RIVER BANDITS

Cale Bolton delivers a pitch during a Tarboro River Bandits game at Municipal Stadium. Photo by William S. Manley

Casey Karas runs up the first baseline during a Tarboro River Bandits game at Municipal Stadium. Photo by William S. Manley

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By John H. Walker

Late last year, when the weather was still cold, Wayne Turnage of LaGrange began talking with Tarboro town officials about the possibility of using venerable Memorial Stadium to serve as the home of a yet-to-beawarded franchise in the Carolina Virginia Collegiate League (CVCL).

After some discussion backand-forth, Tarboro officials liked what they heard and agreed to the deal.

Now, it was just up to the CVCL to award Turnage a franchise.

The league did and Turnage was up and running, operating the team through his Game Time Prospects youth baseball program.

After soliciting input from the community, Turnage picked the name “River Bandits” for the team and began putting his team together, starting with Brandon Matthews as head coach, and announcing two or three players at a time on the team’s Facebook page.

Trevon Smith slides into home during a Tarboro River Bandits game at Municipal Stadium. Photo by William S. Manley

While the roster has players from as diverse locations as western Washington to south Florida to the Midwest, it has a definite eastern North Carolina flavor, with 17 players within a two-hour drive of Municipal Stadium.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything was surrounded by question marks ... the least of which being would there even be a season.

In the end, the season was delayed, but allowed before limited crowds.

And despite limited attendance, the team has proven to be a crowd favorite.

More than once, Turnage opined that if attendance restrictions were to be lifted, “This old house would be rocking.”

While the roster has players from as diverse locations as western Washington to south Florida to the Midwest, it has a definite eastern North Carolina flavor, with 17 players within a two-hour drive of Municipal Stadium.

A couple — Caleb Whitley and Trey Jernigan — played on the Municipal turf before the season, as Whitley is a former Tarboro Viking and Jernigan played his youth ball in Tarboro.

Heading into the final two weeks of the season, the Bandits were in second place in the league as players got ready for the endof-season championship tournament, hosted by the River Bandits at Municipal Stadium and beginning July 29 and ending Aug. 1

Zach Whitacre takes a swing during a Tarboro River Bandits game at Municipal Stadium. Photo by William S. Manley

Jake Wolf pitches during a Tarboro River Bandits game at Municipal Stadium. Photo by William S. Manley