Photos by Eeric Brady | The Roanoke Times

Casey Hodges, a Franklin County graduate, is off to a good start in his pro career with the Danville Braves.

In the living room of Ron Hodges' Franklin County home, there is a framed display of the many baseball cards he appeared on during his New York Mets career.

On the kitchen table, there is another baseball card. This one features his youngest son. Casey Hodges is a starting pitcher for the Danville Braves. The first-year pro doesn't just call his father when he is running short of money. His father, a major-league catcher for 12 years, is also a great source of baseball advice.

"He's seen it all, and he's got plenty of stories and expertise to lend me to help me on my way," Casey said before a recent Danville Braves home game at Dan Daniel Memorial Park.

Casey, like his father a Franklin County High School graduate, has a 4-5 record and ranks fourth among Appalachian League starters in ERA (2.47).

He talks with his dad after his starts to learn what his father liked and to get suggestions on what he might have done differently.

"He's been extremely helpful," said Casey, 23, who was born after his father's playing career ended. "He knows how to read hitters -- what they do with their stances, what pitches will work to get them out. And he's seen every kind of pitcher in the major leagues."

Ron, now a real estate agent, always tries to be positive when he counsels Casey. He remembers the advice former Mets pitching coach Rube Walker gave him about how to talk to the Mets' pitchers.

"The best thing Rube ever did was to tell me, 'Ron, always tell them they're good, always point out their good things,'" said Hodges, who played for the Mets from 1973-84. "I've always tried to encourage Casey and tell him he's doing a good job."

After helping Mount Olive (N.C.) College capture the 2008 NCAA Division II title as a fifth-year senior, Casey was picked by Atlanta in the 23rd round of the major-league amateur draft in June.

"If Mom and Dad were the scouts, we'd have drafted him out of high school," Ron, 59, said at the family's home.

Casey is in rookie-league ball, the lowest rung of the minors. But he likes pitching for Danville because his parents can watch his games. They used to drive down to Mount Olive on the weekends to watch him pitch for his college team.

"I can't imagine what it'd be like for them not to be able to come and watch baseball games; they've been doing it for so long," Casey said. "I'm glad I get to keep that ... going for them."

The only hitch for Ron is that he has to root for a farm team of one of the Mets' big rivals.

"I sent him a Braves shirt and he said, 'I don't know if I can get caught with that thing on,' " Casey said.

Gray Hodges, one of Casey's brothers, bought Ron an Atlanta Braves cap in the Mets' shade of blue. Ron wears it at the Danville games.

"We have to ease him into the Atlanta Braves organization," Gray Hodges said.

The family's living room is filled with Mets memorabilia, from a painting of Ron to a photo of him with then-teammate Willie Mays to the bat he used in the 1973 World Series.

"Hopefully I can start a pretty big Braves collection," Casey said.

The family trophy case includes a plethora of baseballs -- not just from Ron's career, such as his first big-league home run, but from Casey and his three brothers.

Ron coached all of his sons in American Legion ball, and all became college players.

Riley, the oldest, was a third-team All-American catcher at Ferrum. Gray played outfield at Virginia Tech. Nat played outfield for Radford after playing football at Ferrum.

"Unfortunately, none of us got a shot [at pro ball]. Now Casey has, and we're all rooting for him," Gray Hodges said.

For many years, Casey kept a Salem Times-Register clipping on his dresser. It is a photo of him pitching to his dad before a 1994 exhibition game at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium.

"Former Mets catcher Ron Hodges works with son Casey, who might grow up to be a big-league pitcher," the caption reads.

Casey always used to get a laugh out of the caption, figuring if he ever made it to the majors, it would be as a shortstop. That was his position while growing up, including his high school years. He only pitched a bit for his high school and Legion teams.

But when he moved on to Radford University, he was employed as a reliever.

He said he decided to transfer from RU after his sophomore year because the Highlanders wanted to make him a closer, and he figured he wouldn't get much mound time as the closer for a weak team. He spent a year at Patrick Henry Community College because RU didn't release him from his scholarship.

Casey -- actually, Daniel Casey Hodges -- played summer ball for the Martinsville Mustangs in 2005 and 2006. The team's manager was an assistant coach at Mount Olive, and he was impressed enough to recruit Casey to his school.

Casey blossomed at Mount Olive, going 7-1 in 2007. This year, he was 10-1 with a 2.53 ERA. He earned third-team All-America honors and was the winning pitcher in the NCAA Division II title game.

After pitching 89 innings for Mount Olive this year, he ranks fourth in the Appy League in innings (69¹₃) this summer.

Two weekends ago, Casey led the Appalachian League with a 1.20 ERA. But he has been hit hard in his two starts since then.

"He's a little fatigued," Braves pitching coach Derrick Lewis said. "The ball doesn't have quite as much life on it that it had earlier in the year."

"I've been going ... since February, made ... 27 starts [for the two teams combined], so it just kind of wear and tears on you a little bit mentally and physically," Casey said.

He said his whole body is tired.

"It's hard for me to wake up nowadays," said Casey, who will soon return to Mount Olive to finish work on his degree.

Lewis said Casey has good command of his fastball. Casey, who has been clocked at 90 mph, has struck out 56 batters and has walked 16.

"I'm still learning the ropes," Casey said. "I ask questions all the time."

Especially of his dad, who has always been his baseball mentor.

"When I was younger, he was always playing catch with us," Casey said. "He'd take us to the batting cage, he'd hit us groundballs. He was always there for us."

And the day after Casey was drafted, he and his dad went out in the back yard for a catch.