Phillip O. Berry senior may choose college – or pros

At Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, students and teachers know the school’s standout baseball player as Marvin Legrant.

Away from school, when Legrant is playing for summer travel teams and representing his country on the USA Baseball 18U National Team, people know him by Xavier, his middle name.

Either way, baseball fans everywhere eventually may know Legrant’s name.

He’s committed to play for N.C. State next year, but he could get drafted high enough by a Major League Baseball team in the June First-Year Player Draft that he would begin his professional career this summer.

A senior shortstop, Legrant is just as proud of his team’s accomplishments as his own.

Berry is hardly known as a baseball school, but Legrant and his teammates have worked to change that perception over the course of his four seasons.

Entering a nonconference game at Mallard Creek on April 27, the Cardinals had an 8-9 overall record. Their 4-8 conference mark was good enough for fifth place in the SoMeck 8.

“We are having a tremendous season,” said Legrant. “Our team as a whole is growing. Our hitting, pitching, and baseball knowledge all have improved. We have guys who swung their first baseball bat when they stepped in to high school.”

Jamall Kinard, who became Berry’s head coach prior to Legrant’s freshman year, said he also feels the team has a chance to record its first winning record during his tenure and make the state playoffs for the second time in three years.

Legrant said he realizes he is more experienced than most of his teammates. He played his first baseball as a 6-year-old with the Steele Creek Athletic Association.

Legrant played on his first summer travel team a few years later and starred at Randolph Middle School. As a freshman at Berry, Legrant quickly became the starting shortstop, the cornerstone of the infield.

He hit his first high school home run in a game against Harding, one of the highlights in his first of three team-MVP and all-conference seasons.

“My expectations are high for myself, so I wanted to become an instant leader on this team and help them win as much as possible,” said Legrant. “I think I had a good freshman year. It’s hard coming out to varsity because you’re seeing a lot better pitching than you’re used to seeing. I held my own. I’m proud of what I did.”

It was the summer after his freshman year that Legrant spoke to his first college scout, a touch of reality for someone who has long aspired to play either in college or professionally.

The presence of college and pro scouts at Legrant’s games has increased since. Legrant verbally committed to N.C. State prior to his junior year. The Major League scouts began coming out in droves last summer.

Legrant was playing his first season with the Evoshield Canes when he was invited to play in the Tournament of Stars at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary last June – the first step in trying out for the USA Baseball 18U National Team.

Legrant was one of 40 players who made the cut and was invited to Houston for another round of trials. He was selected to the 20-man team that played exhibitions against Team Canada at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and in a pan-American tournament in Mexico.

In 12 games with Team USA, Legrant batted .344 in 32 at-bats and did not make an error in 30 fielding chances.

Now that he’s in his senior year at Berry and eligible for the MLB draft, Legrant said, he gets contacted by at least one pro scout before every Cardinals game. He doesn’t field all the calls; sometimes they come through his father or summer team coach.

“Mentally – I’m not going to lie – it is tough,” said Legrant. “Just to know these (scouts) are out here, there’s a lot of pressure. I like playing under pressure. I feel like going through this experience in high school is going to help me in college and pro ball.”

Legrant is trying to stay focused on Berry’s team goals as much as possible. With fellow seniors Raequan Washington, Gabriel Delgado, Devin Rankin, Trai Stewart and Kam Kendle, Legrant wants to be proud of the way he leaves Berry.

One of the team’s milestones this year was defeating Olympic High for the first time.

“It really felt good because they finally know how it feels to be a winner,” said Kinard. “Hopefully they’ll continue to strive for it. Winning brings responsibility.

“Xavier plays a big role in that. Players rally around him. If he’s having good day, the team follows behind. He leads, they follow.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Phillip O. Berry senior may choose college – or pros."