Asheboro grad gives thumbs-up to season with Copperheads
ASHEBORO — A summer of baseball in his hometown was just the right thing for Trevor Marsh.
Marsh, an Asheboro High School graduate, took advantage of his role with the Asheboro Copperheads. He said it was well worth his time.
“It was more than I expected. I didn’t think the experience was going to be as good as it was,” Marsh said.
He was a make-up of sorts from last summer, when he was slated to play for the Copperheads before the 2020 season was scrapped because of the pandemic.
The Coastal Plain League turned out to be an ideal fit, he said, though he previously heard both pros and cons about the circuit from other college players.
He became like a hometown ambassador following his first full season for UNC Wilmington.
“They would always talk to me at the field – where’s a good place to eat or where’s a place to go hang out?” he said of teammates.
For Marsh, an outfielder who hit .289 in 34 games with four home runs and a team-best two triples to go with three stolen bases in five attempts, the opportunity to pick up pointers from college players from other teams was something he benefited from.
“Learned what works for them,” he said. “What they do that helps them. It was beneficial.”
Marsh said his goals included dealing better with offspeed pitches, improved hitting vs. left-handed pitchers and an uptick in stolen bases. Other than the base running, he said he accomplished the other two.
The Copperheads (23-21) missed the CPL playoffs, but Marsh provided a boost for the team, head coach Jeremy Knight said.
“He’s every bit as advertised,” Knight said, praising the player’s leadership as well. “Guys tend to follow his lead.”
Marsh started 12 of 15 games in the abbreviated 2020 season for UNCW. This past college season, he was slotted as a designated hitter much of the time while also playing in the outfield.
Marsh batted .259 for the Seahawks, starting in more than half of the team’s 54 games as a redshirt freshman. He hit three home runs.
Across the final 11 games, he checked in at a .333 clip. In mid-May, he was dubbed the Player of the Week for the Colonial Athletic Association.
“Toward the end of the year, I was kind of hot and a guy they depended on,” he said.
It was what he described as a heartbreaking finish for the Seahawks (32-22). They lost the final two games of the CAA Tournament – both in 10 innings to Northeastern — on their home field, needing to win just one of those to reach the NCAA regionals.
Marsh, previously a key member of Randolph County Post 45’s American Legion powerhouse teams, has spent many nights at McCrary Park. He said he’s most comfortable as a center fielder.
He said he thinks his college coaches will be pleased with what he accomplished the past couple of months.
“What they wanted me to do this summer, I did,” Marsh said. “It’s a grind, (up to) 46 games in two months.”
Marsh, previously a key member of Randolph County Post 45’s American Legion powerhouse teams, has spent many nights at McCrary Park. He said he’s most comfortable as a center fielder.
He said the Copperheads staff should be commended for handling a complex roster and making the season beneficial.
“They made it work and made it fun,” Marsh said.
Marsh, 20, has been working this summer for the City of Asheboro in water maintenance. He said his main responsibility has been painting fire hydrants. “That holds me accountable,” he said.
So it was a well-rounded time back in his hometown.
“When I came here, I was glad to be with my family,” he said.
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