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Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Baseball. Show all posts
Alcorn State baseball coach Barret L. Rey, Sr., ended his first head coaching job at Grambling State with a 56-94 record over a three year span moving the Tigers from the cellar to the SWAC semi-finals in 2009.
LORMAN, MS — Three things are on Alcorn State baseball coach Barret Rey’s mind, and those three things are the key to a championship season, he said. “It’s what I tell them every year,” Rey said. “All we need is defense, situational pitching and situational hitting. If we have those three things, we’ll be alright.” And Rey said he’s not satisfied with simply making the SWAC championship game. The Braves did last year, only to lose 11-7 against Southern University.
“We want to make it back, without a doubt,” Rey said. “But we don’t want to just be content with just getting there this year. We want to win, and we won’t be satisfied until we win. “This is a mature team, with a lot of juniors that were in the championship game last year. If we do things right — if we don’t beat ourselves — we’re going to be awfully tough to beat.” Rey singled out hitting as his team’s biggest strength, and said his players’ athleticism has allowed him the flexibility to move them around to different positions. “We can swing the bat,” Rey said. “We’re a pretty athletic team, too, and our success is going to come from our hitting and athleticism.
A pitcher can get a little rusty when he hasn't stepped on the mound in three years. Tobias Lee is no exception, as he tries to regain the stuff he had during his four years as pitcher for Pike County High School in Alabama. The four-seam fastball is coming back. So is his curve and change-up. But as he tries to execute them for the Florida A&M baseball team, he's found one huge challenge in his two starts for the Rattlers.
"Out of all those (the variation of pitches), just getting used to the strike zone is the most challenging," Lee said. "It's just a matter of getting used to that." If the last name seems familiar, it is. Lee is the same mild-mannered, easy-going, lanky sophomore who played tight end on FAMU's football team last season. Baseball has been a passion since he began playing the game at the T-ball level. He played both sports until his senior year at Pike High when fatigue from quarterbacking his football team in the fall was too much for him to go out for baseball in his senior year.
Coach Mervyl Melendez and Bethune-Cookman ends MLB Urban League Invitational with only one win--over Southern, dropping games against Cal State Northridge and UCLA.
COMPTON, Calif. -- Ryan Gonzalez pitched six strong innings and Matt Wright homered and had five RBIs to lead Bethune Cookman to a 13-8 victory over Southern University on Sunday at the Major League Baseball Urban Classic. Gonzalez (1-0) gave up three runs on three hits and struck out six for the Wildcats (1-2). Joey Sharkey and Justin Dahl combined to pitch the final three innings to secure the win.
Wright's three-run homer, his second of the weekend, sparked an eight-run fifth inning that propelled B-CU to a 12-1 lead. Justin Hoyte had two hits, including a two-run triple in the Wildcats' four-run third inning. Ryan Durrence had three hits and Emmanuel Castro went deep for the Wildcats. "We needed to win this game after losing the first two," said Gonzalez, a sophomore form Arecibo, Puerto Rico. "My fastball and curveball were working well and I felt like I was attacking the zone. I was motivated today to help my team win."
This weekend marked the third consecutive season that B-CU has opened its campaign at the MLB Urban Classic on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The third annual three-day event, which also featured No. 23 ranked UCLA, Southern University and Cal-State Northridge, helps spotlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities by giving them national exposure.
James Cooper is about to begin his first season as a Division I baseball coach, but he'll have plenty of experience within the Grambling Tigers to draw from. The Tigers return nine of the 12 players who started at least 20 games last season. Despite a 17-37 record last season, Grambling did come within one win of playing for the SWAC Tournament title. Cooper, a native of Cullen (La.) and Grambling graduate, replaced former coach Barret Rey. Although he'll have plenty of help in the lineup, including 2009 leading hitter Steve Kletke, Cooper will look for some new help on the mound as the season begins at Stephen F. Austin on Friday.
Coach Cooper started season at 0-2, dropping games on the road at Stephen F. Austin, 4-0 and 9-4. The Tigers play this afternoon to end the series.
