Florida A&M Rattlers Baseball: 2010 Preview

FAMU baseball went 24-29 last year, and the majority of that team is back this season and hoping to make waves in 2010.

FAMU head baseball coach Robert Lucas says, "We should be able to be a lot better this year because we have more arms. We got another year of experience, and I feel probably better about this team than any the last three years." FAMU shortstop Jarrod Jeffries adds, "Things are going great. Everyone is showing they put in the personal time to get better, we're just trying to communicate as a team."

Preseason predictions have the Orange and Green finishing tied for fourth in the MEAC. Lucas says, "Predictions don't mean anything to me because we determine what our outcome is going to be. People sitting in an office don't decide what we do on a baseball field."

Grafton pitcher Robbie Brownschidle commits to Norfolk State

Grafton High senior Robbie Brownschidle said today that he will play baseball next season at Norfolk State. Brownschidle will sign and send the paperwork to NSU within the next couple of days. Brownschidle said that between academic aid and the athletic grant he will sign, that he will not have to pay to attend NSU. Brownschidle carries a 3.65 grade point average.

Brownschidle batted .406 last season with 26 RBI and five home runs, earning Group AA All-State honorable mention honors as a first baseman. He was 5-0 pitching last season for Grafton's Region I tournament semifinalists. He is batting .350 this season for the Clippers (7-1) and is 2-1 on the mound. He has moved into the role as Grafton's No. 1 pitcher, and his only loss was a complete-game 3-2 decision at unbeaten Poquoson (9-0). Brownschidle, 6-foot, 175 pounds, said that NSU is recruiting him as a pitcher, but that Spartans coach Claudell Clark is interested in Brownschidle batting after seeing his hitting numbers from last season.

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FAMU Baseball Splits Doubleheader

Tallahassee, FL - The Florida A&M Baseball team split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with North Carolina A&T Sunday, winning the opening game, 8-5, before dropping the second game, 10-2 here at Moore-Kittles Field. FAMU (9-12, 2-3 in MEAC) had 11 hits in Sunday's opener. Led by Derrick Shaw and Antonio Burke with two hits apiece. Gabriel Rodriguez and Adam Gordon each drove in a pair of runs.

The Rattlers erased a 1-0 A&T lead with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first, then added a single run in the second to build a 5-1 lead. FAMU extended their lead to 8-1 by the sixth inning with a run in the fourth and two more runs in the sixth. The Aggies (7-15, 3-2 in MEAC) scored once in the eighth before pushing across three more in the ninth to make the game interesting. Sophomore Anthony Espin (2-4) turned in a complete game in the opening, scattering nine hits and allowing five runs in nine innings. He struck out six and walked three Sunday.

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B-CU holds off Michigan State

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Ryan Durrence's three-run homer highlighted an eight-run third inning and Bethune-Cookman hung on to defeat Michigan State 11-9 Saturday night in the Bethune-Cookman Invitational at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. "Sometimes you've got to tip your hat to your opponent," B-CU coach Mervyl Melendez said of Michigan State (1-8), which battled back from a 10-3 deficit. "They never gave up and they kept the ball in play."

It was Durrence's second homer in two nights. He also hit a three-run shot Friday night against Xavier. B-CU's Eric Thomas (1-2) earned his first win of the season, although he allowed seven runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven, walked two and gave up eight hits. Justin Dahl stranded two baserunners in the ninth to earn his third save.

"I thought (Thomas) did a good job," Melendez said. "Our mentality when we're up by that many runs is to attack the hitters. I thought he commanded the strike zone. He threw hard." The Spartans scored five runs in the seventh against three B-CU pitchers, but the key hits were a bad-hop single and a misjudged fly in center field that fell for an RBI double. Atlantic High grad Chris Brown smacked two RBI doubles for B-CU (7-5). Leadoff batter Jose Ortiz scored three runs on two walks and a double. He scored twice in the decisive third inning.

