Gaston College's historic baseball duo has long roots, high hopes for Rhinos program

Gaston College's historic baseball duo Chandler Riley and Zach Zedalis have known each other for many years.

Together, they recently became Gaston College's first college scholarship signees since the schools restarted its athletic program for the first time since 1972.

Moving forward, they want to make sure head coach Shohn Doty's program thrives and want their lone season at Gaston College to set a solid foundation.

"It's honestly amazing what's going on with this program," said Zedalis, a pitcher who signed a scholarship to play at the University of South Carolina. "It's cool getting to say we're a first-year program. But then we are treated like we're at a major college program and we'll be playing at a great facility."

Adds Riley, an infielder who signed a scholarship to play at Campbell University: "I knew it was a new program. That didn't really scare me because I knew how coach Doty recruited. A lot of jucos over-recruit and have like 60 guys. Coach Doty told me from the beginning, 'We're only going to have 35 to 37 guys' and he was going to treat it like a Division I program."

Zedalis and Riley signed their scholarships on Nov. 10 after the school had an impressive and successful fall season.

Drills began in August and the team played a 20-game fall schedule from Sept. 11 to Oct. 24 with games at the Rhinos' home field, Gastonia's Sims Legion Park, and at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Surry Community College, Campbell University, Gardner-Webb University and Wingate University.

Currently, Sims Legion Park is undergoing renovations that will add a field turf infield, new sod for the outfield and dugout areas and new locker room facilities and a weight room underneath the permanent grandstands behind home plate.

In the meantime, Rhinos' practices will start in January at the new CaroMont Health Park in downtown Gastonia that is home to the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

"What's going on with facilities showed me how much the school cares about the program," Zedalis said.

Riley and Zedalis will be key contributors to getting the Rhinos' program off to a fast start when it competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division II of Region 10 starting in early February.

Their chemistry started when they were growing up just outside of Concord in Cabarrus County.

Zedalis, the son of a former Atlanta Braves' minor leaguer, graduated from Cox Mill High School in 2019. Riley, the son and nephew of college baseball standouts, graduated from Cox Mill in 2020.

Riley, likely a second baseman at Campbell, chose the Camels over North Carolina, N.C. State and UNC Wilmington.

His ties to Doty date to when Riley committed to the Charlotte program in the summer of 2018 when Doty was 49ers' pitching coach.

"When he heard I was transferring, he called me," Riley said of Doty. "Obviously, coach Doty and I had that connection and I felt it was best for me to take my chance and go to Gaston."

And while Zedalis had pitched at Sims Legion Park previously, Riley had never been the facility he now calls home until he made his recruiting visit last summer.

"When I was in the transfer portal, I was playing in Alexandria, Va.," Riley said. "And a lot of coaches would just send me pictures of their field, their weight room and all of that. After going to visit Gaston, when I went on my visits to other places, I was already comparing everything to Gaston because I was so impressed with their facilities and all of the plans they had."

After a strong fall season, Riley was recruiting by several major college programs.

"When I talked to the Campbell coach for 40 minutes one night, that made me think that would be my home," said Riley, who hit .317 with 42 RBIs in 75 career games at Cox Mill. "He got my trust with how he listened to how I talked about my transfer."

A pitcher, Zedalis first signed with North Carolina Central out of high school and made seven appearances in 2020 for an Eagles' program that has since been shut down. Zedalis transferred to Charlotte in the 2021 season where he made three appearances before deciding to use the extra year colleges have granted athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic this season at Gaston College.

The owner of two no-hitters at Cox Mill, Zedalis' improved throwing velocity got the attention of many colleges.

"In high school I think I topped out at 88 (mph) so I wasn't projectable or anything," said Zedalis, who is 5-foot-10, 192 pounds. "Then my freshman year at Central, I got up to 92. When I went to Charlotte, I got up to 95. I'm hoping to shoot up more in the spring and get some higher numbers before going to Columbia."

At South Carolina, a school Zedalis chose over offers from North Carolina, N.C. State and UNC Wilmington, he could get to play one year with his younger brother Tyler, a junior third baseman at Cox Mill was has already committed to South Carolina.

With one year at Gaston College for Riley and Zedalis, they're determined to make it memorable.

But, as Zedalis said, the future is bright for the Rhinos' program because of Doty's influence.

"Sometimes in the college scene, it's really easy for coaches to come off as not caring about their players but just trying to win games and getting the most talent," Zedalis said. "But coach Doty is one of those coaches who is so easy to play for. He cares so much about every one of his players, whether you're a big time recruit or if you're not going to play too much. He's going to develop you where you are and work with you and care about you.
"So it's so easy to play for a guy who coaches that way. And that'll be good for our program."