Gone are starting pitchers Baron Hinton and Manny Kumar, who combined for eight of the Tigers' 17 victories last season and finished 1-2 in innings pitched. Hinton led the team (players who pitched more than 10 innings) with a 4.59 ERA. The Tigers lose 30 starts from five departing pitchers, but retain Adrian Turner. The Kenosha, Wis., product tied for the team lead with seven starts as a sophomore in 2009.
COMPTON, Calif. — Silenced and humbled in its season opener, the Southern baseball team responded well Saturday. The Jaguars rallied twice, and they won. On the second day of the Major League Baseball Urban Invitational, Southern scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against Cal State Northridge, and reliever Brian Foster held off the Matadors in the top of the ninth for a 12-9 victory. “We played much better today,” SU coach Roger Cador said. “We needed something from the bottom of our lineup and we got it. We needed something from Doc (Foster), and we got it from him too.”
The Jaguars’ win came less than 24 hours after UCLA roughed them up 16-2 in the season opener Friday night in Los Angeles. In that game, the Bruins scored nine runs in the first inning, and SU never recovered. On Saturday, Cal State Northridge jumped on starter Jarrett Maloy for four runs in the top of the first. The Jaguars rallied and took a 7-5 lead into the top of the seventh, when Northridge scored three times off SU reliever Joshua Rochelle.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Richmond baseball team exploded for 10 runs in the second inning and senior Matt Zielinski was dominant in the season-opener as the Spiders rolled past Florida A&M, 23-1, Friday in the first game of the North Florida Classic. Zielinski fanned five and scattered just five hits over six innings to pick up the Spiders third-straight season-opening win under head coach Mark McQueen. The senior lefty allowed just one walk and a run in the winning effort.
"We threw strikes, only walked one and didn't commit an error," said McQueen. "I liked that we did the little things well and that's a credit to our guys. Even though we've practice outside only once with all the snow, we've worked hard and came ready to play today." Sophomore C Chris Cowell launched a three-run homer in the Spiders 10-run second inning and set a career-high with six RBI to lead an offensive attack that struck for 21 runs on 11 hits and benefited from 16 walks by Rattler pitching.
"The big second inning really gave us a chance to relax and allowed our guys to get in a zone," said McQueen. "We had good at-bats and I liked the approach." Junior DH Billy Barber had two hits, a solo homer, three RBI and scored four times, while sophomore LF Phil Ruzbarsky had two hits and scored a career-high three runs. After Barber led off the second inning with a single, Brown followed with a towering shot to left and Cowell later tomahawked a three-run homer over the left-center field wall. Richmond feasted on five walks in the frame and ended the day of FAMU starter Miguel Parga quickly.
COMPTON, Calif. -- Cal State Northridge kicked off the third annual Urban Invitational presented by the U.S. Army in a big way, beating Bethune-Cookman, 18-4, on Friday at the Urban Youth Academy. The three-day tournament, which also includes UCLA and Southern University and helps spotlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities by giving them national exposure, began Friday with a game billed as a pitchers' duel between the club's aces on the first day of the college baseball season.
It appeared that way for Bethune-Cookman left-hander Ali Simpson, as his club led, 4-0, after three innings with a pair of two-runs homers by Peter O'Brien and Matt Wright against Northridge right-hander Ryan Juarez. But Northridge overcame that early 4-0 deficit by breaking out in the sixth inning with nine runs and added five more in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. All told, 12 different players had a hit for the Matadors as they club pounded out 20 hits.
"It was a little dicey there at the beginning because we made some mental mistakes," Northridge coach Steve Rousey said. "So early on, we weren't playing well, but I don't know if the guys loosened up or what, but it turned around."
ITTA BENA, MS — Yes, those were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish out there on the modest baseball diamond of Mississippi Valley State on Friday - Notre Dame with all the trimmings: Brilliant, old gold batting helmets, navy blue jerseys, with gold numbers and lettering and bright green shamrocks on the sleeves. This was Notre Dame, in Itta Bena, playing on a field that Valley coach Doug Shanks and his coaches worked on through Thursday night making sure it would be playable. This is Magnolia Field, where the one-man grounds crew dresses in green and white striped pants, courtesy of a nearby penal farm where he is housed and fed. "Hardest worker you ever saw, but we have to have him back by 4," Shanks says.
