Watching Cal Raleigh win the final round of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on TV last week was a special kind of thrill for Steve Wilson, who works in Purchasing, Shipping and Receiving for Southwestern Community College.
It doesn’t seem like long ago that a much smaller version of Raleigh was stepping into the batter’s box for Jackson County’s Little League (ages 10-11) All-Star team, which Wilson coached back in 2007. That squad won North Carolina’s District 5 Championship and came up just short of winning the state title.
Even then, young Raleigh was already overachieving.
“He was small, but he also played above his age group so his skill was about the same as everybody else at the point,” recalled Wilson, who’s been at SCC for more than 30 years. “He was the only switch-hitter on the team and played about three positions in the field. My practice time was jam-packed with batting practice skills, and Cal had one of the most smooth swings on the team from both sides of the plate.”
These days, Raleigh is putting together a season to remember - potentially a historic one - as a member of the Seattle Mariners. He’s batting a career-best .256 and leads Major League Baseball with 38 home runs.
He’s on pace to eclipse the 60-homer mark, something only nine other men have ever done, and he was the first catcher ever to win the Home Run Derby.
All of Jackson County has been abuzz this summer about Raleigh’s dream season. He grew up in Cullowhee, where his father Todd was a longtime coach at Western Carolina University. Cal Raleigh graduated from Smoky Mountain High School in 2015.
While at Smoky, he even took a couple of dual-enrollment classes at Southwestern. His parents, Todd & Stephanie, still own and operate Print Shak in Sylva - and both have sports backgrounds in the county.
Todd led the Catamounts to a pair of NCAA tournament berths (2003 and 2007) and coached several future big leaguers.
Stephanie, like Cal and her other children, played for Jackson County Youth sports and was a standout, three-sport athlete (basketball, volleyball and track) at Sylva-Webster High School.
Scott Baker, SCC’s Vice President for Information Technology and a classmate of Stephanie (then Deitz), recalls how she was named Sylva-Webster’s “Most Athletic” female their senior year.
“She was always a great athlete in elementary school and high school,” Baker said. “I have no doubt the Deitz side of the family is where Cal and his brothers and sisters got some of their athletic prowess.”
Wilson and Baker have long been charter-members of the ever-expanding local fan base that’s following Cal Raleigh’s every swing.
“I’m glad he got where he is,” Wilson said. “I’m sure he’s the same as when he played on that Little League team: He eats, sleeps and drinks baseball.”
Although Raleigh’s the only member of that 2007 Jackson County all-star team to make the big leagues, Wilson said he is proud of all the boys on that team and the careers they’re now pursuing as grown men.
Meanwhile, Baker’s also been enjoying Raleigh’s long-ball heroics and the spotlight they’re shining on Jackson County.
“It is really exciting and something special to witness Cal's journey and professional baseball success,” Baker said. “Having someone like Cal from our hometown and community not only doing so well, but doing it with both humility and class is heartwarming. I could not be more proud of Cal and happy for all of his family with everything happening. Thank you for letting us share in your success."