"I'm very happy with the way we're hitting so far this season," Melendez said. "It's a long season, and we're counting on a lot of guys, and they're coming through for us." The Wildcats sent 12 men to the plate in the third. Durrence hit a towering three-run shot over the left-field fence, while Alejandro Jimenez had an RBI single and Brown ripped his second RBI double of the game.

B-CU 11, Michigan State 9, Final Box Score
Invitational Tournament Central Link - All Game Scores/Highlights

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Pitching presenting problem for FAMU

Rattlers head baseball Coach Robert Lucas

Coach Robert Lucas realized one of his greatest fears about the FAMU baseball team – that his pitchers might have a disastrous day no matter how much hitting the Rattlers do. That became clear Tuesday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field, where the Rattlers lost two seven-inning games to Campbell University. The Camels (8-1) took the first game 7-0 then FAMU's pitching collapsed in a 16-6 loss.

Yes, this is the same team that scored 41 runs in the two previous games. That gave Lucas a bit of optimism just four days ago, but inconsistencies by his pitchers spurred Lucas' ire. Pitching coach Brett Richardson was just as furious over what transpired on the mound. What he saw was enough to begin tinkering with the rotation, Richardson said.

"You can talk a whole bunch about confidence, but confidence is something you can't give a guy," Richardson said. "Either you've got it or you don't." Despite their troubles on the mound, the Rattlers out-hit Campbell in both games (9-8 and 15-10). FAMU never led in the second game and it left nine runners on base for a total of 18 in both games.

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B-CU Beats FGCU 6-1 In Tournament Finale

By B-CU SID Mark Johnson

Freshman Lefty Starter Ali Simpson Pitches Solid Game -Now 2-0 on Season

Lefty starter Ali Simpson won on the second straight Sunday for B-CU pitching six innings of two hit ball allowing one run and striking out six for the win. The Campbell River, B.C. native freshman got the pitching win last Sunday vs. Southern University (10-4 win) in the MLB Urban Invitational in California.

"Ali was outstanding today," said B-CU Head Coach Meryvl Melendez. "He was throwing strikes and keeping them off balance, just like he did last week (vs. Southern University) last Sunday. I was proud of him and the way he pitched. We got timely hitting and scored early and put the opponent on their heals," said Melendez.

B-CU (4-4) led 5-1 after three innings, with run scoring hits from Alejandro Jimenez, Emmanuel Castro, and freshman catcher Peter O'Brien. O'Brien was 2-4 with 2 RBI and is B-CU's leading hitter through eight games with a .435 average (10-23). Freshman infielder Alejandro Sanchez was 3-4 with a RBI and sophomore Ryan Durrence was 2-4 with two runs scored.

"It was a good end to the tournament with a win and to get back on the winning track, " said Melendez. "We have been playing a lot of players, a lot of young players and they have played well for us against some tough competition." B-CU was 2-2 in the four games in Ft. Myers beating Towson University Thursday (12-4) and losing Friday to Boston College (10-5) and falling late Saturday night, 4-2 to Samford University.

Seniors Mark Brooks (2B) and Drew Clark (C) have been injured and will be day-today for the busy week ahead (6 games) for B-CU. DH/OF Chris Brown is nursing a hand injury and pitcher Rayan Gonzalez is injured as well in the early season.

The Wildcats next play Tuesday hosting Mercer, 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in a two-game series (game two - Wednesday at 6 p.m.). B-CU plays four games over the weekend in the Wildcat Tournament - Friday night vs. Xavier (7 p.m.), Saturday vs. Michigan State (7 p.m.) and again Sunday vs. the Spartans at noon. The tournament finale Sunday will face off Georgia State vs. the Wildcats, at 4 p.m.

Freshman lefty carries Bethune-Cookman past Southern University

Bethune - Cookman head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez

Simpson handles first college start well

COMPTON, Calif. -- Making your first collegiate start as a freshman pitcher is never an easy task. And when you're making that start more than 2,500 miles away from your school, in a high-profile tournament at MLB's Urban Youth Academy, it doesn't get any easier. But Bethune-Cookman left-hander Ali Simpson handled the pressure well, tossing 6 2/3 quality innings to lead the Wildcats to a 10-4 win over Southern University on Sunday in the final game of the second annual Urban Invitational at the Academy.