This was Notre Dame, the gold standard of college athletics, winning 12-4 over Mississippi Valley State, which Shanks quite frankly will admit, has "the worst Division I baseball facilities in America." The crowd was standing room only Friday. Of course, at Magnolia Field, there is essentially standing room only. The official nickname for MVSU's athletic teams is Delta Devils. The baseball players call themselves the Ragamuffins. No explanation necessary.
GREENVILLE, MS - Notre Dame senior RHP Billy Boockford (Glen Elyn, Ill.) picked up his first career victory and senior 1B Casey Martin (Chesterton, Ind.) added two hits, including a solo home run for the second consecutive day, to lead the Irish past Mississippi Valley State, 8-3, in college baseball action from Legion Field Saturday afternoon. An energetic crowd of 1,875 watched Notre Dame improve to 2-0 on the season. Boockford, who entered today's contest with just one previous pitching appearance, tossed 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings of relief. The right-handed hurler walked a batter and recorded a strikeout.
Junior Todd Miller (Franklin, Tenn.) picked up the save. Miller, who tied for the team-lead in saves last season with five, worked 2.0 scoreless innings of relief. He surrendered three hits and one walk, but also struck out one. Martin and junior Cameron McConnell (Bannockburn, Ill.) were the only two Irish players with more than one hit, but seven of the nine starters registered a base hit. It marked the second consecutive day with seven of the nine starting players recorded a hit.
Notre Dame grabbed an early 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second inning. Senior 2B Ryne Intlekofer (Moorpark, Calif.) opened the game with a double and came around to score on senior OF David Mills' (Battle Creek, Mich.) RBI single. Junior 3B Greg Sherry (Mendham, N.J.) added an RBI single in the second to score McConnell, who reached with a one-out single.
After the Delta Devils cut the Irish lead in half, 2-1, Notre Dame pushed the lead to 4-1 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Junior David Casey (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) drew a two-out walk and raced home on junior Mick Doyle's (LaGrange Park, Ill.) RBI double. Doyle would eventually score on a Mississippi Valley State error to make it 4-1.
B-CU will play Cal State Northridge, UCLA, and Southern University at Classic on February 19, 2010. This is Wildcats third straight year at MLB Classic.
The 2010 baseball edition of B-CU returns six returning starting players including team hitting leader (C. J. Lauriello, .403, 4 HR, 36 RBI), team home run, RBI leader Ryan Durrence (11 HR, 48 RBI), and freshman All-American catcher Peter O'Brien (.314, 30 RBI). Also returning is a talented group of pitchers led by freshman All-American sophomore lefty Ali Simpson (9-2, 3.23 ERA, 79 K's). Coach Mervyl Melendez expects junior OF Matt Wright (transfer from Daytona State College) to be a starter in the outfield and four-year OF Justin Hoyte (.270, 32 starts in 2009) returns for his senior season. Transfer OF DJ Leonard adds depth to the B-CU outfield and will battle for a starting spot.
"Our team returns most of the position players from our NCAA regional team," said Coach Melendez. "C.J. (Lauriello) is a very advanced hitter will have a tremendous year for us. He is a very tough out and hits well in big games. We have high expectations as a team. We want to play for championships and have won four straight and nine of out the last 10 MEAC championships and NCAA regionals. We want to go out and play hard and out-play our opponents. I am excited about our team. We have the pieces in place to be a very good team."
The starting left side of the infield returns - in sophomore SS Alejandro Sanchez (.299, 2 HR, 24 RBI) and the teams' second leading hitter in 2009 - Jr. 3B Emmanuel Castro (.345, 4 HR, 36 RBI). Hard-hitting Sr. 1B Alejandro Jimenez looks for a solid final season with the Wildcats. Jimenez led the `Cats with 22 stolen bases last year and he hit .330 with 9 HR and 32 RBI. Jimenez did have surgery again following the 2009 season to repair the bone chips in his non-throwing elbow. Valuable infielders Sr. 3B Jeremy Davis (.333, 1 HR, 20 RBI) and So. 2B-SS-3B - Jairo Acevedo return in 2010. Both were impressive offensively in the Fall season and are solid veteran players.
