Those ole Dirtbags
Quincy Latimore and C.J. Beatty have had a big week for the Wild Things.
Last Saturday, both Latimore and Beatty hit two solo home runs in a win over Normal. The next day, each hit a three-run homer, including a walkoff job by Latimore, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Frontier League Greys.
Last night in a win over the Joliet Slammers, Beatty went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Latimore was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
It has been like old times for Latimore and Beatty. Just like when they played for the Dirtbags, an AAU team based out of North Carolina. Beatty is from Winston-Salem, N.C., and Latimore is from Apex, N.C., a suburb of Raleigh.
The duo played together as 16- and 17-year-olds and were part of a talented Dirtbags roster that included current major leaguers Dustin Ackley (Seattle second baseman), Kyle Seager (Seattle third baseman) and Chris Archer (Tampa Bay pitcher), among other current professional players. Latimore played center field and Beatty played right field.
The Dirtbags traveled the showcase circuit in the southern states. Latimore said that many of the colleges in the ACC and SEC hosted weekend showcase tournaments that attracted the top summer teams. Those tournaments would lead up to the World Wood Bat Championships in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall. And the Dirtbags were a dominant but hard-luck team.
"We basically won everything there was to win but the big one, which was the tournament in Jupiter," Beatty explained. "We finished second there. We smashed everyone in every other tournament. Those teams that the Dirtbags had were like all-star teams."
Beatty said he is enjoying being reunited with Latimore, a former 4th round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates who joined the Wild Things recently after three seasons in Class AA.
"I'm loving it. I told Quincy that we needed another sparkplug in the lineup," Beatty said. "It's like we're back on the same page as when we played AAU ball.
"Sometimes it feels like we're playing a game of H-O-R-S-E out there. He hits a home run or does something and I have to match it or do a little bit better. I was always the tablesetter, though, and he was one who ended the game with a statement."
Last Saturday, both Latimore and Beatty hit two solo home runs in a win over Normal. The next day, each hit a three-run homer, including a walkoff job by Latimore, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Frontier League Greys.
Last night in a win over the Joliet Slammers, Beatty went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Latimore was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
It has been like old times for Latimore and Beatty. Just like when they played for the Dirtbags, an AAU team based out of North Carolina. Beatty is from Winston-Salem, N.C., and Latimore is from Apex, N.C., a suburb of Raleigh.
The duo played together as 16- and 17-year-olds and were part of a talented Dirtbags roster that included current major leaguers Dustin Ackley (Seattle second baseman), Kyle Seager (Seattle third baseman) and Chris Archer (Tampa Bay pitcher), among other current professional players. Latimore played center field and Beatty played right field.
The Dirtbags traveled the showcase circuit in the southern states. Latimore said that many of the colleges in the ACC and SEC hosted weekend showcase tournaments that attracted the top summer teams. Those tournaments would lead up to the World Wood Bat Championships in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall. And the Dirtbags were a dominant but hard-luck team.
"We basically won everything there was to win but the big one, which was the tournament in Jupiter," Beatty explained. "We finished second there. We smashed everyone in every other tournament. Those teams that the Dirtbags had were like all-star teams."
Beatty said he is enjoying being reunited with Latimore, a former 4th round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates who joined the Wild Things recently after three seasons in Class AA.
"I'm loving it. I told Quincy that we needed another sparkplug in the lineup," Beatty said. "It's like we're back on the same page as when we played AAU ball.
"Sometimes it feels like we're playing a game of H-O-R-S-E out there. He hits a home run or does something and I have to match it or do a little bit better. I was always the tablesetter, though, and he was one who ended the game with a statement."
posted by Chris Dugan at
12:09 PM
1 Comments:
(sound of crickets) Chris you need to shut this blog down. It is a waste of your time. Nobody reads this thing because nobody cares about this team anymore. Ownership has ruined it. West Virginia here they come.
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