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Showing posts with label NCAA Division II Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA Division II Baseball. Show all posts
TUSCALOOSA | The Stillman College baseball team, riding a six-game conference winning streak, will take on Albany State in a key Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series this weekend at historic Eagle Stadium in Ozark.
The teams will play a nine-inning game tonight at 7, then wrap up the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The doubleheader will consist of two, seven-inning games.
Stillman (12-13, 6-0 SIAC) will serve as the home team for the three-game series to be played in one of the state’s oldest minor league ballparks.
OZARK, AL – Several baseball fans and players from Tuscaloosa and Albany, Ga., are expected to be in Ozark this weekend for the city’s first baseball game with four-year, Division 2 college players.
Baseball teams from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and Albany State University are playing a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Eagle Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday and will have a double-header at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Department of Leisure Services Director Steve Sherrill said Auburn University in Montgomery will play at the stadium against Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga., on April 12.
The stadium, which seats 800, was built in 1946 for the Ozark Cardinals Class D Minor League Baseball team. Sherrill said renovations to the facility have since drawn several junior college and high school baseball teams to the city for regional and state tournaments.
Catcher Michael Robbins doesn't need people to remind him that he's the oldest player on the Winston-Salem State baseball team. His body does that for him. "It can get rough out there on this old dude from time to time," said Robbins, 25, "but I'm handling things pretty well."
WSSU revived the program this spring after a 37-year absence, and Robbins, a 2002 Glenn High graduate and former assistant coach there, decided he wasn't done playing.
"I just kind of kept an eye on the situation because I heard they might bring baseball back," Robbins said. "Once they brought it back, I felt like it was an opportunity, and I took advantage."
TUSKEGEE, AL - The Stillman College baseball team scored five runs in the fifth inning to overcome a one-run deficit en route to an 11-4 win over Tuskegee University at Washington Field on Sunday afternoon.
Stillman (12-13, 6-1 SIAC) trailed for the first time this season in SIAC play when Tuskegee pushed across a run in the bottom of the second inning for a 1- 0 lead.
Stillman bounced back with a five-run fifth inning and then blew the game open with a four-run eighth to win its sixth straight SIAC game.
FLORENCE, S.C. – Sophomore right-hander Don Sandifer tossed the 10th no-hitter in school history, allowing only two baserunners, as Francis Marion beat Winston-Salem State 13-0, Saturday afternoon in non-conference play.
FMU (6-3) picks up its fourth consecutive win, while Winston-Salem State drops to 5-6. Francis Marion will play host to Benedict College at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Sandifer (2-1), a native of Bamberg, S.C., fanned a career-high 14 batters and walked only one. That free pass came with two outs in the fifth inning. Earlier in the frame, a Ram batter reached on an FMU infield error but was then erased on a double-play line-out. The 14 punchouts were the most by a Patriot in four seasons and only three shy of the school record.
The 2010 Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year recorded eight ground ball-outs, one line-out, one pop-up, and only two fly-ball outs.
Southern University Head Baseball Coach Roger Cador
That loud, bold belly-laugh could’ve only come from one place. That wide, toothy grin could’ve only come from one face. Thursday afternoon at Lee-Hines Field, members of the Southern University baseball team took turns at the plate, pounding line drives and ground balls in final their batting practice before the season opener.
Suddenly, a sound came from one end of the third-base dugout — that loud, distinct laugh. It belonged, of course, to Roger Cador. From the look (and sound) of it, he was in his element. The winter weather had given way to a sunny, mild day, and another baseball season neared. What could be better?
“I was very concerned with the way things were going,” a smiling Cador said. “But the weather we have now — oh, it feels like spring. Life is good. It’s a beautiful day. ... Of course, when you get to be my age, everything is beautiful.”
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Privateers, Jaguars Open 2011 Baseball Season This Weekend
BATON ROUGE, La. - The University of New Orleans baseball program will open its 2011 campaign on Friday when it travels to face in-state rival Southern in the first game of a split three-game series at Lee Hines Field.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the series moving to Maestri Field on Saturday for a 4 p.m. start before turning to Baton Rouge for the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
There will be no live audio or video over the weekend, with live stats and Twitter updates planned for Saturday's home contest.