The 2009 season was highlighted by winning the fourth straight MEAC championship and earning B-CU's ninth NCAA regional appearance in 10 years. Winning milestone game number 300 for Coach Mervyl Melendez, at Maryland-Eastern Shore in late April, was icing on the cake for the Wildcats.
Sophomore LHP Ali Simpson, last year's MEAC Rookie of the Year, will be the number one starter in 2010. His role expands from last year as the number three starter behind senior 1-2 aces Hiram Burgos and Eric Thomas. Simpson was tabbed the pre-season 2010 MEAC Pitcher of the Year in February balloting and he hopes to add to his Freshman All-American status of last year. Jr. LHP Joseph Munoz (3-6, 5.14) will be a specialist in the bullpen in 2010 and his new role bolsters the B-CU relief pitchers.
Sophomore RHP Rayan Gonzalez hopes for an injury free season and Jr. LHP Roman Lancara will be in his third year of pitching for the Wildcats. Both Gonzalez and Lancara are projected into the starting rotation as the season opens in February. Returning relievers RHP Andrew Tilka and LHP Justin Dahl (coming back off of knee surgery during the off-season) both return in 2010. Dahl had four saves and was the B-CU closer in the early season before his injury in March. The 2010 roster includes eight new pitchers all vying for innings and starts. Six are freshman and two are JC transfers (Jr. RHP Julio Morales and Jr. RHP/3B Juan Perez). Perez is the projected closer entering 2010 Spring practice after an impressive Fall practice season on the mound.
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Bethune Cookman University 2010 Baseball Schedule Date Opponent Event Location Time
February Fri., Feb. 19 vs. vs. Cal State Northridge @ MLB Urban Classic Compton, California 2:00 p.m. Sat., Feb. 20 vs. vs. UCLA @ MLB Classic Compton, California 6:00 p.m. Sun., Feb. 21 vs. vs. Southern Univ. @ MLB Classic Compton, California 2:00 p.m. Mon., Feb. 22 at UC-Riverside Riverside, California 3:00 p.m. Thu., Feb. 25 at Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas 4:00 p.m. Fri., Feb. 26 vs. Washington State Lubbock, Texas 1:00 p.m. Sat., Feb. 27 vs. Washington State Lubbock, Texas 1:00 p.m. at Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas 5:00 p.m.
March Tue., Mar. 2 vs. Stetson Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Wed., Mar. 3 vs. Jacksonville Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Fri., Mar. 5 vs. Troy Troy, Alabama 6:00 p.m. Sat., Mar. 6 vs. Troy Troy, Alabama 6:00 p.m. Sun., Mar. 7 vs. Troy Troy, Alabama 1:00 p.m. Wed., Mar. 10 vs. Wagner Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Fri., Mar. 12 vs. Wagner - B-CU Invitational Daytona Beach, Fla. 2:30 p.m. vs. VCU - B-CU Invitational Daytona Beach, Florida 6:00 p.m. Sat., Mar. 13 vs. Wagner - B-CU Invitational Daytona Beach, Florida 6:00 p.m. Sun., Mar. 14 vs. VCU - B-CU Invitational Daytona Beach, Fla. 12:00 p.m. Tue., Mar. 16 vs. Stetson Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Sat., Mar. 20 at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m. at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 4:00 p.m. Sun., Mar. 21 at Florida A&M * Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m. Mon., Mar. 22 vs. Ohio State Daytona Beach, Florida 3:00 p.m. Wed., Mar. 24 vs. North Florida Daytona Beach, Florida 6:00 p.m. Thu., Mar. 25 vs. Dartmouth Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Fri., Mar. 26 vs. Dartmouth Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Sat., Mar. 27 vs. Dartmouth Daytona Beach, Fla. 12:00 p.m. Tue., Mar. 30 at UCF Orlando, Florida 6:30 p.m. Wed., Mar. 31 vs. UCF Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
April Wed., Apr. 7 at Stetson DeLand, Fla. 6:30 p.m. Sat., Apr. 10 vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m. vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 4:00 p.m. Sun., Apr. 11 vs. North Carolina A&T * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m. Tue., Apr. 13 at North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m. Wed., Apr. 14 at Florida International Miami, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Sat., Apr. 17 vs. Norfolk State * Daytona Beach Fla. 1:00 p.m. vs. Norfolk State * Daytona Beach Fla. 4:00 p.m. Sun., Apr. 18 vs. Norfolk State * Daytona Beach, Florida 1:00 p.m. Tue., Apr. 20 at Miami Coral Gables, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Wed., Apr. 21 at UCF Orlando, Fla. 6:30 p.m. Sat., Apr. 24 at Coppin State * Baltimore, MD 1:00 p.m. at Coppin State * Baltimore, MD 4:00 p.m. Sun., Apr. 25 at Coppin State * Baltimore, MD 1:00 p.m. Tue., Apr. 27 at Stetson DeLand, Fla. 6:30 p.m. Wed., Apr. 28 at Florida Atlantic Boco Raton, Fla. 4:00 p.m. Fri., Apr. 30 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m. vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 4:00 p.m.