"He was definitely good today, and he gave us the edge," Bethune-Cookman head coach Mervyl Melendez. "He did a good job of keeping them off balance, and it gives some security to our hitters, because they know they don't have to do it all themselves." Simpson was admittedly a little bit nervous before his start, and it showed early, as he allowed the first three runners to reach base before Melendez came to the mound and talked to him.

"Coach calmed me down a little bit," Simpson said. "He told me it was the same game I've been playing all my life." Melendez's advice worked, as Simpson settled down and retired the next three batters. It gave him confidence, and he went on to allow just three runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine

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VIDEO • Highlights: San Diego 9, B-CU 6
VIDEO • Highlights: Southern 4, SDSU 2

Tournament Schedule/Results
2/20: San Diego State 6, Bethune-Cookman 3
Recap Box score Play-by-Play

2/20: San Diego 6, Southern 4
Box Score

2/21, San Diego 9, Bethune-Cookman 6
Box Score

2/21, Southern 4, San Diego State 2
Recap Box score Play-by-Play

2/22, Southern 4, Bethune-Cookman 10
Box Score B-CU 3 Game Cumulative Stats (1-2)

2/22, SDSU 3, USD (at USD) 0
Box score Play-by-Play

Doing his best to make NSU the best it can be

Marty Miller does his best thinking while tooling around in his little red Corvette. In those moments, Norfolk State's athletic director imagines a dynamic future in which the Spartans dominate the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Miller believes 2009 will be the football team's best season since joining Division I in 1997. Men's and women's basketball - both under upstart coaches - are two to three years away from separating themselves from the rest of the conference, he assures.

If NSU's major sports programs follow his lofty time line, it will largely be due to Miller's commitment to the program, which he took over on an interim basis in December 2004. He fashions himself a winner, and he has high expectations for the future. Whether it's Scrabble or any game the Spartans are involved in, Miller hates to lose - one reason the former Army lieutenant coached the Spartans' baseball team to 700 victories. "I'm always competing in everything I do," Miller says. "I wonder how I got to this point in life. But I'm like that at everything I do. In life, I want to be the best."

His wife of 35 years - and mother to their son, 33-year-old Marty Eric - confirms that. "He would come home after coaching, and I knew when he walked in the door whether he won or lost," Liz Miller says. "It's always been about NSU for him. "NSU is the other woman in my life."

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FAMU baseball heads into season with reloaded roster

FAMU Coach Robert Lucas cleans Rattlers house; only 12 players return from last year's squad

With less than half of the players from last year's roster returning to FAMU's baseball team, coach Robert Lucas has reloaded the Rattlers with a mix of transfers and walk-ons. At least two football players are expected to join the team along with transfer outfielders Stavone Martin and Tobi Adeyemi. Their presence should bolster the Rattlers offensively, said Lucas, who has shaken up his team's personnel after they were unable to carry late-season momentum into the MEAC tournament.

"We talked about last year and the disappointment we had in the tournament for one day," Lucas said. "There is no point in us belaboring the fact that we didn't do what we were supposed to do. I think not bringing it up is going to help us focus on the things we need to do fundamentally." FAMU will have a much different look when the season starts with a doubleheader against Jackson State on Feb. 20. Only 12 players, including infielder/pitcher Tim Schalch and MEAC MVP pitcher Jared Jefferies, will return from last year's squad.

Of the 14 players who won't return, only two were lost to graduation, Lucas said. "After a while, you have to make some decisions on education and athletics," he said, explaining the cuts that he's made. "I felt from what I didn't see in their abilities that it was time for them to work on their academics."

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Cubs to host Bethune-Cookman Invitational Games

The Daytona Cubs are excited to work together with Bethune-Cookman to bring exciting college baseball to the area. The Bethune-Cookman Invitational will bring teams from Georgia State University, Michigan State University, and Xavier University.

