Effects from the Coronavirus that has swept through the globe over the last few months has ended seasons and potentially careers.
For two East Webster players, good news has come while they sit at home without a glove and a bat in their hands. Gray McCarter and Wes Silver both made commitments to continue their baseball careers in junior college on Wednesday afternoon as head coach Jordan Smith announced that McCarter will be playing ball at East Mississippi and Silver at East Central next season.
McCarter has been playing for the Wolverines since his freshman season and if the season is complete, he finished his career 8-1 with a 2.36 earned run average in 34 games and 86.0 innings. He had 88 strikeouts during that time.
While McCarter was a big part of things on the mound his first three seasons, this year he was going to be the team’s top hurler. He had thrown in six games out of nine in 2020 with 9.1 IP, five hits and two earned runs.
It was Smith’s first year as head coach but he’s been coaching McCarter his whole high school career now. He’s seen a player take major strides over the last three seasons.
“He came on during his sophomore year and ended up winning game one for us against East Union in the north half championship. Last year he made a name for himself as a starting pitcher and he was very dependable,” Smith said. “This year he was not only the ace of the staff but he brought leadership to our pitching staff with a bunch of young guys on it.”
For Silver, a long, productive career ended too soon. He had been in the lineup for the Wolverines since his sophomore year in 2018. He batted .450 over four years with 86 total hits, 70 RBIs, 29 doubles, eight home runs and four triples. He hit .495 as a sophomore, .508 as a junior and Smith had no doubt that his average was going to take off this season after his .296 start and three doubles in just eight games.
“He has been a dependable player for us. He provided stability,” Smith said of Silver. “If somebody was on base and the game was on the line, he was the guy. It was like Chipper Jones coming up to bat. Everybody had confidence in him that he was going to make it happen. I’ve never seen somebody do what he’s done as a hitter and he was going to do it again this year.”
Silver joins ECCC’s team where former Wolverine standout Walker Johnson is currently pitching as well as Eupora native Tanner Knight. It’s also where Smith played his college baseball. Silver can play either outfield or first base on the next level.
Smith is just excited for two of his seniors after they’ve likely lost their senior season. Getting the chance to play college ball is one thing, but this one meant a little more to the coach.
“It’s always special when a kid gets to play baseball beyond high school. That’s just a testament to their hard work and the compilation of years of work being on display,”Smith said. “When you have a situation that we’re in right now, it makes it special. Things aren’t looking good for the rest of the season so you’re just happy for the kids. You hate for a senior not to get an opportunity to get to finish their senior year.”
