Staff report
Brant Graham has signed with Catawba College’s baseball program.
That’s no surprise. He verbally committed to the Indians, as his senior school year was starting.
The 6-foot-2 Graham has been a versatile athlete for the Falcons (football, basketball, baseball).
On the baseball field, he’s been able to handle a lot of positions and he’s hit for solid averages, but his strong right arm is going to be the key to his success at Catawba.
He was 6-1 with a 1.53 ERA as a high school junior and followed that up with a 6-1 record with a 0.77 ERA for the Rowan County American Legion team.
Coaches are excited to see what he can do when he focuses on baseball year-round.
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West Rowan senior Carter Durant has signed with Catawba. He’s also been committed to the Indians for several months.
While Durant does some pitching for West, it’s his bat that could make him an impact player for the Indians.
Durant (6-1, 190) was a varsity starter for the first time as a junior and had a tremendous season for the Falcons. He batted .474 with a .557 on-base percentage and 42 RBIs in 29 games.
A right-handed hitter, Durant, who kicked and punted for West Rowan football, followed up his high school season by batting .397 and driving in 47 runs in 40 American Legion games. He hits line drives and he can hit with people on base. He’s been smacking a lot of doubles, but he probably will provide more home-run power for the Falcons as a senior.
He’s been a solid second baseman for West, but he could wind up as a first baseman or DH for the Indians.
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Carson senior Kendal Sifford has signed with Catawba.
He had committed to the Indians in August.
Like Durant, Sifford was a breakout star as a junior. The right-handed pitcher was 9-3 for the Cougars with a 1.20 ERA. He was named South Piedmont Conference and Rowan County Pitcher of the Year.
Sifford followed his electrifying high school season with a strong American Legion summer, going 8-3 for Rowan County.
Sifford (6-3, 180) hasn’t turned 18 yet and coaches are confident he will continue to add muscle and velocity.
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Carson pitcher Maverick Walters signed with Charleston Southern.
He had committed earlier to the Buccaneers. Playing for the South Charlotte Panthers helped him get seen by a lot of schools.
Walters’ high school stats to this point aren’t as impressive as those of Graham and Sifford and he’s about the same size (6-2, 190), but he was recruited by D-I schools because he is a power left-hander who already has a quality changeup and curveball. Hard-throwing lefties are a coveted commodity by college coaches. His ceiling is high.
Walters pitched an incredible game against East Rowan late last season. No one doubts his stuff.
Assuming good health, Carson coach JC Alexander is going to be able to send Sifford and Walters to the mound for the South Piedmont Conference games, so even with the Ailshie brothers at East, and an amazing array of talent at West that includes UNC Wilmington signee Cole Blevins, the Cougars are expected to be a factor in the conference race.
Walters is a fine athlete. He plays basketball for Carson, and while his baseball future is definitely on the mound, he is a good high school outfielder/first baseman.
