From walk-on to All-American to Barton Athletic Hall of Famer. In a nutshell, that is Jody O’Neal’s story. A solid baseball career at Charles B. Aycock High School in nearby Fremont, N.C., led to a few walk-on offers from area colleges, and O’Neal chose Barton, his father’s alma mater. After two years of primarily riding the pine with the Bulldogs, a bigger, stronger, faster O’Neal, whose work ethic should be mimicked by millions of student-athletes, emerged as a bonafide superstar his last two seasons in the royal blue and white.
He finished his Barton career with a batting average better than .300 and was 21-9 with nine saves and a 3.25 ERA. His playing time increased each season, and so did his numbers…and accolades. And, it wasn’t by accident.
O’Neal, who flew a little under the radar of many coaches since he broke his leg his junior year of high school, was just happy to have the chance to play in college.
He batted .500 in just a handful of plate appearances as a freshman and did not pitch on a team that was ranked 24th nationally, won the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletics Conference regular-season and tournament championships, finished second of four teams in the regional and had a stellar 33-18 record. His sophomore year, he batted .175 (10-for-57) and played in 31 of 40 games on a team that went 19-21. On the mound, the crafty right-hander was 2-2 with two saves in 25 1/3 innings with a 6.40 ERA.
Then, in the spring of 1995, O’Neal enjoyed one of the best seasons in Barton baseball history. He was 12-3 as a starter with five saves, completed 10 of 11 starts and had a sparkling 2.43 ERA. With a fastball in the low 80s, he struck out 63 and walked just 29 in 114 1/3 innings. He was equally impressive at the plate, where he batted .350 with 23 RBI, 12 doubles, one triple, and three homers. He stole 20-of-21 bases and played well at first base. Barton shared the regular-season title with nationally ranked Coker, but won the final CIAC Tournament title when O’Neal pitched in three of the five tournament games and earned two wins and one save in 24 1/3 innings. His 12 wins stands as a single-season school record and ranked in the top 10 nationally that season. Barton outlasted archrival Mount Olive 7-6 in a classic 14-inning battle to win the league crown.
O’Neal was a two-time league Player of the Week and joined Raynor, the CIAC Player of the Year, Sutton, and Kirk Bullock on the all-conference first team. That quartet powered the Bulldogs into the NAIA Mid-South Regional in Kingsport, Tenn., where the workhorse O’Neal pitched in three of five games and batted .368. He threw a complete-game three-hitter and outdueled undefeated West Virginia Wesleyan ace Jeff Langdon in the regional opener as Barton won 3-0. Barton lost to Cumberland 10-4 in game two, and then O’Neal tossed another complete game and rapped three hits in an 11-3 conquest of Campbellsville (Ky). Barton beat Tusculum in the fourth game and was eliminated 10-9 by Coker. With Barton down 5-3 to Coker, O’Neal entered the game and pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief (after having thrown a complete game the day before) and batted 2-for-3. Barton completed the year at 27-18, and O’Neal was named the Gaylord Perry Award winner (top amateur pitcher) by the Wilson Hot Stove League and Most Improved by his Barton coaches.
O’Neal played for Wilkinson his first three seasons. Roger May took over his senior season and the Bulldogs posted a 19-28 record. O’Neal, who was moved to shortstop and was primarily used as a closer on the mound, had a 6-4 pitching record with two saves. In 75 innings, he registered 47 strikeouts and had a 4.68 ERA. He was unhappy with his pitching record, but O’Neal recorded one of the best hitting seasons in school history. He batted .399 in 47 games with 54 RBI, 69 hits, 19 doubles, three triples, and 15 homers. His Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference ranks were: first in homers, second in doubles, fourth in RBI, seventh in batting average…all that on a sixth-place team. He had a sensational .803 slugging percentage and .951 fielding percentage and was named CVAC Player of the Year.
In the conference tournament, Barton stunned third-seeded Coker 14-12 in the opening game as O’Neal went 4-for-6 with two home runs and 4 RBI. He also pitched three innings of relief to get the win. O’Neal later pitched a complete game in an 8-7 win over Mount Olive, but Barton’s Cinderella run ended with a 6-3 loss to Coker. O’Neal batted .364 in the tournament. Barton played two more games after the league tourney, and O’Neal finished off his Barton career in style when the Bulldogs beat N.C. Wesleyan 3-2 on his run-scoring single in the bottom of the 9th inning.
His senior season honors also included: Team MVP, First Team All-South, Third Team NCAA DII All-American as a shortstop, Barton Kiwanis Male Athlete of the Year, and the Clint Faris Memorial Award winner from the Wilson Hot Stove League as Wilson County’s top amateur baseball player.
O’Neal resides in Wilson with his wife, Gena, and their twin boys Nate and Drew. He is the son of Joel (Class of ’68) and Judy O’Neal and has one sister, Melissa Flores. He has worked over 10 years as a coach and athletic administrator at Beddingfield High School in Wilson.