UNO posted a 13-39 mark last year and will compete as an NCAA Division I Independent in 2011 as part of the school's intended reclassification to NCAA Division II competition.
The Privateer baseball program previously participated as an NCAA Division I Independent from 1980 through 1987 under coaches Ron Maestri and Tom Schwaner, qualifying for the NCAA tournament on six separate occasions during the eight-year span of time, including a 1984 College World Series appearance, the first by a Division I program in the state of Louisiana.
This year's squad under head coach Bruce Peddie will have a different task laid before them.
With just three scholarship players on the roster, the team will proceed to play a schedule full of Division I opponents and just 11 contests on the Lakefront.
Of the three weekend starters against Southern (25-22 in 2010), just Friday starter Cory Myers (0-2, 10.24 ERA in 2010) has pitched for the Privateers.
Saturday starter Zach Kelt and Sunday starter Robert Ormbsee are making their first appearance for UNO after transferring in from Hinds Community College and LSU-Alexandria, respectively.
Nolan Church is the top returning bat for the Privateers after leading the team with a .328 batting average last year. JUCO transfers Cameron Wheeless at third base and Andrew Garcia in the outfield could also factor in offensively for UNO.
SU has two former Privateer players on the roster in Clint Ourso and Roddarick Jones.
Ourso made 13 appearances as the third-string catcher for the Privateers last season, while Jones who is sitting out this season, was the regular left fielder for UNO in 2009 and 2010.
Jaguars' head coach Roger Cador will send RHP Daniel Garcia to the mound on Friday and LHP Jesse Holiday on Saturday with a starter. Garcia will be making his first appearance since posting a 4-1 record with a 3.08 ERA in 2009 with Holiday going 5-0 with a 4.17 ERA in 2010 with four starts amongst 13 appearances. A Sunday starter has not been named.
Following this weekend's series, UNO will face nationally-ranked LSU on Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Elizabeth City State’s baseball team has been practicing under some difficult conditions. That is why last weekend’s season-opening three-game road swing, which produced three wins, came as a bit of a surprise to coach Terrance Whittle
The Vikings won twice at Morehouse in Atlanta on Saturday, 8-1 and 13-6, then followed that with a 10-7 win over Paine in Augusta, despite having only had three outdoor practices and not facing live pitching because of rain and winter weather.
AUGUSTA, GA-The Elizabeth City State University baseball team will return home with a perfect record intact as they downed Paine College 10-7 Sunday afternoon.
Pitcher Kerich Randolph pitched 7 innings striking out nine against on one hit.
Offensively the Vikings stayed hot with four different players going 2-4 on the afternoon. Tony Wiggins and Clifton Taylor both tallied two singles each while Phillip Dodson finished with a double and a single. Kyle Meads, who hit a three-run homer in the Vikings' opener against Morehouse, hit a triple and a double on the afternoon
ATLANTA, GA- Elizabeth City State University Vikings completed a doubleheader sweep of Morehouse College downing the Maroon Tigers 13-6 in game two on Saturday afternoon.
Weston Dodson collected his three RBI on a three run homer while Hasten Simmons and Khatim Butler both added 2 RBI apiece in the seven run victory. Freshman Cameron Cecil, who was relieved by Hertford, NC native Brad Miller, pitched four shut-out inning in his first appearance.
Claflin head baseball coach James Randall couldn't help but to think about what could have been. With his team just two games away from the 2010 SIAC Baseball Tournament's championship game, the Panthers saw their quest to be the conference's best team dashed at the hands of eventual champion Stillman College. Now that the season is here, Randall and his squad are ready to set their sights on a title run once again.
"Our mindset going in is to win our conference championship," Randall said. "From day one, our goal is to put ourselves in a position to win the conference championship."
