Gaston College's World Series team benefitting from trio of players from Concord

Gracie Brown remembers the first time she got a hit off Brantleigh Parrott.

Brown was a sophomore at A.L. Brown and Parrott was a pitcher for Central Cabarrus. They represented two high schools that are bitter rivals in Cabarrus County.

"I didn't do too bad against her," said Brown, a designated hitter at the time. "I was a little nervous because I knew how good she was. I was so excited on first base with the thumbs-up when I got my first hit off her."

Little did Brown know that three years later she would not only be a college teammate of Parrott's, she would be wearing the same team colors as another Central Cabarrus player – Haylee Salter.

Now, these high school rivals are collectively making history at Gaston College, whose softball team is headed to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Oxford, Ala.

The meteoric rise of the program from a struggling club team in 2022 to a World Series qualifier and NJCAA national power in 2023 has stunned even its most optimistic supporters.

Furthermore, it's obvious the coaching staff's signing of the "Concord Three" is a key piece to the Rhinos' run to Region 10 Division I regular season and tournament titles and a NJCAA Mid-Atlantic District crown.

Brown was the first of the "Concord Three" to sign with Gaston College as Coach Mike Steuerwald and his assistants rebuilt the team from scratch.

When Brown learned that Parrott, a pitcher-outfielder, and Salter, an infielder, had also signed with Gaston College for the class of 2022-23, she had her doubts.

"I admit I was a little unsure how it would work out since we were rivals," Brown recalled.

However, Brown's concerns faded once fall workouts began and she got to know Parrott and Salter as players and as people.

"Knowing them outside the rivalry and as teammates has been awesome," Brown said of her relationship with the Central Cabarrus alums. "They are both really good players and really good girls. I am very close to both, and it has been really cool to see what they have done this year."

In high school, Brown was trying to get on base against Parrott. Today, they are not only teammates but battery mates. Brown is the day-to-day catcher and Parrott is the ace of the pitching staff.

The relationship has been nurtured through the ups and downs of a long season. Brown is Parrott's confidante in the pitching circle and her go-to person for stress relief.

"I will call timeout and just go stand with her (in the circle)," Brown said of her in-game visits with Parrott. "She is not one you want to bombard with information. She just needs a minute to breathe. I don't really say much, just give her a second to calm down and let her know that she can strike batters out if the defense is not holding up at that moment."

What's more, Parrott was the first player Brown ran to after the game-clinching final outs in the region and district tournaments.

"We are all very close," added Salter. "We demand a lot of each other and try to keep each other on our toes. We expect the best of each other on the field and in the classroom."

There are other connective threads running through the narrative of the "Concord Three."

For one, Parrott and Salter have played softball together since Griffin Middle school. They came up through the ranks and emerged as team leaders for a strong softball program at Central Cabarrus.

In their senior seasons, Central Cabarrus went undefeated in the South Piedmont 3A Conference and advanced to the third round of the playoffs before dropping a 1-0 decision to Central Davidson, finishing 22-5.

Salter was a recruiting target for Gaston College assistant coach Lani Reis during the spring of 2022, and it was during those scouting trips that Parrott emerged as a player of interest.

"I told Coach Ries that she needed to look at Brantleigh because she is a very talented player who could really help the team," Salter said.
The timing was perfect. Parrott was available because she had just decommitted from Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., a four-year NCAA Division II school.

Salter's recommendation got Reis's attention, and when Steuerwald saw video of Parrott in the circle, the Rhinos began to recruit the hard throwing righthander in earnest.

Not only could Parrott pitch (1.01 ERA as a senior), but she also hit for a .434 average and was among the team leaders in several offensive categories.

"For us, the goal was to bring her in as an outfielder and use her as a closer," Steuerwald said. "But once our pitching depth started to go away and she was throwing lights out, everything changed."

Parrott progressed from a reliable closer and good-hitting outfielder to a dominating starting pitcher. As the postseason awards rolled in, Parrott picked up an armful in Region 10: pitcher and player of the year as well as an All-Region nod as an outfielder. Salter, Parrott's girlhood teammate, earned All-Region 10 honors as a first-team infielder at third base.

The awkwardness that Brown felt when she met her high school rivals on the practice field last fall has long passed.

"Whenever we won the conference, I had a feeling we could do it," Brown said of the Rhinos' run to the World Series. "We have done it as a team. We are just so close, doing it step by step together."