Jordan Toney: The former Orange pitcher has seen increased action for Division II UNC Pembroke recently. Toney started against Flagler on Saturday, throwing six-and-a-third innings, giving up six hits, three runs. He took a no decision as Pembroke won 5-3. On April 18th, Toney threw an inning of mop-up duty as Pembroke put away Coker 15-9. Toney struck out two while giving up one run and two hits. Against North Georgia in April 14th, Toney threw a season-high eight innings, giving up eight hits, four runs (two earned), while striking out two in a no decision. The Nighthawks defeated the Braves 5-4 in eleven innings. Toney took his third win of the season in an 8-4 win over Francis Marion. Toney tossed seven shutout innings, scattering six hits

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper ended the season over the weekend with Greensboro College. The Pride lost to Huntingdon 12-5 in the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament in Lagrange, GA on April 14. Tanner made eight saves in the loss. Tanner, a senior, 8-9 with a 9.12 Goals Against Average.

Cole Churchill: Churchill saw action as a defenseman for Randolph-Macon in the Yellow Jackets 25-4 win over Randolph on Saturday.

Bowen Collins: Lenoir-Rhyne capture the South Atlantic Conference regular season championship after beating Coker 15-7 on Saturday. Collins played in the game late for the Bears.

Zach Wright: The former Orange attacker fired two shots as Mars Hill defeated Newberry 10-9 on Saturday. It was the Lions 2nd win of the season.

With no hesitation, Dean Dease can remember in 1992 when 2nd baseman Craig Swainey hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning to tie a 4A state playoff game against Anson County. Or the little signs of leadership that Larry McDonald showed towards his teammates that let Dease know that 2008 would be no ordinary year. It would be a state championship one.

Now, McDonald is a personal assistant to Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher after previously serving on Kevin Sumlin’s staff for six years.

On Tuesday, 34 years after joining Orange High as a junior varsity baseball coach at football assistant, Dease will go for his 500th head coaching victory when Orange travels to Southern Durham.

On Friday, Orange secured Dease’s 499th career win with a 6-3 win over Chapel Hill. Junior reliever Luke Riley threw two-and-a-third shutout innings for his first varsity win. Third baseman Caige Clayton took over pitching duties in the 7th with the bases loaded after Riley gave up two walks and hit a batter. Clayton struck out Marlowe Iorio and Tyler Tachman. Jack Olcott flew out to centerfielder Jaydin Poteat for the final out. Clayton, who had never pitched an inning of varsity baseball before this season, earned his second save in as many weeks.

Slaughter drove in four runs for Orange. In the 1st inning, Slaughter bounced a RBI single up the middle to score shortstop Joey Berini, who doubled in the previous at-bat. After Chapel Hill’s Drew Govert led off the 2nd with a homer to tie the game, Slaughter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Colin Guentensberger and give Orange a 2-1 lead.

Orange is now tied with Northwood for 4th in the Big 8 Conference with an 6-4 conference mark with four games remaining. The Panthers, 8-10 overall, ends the regular season next week against Northern Durham.

Orange ended Chapel Hill’s 10-game winning streak. The Tigers are 8-2 and remain in first place in the Big 8 by one game over Cedar Ridge and East Chapel Hill. Entering Friday, CHHS had won three in a row against the Panthers.

Though Dease’s name is synonymous with baseball across Hillsborough, what brought him to Orange High was his first love: football. He played club football at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a linebacker, traveling by bus each weekend to face teams at Appalachian State, Richmond, N.C. State and elsewhere.

In 1984, Dease was hired by principal Dr. Stephen Halkiotis to become a history teacher, defensive coordinator for the football team and an assistant to head baseball coach Gary Maske.

Halkiotis’ encouraging final words to Dease after hiring him: “Don’t screw it up, boy.”

34 years later, he hasn’t. Counting Clayton and Slaughter, 55 players who have played under Dease have gone to play college or professional baseball. Since 1988, Orange has captured one state championship, one regional championship, 12 conference championships, made 19 appearances in the state playoffs with an overall record of 499-253.

On Friday night, Orange will host Southern Durham. The game will include a reunion of the 2008 2A State Championship team, which swept East Rutherford for the title. Anyone who has played for Coach Dease is asked to attend Friday’s game.

The Orange baseball team took a giant step toward a birth in the 3A state playoffs on Friday night with a 6-3 win over Chapel Hill. Senior 2nd baseman Jason Slaughter had 4 RBIs, including a two-run single in the 4th that put Orange ahead for good. Junior pitcher Luke Riley threw two-and-a-third scoreless innings for his first varsity win. Orange ended Chapel Hill’s ten-game winning streak. The Panthers also gave Coach Dean Dease career victory #499. Orange is scheduled to play at Southern Durham on Tuesday. 

Two years of being a quality utility player has paid off for Orange senior Caige Clayton, who signed with Division II Barton College last week. This season, Clayton leads Orange with 18 RBIs. He’s second on the team with a .361 average. In addition to playing 3rd base, Clayton is also a relief pitcher for the Panthers. He earned the first save of his career last week in Orange’s 4-3 win over defending Big 8 Champion Northwood. In 2017, Clayton joined the varsity team and hit .224 with two homes runs, 17 RBIs and five doubles. Clayton was a starter on an Orange team that went to the 3rd round of the 3A state playoffs.