By ROY LANG III | Staff writer
Like most former standout athletes, Rob Carroway made sure son Rhyson was aware of the past. There were likely stories about his prowess on the diamond at Southwood and tales about his Hall of Fame career at LSU-Shreveport.
Rob Carroway better hurry up and unload the arsenal of memories, because Rhyson is quickly building his own collection of tell-your-children-one-day accomplishments.
Rhyson Carroway, a senior at Captain Shreve, is expected to be an important player in a pivotal District 1-5A series that begins Thursday against rival Byrd.
“It’s great,” Rhyson said of the bond/friendly competition with his father/Gators assistant coach. “It makes me strive to be better. He wants me to be a better man than he was at everything – on and off the field. I love him being out here.”
Hard-throwing Rhyson boasts a 1.69 era for Captain Shreve this season and is a big reason the Gators (14-7, 4-2) are locked in a four-way tie for first in the league. He’s expected to throw against the Yellow Jackets (9-13, 4-2) in Thursday’s matchup at Byrd (at LSUS, 6 p.m.) or Saturday's series finale at The Swamp (1 p.m.) on Shreve’s campus.
“He has great leadership – very talented, very versatile,” Captain Shreve head coach Todd Sharp said. “He can play anywhere on the field. As a pitcher, he’s one of the best we have. He has the confidence on the mound, defensively and offensively – hitting in the middle of our lineup. He has all the characteristics of a coach’s kid. He knows the game and plays it well.”
A Carroway appearance during a game at LSUS would be appropriate. In his four-year career on the campus, Rob hit .375 with 17 home runs and 133 RBIs. As a senior (2001), he posted an incredible .442 average with eight homers and 55 RBI. He became the first player in Pilots history to win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
He set the LSUS record with 24 doubles in a single season. In 1998, he became the first Pilot to record seven at-bats in one game.
“I love hearing his stories,” Rhyson said. ”Growing up, it may have been tougher when he would get onto me, but now we work through everything.”
As you can imagine, pops is having a blast.
“It’s been amazing,” Rob said. “Watching your son follow in your footsteps and succeed and have fun, enjoy what you enjoy it’s a great thing. We’ve had our clashes as coach and dad, but this is what we love doing.”
At this point in Rhyson’s career, Rob Carroway’s coaching focuses on intangibles.
“The ups and downs of baseball; the mental side,” Rob Carroway said. “You try to teach the emotional side of failures. Trying to get a young person to understand it is almost impossible, but we’ve worked on it since Day 1. I learned late in my career and I hope he can learn sooner and quicker than I did.”
Rhyson already has something to one-up dad.
“His arm,” Rob said. “I never had his arm. He can sling a baseball. I would have killed for that arm.”
Being a coach’s kid can be tough – especially if the dad has a gaudy resume like Rob Carroway. But the end result is often impossible to ignore.
“It’s not easy,” Sharp said. “(Rhyson) has handled it well. Some of the best players I’ve ever coached have been coach’s kids.”
Rhyson Carroway is focused on helping the Gators break out of that four-way tie that also includes Natchitoches Central and Parkway and wants to set a good example for the returning players, like Caden Akana did for him.
"He really helped me when I was a freshman," Rhyson said. "I worked out with him, hung out with him all the time. He wanted me to be the best and wanted me to work hard with him.
“Now, I try to bring the pride and joy to this team. I want to help all the guys. I want to win games and I want to be the best in school.”
In other words, he wants to have plenty of fodder for the next generation of Carroways.
Read more at ShreveportBossierAdvocate.com