COACH'S GAME BALL: Wesley Helsabeck

Wes Helsabeck, junior start­ing pitcher, has been chosen by Head Baseball Coach Kevin Ritsche as this issue's "Game Ball" recipient.

Helsabeck is a local kid from Rural Hall and is in his first season at Winston- Salem State. He transferred to WSSU this past fall after spending the previous two years pitching for Surry Community College. Ritsche was impressed by how well Helsabeck pitched while at Surry and is thrilled to now have him as part of his team.

"His command of his pitches during his time at Surry was impressive, and he's expected to have the same control again this spring," Ritsche said.

Ritsche has good reason to be excited about his new pitcher. In his sophomore season at SCC, Helsabeck pitched 84 innings, struck out 73 batters and finished the year with a very respectable 2.73 ERA. His performance resulted in him being named pitcher of the year at SCC and earned him a spot on the All- Conference team.

He's carried that success with him to WSSU and has pitched extremely well to this point in the season. He's appeared in two games, both starts. His record is currently 1-1, and he's boasting an out­standing 1.50 ERA. Opposing batters have been having trouble even putting the ball in play against Helsabeck. He leads the Rams with 13 strike­outs.

"He's been our No. 1 starter at the top of our rotation," Ritsche said.

"He's a left-handed pitcher, which is a commodity at the Division II level. It's tough to find a left-handed pitcher that has his kind of stuff. He's good at controlling the game with his presence on the mound. He's done a great job for us so far. "

Q: How long have you been playing baseball?

Helsabeck: I've been play­ing baseball since I was 5 years old. I've just always loved the game.

Q: What's your favorite part about the sport?

Helsabeck: I like spending time with my teammates and getting away from things like school and work. It helps me get away from everything and helps take my mind off stuff.

Q: Who's your favorite pitcher in Major League Baseball?

Helsabeck: Craig Kimbrel, closer for the (Atlanta) Braves. He really goes after hitters and has a go get-'em kind of attitude.

Q: Are the Braves your favorite team? Have you been to any of their games recently?

Helsabeck: They're defi­nitely my favorite team. I went to watch them play the (Los Angeles) Dodgers in the NLDS (National League Divisional Series) last year. The year before that, we went to see Chipper (Chipper Jones, former Braves third baseman) in his last season, and we saw him hit a walk-off homerun against the (Philadelphia) Phillies. That was his last homerun at Turner Field (Braves home ballpark), so that was pretty cool.

Q: What do you think of the Michael Sam (openly gay NFL draft prospect) situa­tion? Should college or pro athletes 'come out' to the public?

Helsabeck: If one of the guys on our team came out and said that, we'd respect him and we'd deal with it. Having him in the locker room would be different and kind of difficult, but as far as playing with him and having him on the team, we'd sup­port him. I don't think any­body's sexuality is something they should be judged over.

Q: What are your plans after WSSU?

Helsabeck: I'm majoring in sports management, but I have no idea what I want to do with it yet. I'm going to Canada this summer with Devin McLemore (sophomore pitcher for WSSU) to play for the Thunder Bay Border Cats in the Northwoods League. Hopefully, I'll get looked at by some people up there this summer, but if not, I'll come back to WSSU for my senior season and finish strong.