9 Days until First Pitch - #9 Reece Strong

It's 9 days until the 2014 season's first pitch and the first three game home series against the Ohio Bobcats. 

#9 Reece Strong

Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Richlands, Va.
High School: Richlands HS
Height / Weight: 5-8 / 175
Position: INF
B/T: L/R



2013 (Freshman): Saw action in 12 games in his rookie season, all coming as a reserve with most of his action coming at second base ... Collected three singles in his eight official at bats to hit .375, drawing a walk and striking out twice ... Scored three runs on the season ... Tallied a pair of putouts and five fielding assists ... Made his collegiate debut at Davidson (March 9), pinch hitting for his older brother, Bradley, in the eighth inning ... Recorded a single to center field on the first pitch in his first collegiate plate appearance, later scoring his first career run in that inning ... Had two at bats at 13th-ranked Clemson (April 24); Summer League: Played in 40 games during the summer for the Kernersville Bulldogs of the Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League ... Ranked fourth on the team with a .310 (31-of-100) batting average, finishing with five doubles ... Scored 28 runs with 12 RBI ... Laid down four sacrifice bunts with one sacrifice fly ... Walked 25 times against 17 strikeouts ... Finished 9-for-10 in stolen bases ... Even made two appearances on the mound, tossing a combined three innings with two strikeouts while allowing a run on one hit.

Prior to Western Carolina: Played prep baseball for his father, Brad Strong, at Richlands HS ... Named to the West squad in the Virginia High School Coaches Association (VHSCA) All-Star game played at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Va. ... Collected two hits and drove in a run ... As a junior, hit .529 en route to earning second-time All-Group AA status. He was a first-team All-Southwest District and Region IV selection ... As a sophomore, earned first-team All Southwest District and second team All-Region IV honors at second base ... Played AAU baseball during the summer for the Canes Delmarva program ... Also played football as a prep, splitting time under center and handling kicker/punter duties ... Threw for over 2,000 yards as a senior while setting school records for the most points by a kicker and longest field goals in Richlands High history.

Personal: Is the son of Brad and Mary Ann Strong ... His older brother, Bradley, plays for the Catamounts. 

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations