Bears' baseball 'field general' to continue with the Titans

Following his commanding presence behind the plate the last couple of seasons for the Bears, Pisgah senior and catcher Boone Carver is heading to college to continue his academic and athletic careers.

"I'm ecstatic, man. It's just I'm grateful to have everybody around me. It's a blessing to be able to go play with my buddy," Carver said. "It's something I never expected I'd be able to do. I'm just lucky, and I'm so appreciative that I just got the chance to play."

That buddy he's talking about is senior Maddox Wright, who is joining Carver next season at Guilford Technical Community College to play with the Titans. The two signed together on Monday.

"It makes it a lot easier because I don't have to go out and make friends. I'm sure I will, but I can be comfortable. It's just a blessing," Carver said.

For the last few years at Pisgah, Carver has been a critical player for the Bears baseball team. The catcher has provided undoubted leadership behind the plate.

"Boone has been a very instrumental part. He leads by example. He leads with his presence. He is the epitome of what a catcher should be. A catcher should be the field general. He should be running everything from behind the plate. Boone does all of that," said Pisgah Coach Harold Shepard.

That leadership comes from years of experience. Carver has put in the work since he was a kid to make it to this point.

"The time and effort have paid off," said Billy Carver, Boone's father. "We've spent a long time doing this. He's made a lot of friends along the way, and he's been wanting to do this since he was 7 years old. It's come to fruition now, and we're looking forward to the next step."

Carver's experience has been critical, given the team has placed some younger players on the mound in recent years.

"He commands a presence when he walks on the field. I won't say he's going to be impossible to replace, but he's going to be a tough piece of the puzzle to lose," Shepard said.

The catcher described his recruiting process as "definitely interesting."

He had visited several schools, but nowhere was standing out for him.

"When I went to Guilford and talked to the coach, everything clicked. It kind of felt like home. I liked the area, I liked the ball, and I liked the coaching. It just felt right," Carver said.

The campus is only about three hours from Canton.

"That's honestly the best part about it. I never wanted to go 10 hours away from home, and I'm glad I can find somewhere that felt like home, and it's not too, too far away," Carver said.

And there's good reason he doesn't want to be too far from home. He said the last four years at Pisgah have been amazing.

"This year has been the most fun year of my entire life," Carver said. "I'm just trying to soak up the last five games of the regular season we've got left - trying to enjoy it, making memories with my teammates and best friends."

Being close to home also means he'll still have a cheering section at his games.

"I've already relayed the message to my boss that I'm not gonna miss a game," said Carver's father, Billy. "I may be unemployed, but I'll definitely watch a lot of baseball the next few years."

Boone Carver plans to study heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).

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