Granite Falls High School - Boulder Yearbook (Granite Falls, NC)

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24a. Steve Simmons awaits the pitch against Lincolnton, hoping to connect tor a hit. 24b. The race to the bag - center rielder Mike Sims rifles a throw to third to nail a Lincolnton runner. Awaiting the ball is John Coffey. 25c. A cla.ssic portrait of concentration, Coach Deal, has over 20 years in the dugout. 25d. The 1 975 baseball team went into action last year with high hopes and virtually all of the previous year ' s manpower. Left to right: D. Hardee, R. Curtis, M. Thomas, D. Crawford, J. Coffey, M. Marshall, R. Bumgarner, S. Simmons, K. Schmertler, M. Sims, S. Storie, G. Thomas, M. Wilson, M. Swanson, D. Kirkpatrick, Coach Deal. Granite Opponent 10 Bunker Hill 1 1 6 Fred T. Foard 10 0 St. Stephens 10 8 Newton 11 3 Game well 6 10 Lincolnton 9 1 Maiden 2 1 Bandys 7 3 Fast Lincoln 6 2 West Lincoln 7 5 Bunker Hill 4 1 rVed r. Foard 0 0 St. Stephens 6 11 Newton 6 4 GameweO 5 8 Lenoir 1 3 Hihriten 5 3 Lenoir 1 5 Hibriten T 2 Hud son 16 =1 Caldwell County Tournament 25

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Caldwell Tournament Runner-up The Demon baseball team posed a formidable problem for conference opponents this season. They were constantly building a well of expe- rience as they had a consistent number of returning players. Al- though their record didn ' t reflect their caliber of play, due to the loss of various ball games with tight scoring, the Demon nine showed much talent and poise. In the hitting department, there were three players who exhibited a knack for getting wood on the ball. Donald Kirkpatrick, who excelled in every aspect of play, hit over .300, Mike Swanson, the scrappy and versatile second baseman, banged out a .260 average, and Greg Thomas, the established power hitter of the team, hit .239. The pitchers regularly held op- ponents to low hitting totals. Rick Curtis allowed an average of four hits per game with a 3.5 earned run average, while Greg Thomas hurled the ball over the plate for an aver- age eight strikeouts per game. The Demons ended the season in like fashion as they battled their way to a runner-up position in the Caldwell County Tournament. Thomas, the team ' s most valuable player, pitched a no-hitter against Lenoir in the first round of play.

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Varsity Cagers Are Youthful Powerhouse The Demons had their work cut out for them this season is one of the greatest understatements one could possibly make. After last year ' s superb per- formance - finishing second in the conference standings and knocking off undefeated Lincoln ton for the SD-7 championship — improvement was almost impossible. The team came out this year, though, set to attempt the impossible. Although they failed to surpass the previous record, the young team will be scrapping amongst the best of them in 1977. Granite Opponent 63 , Bunker Hill 55 Gamewell 47 64 Bandys 72 52 E. Lincoln 51 66 W. Lincoln 55 69 Maiden 47 62 F ' oard 74 55 Newton 70 66 St. Stephens Lincoln ton Bunker Hill Gamevv ' el! 1. Bandys E. Lincoln W. Lincoln Maiden Foard Newton St. Stephens Lincolnton 72 26