Tar Heels Gain Experience in Summer Ball

A summer wooden-bat league in its fifth year of existence, the CPL gives college baseball players a chance to continue playing throughout the summer.

This season, the Tar Heels boasted nine of its own in the league, which has 11 teams throughout Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It is sanctioned by both the NCAA and Major League Baseball.

This summer, UNC's Jason King and Scott Manshack played for the CPL's Southern Division Asheboro Copperheads, while Ron Braun, Chase Younts and Scott Senatore were on the Wilmington Sharks' roster.

In the Northern Division, Tar Heels Sean Farrell, Whitley Benson, and Michael Gross played for the Edenton Steamers. Wes Moyer was the lone Tar Heel playing for the Outer Banks Daredevils.

Although they were suddenly in opposing dugouts, the Tar Heels still helped each other out like they would if they were playing at Boshamer Stadium.

"Sean (Farrell) is sort of my mentor," Moyer said. "He helped me out a lot in the cages with my swing this spring. And during the summer, he's asked about my progress."

Farrell, a two-year CPL veteran and 2000 CPL All-Star, had the opportunity to join fellow teammates Russ Adams, Jeremy Cleveland and Adam Greenberg in the prestigious Cape Cod League but opted to stay in the CPL.

He used the chance to share his experience with UNC's younger players.

"I'm very observant, so I kind of try to point things out," Farrell said. "I just try to help everybody along. But guys like Whitley and Michael are very mature and level-headed and can get the job done."

Farrell headed back to Chapel Hill when this year's CPL All-Star game came around.

He had been mired in a slump during before the break, and came back to school to work on his swing. He finished the year hitting .200 in 48 games with two home runs and 17 RBI.

While Farrell was busy fine-tuning with his offensive game, Moyer and Senatore starred in the All-Star game in Edenton. Senatore pitched well for the South, tossing two innings of no-hit, shutout ball.

But Moyer ended up the hero at the plate in the North's 1-0 victory. His eighth-inning double placed him in scoring position, and Moyer eventually crossed home plate for to give the North the winning run.

That run was just enough to garner the Outer Banks slugger the offensive player of the game award.

"I was just looking to make solid contact and get the barrel of the bat on the ball," Moyer said. "I still didn't do that, but I hit it hard enough."

Some of the remaining UNC players decided to use the All-Star break to work on their individual game, like Farrell.

Others did a decidedly different kind of work. Gross, a sophomore, detailed cars at a car dealership. He plans to return to Edenton next summer for a another stint with the Steamers.

And his host family would not have it any other way. NCAA rules state college athletes must stay with host families while playing in the league, and for Gross, it was a small family.

"I lived with an older lady, and she's great," Gross said. "We got along real well, and she said I could stay with her next year."

Farrell's said his experience made it difficult to go home.

"I had a great host family here, and this is one of the best baseball situations you can have," Farrell said. "It makes it really hard to go somewhere else because of how great people treat you here."

Benson was close enough to home during his stay in Edenton. His hometown of Plymouth is located just 30 minutes south of his summer team. In high school, he pitched at Historic Hicks Field against Edenton's John A. Holmes High School.

Benson elected to stay with a host family instead of his own in order to stay closer to the ballpark with which he remains familiar.

"I still got to go home once or twice a week and eat a home-cooked meal, so I was lucky," Benson said.

"But it is a lot of traveling after away games to drive the extra miles, and if you want to be part of the team, it is best to stay here."

Benson was able to rack up more time on the mound against college hitters but said winning and losing was not the focal point of his agenda while playing for the Steamers.

"Everyone's real relaxed, win or lose," he said. "You want to win, but if you lose, there isn't as much pressure to start winning as in the spring."

But Farrell is looking forward to the pressure of trying to help the Tar Heels win.

And as one of the Tar Heels' upperclassmen, he was able to scout his younger teammates. From his observations, Farrell sees only good things to come for North Carolina.

Gross said his ties to fellow Tar Heels have strengthened this summer, but he also managed to get make friends with other ACC players who played in the summer league.

"I know somebody from every team," Gross said. "It is pretty neat talking to guys like (N.C. State's) Joe Gaetti.

"But it is a great league with great competition and a good place to be."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.