Charlotte catchers are friends and competitors

It’s no surprise the Charlotte baseball started the 2012 season with high expectations. Head coach Loren Hibbs returns his entire starting staff from a 2011 team that finished 43-16. Almost equally as important as the guys that take the mound are the ones sitting behind the plate and Hibbs has two really good ones in Ross Steedley and Miguel Rodriguez.

Catcher Ross Steedley hit his first home run of the season in a 10-0 win over Saint Peter's Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Chris Crews)

Steedley, a graduate student from East Rowan High School, is coming off his healthiest season ever after playing in 44 games and recording a .342 batting average that earned him All-Atlantic 10 First-Team honors.

Steedley has battled two knee surgeries and a major shoulder surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2009 season and all but the last few weeks of the 2010 season. Hibbs said that he and his coaches thought he might never play baseball again.

“It wasn’t anything I really did,” Steedley explained. “It was just bad luck.”

Steedley used those missed seasons as learning experiences and chances to become a better player.

“It taught me a lot. It made me work hard,” Steedley said. “I think it put a fire in me to want to prove that I could come back and play and prove to myself that I still got it.”

In Steedley’s absence Miguel Rodriguez filled the role as the 49ers starting catcher. A third baseman by trade, Rodriguez didn’t play catcher until his senior year at Cape Coral High School in Florida.

“My freshman year at Charlotte I still had to develop a lot,” Rodriguez said about becoming a college level catcher. “I thought I was ready but I wasn’t even close.”

Catcher Miguel Rodriguez went 2-3 with two RBI's in a 5-2 win over Saint Peter's on Saturday. (Photo by Chris Crews)

Rodriguez played 17 and 37 games in sophomore and junior season respectively. Now as a senior he plays several different roles on this team. Rodriguez is the back-up catcher behind Steedley but is expected to see time at other positions as needed to take advantage of his bat.

“I’ll play anywhere as long as I can be in that line-up,” Rodriguez said. “As long as we win that’s all that matters.”

Rodriguez knows that being as versatile as possible is what’s best for the team and himself.

“There’s only one catcher and we all want to be in the line-up every single day,” Rodriguez said.

Despite playing the same position and battling for playing time, Steedley and Rodriguez are among the closest players are the team.

Rodriguez stresses that they may be friends but are highly competitive on the field during scrimmages and practices.

“On the field we’re competitive but I never wish anything bad upon him,” Rodriguez said. “If he throws someone out I’m going to throw someone out. If he backpicks I’m going to backpick,”

The friendly competition has already begun during the opening weekend of the 2012 season.

In the first game of a doubleheader against Saint Peter’s on Feb. 18, Steedley blasted his first home run of 2012. Not to be outdone, Rodriguez got the start in the night cap and went two-for-three with two runs batted in.

It’s clear that both Steedley and Rodriguez want success for each other and for this year’s Niners baseball team, regardless of who’s calling the pitches from behind the plate.

“Miguel and I are best friends and road roommates,” Steedley said. “We push each other more than we would ever cheer against each other.”