Anderson Rodriguez buses tables and works in the kitchen at a restaurant in the District. Ruben Castro does similar work at a University of Maryland dining hall. But now that it’s summer, the former High Point High School standouts can get back to playing baseball.
Castro and Rodriguez, who earned Gazette-Star All-County First-Team honors as seniors a year ago, haven’t strayed from the diamond, even though jobs have occupied their days since high school ended. They still are hopeful to play in college and are keeping their skills up with the county-based Black Barons’ 19-and-under squad this summer.
The two were the leaders of the Eagles’ 2007 team that placed second to Eleanor Roosevelt in the County 4A League. Castro, an outfielder, hit .458 and drove home 24 runs. Rodriguez was the ace, compiling a 2.12 earned run average and a strikeout nearly every inning.
Both have drawn interest from Garrett College, a National Junior College Athletic Association Division I program, and are still evaluating their options. Black Barons coach Stephen Moses said their skills haven’t tapered, even though they are largely on their own to train.
‘‘They’re doing it well. I just hope they keep doing what they’re doing,” Moses said. ‘‘Hat’s off to those guys. Everything they’re trying to get I hope they do get.”
‘‘I’ve got to be my own coach,” Castro said. ‘‘I just go on the field and work out by myself and do the stuff that I’ve got to do.”
Said Rodriguez: ‘‘I’m a hard worker and I keep playing ball. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Several of the Black Barons graduated high school this year and are bound for college programs. Jeremy Adams, the top pitcher for Class 4A South Region champion Roosevelt, will play for Alabama State University. Jayson Barnes (Friendly), Kenny Minor (Surrattsville) and Charlie Rymers (High Point) are headed to Salem International (W.Va.).
The Black Barons are playing a schedule largely of tournaments this summer to accommodate players’ weekday job obligations. One event, the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League Classic, could be key in getting unsigned players in front of potential college coaches.
The classic, scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 3 in Columbia, S.C., is a major exposure event for coaches at historically black colleges. It was there last year that Adams caught the attention of his future Alabama State coaches, said Ricky Adams, the Barons’ founder and Adams’ father.
In the Black Barons’ most recent tournament over the weekend, they went 2-1. Saturday, they knocked off the Mayo American Legion team, largely composed of Anne Arundel County players, and the P.G. Stars, largely composed of DeMatha High players.
Castro and Rodriguez each had two hits and former Roosevelt player Brian Whitmore was 2 for 2 with three runs batted in against the Stars. Parkdale graduate Aaron Saunders added a hit and an RBI.
‘‘All these kids just come put here and play,” Moses said. ‘‘I tell the kids, this is your summer you’re giving up, so I’m not going to come over here and impose. I just ask that they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
E-mail Kevin Hilgers at khilgers@gazette.net.
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