Orange High School

Jaydin Poteat’s final plate appearance at Orange High Field was befitting of his entire high school career. He was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning against Northern Durham. Poteat stole second, took third after Joey Berini was also hit by a pitch and scored off an infield single by Dayne Watkins. It was the 63rd run of Poteat’s career and helped the Panthers defeat the Knights 9-4 to improve to 11-10. Orange now has sole possession of 3rd place in the Big 8 with a 9-4 record.

Orange Senior CF Jaydin Poteat Discusses Scoring a Run in his Final Plate Appearance at Orange High

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Sometimes, baseball can become a sudden sport. On Tuesday night, Orange starting pitcher Will White was struck on the right foot by a line drive. He left the game an inning later. On short notice, Kaymin Matsko entered the game. Matsko, a senior, threw 4-and-one-third scoreless innings. Behind Matsko’s arm, Orange rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat Northern Durham 9-4 to take over sole possession of third place in the Big 8. It was Matsko’s third win of his varsity career. Even though Matsko is a middle reliever, Tuesday night’s game wasn’t his longest outing. Last month against Wake County HomeSchools, Matsko threw six innings of relief.

Orange Senior Kaymin Matsko Talks Getting a Win on Senior Night

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On a night where four seniors played their final games on the Orange softball field, it was a junior and a sophomore who ensured the Lady Panthers would return to the postseason.

Junior 3rd baseman Olivia Ruff went 4-for-4 with a double and a home run, while sophomore pitcher Jaden Hurdle hit her 3rd homer of the season to push Orange past Northern Durham 14-4 on Tuesday night at Panther Softball Field.

The win ensures Orange will finish at least 4th in the Big 8 Conference, which will put them in the state playoffs, which begin on Tuesday.

After a rocky start where Northern scored four runs in the first inning, Hurdle finished the game throwing four shutout innings to improve to 6-6 in the circle.

The Knights stormed out to a 4-0 lead, but Orange scored 14 consecutive runs to improve to 10-8 overall, 8-5 in the Big 8.

Orange started the comeback with five runs in the 1st, starting with Hurdle singling to centerfield. Hurdle rounded the bases without a hit, taking second on a passed ball, stealing third and scoring on another passed ball. After Hayley Funk and senior Alysann Lloyd each walked, Funk scored off another wild pitch. Freshman Emma Puckett double to right to bring in Lloyd. Ruff’s first hit of the game plated Puckett to tie the game 404. Senior Olivia Latta-Harshaw reached on an infield single that went off the glove of Northern pitcher McKenzie McCullen, scoring Ruff and putting Orange ahead 5-4.

Orange struck for eight runs in the fourth. Hurdle led off the inning with a double to centerfield. After a bunt single by Funk, Lloyd reached on an error to score Hurdle. Alisha Pettiford knocked in Funk off a hard ground ball to the shortstop. Ruff swatted a three-home homer to left field, increasing Orange’s lead to 10-4.

Sophomore Rachel Tilley started another offensive wave with a single to center. Senior Alyssa Heilman walked, leading to Hurdle’s three-run homer.

The Lady Panthers ensured a slaughter rule win with a run in the fifth. Ruff hit a two-out double to right field,  and Tilley singled her in to end the game.

Orange is now tied with Northern Durham for 3rd place in the conference. The two teams will meet again on Thursday night at 6 to conclude the regular season.

The state playoffs begin on Tuesday.

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 SS Joey Berini Discusses a Big Night vs. Southern Durham

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 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.

When Tyson Wolter graduates from Orange in June, he will leave behind a rich athletic history. He is the all-time saves leader in Orange lacrosse history. On Thursday night, he was in net as the Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 6-5 at Culton-Pearman Stadium, Orange’s first-ever win at CHHS. Now with an 8-6 record, Orange appears set to make the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Hours before the win at Chapel Hill, Wolter officially signed his letter of intent to play college lacrosse at Division IIII Pfeiffer University On top of that, Wolter played football at Orange as an interior lineman. Plus, Wolter wrestled as a sophomore. When he hasn’t been on the lacrosse field, Wolter has learned to play a wide array of songs on guitar from his favorite progressive metal bands on guitar, including Tool, Mastodon, Dream Theater and Electric Wizard. 

Orange Panther of the Week: Goalkeeper Tyson Wolter, who commits to Pfeiffer University

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A year removed from winning the 3A state championship, the Orange softball team finds itself in a battle just to make the state playoffs.

With four games remaining in Big 8 Conference play, Orange is tied with Northwood for 4th place with a 5-5 league record. The top four teams in the Big 8 automatically earn a state playoff birth.

Northern Durham is in 3rd place at 6-3. The Knights and the Lady Panthers start a two-game series on next Tuesday. In addition, Northern is slated to make up a rained-out game with 2nd place East Chapel Hill Thursday.

Northwood starts a crucial series with East Chapel Hill on Wednesday at Wildcat Field. East travels to Pittsboro on Friday. After dropping both games to Northern Durham last week, the Chargers finish the season next week against Hillside.

64 teams will make the 3A state softball tournament. There are spots for wildcard teams that finish in 5th place in their respective conferences, based on their overall win-loss records. The regular season ends on May 3rd.

The falloff from winning a state championship isn’t surprising for an Orange team that has been scrambling to make up for losses both planned and unexpected.

From the time that Orange swept the 3A State Championship series from Piedmont last June at N.C. State’s Dail Field, the Lady Panthers fans and players knew what odds they faced in 2018. They understood the entire starting battery would be gone, and it was a battery that came along very rarely.

Catcher Mia Davidson, the 2017 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, now leads the Southeastern Conference in three categories as a freshman at Mississippi State. Pitcher Christina Givens went 22-3 with a 1.36 ERA in 22 starts in 2017. Another senior, Abby Hamlett, voluntarily moved to shortstop at the request of Coach Eddie Davidson to accommodate freshman Grace Andrews at 2nd base. Hamlett responded by hitting  a team-best .489 with 43 hits (also a team-high) and 22 RBIs, second only to you-know-who’s 39.

What wasn’t anticipated was Eddie Davidson’s departure just days before the season-opener against Eastern Alamance. Davidson moved to Washington, D.C. when he received a promotion with the National Letter Carriers’ Association, leaving assistant Henry Horn as the interim coach.

Now, Orange has a team with only four seniors on the roster with a 7-7 overall record going into a nonconference game at Eastern Guilford on Wednesday.

Last week, Orange swept Chapel Hill in a two-game series, winning 18-3 on Friday. Andrews went 3-for-3 with 5 RBI, while 1st baseman Jaden Hurdle went 2-for-3 with a double. Senior Olivia Latta-Harshaw went 2-for-2 with a double and 3 RBI.

On Tuesday, senior centerfielder Alysann Lloyd went 4-for-4 with 7 RBI as Orange defeated Chapel Hill 28-1. Sophomore Rachel Tilley hit a two-run homer to centerfield.

Hurdle, who has started eleven games as pitcher, is the leading hitter on the team with a .432 average. She also leads the team with 19 hits. Freshman Emma Puckett is hitting .415 with 13 RBIs. Junior Alisha Pettiford, playing 1st base in Hurdle’s absence, is hitting .343 and leads the team with 16 RBIs and two home runs.

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.