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In Carson Whisenhunt’s college baseball debut in 2020 at East Carolina, he did not record an out in the relief appearance, giving up a double, a walk, throwing a wild pitch and allowing three runs.

So his only action in the coronavirus-shortened season was unmemorable.

The second-year freshman lefthander from Mocksville made his first collegiate mound start on Feb. 21 against visiting Rhode Island. He pitched four innings, gave up three hits, walked one, struck out 10 and left with a 3-2 lead. The Rams hit .188 against the 6-3, 215-pounder.

Now that’s awesome.

“It feels great,” Whisenhunt said after the 12-4 win that completed a three-game sweep to begin the 2021 season. “I put in a lot of work, and I know what I can do. I just have to continue to work hard and keep filling up the zone.”

ECU coach Cliff Godwin had Whisenhunt on an 80-pitch limit and pulled him after the fourth at 74. Seven of his 10 Ks were swinging as he became the first ECU freshman since Jake Agnos in 2017 to record double-figure strikeouts in a game.

The next day, Whisenhunt earned a national honor – one of college baseball’s National Players of the Week. Godwin raved about his potential.

“Everybody knows how talented he is, but Carson has worked harder this year,” he said. “It’s amazing when you put in work in back-to-back-to-back days and you’re talented like he is, then the sky’s the limit. I mean, if Carson keeps doing what he’s done to this point … He’s just scratching the surface on how good he can be. He’s got a chance to be special, but he knows he’s got to go back to work tomorrow. If he rests on this, Georgia Southern will probably give him some humble pie.”

Walker Now A Giant

Jeremy Walker of Advance was waived by the Atlanta Braves in early February and signed by the San Francisco Giants on Feb. 24.

The 25-year-old right-hander had spent his entire career in the Atlanta system. A fifth-round pick in 2016, he was ranked by Fangraphs as the Braves’ No. 21 prospect a year ago.

But Walker did not play in 2020 because of shoulder concerns. In 2019, he was strong across three levels. In fact, his control was incredible in the minor leagues. In Double-A, he had a 2.45 ERA over 58.2 innings with 57 strikeouts against five walks. In Triple-A, he had a 3.97 ERA over 22.2 innings with 25 Ks and six walks. He was called up to Atlanta late in the season and responded with a 1.93 ERA over 9.1 innings. He had four walks and six Ks.

Muscadines Baseball

The Mocksville Muscadines of the Old North State League will play home games at Rich Park when the college baseball wood bat league begins in late May or early June.

“We’ll play 30-40 games, plus the playoffs,” coach Gary Davis said.

Davis is looking for host families. If you’re interested in hosting a player, call Davis (704-310-1747) or Alec Allred (336-465-6694) or visit the league website (oldnorthstateleague.com).

Davis is also looking for a few players to round out the roster. “We’ve got positions available if you’re looking for a place to play this summer,” he said.