Led by preseason All-SIAC selections Julius McDougal, Donald Smith, Leonard Williams and Fedor Herrera, the Panthers return a number of players from their 2010 campaign in hopes of winning a title and earning a bid in the NCAA Division II Championship tournament.
Tuesday proved to be a long day for James Randall. The Claflin University head baseball coach arrived at historic Mirmow Field at 3:30 a.m. to work on a soggy infield, ensuring that the surface was playable for his team and the visiting USC Beaufort Sandsharks. About 15 hours later, Randall's hands were tied as he could only watch as the Sandsharks capitalized on critical infield miscues, handing his Panthers a season-opening 9-3 loss.
Claflin (0-1) wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead when Chauncey Davis, who reached thanks to a leadoff walk, scored on a sacrifice fly by Randolph Brown in the bottom of the first inning.
USC Beaufort (1-0) responded in the top of the second with two runs of their own. After reaching on a 1-out walk and stealing second, Keifer Youmans tied the game 1-1 on an RBI double by Brett Martin. Two batters later, David O'Neal drove in Martin on a single, giving the Sandsharks a 2-1 lead.
OPPONENT DATE DAY GAME TIME SITE
USC-BEAUFORT FEB. 8 TUESDAY S 2:00 PM HOME
BREWTON-PARKER FEB. 12 SATURDAY D/H 1:00 PM HOME
COKER COLLEGE FEB. 15 TUESDAY S 2:30 PM HARTSVILLE, SC
DAVIS & ELKINS FEB. 19 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM HOME
DAVIS & ELKINS FEB. 20 SUNDAY S 2:00 PM HOME
SAVANNAH STATE FEB. 23 WEDNESDAY S 2:00 PM SAVANNAH, GA
PAINE COLLEGE FEB. 25 FRIDAY S 1:00 PM HOME
VOORHEES COLLEGE MAR. 2 WEDNESDAY D/H 12:00 PM DENMARK, SC
USC-BEAUFORT MAR. 8 TUESDAY S 4:00 PM BLUFFTON, SC
PAINE COLLEGE MAR. 12 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM AUGUSTA, GA
PAINE COLLEGE MAR. 13 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM AUGUSTA, GA
ELIZABETH CITY ST. MAR. 15 TUESDAY D/H 1:00 PM HOME
ST. AUGUSTINE'S MAR. 16 WEDNESDAY S 5:00 PM HOME
ALBANY STATE MAR. 19 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM ALBANY, GA
ALBANY STATE MAR. 20 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM ALBANY, GA
ST. AUGUSTINE'S MAR. 23 WEDNESDAY D/H 2:00 PM RALEIGH, NC
TUSKEGEE MAR. 26 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM TUSKEGEE, AL
TUSKEGEE MAR. 27 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM TUSKEGEE, AL
MORRIS COLLEGE MAR. 30 WEDNESDAY S 5:00 PM HOME
STILLMAN COLLEGE APR. 2 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM HOME
STILLMAN COLLEGE APR. 2 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM HOME
MORRIS COLLEGE APR. 5 TUESDAY S 5:00 PM SUMTER, SC
CLARK-ATLANTA APR. 9 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM ATLANTA, GA
CLARK-ATLANTA APR. 10 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM ATLANTA, GA
COKER COLLEGE APR. 12 TUESDAY S 6:00 PM HOME
MOREHOUSE APR. 16 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM HOME
MOREHOUSE APR. 17 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM HOME
VOORHEES COLLEGE APR. 19 TUESDAY D/H 4:00 PM HOME
BENEDICT COLLEGE APR. 23 SATURDAY D/H 12:00 PM HOME
BENEDICT COLLEGE APR. 24 SUNDAY S 1:00 PM HOME
SIAC TOURNAMENT APR. 27-30 WEDNESDAY TBA ALBANY, GA
Videographer: Checkpoint2010; prod. by: Racardo Davis
WINGATE, NC - The wait is over as Rams baseball made its return after a 37-year hiatus, but the return was a bittersweet one as the Winston-Salem State Rams (0-1) could not hold on in a tough 4-3 loss at Wingate (1-0), Tuesday evening. The Rams had a solid day, holding a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but four unanswered runs by the Bulldogs in the final three innings ended the day with the WSSU loss.
