Since birth CJ has been athletically inclined. Growing up in an athletic family, he started playing competition sports at age 5. He possesses a winning spirit and competitive instinct in all types of sports. After indulging in soccer and basketball, he stretched his interest into the field of baseball, where his talent sparked the foundation of his dream…to become a Professional Baseball Player.

 

CJ began playing tee-ball at South Little League (Winston-Salem, NC). He was given the position of first base and shortstop, because he always seemed to end up in the direction that the ball was landing. He loved to practice on the tee; you could always find him in the backyard with a bucket of balls, working on his swing everyday. He’s a natural right-hander, but he wanted to be a switch hitter like Pete Rose, one of his favorite players. So at age 11, he asked his father to teach him the art of switch-hitting. He was always chosen for All-Stars. On the Majors field, he ended up with 19 Homeruns (in which he still holds the record today).

 

Upon entering High School at Parkland (Winston-Salem, NC) CJ became a solid fixture in the line up of the Mustangs. He started every game as a freshman, batted 3rd in the lineup, and made All-Conference. In 2004 after his freshmen year, CJ decided to play at Glenn High School and for Coach Dale Ijames. CJ also played football for Glenn High. Glenn High baseball (under the Coaching of Dale Ijames and later John Fowler) was a dominant force in the 3A Piedmont Triad, winning over 10 consecutive conference championships. At Glenn he finished with a .468 batting avg, Piedmont Conference Player of the year, All-Conference, All-Area, All-State. He was selected to State Games baseball, North Carolina vs. South Carolina Select Team. He currently holds the school record for most home runs in a single season (9) and tied the record for career homeruns (18).

 

CJ received over 65 letters from schools such as LSU, Kentucky, NC State, Ohio State, Kansas, WVU, Virginia, to name a few. Through many nights of prayer, CJ chose North Carolina A&T State University. NCA&T offered him a full baseball scholarship and a starting position as a freshman. CJ wanted to play right away, and be close to his family, church and also play at the D-1 level.

 

CJ has received many awards as a freshman. He was awarded MEAC Rookie of the Year; First Team All-MEAC, Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American, NC A&T Rookie of the Year, and he led the MEAC Conference with the most home runs (10).

Many coaches, scouts and friends have inspired CJ. If you say baseball, he wants to know “what time do we play”. His teammates say that there is never a dull moment when CJ is playing.

 

CJ is the oldest of 4 siblings, Carlyle, Allyson and Chandler, and parents Chris and Lorraine. CJ’s favorite quote is, “Never pray for challenges equal to your strength, but to pray for strength equal to your challenges”