FAQ
What Would You Like to Know?
What is Carolina Thunder Baseball of Clayton?
CTB of Clayton is a non-profit organization based in Clayton NC which offers an alternative baseball experience for coachable, passionate young men. Our main goal is to focus on teaching solid fundamentals of baseball in a fun, family-friendly environment; to help them mesh together into a team and become selfless teammates and friends; and ultimately help them to become the best baseball players they are capable of being.
What about Thunder leadership?
The founder and President of the Carolina Thunder is Mark Bogle. Mark is the head coach of the 8u and 12u teams as well as a resource for all Thunder teams. Mark played collegiately at NC State and was a member of the 1992 ACC Championship team winning the Sam Esposito Award that year as well. He has coached at Four Oaks Middle, American Legion, recreational baseball as well as serving as pitching coach for both West Johnston HS and Cleveland HS.
How often do you practice? Play?
Teams need enough time between tournaments to work on our weaknesses. We will plan to practice 3 days per week most weeks (two weeknights and one weekend day). We will play an average of (2) tournaments per month. Tournaments are the "measuring stick" to tell us how well we repetitiously worked through our weaknesses. We will take one month off completely (no tournaments / no practices) mid-year (July or August).
Where will tournaments be played?
Tournaments will mostly be local (Goldsboro, Knightdale, Apex, Snow Hill, Rocky Mount, etc) however we may play a few tournaments each year a little further away (Asheville, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Charleston, Savannah). The tournaments that require an overnight stay will be limited and parents will be consulted before plans are finalized.
What are the team rules?
New players’ parents are required to attend a Parent’s Meeting at the beginning of the season. Multiple meetings are scheduled in order to accommodate schedules, but this ensures that we all start the season using the same playbook. If you are curious about the philosophy that fuels our culture, check out The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager's Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life by Mike Matheny. It's pretty much how we do things around here.
Can my son guest play for Carolina Thunder?
Carolina Thunder prefers not to use guest players. Thunder players and families invest a lot in our organization so our first choice is always to use a current Thunder player from another team to fill a tournament roster vacancy.
Do you want to know more?
Thunder began as a dream to create a different culture for youth baseball. If you want to peek behind the curtain, click on the button below and you can see the presentation that is shared with all of our new parents.
A word about pitching:
There is no game or winning record that is worth damaging a kid's arm. And there is no stronger advocate for protecting young pitchers than Coach Bogle. Taking into consideration years of pitching, as well as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's pitch count limits, Carolina Thunder operates under a pitch count (as opposed to innings pitched) limit.
Questions?
Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.
