CHOCOWINITY  — They arrived on the Southside varsity baseball team three years ago and since then the duo has powered the Seahawks to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in school history.
Equally dangerous, yet different in style, Terrill Moore and Blake Jones have been the backbone of Southside baseball and now the graduated seniors will look to take their game to the next level as both will have an opportunity to play college baseball net year.
Moore, who has starred on both the baseball and football teams, will head to Winston-Salem State University where the P/OF will be given redshirt status as freshman and a chance to walk-on the year after that, while Jones will play at the College of the Albemarle where he will both pitch and play shortstop.
“I’m extremely proud of both of these young men,” said Southside coach Jeff Carrow, who has also been with the varsity team for three seasons. “These two have been with me the longest and to see them grow the way that they have, and to see them go on and continue to play baseball makes me extremely proud.
“I can’t say enough about how much these men have contributed to the program, and not just in athletic ability, but in leadership as well. Both of them were extremely well rounded leaders for the team. I’m proud of the way they both have stepped up.”
Jones was a force at the top of the Southside lineup where the speedy leadoff hitter batted a team-high .416 and amazingly only struck out twice on the year. On the mound, Jones used a devastating curveball to compile a 3.46 ERA and fan 43 batters.
“I’m very happy to be going to the College of the Albemarle,” Jones said.
Carrow said he was thankful for the effort Jones gave as a member of the Seahawks baseball team.
“He’s meant a lot to the program. He came up from JV and immediately contributed to the varsity baseball team offensively and defensively,” Carrow said. “I’m thrilled that he has the opportunity to continue to play baseball because that is his passion. Blake’s kind of a quiet guy but his play speaks loudly on the field.”
Blake’s mother Lisa and father Tim were both overjoyed to see their son’s playing career continue.
“I’m extremely happy. This is all he’s ever wanted to do,” Lisa said. “He started playing since he was five and has been playing ever since. He’s dad has been his coach and the one who has really pushed him to do better when it came to baseball.”
While Jones has always wanted to play baseball on the college level, the same could not necessarily be said for Moore who was equally gifted on the gridiron as he was on the diamond. An extremely athletic quarterback, Moore has been a WDN All-Area first-teamer for the past three years but said he was swayed toward baseball after having a stellar senior season in which he batted .388 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
“I love football and baseball but this year I feel like I did better in baseball so that was a factor,” Moore said.
Carrow, who is the defensive coordinator on the Seahawks football team, said Moore could excel in either sport.
“My first year I definitely would have thought he would have went and did something in football,” Carrow said. “It didn’t work out that way but I’m just happy for Terrill to be able to go play college ball in one sport or the other. He’s got the potential to do either one but I’m glad he’s chosen baseball.”
Moore’s mother Demeka said she enjoyed watching her son play both sports but was happy that he chose to pursue baseball.
“I’m a proud mom,” Demeka said. “I prefer baseball, there’s less of a chance for him to get hurt.”
With blazing fast speed and a tremendously powerful bat, Moore was the main organ in the heart of the Seahawks’ order. On the mound, Moore used a dominant fastball to record a 1.82 ERA and ring up 80 batters.
“He was our overall MVP. He led us both offensively and defensively with his pitching,” Carrow said. “When he hits the ball he hits it hard. He was second behind Blake in batting average and his overall numbers where outstanding. When he got on base he was going steal. He has great speed and led the team in steals and home runs.”