Ex-Viking Watkins heads up S. Granville baseball program

Curt Watkins

Former South Granville pitcher Curt Watkins will dig in to see what kind of traction he gets in the proverbial cleats of the guy who nurtured his game there.
Watkins replaces longtime Vikings skipper Kevin Ferrell, who stepped away this fall from a successful stint as South Granville baseball coach to become an assistant principal at Wake Forest’s Heritage High School.
Watkins has stayed close to South Granville’s baseball program since graduating in 1998 and pitching for a couple of years at Lenoir Community College in Kinston.
In 2006-07, Watkins was the head coach for South Granville’s jayvee baseball team, and a few years before that he helped out the varsity squad when lefty Matt Harrison — now with Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers — was  a Viking.
Last season, Watkins was South Granville’s pitching coach, working with stars like Matt Fuhr, now a promising freshman pitcher at William and Mary.
Now it’s Watkins’ team.
“I never thought it would happen this quick, just because of the kind of program this is,” Watkins said. “We’re well-known for baseball around here, and everybody knows it. Not a lot of people can step into a program like this.
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when Coach Ferrell left. He wanted me to have it. I kind of did it for him, and myself also.”
Watkins was an all-state pitcher for Ferrell.
“He knows the game,” Ferrell said. “He knows my style.
“He brings a youthful enthusiasm, too. He’s still a young guy.”
The 32-year-old Watkins is not a teacher at South Granville. He’s a route salesman in for the Maola Milk & Ice Cream Co. branch in Durham.
Watkins also owns an indoor hitting-and-pitching facility in Creedmoor where he offers baseball lessons.
South Granville lost in the second round of last season’s 2-A state playoffs after going 15-1 in the Carolina 12 Conference to claim the league championship.
Losing Fuhr’s big, durable arm was a blow to South Granville’s pitching staff, but the Vikings will be fine on the mound, Watkins said.
“I don’t have a flamethrower throwing 90, but we’ve got one left-hander that’s going to help us out this year,” Watkins said.
Watkins was referring to Jeromy McAlister, a junior from South Carolina who throws in the mid-80s.
South Granville last year leaned on four or five pitchers, but a committee of eight or nine guys will climb the hill during the next go around, Watkins said.
“We don’t have one big stud,” Watkins said. “They don’t throw hard, but they’re going to be consistently good.”
South Granville catcher Cord Michalina will be behind the plate for his senior year and likely will bat in the cleanup slot of an inexperienced lineup, Watkins said.
“We’re going to surprise some people this year,” Watkins said. “I’m a greedy guy. I like to take chances. I don’t like to sit back and wait for something to happen. I like to initiate the action. I’m always looking to get over on somebody.
“I always want to keep people guessing at what I’m going to do. I’m an aggressive kind of coach.”
South Granville’s players are versatile, and that’s going to help the Vikings, Watkins said.
“I might put somebody in the game that hasn’t pitched much. I like to throw wrinkles into things like that,” Watkins said.