May Sat., May 1 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore * Daytona Beach, Fla. 1:00 p.m. Tue., May 4 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. 6:30 p.m. Wed., May 5 vs. Florida International Daytona Beach, Fla. 6:00 p.m. Sat., May 8 at Delaware State * Dover, Delaware 1:00 p.m. at Delaware State * Dover, Delaware 4:00 p.m. Sun., May 9 at Delaware State * Dover, Delaware 1:00 p.m. Tue., May 11 at West Virginia Morgantown, WV 7:00 p.m. Wed., May 12 at West Virginia Morgantown, WV 7:00 p.m. Thu., May 20 vs. MEAC Tournament * Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA Fri., May 21 vs. MEAC Tournament * Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA Sat., May 22 vs. MEAC Tournament * Daytona Beach, Fla. TBA
After weeks of rotten luck and disjointed practice schedules, the Southern baseball team caught a break Saturday afternoon. Rain and snow vanished, the sky cleared and the sun showed up. In the parking lot outside Lee-Hines Field, with the constant ring of aluminum bats in the distance, pitchers stretched and laughed. Right-hander/class clown Seth Monaghan made goofy faces and goofier dance moves. Teammates talked trash. Minutes later, they took off for some running exercises.
With less than a week to go before the Jaguars’ season opener at UCLA, everything seemed in place. Except for the presence of a pitching coach. For the second straight year, Southern will attempt to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship without a full-time pitching coach — something longtime head coach Roger Cador had hoped for this summer when he agreed to a three-year contract that will pay him at least $125,000 per season. Two months after winning his 14th conference title, Cador — who begins his 26th season behind the wheel of the baseball program — interviewed twice with the University of New Orleans (Cador agreed to a new deal with SU, his alma mater, before UNO made an offer).
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SU Jaguars 2010 Baseball Schedule
DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME
FEBRUARY 19 Friday UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (Jackie Robinson Stadium) 8:00 P.M. 20 Saturday Cal State Northridge, Los Angeles, CA (MLB Urban Youth Academy) 4:00 P.M. 21 Sunday Bethune-Cookman, Los Angeles, CA (MLB Urban Youth Academy) 4:00 P.M. 24 Tuesday University of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 27 Friday Baton Rouge CC (Exhibition) Baton Rouge, LA (Pete Goldsby Field) 1:00 P.M.
MARCH 2 Tuesday University of Loyola, New Orleans, LA 6:00 P.M. 6 Saturday +Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA 1:00 P.M. 6 Saturday University of New Orleans, Thibodaux, LA 4:00 P.M. 7 Sunday Nicholls State University, Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 9 Tuesday Southeastern Louisiana Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 13 Saturday *+Prairie View A&M Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 12:00 NOON 14 Sunday *Prairie View A&M Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 16 Tuesday Univ. of Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 6:00 P.M. 20 Saturday +Baton Rouge CC (Exhibition) Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 21 Sunday Baton Rouge CC (Exhibition) Baton Rouge, LA (Pete Goldsgy Field) 1:00 P.M. 23 Tuesday Nicholls State University, Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 27 Saturday *+Arkansas Pine Bluff Univ., Pine Bluff, AR 1:00 P.M. 28 Sunday *Arkansas Pine Bluff Univ., Pine Bluff, AR 1:00 P.M. 30 Tuesday Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA 6:00 P.M.
