If you want something done right you might as well do it yourself. That’s the approach that Rashad Talley took when it came to finding a school to extend his baseball career. The Albemarle senior had heard from former Orange County outfielder Evan Price that he should look into Chowan, a small school located in Murfeesboro, North Carolina.
“Over the summer at one of our American Legion tournaments I heard Evan Price talking about it,” Talley said. “I went online and liked what I saw. So I just emailed them and they invited me down for a workout.”
Talley went down to Murfeesboro in the middle of September and showcased his talent to Hawks coach Aaron Carroll. Chowan liked what they saw from Talley and offered him a spot on their roster. On Friday afternoon, the two made it official as Talley signed a letter of intent.
The Patriots senior has been one of Albemarle’s most versatile players over the past few years, swinging a heavy bat, playing solid defense in the outfield and also coming out of the bullpen to pitch. Talley played a key role in helping the Patriots advance to the Group AAA quarterfinals in 2008 as well as reaching the Northwest Region tournament this past spring.
During the summer, Talley did the same for his American Legion team, Albemarle Post 74, and was an integral part in helping the team reach the state championship before they fell to South Richmond Post 137.
“That state tournament prepared me a lot (to make the jump to college baseball),” Talley said. “We saw a lot of great pitching from that South Richmond team. That was uplifting and I’m looking forward to seeing that kind of pitching everyday in college.”
The plan is for Talley to start for the Hawks in centerfield and hit in the heart of the lineup.
“It’s really exciting,” Talley said. “I’m just ecstatic and can’t wait to get down there so I can go out and play.”
