Friendship forged on the diamond

Clay-Chalkville vs. Hewitt-Trussville.

It’s the ultimate high school rivalry, born out of the construction of Clay-Chalkville High School in 1996. Many of the first Clay students were Hewitt kids who chose to move over and make the transition.

In athletics, especially, the schools fight tooth and nail for every edge they can get over the other; every bragging right they can lay their hands on.

Carter Pharis and Matthew Calvert know the rivalry well. The two lined up across the diamond from each other many a time in high school baseball, with Pharis playing third base for the Huskies while Calvert pitched and played first base for the Cougars.

There’s kind of an unwritten rule in these situations: Don’t make friends with your rivals.

For the most part, Pharis and Calvert followed this rule.

“We’ve been rivals since we were [high school] freshmen or sophomores,” Pharis said.

But college baseball will be different, as far as the two student-athletes go. They find themselves on the same unit now, fighting for the same goal as freshmen on UAB’s baseball team.

“It’s been cool to actually get to play behind him during intersquad [scrimmages] and not have to root against him. That’s been the coolest part,” Pharis said.

Pharis said that while putting his arm around Calvert. The two are in the same boat now, and are navigating the transition from high school to college as teammates pulling in the same direction.

“We’ve become really good friends throughout baseball and having classes together,” Calvert said. “It’s been real fun.”

The move up from high school to college is one thing. Doing it as a Division I athlete is another.

“It’s a hard transition,” their current head coach, Brian Shoop, said. “Nobody, until you’ve actually done it, knows how hard the transition is. The difference from high school baseball to Division I baseball is a lot. There just is going to be a learning curve.”

Pharis has certainly kept his head above water amidst the sea of change, and has asserted himself as the everyday first baseman for the Blazers, a position he did not play at all in high school.

“I’m obviously learning a lot, going from different positions, but it’s been awesome getting to be around some great players and one of the best coaches in the country,” Pharis said.

Shoop has been impressed by the early returns the Hewitt-Trussville product has offered.

“(He’s) not only a very, very good player, he has an incredible family and his character is off the charts,” he said.

“We hope and think that he’s got a chance to be a very productive player for us,” Shoop continued.

Pharis committed to UAB early, but the Blazers established a solid relationship with Calvert later on in the process. Circumstances really pushed Calvert to find a school close to home, where he could still compete at a high level.

“Over time, it’ll take Matthew longer to get into the mix,” Shoop said. “But I think he’s got a chance to be a very productive player as well.”

The plan is for Calvert to be used in a middle relief role this season. He will look to prove himself as he continues to grow and become more comfortable with the college game.

Calvert said, “I’m waiting on my opportunity, but I’m learning every day from the guys in front of me. I got a lot of good guys to look up to. Learning from them every day and watching them compete on the mound every day makes me better in and of itself, so it’s been fun.”

The maturity the two youngsters have shown so far does not discount the natural emotion and jitters that pop up.

Calvert’s first appearance on the mound was successful by all accounts. He retired the side in order in the sixth inning against Troy on March 2. He never thought it would end up like that.

He said he was feeling “a little nervous” in his warmup pitches.

“In warmups, I spiked the first ball, then didn’t throw a strike the entire warmups,” he added.

Once game action resumed, though, he locked in.

Pharis had similar nerves. He started at third base in UAB’s opener, and began his career with a 0-for-4 day at the plate, including a strikeout to end the first inning.

“I was really excited and a little jumpy. I just kind of sat back and thought how this was a great opportunity to be here. It was unreal,” he said.

Opening Day butterflies are a thing of the past, and the two hope to build and blaze paths future Huskies and Cougars will be proud to follow in.

“The biggest thing is to compete and just play the best we can play each day,” Pharis said.