Feature Stories from the 2019 West Virginia Power season

A Season Three Years in the Making

​Bryan Pall has waited three years to make his professional debut. After injuring himself during his final season at Michigan, the right-hander had to work tirelessly and patiently through more than two years of rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery after being drafted in 2017. However, he maneuvered his way through every obstacle and turned in one of the most outstanding campaigns in the Minor Leagues in 2019. Here’s how it happened.

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A player’s third year in the Minor Leagues is usually a pivotal one. They have had time to learn and adjust to the unique minutiae of being a professional baseball player. They have been given a grace period to show what raw talent they possess and how they can fine tune their abilities through precise instruction from coaches and coordinators. Essentially, they have been preparing for a presentation. As year three rolls around, it’s time to put up or shut up (or in baseball terms, be released).

More Than A Walk-Off Homer

During the Power’s homestand from April 22–28, West Virginia started off on a tear, sweeping the Columbia Fireflies in a three-game series before taking the opener against the Asheville Tourists Thursday night. On Friday, however, the Power’s offense was a bit more subdued, as despite two homers in the game, they were down, 3–2, in the ninth, with newcomer Dean Nevarez as their final hope. Everyone knows what happened afterwards, but what most people don’t know is how much that moment meant to so many people.

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A walk-off home run is one of most exciting plays in baseball. There’s no denying that. It’s a single moment of pure euphoria when you, as the batter, hear the ever-piercing CRACK as the cowhide explodes off the wooden barrel, destined for an elongated distance that is instantly being calculated down to the centimeter by MLBAM’s Trackman Software.

​Simply put, it’s awesome. Or at least, that’s how new Power catcher Dean Nevarez put it when speaking the next day about his magnificent 419-foot bomb in Friday’s 4–3 walk-off win over Asheville. He called it the single coolest thing he’s ever done on a baseball field. And while that may be true, it’s also one of the most rewarding experiences that he, and the West Virginia Power, have ever seen play out in a single day.

Feature Stories from the 2018 West Virginia Power season

Unsigned, Undrafted, Unrelenting

For his entire career, Evan Piechota has been passed by. From college to the MLB draft, he did not attract much attention from any major program or professional team. Despite the lack of recognition, Piechota continued his quest to become a professional baseball player, and his determination is paying off.

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When most fans see a player in an independent league, they write them off as a nobody. Someone who is just trying to keep their dreams alive of making it to the bigs, but probably is not good enough to warrant even a look from an affiliated team. Sometimes, those assumptions are right, but, in other cases, independent ball guys can be the diamond in the rough that completes a franchise later on down the road.

​Meet Evan Piechota, who has been the epitome of the latter since joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2016 after beginning his professional career with the independent Utica Unicorns.

Seven Runs, One Inning, History

​A little more than a month ago, the Power staged an incredible comeback against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. Down to their final strike, West Virginia never gave in, totaling seven runs in the ninth to stun the Crawdads, 15–11, in what ended up being the rubber match of the series. What follows is a re-telling of that monumental frame, with excerpts from the players, team staff and fans who were there on that fateful night.
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It was just like any other April Saturday night in Hickory, North Carolina. The Crawdads were in the midst of their opening homestand against the West Virginia Power, having split the first two games of the series. Both starters had been battered and removed from the contest after four innings, but Hickory’s offense had broken through against the normally sound West Virginia bullpen and held an 11–8 lead. Hope dwindled in the West Virginia dugout, as they saw a possible series victory slipping through their calloused fingertips. To this point, the Power had not claimed a series win in 2018, and for a team that had been stockpiled with expectations, questions were starting to surface.

Feature Stories from the 2017 Winston-Salem Dash season

The Thompson Trifecta: Baseball, Love and Medicine

Part two of my feature series on Dash right-hander Zach Thompson details the pitcher's rigorous schedule for this upcoming offseason, how it all came to be and when it's going to come to fruition.

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In the baseball offseason, most athletes take the time to rest their bodies and recharge their minds, enjoy some time off with their family and friends or go play instructional, fall or winter league ball as they continue to improve their craft. Dash right-hander Zach Thompson, however, has a different agenda for this fall.

​Most people know Thompson for his intimidating 6-7, 215-pound frame and a filthy knuckle-curve. However, there’s a lot more to the Winston-Salem hurler than meets the eye.

Lechich finding his groove on the mound

My story on Dash reliever Louie Lechich reveals how this left-handed specialist made one of the most arduous tasks in baseball look easy.

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Louie Lechich's professional career has been a whirlwind for the last 10 months.

Up until June 16 of last season, Lechich was a consistent member of the Winston-Salem lineup. A career .238 hitter across 230 games in the minor leagues, the left-handed outfielder broke onto the High-A scene for the first time on Opening Day in 2016. Yet Lechich struggled, batting just .159 over 39 games and cracking the positive side of the “Mendoza Line” just once during his two and a half month stint in the Triad.

Living life to the fullest: The Story of Orin May

​Throughout the 2017 campaign, the Dash and Wake Forest Baptist Health/Brenner Children’s Hospital celebrated the life of a youngster through their Home Run for Life program. My feature on Orin May unveils his journey through strife and sickness, and how he beat all of it.

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Wake up. Get dressed. Take vitamins. Use his shaky vest for 30 minutes while giggling at Ben 10, his favorite TV show, or playing Sonic vs. Mario on his Wii.

Take deep breaths as his nebulizer forces him to cough and turns his voice into a Darth Vader copycat.

Swallow three enzyme pills. Eat breakfast. Head off to school.

​For Orin Toby May, a curious five-year-old with the energy of a lion and the happiness of a puppy dog chasing a tennis ball, this daily routine is nothing out of the ordinary.