Wednesday’s roundup: Former Ashbrook standout returns to Knights, prep basketball and soccer results, prep volleyball honor, national TV for Gardner-Webb and college men’s lacrosse ranking
By Richard Walker
Former Ashbrook High and Gastonia American Legion Post 23 star Wes Helms will return as Charlotte Knights, the parent club Chicago White Sox announced on Wednesday.
Helms, a 1994 Ashbrook High graduate, had been hired as Knights manager before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation of the 2020 season.
It’ll be Helms’ managerial debut.
A 10th round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1994, Helms spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors with the Braves (1998, 2000-02), Milwaukee Brewers (2003-05), Florida Marlins (2006, 2008-11) and Philadelphia Phillies (2007). A first baseman and third baseman, Helms hit .256 with 75 home runs and 374 RBIs in his 1,212 major league games. The 2016 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame inductee also has spent time as a major league coach in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization.
Members of Helms’ Charlotte coaching staff will be Matt Zaleski (pitching coach), Chris Johnson (hitting coach), Cory Barton (trainer) and Shawn Powell (performance coach).
High school volleyball
Cherryville’s All-Southern Piedmont 1A Conference setter Rileigh Kiser has been named N.C. Volleyball Coaches Association (NCVBCA) Class 1A all-state.
She is the first Cherryville volleyball player ever named to the all-state team.
College football
A pair of Cleveland County standouts signed college scholarships on Wednesday – Crest’s Timothy Ruff with Charleston Southern and Shelby’s Shayle Gash with Lenoir-Rhyne.
High school boys basketball
Maiden 67, North Lincoln 64
High school girls basketball
Lake Norman Charter 39, North Lincoln 35 (Tuesday): Ashlyn White’s 19 points led North Lincoln.
High school boys soccer
Thomas Jefferson 9, Bessemer City 1
Burns at Shelby: Moved to Feb. 19
Lincoln Charter 9, Cherryville 0
East Gaston 6, Chase 1
East Lincoln 4, Bandys 0: Jackson Thrap (2 goals), Blake Swanson (1 goal, 1 assist) and Helmut Rojas (1 goal, 1 assist) and Will White and Braxton Reeves combined for East Lincoln’s fourth straight goalkeeping shutout.
South Point 3, East Rutherford 2
College men’s basketball
National TV: Gardner-Webb’s Thursday night home game against Presbyterian will now be televised nationally by ESPNU. The game will start at 7 p.m.
College men’s lacrosse
Belmont Abbey’s lacrosse team has been ranked No. 3 in the nation in the 2021 Preseason Coaches Poll, the USILA announced today. The Crusaders return 44 players from a team that was 7-0 and ranked No. 4 last year when the coronavirus ended the season in March.
College men’s volleyball
Belmont Abbey 3, North Greenville 2 (28-26, 25-20, 22-25, 14-25, 16-14): Matteo Miselli tallied a career-high 17 kills and Brennan Davis added a double-double (37 assists, 12 digs) to lead Belmont Abbey to a win that improved it to 4-0 overall.