APRIL 3 Saturday *+Texas Southern University Baton Rouge, LA 12:00 NOON 4 Sunday *Texas Southern University Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 6 Tuesday University of New Orleans Baton Rouge, LA 6:30 P.M. 10 Saturday *+Grambling State Univ. Baton Rouge, LA 12:00 NOON 11 Sunday *Grambling State Univ. Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 13 Tuesday University of Loyola Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 17 Saturday *+Prairie View A&M Univ. Prairie View, TX 1:00P.M. 18 Sunday *Prairie View A&M Univ. Prairie View, TX 1:00P.M. 20 Tuesday Delgado CC (Exhibition) Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 21 Wednesday FAMU, Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 22 Thursday FAMU, Baton Rouge, LA 3:00 P.M. 24 Saturday Jackson State University Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 25 Sunday Jackson State University Jackson, MS 1:00 P.M. 27 Tuesday Southeastern Louisiana Hammond, LA 6:00 P.M.
MAY 1 Saturday *+Arkansas Pine Bluff Univ. Baton Rouge, LA 12:00 NOON 2 Sunday *Arkansas Pine Bluff Univ. Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 P.M. 5 Wednesday Alcorn State University Lorman, MS 6:00 P.M. 8 Saturday *+Texas Southern University Houston, TX 1:00 P.M. 9 Sunday *Texas Southern University Houston, TX 1:00 P.M. 11 Tuesday Univ. of Louisiana Lafayette Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 15 Saturday *+Grambling State Univ. Grambling, LA 1:00 P.M. 16 Sunday *Grambling State Univ. Grambling, LA 1:00 P.M. 18 Tuesday Alcorn State University Baton Rouge, LA 6:00 P.M. 26-29 Wed.-Sun. SWAC Tournament Shreveport, LA TBA
Bold = Home Games * = Conference Games + = Double Header Games All game times are Central
The legendary Willie E."Rat" McGowan, Sr. (#25 in photo) will be honored with the naming of the Alcorn State University baseball stadium.
JACKSON, MS — Alcorn State University could honor its sports history by naming its baseball stadium and the field inside the stadium after two former coaches. A bill that passed the Mississippi House 116-0 on Tuesday would name the park as the Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Sr. Baseball Stadium. McGowan retired in 2009 after coaching Alcorn State baseball for 40 years. The field inside the stadium would be named for the late William "Bill" Foster, the school's first baseball coach.
Foster was a left-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1920s and '30s and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The legendary "Rat" McGowan finished his Alcorn career with 720 wins and was inducted in the Alcorn State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998, for baseball and football. The bill moves to the Senate for more work.
By: Representatives Holloway, Middleton, Clarke, Wooten, Arinder, DuVall, Espy, Gibbs, Harrison, Huddleston (30th), Johnson, Jones (82nd), Thomas, Scott, Clark
House Bill 730 (As Passed the House) AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT THE ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY BASEBALL PARK ON THE CAMPUS OF ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY IN LORMAN, MISSISSIPPI, SHALL BE NAMED THE WILLIE E. "RAT" MCGOWAN, SR., BASEBALL STADIUM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE BASEBALL FIELD WITHIN THE WILLIE E. "RAT" MCGOWAN STADIUM SHALL BE NAMED THE WILLIAM "BILL" FOSTER BASEBALL FIELD; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. The Alcorn State University Baseball Park on the campus of Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, shall be named the Willie E. "Rat" McGowan, Sr., Baseball Stadium. The Department of Finance and Administration shall prepare a distinctive plaque to be placed in a prominent place within the Willie E. "Rat" McGowan, Sr., Baseball Stadium, which states the background, accomplishments and service to the university of Mr. McGowan.
SECTION 2. The baseball field within the Willie E. "Rat" McGowan, Sr., Baseball Stadium, as designated in Section 1 of this act, located on the campus of Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, shall be named the William "Bill" Foster Baseball Field. The Department of Finance and Administration shall prepare a distinctive plaque to be placed in a prominent place on the William "Bill" Foster Baseball Field, which states the background, accomplishments and service to the university of Mr. Foster.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2010.
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."
GAINESVILLE, FL -- Another day, another heartbreaking loss, another early exit from the NCAA Regionals for the Bethune-Cookman baseball team. On Friday, B-CU lost 8-7 when Florida scored three runs in the ninth. On Saturday vs. Jacksonville, the Wildcats again fell 8-7, this time when a pinch hitter failed to come through with two men on base in the ninth.
