By Derik Vanderford, The Union Daily Times, S.C.
June 23--Two longtime teammates are taking a swing at television.
Timken Sports Complex Assistant Director Paul Wilkes received an email Tuesday from SportsArc -- a company comprised of filmmakers and sports coordinators who are credited with producing the sports action in over 300 episodes of television and 30 feature films. The email stated that SportsArc is currently casting real baseball players from North and South Carolina to perform in an HBO series. It also stated that interested candidates must be males between ages 18-32 who are not seeking NCAA eligibility and are able to play baseball at a competitive level. Tryouts are scheduled for Friday via a "baseball casting combine" held at Carolina Forest Community Center in Myrtle Beach.
"I know they sent the email because of the complex, but when I read it, it sounded like they were looking for me," the 27-year-old Wilkes said.
He immediately called his longtime friend and teammate Sam Phillips to tell him about the opportunity. Phillips was already scheduled to play softball in Myrtle Beach on Saturday with his weekend travel team, and he told Wilkes he was game for the casting combine experience.
Wilkes and Phillips have been playing baseball together since they were 8 years old.
"We were on the same championship team -- Smith's Drugs -- when we were twelve," Phillips said. "Jane Wilkes -- Paul's mom -- was our coach."
They also played together on the same Union High School team. After graduating in 2002, Wilkes played college baseball at The Citadel while Phillips played at USC Salkehatchie. Both also played on the same Community All-Star Baseball League team during the summer for eight years.
Wilkes contacted SportsArc to find out more about the audition. He was told that the company was casting baseball players to play ball during episodes of the hit HBO series "Eastbound and Down." Wilkes was already a fan of the show, and he said that bit of information sealed the deal on his trip to Myrtle Beach Friday.
"Eastbound and Down" stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher who -- after an up-and-down career in the major leagues -- is forced to return to his hometown middle school in Shelby, NC as a substitute physical education teacher. The show premiered in 2009 and is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
"My sister Caroline introduced me to the show; she told me she thought I'd like it," Wilkes said. "I watched it and thought Kenny Powers was hilarious. Now I've seen every episode."
The SportsArc representative told Wilkes that candidates could choose between a morning session at 10 a.m. and an afternoon session at 2 p.m.
"He said, 'Bring yourself, your glove and any baseball gear you need to be ready to play when you get there,'" Wilkes said. "So that's what we're going to do. Be ready to play when we get there."
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