PHOTO BY BRIAN HOFFMAN
When Salem High has a big baseball game coach Jimmy Winterer knows who he’s gonna call. That would be Trace, as in “Ace.”
Trace Monroe will be Salem’s ace on the hill once again this season as he begins his fourth year on the varsity. The Spartans have come to rely on the senior lefty to give them a chance to win against any opponent they face.
“Trace will be our top arm entering his fourth varsity season,” said Winterer. “He’s progressed each year with his velocity, which is all a direct result of his relentless work ethic every off season. His time spent in the weight room and with his pitching coach has made him a complete pitcher.”
Trace pitched for the varsity in the 2022 season as a freshman. He wasn’t a big kid but he knew how to get batters out.
“I couldn’t throw super hard so I used accuracy to get fly balls and ground outs,” he said. “At the plate I didn’t have an extra base hit all year. I had 21 or 22 hits and they were all singles.”
During his freshman and sophomore years he put on close to 20 pounds and grew taller, and his strikeout totals and extra base hits went up. He credits weight training for much of the improvement.
“I’d lift five times a week out of season,” he said. “A pitcher has to be mobile so a lot of leg work, and I run a decent amount.”
Last season, as a junior, Trace came on strong. He was 5-0 with 67 strikeouts in 40 innings on the mound while walking just 11. His earned run average was under 1.00 at 0.68
“He’s always been a smart pitcher and a sponge of the game,” said Winterer. “I remember being very impressed with his knowledge and execution on the mound even as an eighth grader on the jayvee team. Even with early success, Trace always looked for ways to improve.”
Trace comes from an athletic family. His father, Bryan Monroe, was the point guard on Salem’s 1994 state championship basketball team. His mother, Melanie, played volleyball, basketball and softball for Bath County.
“My parents were big athletes and they encouraged me in anything I wanted to play,” said Trace.
Trace has concentrated on baseball, but growing up he played a variety of sports. He played on Salem’s jayvee basketball team as a freshman, he played football through the seventh grade, he was on the Spartan golf team his freshman and sophomore years and he played lacrosse through his eighth grade year. While he’s grown to love baseball, at one time lacrosse was his favorite sport, and maybe his best.
“I enjoyed lacrosse the most and it was probably my best sport,” he said. “Then COVID hit and lacrosse got shut down because it was a contact sport. I could play baseball because there wasn’t as much contact, and after eighth grade baseball is what I really wanted to do. My dad pushed me to keep playing basketball but he realized I wanted to take baseball seriously.”
Trace is a lefthanded pitcher but he bats righthanded, which is unusual. He shoots a basketball lefthanded but writes righthanded, bats righthanded and swings a golf club righthanded.
“I’ve been like that ever since I was little,” he said. “Pretty much the one handed stuff I do lefthanded, except for writing. My parents tried to get me to hit lefthanded because I’d be closer to first base but it never felt right.”
While Trace gets most of the attention pitching, he’s also one of Salem’s best hitters’ on the team. He bats third in the order and plays the outfield, first base or serves as the designated hitter when he’s not pitching. In three years on the team he has a .377 batting average and has walked 43 times while striking out just 27 times in 199 at bats. He has an on-base percentage of .593 with 60 runs scored and 45 driven in over three years.
This will be his last year hitting, as Trace has accepted a scholarship to attend VMI after high school and they’re looking at him as only a pitcher. He’s excited about the challenge and feels VMI is a good fit for him.
“I think it will be good for my future,” he said. “VMI has a strong alumni group and the job outlook is very good for graduates. Plus, I like structure and discipline and the military side of life in general. I always liked the military and I’ll consider going into the military after school.”
VMI is coached by Sam Roberts, who played there as a Keydet and was an assistant before taking over as head coach. The Keydets are having a good season at 17-11 through last weekend.
As far as Trace’s big league favorite, he’s been a fan of the Atlanta Braves.
“My dad likes the Braves and that’s who I’ve watched,” he said. “I particularly like Max Fried, as he’s also lefthanded and I like his arm slot.”
Unfortunately for the Braves Max signed with the Yankees in the off-season. Looking down the road, Trace would love a shot at the pros if things work out. You can get there from Lexington, as former Cave Spring pitcher Holden Wilkerson went to VMI and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I would love it,” said Monroe. “That would be a great experience.”
For now, Trace will settle for being the ace of the Salem High team. He comes into the season with 13 career wins for the Spartans and more than a few games when he came out with the lead due to a pitch count. He’s looking to add a bunch of wins to that total this spring on a Salem team that has high hopes.
“We should be really good,” he said. “We have a lot of talent and a lot of unselfish players, and I think that will put us over the hump.”
