Roberson well-armed for title bid
By Robert Alfonso Jr., STAFF WRITER
Updated: May 26 at 01:32

ASHEVILLE - Bo Dickerson's last pitching performance in Raleigh left a bad taste in his mouth. This weekend at North Carolina State's Doak Field, the Roberson senior pitcher hopes to replace that sour taste with one much sweeter.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the Rams (25-1) will meet Fuquay-Varina (19-5) in the first game of a best-of-three series for the 3-A state championship. Roberson is ranked atop Baseball America's state rankings, while the Bengals are third.

Roberson lost its best-of-three state championship series last May to Wilson Fike. Dickerson suffered a 6-3 loss in the deciding game.

"It was really a mental thing," Dickerson said of the defeat. "I know I worked hard (during the year) to get back. I just have to overcome the mental aspect. As a team, we approach every game the same."

Since that heartbreaking loss, Dickerson has dedicated himself to helping the Rams win the 3-A crown. The vastly-improved left-hander said he is ready to revisit the field that ended Roberson's dream last year.

Before he throws, however, Rams coach Tom Smith will put his ace on the mound - senior left-hander Chris Narveson (11-0, 0.64 ERA), a Wake Forest signee who is expected to be selected in the first 10 rounds of next month's amateur draft.

Dickerson (10-1, 1.64 ERA), who is being courted by Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference schools, will start game two at 7. If a third game is necessary, junior Ryan Stewart will start Sunday at 5 p.m.

Several Roberson players agree that Dickerson has physically and mentally matured since last season. They also believe last year's loss may serve as the ultimate motivation for him.

"It would be really amazing for him to win the title," Narveson said. "He's gone through a lot to get back to that game."

"Based on what we did last year, it was just a set up for this year," senior outfielder Jarod Cheney said. "Last year we didn't finish the job."

Rising UNC Wilmington sophomores Matt Wright and Jacob Mullis were both members of last year's Roberson team. They think Dickerson will be up to the challenge in Raleigh.

"Bo left there disappointed (last year)," Wright said. "He knew he had a lot to work on. I know he wants to be out there."

Fuquay-Varina and Roberson mirror each other, according to Smith.

"Fuquay-Varina is a good hitting ball team and has an outstanding left handed pitcher," Smith said.

The pitcher is sophomore Will Hunt (11-2), who has more than 100 strikeouts this season. Narveson has 144.

Roberson's pitching is its strength, but the Rams are also formidable at the plate.

"We're swinging the bats as well as we can," Smith said. "We look for good things to happen."