FARMVILLE, Va. -- It has been a circuitous path for
Kyri Washington, a Longwood freshman outfielder.
But now the product of western Prince Edward County is back home after an eventful high school career that saw him play baseball at three different high schools, mostly in order to face better competition along the way.
Now he is glad to be back in Prince Edward.
“It means a lot. I know the public and I am excited to play in this environment,” said Washington, sitting near the training room at Willett Hall on a recent Saturday afternoon.
Washington was about 10 when he first attended baseball camp at Longwood. Now he will play as a freshman in the last season of the long career of Longwood head coach Buddy Bolding.
“That is big. I want to make it far. I think that will mean a lot to him,” said Washington, whose team opens the season at home Feb. 16 with a doubleheader against St. Peter's of New Jersey.
“His coming back home is what this story is all about,” Bolding said. “It is the return of the native, in reference to Thomas Hardy.”
Washington began playing T-ball in Farmville around the age of three. He also played basketball and football in his youth, but gave those up in high school to focus on baseball.
He played shortstop at an early age, but played mostly center field during his high school career. He can play all three outfield positions, but was primarily a leadoff hitter and center fielder in his prep career.
Washington would attend Longwood games when he was younger.
“I went to a lot of games when I was in seventh grade. I have always been around and watching,” said Washington, a strong student who plans to study business and hopes to be an accountant.
Washington attended the Fuqua School in Farmville for his freshman and sophomore years. As a junior, he played at Lynchburg Christian Academy, and as a senior, he attended Grafton High School in Yorktown, where he lived with the family of Collin Wilber, now a freshman at Christopher Newport.
“At Fuqua the competition was not as strong as I wanted. At LCA it started to get tougher and at Grafton it got tougher,” Washington said.
As a newcomer at every stop, the 6-foot, 205-pounder said he was not intimidated by his new surroundings.
“I liked it. I was comfortable. It was not like I was nervous,” said Washington, a right-handed hitter.
Washington was the Bay Rivers District Player of the Year and hit .455 with seven homers, 30 RBIS, 38 runs and 21 steals in 23 tries as Grafton won the regional title. He was also the Daily Press player of the year and an all-state pick.
He joined a core of seniors who had played together since middle school. “I thought we were going to be good. When Kyri transferred in, I knew we could win off the bat and put it all together,” Grafton third baseman Robbie Hiser told the Daily Press.
Bolding said Washington should contend for playing time right away with his “acumen for the game, foot speed and coachability.”
“We think he is going to be a pretty good baseball player if he continues to work hard,” Bolding said. “He has a chance to be a pretty special kid. I liked him when he was a little boy (at camp). I know his mother pretty well. I know his family. He is a young man who caught my eye many years ago. As a coach you learn certain traits in people.”
The year at Grafton was not his first foray to the baseball-rich Tidewater region of Virginia. As a high school player Washington played several seasons for the Hampton Roads Hurricanes and head coach Bryan Kersey, a Division I college basketball referee.
“He is one of my role models in life,” Washington said. “I look up to him. He set me on a good path. We are very close.”
“He always wanted to play the best competition,” Kersey said in a phone interview. “He was my leadoff hitter. He's fast and he's strong, and he played all three outfield positions for me. He is a great kid.”
The Tidewater region and travel scene has produced a slew of Major League stars, including Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals), David Wright (New York Mets), Mark Reynolds (Cleveland Indians), Justin Upton (Arizona) and B.J. Upton (Atlanta Braves). Outfielder B.J. Upton is his favorite player.
“He is my idol. I have never met him, but I watch him all of the time,” Washington said.
So how did Washington feel about his performance during fall workouts with the Lancers? “I felt comfortable. It was way better (pitching) than I expected. The competition is a lot better,” he said.
Washington attracted attention from several other schools, including North Carolina Central, UNC-Asheville and Brevard. He said he has been timed in the 40 in 4.49 and in the 60 around 6.59.
“He was one of those special kids,” Bolding added. “A lot of times you will see a young player who is phenomenal in Little League and then when they get to high school they did not turn into the athlete everyone thought they would be. He is a special young man. I am really enthusiastic about Kyri. I think he has a chance to be a special Lancer.”
Washington is from the small town of Prospect. And he is just that, hoping to make an impact as a freshman this season for the Lancers.
Editor's Note: Special consultant David Driver is a Virginia native and has covered college sports in the state for more than 20 years. He has been a staff writer for newspapers in Arlington, Springfield and Harrisonburg and has contributed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Washington Post, Stafford County Sun and The Potomac News in Woodbridge. He was also the first sports editor for the daily Baltimore Examiner. He will continue contributing special feature content to longwoodlancers.com throughout the upcoming 2012-13 academic year as well. A former Division III baseball player at Eastern Mennonite University, David can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com.
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