Unique publication includes UCA

ASHEBORO — The Uwharrie Charter Academy baseball team has been recognized along with every other high school baseball state champion in the country in a national online magazine from PrepNation.

The first part of the 2024 PrepNation - Baseball digital catalog, which features the Eagles’ second consecutive state 1-A championship, is available to view online. Google “PrepNation Baseball Edition” and it can be viewed for free.

There are 349 high school state champions that will be included once the catalog has been completed.

“The company contacted me back in late August, just like they did all the other teams in the United States, to see if we would be interested in participating,” said UCA coach Rob Shore, who won state championships in both years at UCA. “I was given a form and sent that form to all my parents to fill out and there was a section for the players as well.”

The parents were given the option to purchase a hard copy of the catalog. When the original completion deadline was pushed back, Shore said he began wondering about the legitimacy of the company. Parents were allowed to purchase hard copies of the catalog and had sent in money.

“We were told it would come out in mid-October and I was afraid it wouldn’t come out and it was a scam,” Shore admitted. “But the guy I talked to at the company said they had some printing issues and the more I looked into it, I saw it was legit.”

The online version was published Friday.

The two-page full-color feature highlights the Eagles’ accomplishments. It also includes:

— A recap of the thrilling fourth-round extra-inning playoff win over Christ the King.

— Quotes from Shore about different aspects of winning the state title.

— The roster and a section where players talk about their favorite memories of the season.

The catalog also features a full-page shot of UCA junior Jake Hunter prior to the start of the team pages with the words “The HS Champions you need to know.”

PrepNation’s website states it is a 100 percent remote business with staff based all over the United States. It does have a Tampa, Flordia, phone number.

“I’ve been flipping through today and looking at other teams and it’s cool to see quotes from other coaches,” Shore said. “There are some great photos in there and they did a great job with the layout. This is something the kids deserve.”

Also, according to the website, a hard copy of the catalog is not available to purchase at this time.