ALL-AREA BASEBALL: Aycock's Davis named pitcher-of-the-year

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on June 26, 2016 1:47 AM

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By JUSTIN HAYES

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PIKEVILLE -- He grew up along a drag-bunted stretch of Highway 117 north, snug in the powder blue baseball culture his family scratched out of the dirt.  

His childhood, like many in Wayne County, was marked by hit-and-run courses of greasy game food and soft drinks. His Little League years were spent traveling and playing, playing and traveling, with names that now ring familiar.

McGee. Sanford. Kornegay. Matthews.

They had it easier, perhaps.

Because despite their prowess on the field, none just-so-happened to be the hatch of a North Carolina coaching legend. And that particular existence, while full of perks uncommon, isn't always a bundle of cotton candy and extra at-bats.

It can be burdensome. Chippy. Ripe with no excuses.

It can also be singular in tone, irksome and chafing in a 15-minutes-early-is-late kind of way.  

A skipper's command -- bark, bite and otherwise -- of his own brood always rings a bit louder than it does with other packhounds, it seems.

But to wit, it's something that Kyle Davis, who was selected by his peers as the 2016 News-Argus All-Area Pitcher-of-the-Year, always used to his distinct advantage.  

Any other approach would have run contrary to the cause.         

"We don't sugar coat anything around here," the elder Davis said with a laugh, "and (early on) he knew his innings would be limited. But I wanted him on varsity with me. I figured he would learn a lot."

And so it began for the son, a pipe-cleaner skinny sophomore who, like a lot of ball players in Pikeville, simply had to wait his turn.

Not without good reason.

In 2014, Davis was stuck behind rotation pillars Jacob and Timothy Naughton. Further, there was 10-game winner Bobby Hampton -- now of Appalachian State University -- who flossed opposing ball clubs that spring with a needle-diving 0.71 ERA (earned run average).

Sometimes, the bullpen of life is standing-room only.

So the youngster waited, soaked up knowledge about the perils on the cliff and took shifts when they arrived. In just a shade over 10 innings of work, Davis finished the year with a 5.42 ERA.

The following season was another banner-chasing run for Aycock, culminating with a loss in the state 3-A title series to western powerhouse Marvin Ridge.

Except this time, Davis got exposure to the elements.

In relief of Naughton, the sly righty made a composed showing in Doak Field's high-stakes pressure vat. And though his appearance was modest -- just 2⁄3 of an inning tossed -- it fueled his desire for a bigger turn on Pikeville's main stage.

And following a wholesale summer transformation, he earned it.

"At the end of last year (2015), Coach (Allen) Thomas and I worked out a plan," Davis explained, "stuff to eat, protein to drink, how many times I needed to do a certain exercise... to how much weight I should do with that number of exercises."

The list, which included an across-the-board matrix of physical demands and lifestyle tweaks -- helped prep Davis for his share of the Aycock workload.

Healthy protein increased his energy and engineered cleaner workout sessions. Improved hydration -- H2O, not high-fructose corn syrup -- aided his recovery sensibilities and promoted deeper, more impactful starts.

Throughout the overhaul, Davis focused on squats, increasing his standard workout weight from 225 pounds as a junior to over 315 as a senior. The process was lengthy and at times, painful -- but worth it.

Ultimately, it's how one goes from scant mail-room innings to a plush, corner-office partnership in the firm of Aycock and Sons. This spring, Davis managed 36 percent of the ball club's pitching detail, finishing the year 10-2 with an ERA of 1.90 -- all while maintaining a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.83/1.

His handy work got the attention of area schools as well.         

This fall, Pitt Community College will afford Davis an opportunity similar to the one he found in Pikeville -- a competitive environment populated with gamers and rich in tradition.

"In our talks, (PCC) Coach (Tommy) Eason has told me -- if I put the work in, I can play," Davis said, "so that's what we've been doing."

Like clockwork.

These days, he spends his time grinding through assorted protein shakes, extensive band work and low-rep, heavy weight sessions. Davis hopes those agenda details, coupled with a throwing regiment he knows cold, will render him more explosive by August.

The approach -- all business, all the time -- is one Davis trusts, but also one that runs contrary to a popular misconception about baseball in Pikeville.

Things don't just happen there by chance.

The good habits of Aycock's program don't grow on trees, its schedule isn't soft and its children aren't genetically predisposed to facing a full count. And no, there isn't a baseball-inspired element accounted for in the town's water table.

You get what you earn. Nothing more.

"Honestly, we keep things simple," Coach Davis said. "We focus on the fundamentals. That's it."

As one might expect, there are many parts of the program Kyle Davis will miss -- a locked-in band of brothers, a seemingly endless turn of uniforms, always jazzy, and the familiar face sitting on a bucket of tired fastballs at the dugout's open end.

And winning -- always winning.

"This program prepares you for college," Davis said. "And I'm ready... just need to get there and get a taste of what it's like."