Coppin State signs Bishop McDevitt's Dawan Smith

ATHLETE: Dawan Smith (5-7/160)
SPORT: Baseball
HIGH SCHOOL: Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
COLLEGE: Coppin State University Eagles

THE DETAILS: A quick visit in late April was enough to convince Bishop McDevitt’s swift second baseman that Coppin State would be his next baseball destination. The Crusaders’ lead-off man will join the Eagles of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the Fall.

THE DECISION: “I met most of the players and they had a real good chemistry, and they have the type of coaches that I need,” said Smith, who was considering Duquesne before the Division I program was terminated. Smith also said interest came from several Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference programs and Virginia Military Institute. “They are the type of coaches that push you to the limit, preach discipline. There are some of the same rules I followed at McDevitt.”

PROJECTED MAJOR: Possibly business management.

THE ATHLETE: Speed is a precious commodity at the next level, so there was little doubt the dangerous Smith would find a spot in the collegiate ranks. After his call-up to the varsity level midway through his sophomore season, Smith gained a ton of attention last summer when he clocked a breezy 6.60 at the American Legion All-East workout. Gaining a “better understanding of the game” this season, Smith rolled up a .380 average from his lead-off position and shared the Mid-Penn Conference lead in stolen bases with 19. “Overall, it’s just the way you think about the game,” said Smith, who tacked on 25 runs for the Crusaders (10-11). “I definitely improved with my bat and defensively.”

PROJECTED MAJOR: Possibly business management.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Coppin State Snaps Losing Streak with Sweep of North Carolina Central

BALTIMORE – Behind a gutty pitching performance from Jeremiah Cothiere, the Coppin State Eagles baseball team beat North Carolina Central, 11-7, in game one of a double header sweep on Tuesday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium. The win snapped a 55-game losing streak for the Eagles, the longest losing streak in Division I baseball history.

The Eagles won game two, 7-6, on a walk off wild pitch with the bases loaded to improve their record to 2-10 on the season while North Carolina Central fell to 1-9.

In the opener, Cothiere, a junior from Lake Worth, Fla, started shaky allowing six runs over the first two innings, only to settle in and keep NCCU off the scoreboard over the next three frames.

Trailing 4-0 after the top of the first, the Eagles answered with six runs of their own off NCCU starter David Scott. Brandon Alexander led off the inning with a walk, stole second and came around to score on Jerry Matos’ double to left field. After a pop out brought the first out of the inning, Matos stole third, and then scored on a single by Patrick Regalado. After back to back errors allowed Carlos Russell and Angel Recci to reach base, Roman Batista singled to right field scoring Regalado, with Russell and Recci both coming around to score on a bad throw from the outfield to give the Eagles a 6-4 lead.

“I finally got the monkey off my back,” said head coach Harvey Lee after the game. “The kids deserve this. There have been a few games where calls didn’t go our way, but I wanted them to see they really are a good team.”

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE BLOG TITLE.