World Series Pitchers with Roots in North Carolina

Students and staff at South Caldwell High School were decked out in San Francisco Giants colors on Tuesday in support of a favorite son who will be on the mound in game 1 of the World Series.

Madison Bumgarner graduated from South Caldwell in 2007 and immediately went pro. “He is a very special person,” said his former High School Coach Jeff Parham. Bumgarner led the Spartan baseball team to the state championship in his final year there and since then has won two World Series rings with San Francisco.

In the off-season, he lives on a farm near Lenoir.

As students cheered for Bumgarner in Caldwell County on Tuesday, in McDowell County, the cheers were for Greg Holland. He graduated from McDowell High School in 2004. After a stint at Western Carolina University, he went to the pros as well. He became an All-Star and is now the closer for the American League Champion Kansas City Royals.

“He worked very hard to get where he is now,” said his former high school JV coach Alex Smith. Smith stays in contact with Holland, who lives in Asheville in the off-season, and says he is down to earth and has not forgotten where he came from.

Coaches from both McDowell and South Caldwell say their former players always wanted to be in the “Big” games. They never competed against each other in high school, but might do it tonight on the biggest baseball stage of them all. Bumgarner is slated as the game 1 starter for the Giants and Holland is the closer for the Royals and could very well be used

if Kansas City is ahead or the game is tight moving into the 9th inning.

No matter who wins, officials from both schools say students are the winners, learning that dreams can come true through perseverance and hard work.

Originally Posted Here

 

North Carolina School Boards AssociationWorld Series Pitchers with Roots in North Carolina