"We lost two close games," Bethune-Cookman coach Mervyl Melendez said. "(Friday) we lost in the ninth inning. (Saturday) we lost in the eighth inning. That is baseball." Jacksonville (37-21) moved on to play in another elimination game at 1 p.m. today against Miami, which lost 8-2 to Florida on Saturday night. Bethune-Cookman (32-28) went two-and-out in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in 10 trips under Melendez, this time with an unusual ending.
LORMAN, MS — With Alcorn State’s baseball season coming to an end with a loss in the SWAC Tournament championship game last Sunday, one might think that coach Willie “Rat” McGowan could finally take it easy. After all, McGowan did announce his retirement last month and has coached his final game in the ASU dugout. But McGowan’s retirement doesn’t take effect until June 30, and the coach is still working hard until then.
“I’m recruiting and trying to find some ball players,” McGowan said on Wednesday. “We’ve got some good kids coming in. I’m going to be coaching until my last day. I want to leave the Alcorn baseball program competitive for the next coach. I think the team we’ll put together will be able to win a championship.”
Coach Willie "Rat" McGowan #25, won 720 games with the ASU Braves.
And that is something McGowan’s final Alcorn team almost did. The Braves lost the opening game of the SWAC Tournament to Texas Southern before winning four straight games to advance to the championship game. However, the Braves lost to Southern 12-10 to bring down the curtain on McGowan’s 40 years at the helm of the Alcorn baseball program.
LSU was named the No. 3 national seed in the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament field that was revealed today. The Tigers (46-16) will play Southern (30-15) at 1 p.m. Friday in the first game of the four-team regional that begins Friday at Alex Box Stadium. The second game at 6 p.m. Friday will pit Baylor (29-24) against Minnesota (38-17) on the first day of the four-team, double-elimination regional tournament.
Southern catcher Michael Thomas tags out LSU Matt Clark at home plate.
The national seed means the Tigers will host a super regional if they can survive the four-team regional that begins Friday at Alex Box Stadium. The winner of the Baton Rouge regional will play the winner of the Houston regional, hosted by Rice. Kansas State, Xavier (Ohio) and Sam Houston State are the other teams in the Houston regional. The LSU regional is the program’s 19th at home — all since 1986. Southern is in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005.
On the last day of what he later called the greatest weekend of his life, Southern shortstop Jesse Olivar woke up with puffy eyes and sore muscles. Actually, he didn’t wake up at all. He couldn’t sleep. Throughout his young life, Olivar had never won a championship — not in Little League, not in junior high, not on summer teams, not ever. Now he was close.
“I was so excited to play,” he said. “I was already tired from the night before. I took a bath and tried to stay loose. Then I got a massage, so I could come out in halfway good shape.” On Sunday afternoon at Lee-Hines Field, near the end of a wild, emotional Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament, Olivar found himself at the center of the storm.
It was ironic: At the climax of the Jaguars’ 12-10 slugfest of a win over Alcorn State — one that capped a wild ride to the SWAC title and clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament for SU, not to mention that elusive first ring for Olivar — his defense helped seal the deal.
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.
The Southern baseball team cooled off all at once Saturday afternoon at Lee-Hines Field. The Jaguars’ bats went silent. Their winning streak ended at nine, and it ended with a thud. They lost 12-1 against Prairie View in the second game of a doubleheader, thanks to a near-perfect performance from Panthers pitcher Mark Almaguer. And yet, none of that qualified as the scariest part the afternoon.
That happened at 1:14 p.m., in the fourth inning of the first game — a 12-5 victory for Southern. At that moment, ace pitcher Jarrett Maloy took a line drive to his right ankle. He collapsed and spent two minutes face-down on the mound, then eventually got up and walked around, testing the ankle. Maloy threw two warm-up pitches, then got back to work. Better yet, he worked himself out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the fourth. That was his last inning.
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.
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.
Alcorn State baseball coach Barret L. Rey, Sr., ended his first head coaching job at Grambling State with a 56-94 record over a three year span moving the Tigers from the cellar to the SWAC semi-finals in 2009.