The Invitational will kick off with three games on Friday, March 6th and will end on Sunday, March 8th at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Game times will start at 11am, 3pm, and 7pm. Tickets for this exciting event will be $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children, seniors, and students. Make sure to come support the local students and see if they have what it takes to become the next Daytona Cub!

The Daytona Cubs will also host the MEAC Tournament in May. Games will kick off on Friday, March 15th and will go through Sunday, March 17th. Check the Daytona Cubs website as more information unfolds!

Florida home to many successful programs

Except:

We take an inside look at the state of Florida's programs.

8. BETHUNE-COOKMAN

It's not often that a team out of the MEAC causes headaches for opposing teams, but Bethune-Cookman certainly is the exception. The Wildcats haven't been able to make a huge splash on the national stage, but have caused some waves inside the state of Florida. Long-time coach Mervyl Melendez has done a tremendous job at BCC, and the Wildcats continued their winning ways last season by going 17-1 in conference, 36-22 overall.

13. FLORIDA A&M

There's no question Florida A&M has the worst program in the state of Florida. The Rattlers consistently finish near the top of the MEAC, but that obviously doesn't mean much considering they've finished the last two seasons with overall records of 20-22 and 16-36. FAMU should look at Bethune-Cookman as a perfect example.

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B-CU freshman pitcher shines in summer league

ORLANDO — Bethune-Cookman University freshman pitcher Joseph Munoz recently was named the Most Valuable Pitcher for the Orlando Suns during the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL). Munoz finished the summer with a perfect 6-0 record and an ERA of just 1.33 through 40.2 innings of action. He also posted 34 strikeouts and had three saves out of the bullpen, though seeing most his action as a starter for the Suns.

The Suns finished in fifth place for the year. Munoz was a three-time FCSL Pitcher of the Week for the Suns, as well as being the only Suns player to hold a perfect record as a starter. He finished his freshman season at B-CU with 20 strikeouts collected in 25 innings on the bump for the Maroon and Gold.

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Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats

A&T's Simmons’ shot at big leagues a little late

The honor came 58 years late for Bert Simmons, but then, most everything did.

The former N.C. A&T baseball player who fought his way through lesser leagues of the South before getting his shot in the Negro Leagues, was "drafted" Thursday to play for the Baltimore Orioles.

Baseball's been trying to make up for lost time and accrued embarrassment for more than 60 years, embracing the ballplayers who were never given a chance to play in the majors simply because of the color of their skin. The gestures have been both grand and hollow since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

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A new color barrier?

Photo: Bethune Cookman University 2008 Baseball Team.

Baseball seeing fewer black athletes on deck.

Central High School junior Johnny Gray has never played organized baseball, although his friends have attempted to talk him into giving it a try. "They tell me I'd be good at it," said Gray, who plays basketball and runs track at Central. "But I'm so busy with basketball, I don't really have time."

Besides, Gray said, baseball just doesn't do anything for him. "It's kind of boring to me," he said. Gray's view seems typical of many young black athletes who dream of earning a college athletic scholarship. Baseball probably isn't their ticket. The number of black players in college baseball continues to decline, with black players comprising only 2.6 of the NCAA Division I total in 2006, the latest NCAA report.

That's down from 6 percent in a 2004 report by Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Lapchick isn't pointing fingers at the college game or its coaches. He said the dwindling number of blacks in baseball is an across-the-board problem.

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NCAA Baseball Regionals: Ole Miss 14, Bethune-Cookman 1

CORAL GABLES, FL - Michael Guerrero homered twice in one inning as Mississippi eliminated Bethune Cookman 14-1 in the Coral Gables Regional Saturday afternoon.

Guerrero's home runs highlighted a 10-run sixth inning. The Rebels sent 14 batters to the plate against Wildcats starter Joseph Gautier and two relievers.

Guerrero drove Gautier's 2-2 pitch over the fence in left field for his ninth home run of the year and a 6-1 lead. His second homer of the inning, a two-run shot, put Mississippi ahead 13-1.

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Top-seeded Miami Defeats Bethune-Cookman, 7-4 in NCAA Regional Opener

Coral Gables, Fla. - Blake Tekotte had a big two-run single in the seventh inning to help top-seeded University of Miami--the nation's top-ranked team, win a 7-4 contest against Bethune-Cookman University in the NCAA Coral Gables Regional opener at Mark Light Stadium.

Leading 5-4 in the seventh inning, the Hurricanes (48-8) Ryan Jackson was hit by a pitch to start off the at-bat. He then advanced to second on a passed ball before Dave DiNatale and Adan Severino took back-to-back walks to load the bases. That's when Blake Tekotte stepped up and delivered a bloop single to centerfield that squeezed between B-CU (36-21) second baseman Mark Brooks and centerfielder José Ortiz.

The single scored two runs to push the Hurricanes lead out to 7-4 ... thus the final score. "I was just trying to put it in play," Tekotte said. "We knew we had our work cut out for us. This was the best fourth-seeded team in the nation."

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BCU Wildcats Like Chances At College World Series

Photo: Bethune Cookman University head coach Mervyl Melendez has the Wildcats poised for the upset in the NCAA Regionals.

ORMOND BEACH -- The road to the College World Series begins soon for the best NCAA programs in the game, and Central Florida has a potential giant-killer to add to the mix.

Bethune-Cookman University is heading to its third-consecutive NCAA baseball regional and they are underdogs. They have had a great season so far, but now they are headed to Coral Gables to face Missouri, Ole Miss and the No. 1 team in the country -- the Miami Hurricanes.

"It's going to be a way-different scenario now. NCAA regionals. There's something on the line. You have to lose two games, so I'm sure it's going to be a tougher game, but we're going to be ready for the challenge. A lot of people are probably not giving us a chance to play well or beat University of Miami and I think that we have a very good chance," said Mervyl Melendez, the BCU head coach.

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FAMU pulls out dramatic win over Delaware State

Photo: FAMU Pitcher Cirilo Manego has ugly game, but goes distance for the victory as FAMU saves their ace pitcher for North Carolina A&T game scheduled on Friday.

NORFOLK, Va. – After hitting a bases-clearing double to send Florida A&M over Delaware State, shortstop Tim Schalch and his teammates sprinted toward the outfield at Marty L. Miller Field. And straight for the tarp.

The victory was dramatic. The celebration was short.

FAMU players began rolling out the tarp in anticipation of heavy overnight rains Thursday. The Rattlers’ 7-6 come-from-nowhere victory was actually interrupted by a brief rain delay in the bottom of the ninth.

After it rained, FAMU poured it on.

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DSU baseball faces Florida A&M in tourney

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Delaware State will take on the Florida A&M Rattlers on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. The double-elimination tournament will take place on the campus of Norfolk State.

Thursday's game will be the teams' fourth meeting of the season. Florida A&M (19-20, 11-7 MEAC) won the last contest 14-13 on May 5. The first-round game will be the 16th meeting all-time in conference tournament action between the two squads (FAMU leads 12-3).

The Hornets (16-31, 11-7 MEAC) are making their 24th straight MEAC Tournament appearance. DSU has reached the championship game...

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What is causing decline in black baseball players?

Kaylum Graham was like a lot of future E.E. Smith High School athletes.

As a youth, he played many sports — baseball among them. But faced with tough choices entering high school, his passion for baseball waned.

“I felt there was a better chance for me to go to college playing basketball and football, so I stuck with the other two,” he said.

Those are among the common reasons given to explain a national decline in black athletes in baseball.

It’s been documented at the major league level, but it’s also evident in the high school ranks in Cumberland County. A Fayetteville Observer study reveals that only 40 of 152 (26 percent) varsity baseball players in Cumberland County are black. As a whole, 51.4 percent of Cumberland County students are black.

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