"First game or not, it's disappointing that we didn't play baseball for nine innings; we played for seven innings," WSSU head baseball coach Kevin Ritsche said following the tough loss. "We had some runners on base in scoring position with only one out and we get them across. We only had one error so I can't be too upset about, but it was a costly error."
The WSSU offense had a solid day with eight total hits for the game and took advantage of three Wingate errors to score three unearned runs. Junior outfielder Brice Rivenbark led the effort with two hits and two RBI in the game. Junior catcher Michael Robbins added a hit and a pair of runs scored.
Wingate, N.C.----The defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate University Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to rally for a 4-3 victory over the Rams of Winston-Salem State University in the 2011 season opener Tuesday afternoon at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. Wingate is 1-0 on the season, while the Rams, playing their first game since 1973, are 0-1.
Junior outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) was two-for-three with a double and a run scored to lead the Wingate offense. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Bulldogs, while redshirt sophomore infielder James Tedder (Clemmons, N.C.) was one-for-three with an RBI.
ALBANY, Ga. — Albany State University began a new era in its baseball program Tuesday when Kenyan Conner made his debut as interim head coach of the Rams, who opened their 2011 campaign Tuesday on the road at Edward Waters.
Conner replaces Edward Taylor, coach of the Rams for the last eight years, after Taylor abruptly resigned late last year for another career opportunity in Texas, according to the ASU sports information office.
Now with new blood at the helm, Conner — the Rams’ assistant baseball coach under Taylor since 2002 — will look to lead the Rams back to the top of the SIAC after ASU won the conference crown a year ago. Conner takes over a program he helped to build into one of the most successful in the SIAC.
The Rams have won four SIAC Championships and made two appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament since Taylor and Conner came aboard eight years ago.
After a 37-year absence, baseball is back at Winston-Salem State.
The Rams, with their program resurrected, are scheduled to open their season at 3 p.m. today at Wingate. And although there was rain in the forecast Monday night, there's only a 10-percent chance of precipitation at Wingate this afternoon. "We are monitoring the weather, but we hope we can play (today)," Coach Kevin Ritsche said.
Outfielder Dominique Fitzgerald, also a wide receiver on the football team, will start in center field and said he's looking forward to seeing how the Rams will fare. "It's exciting for the school to be playing baseball again," said Fitzgerald, a junior from Danville, Va. "It's going to be interesting to see how we can compete as a first-year program."
Winston-Salem State University Interim Head Baseball Coach Kevin Ritsche.
Dominique Fitzgerald chuckled when asked if he might be the best baseball player at Winston-Salem State. Fitzgerald is a rising junior wide receiver on the WSSU football team. But he's also very interested in playing baseball next spring, when the Rams will field a team for the first time since 1973. "I've already talked to Coach (Kevin) Ritsche, so we'll just have to see what happens," Fitzgerald said in a telephone interview.
Ritsche, named the interim coach of the fledging baseball program last week, is trying to find players for a team that will play in the CIAA next spring. He'll have to do that without the benefit of a large recruiting budget, so any talent he can find that's already on campus can only help.
Fitzgerald, who played football and baseball at George Washington High School in Danville, Va., is playing summer baseball with the Virginia Marlins, a traveling team of college players based in Danville. He's plays the outfield, and he also pitched some in high school.
Former Nature Coast Technical High School (Brooksville, Florida) catcher Ryan Erbe, a 2007 gradate and an All-County selection in 2006, has received the second chance he sought. After taking a year off from his baseball career due to a shoulder injury, Erbe has signed with Stillman College, a Division II school in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"Baseball is my life," Erbe said. "I took this year off. Yeah I was doing other things; I was down at Fort Myers, living on my own, working, going to school. But it just didn't feel the same without baseball."
The 21-year-old from Spring Hill said he will receive what essentially amounts to a full ride to man his old position, catcher, for the Tigers. "It's great," Erbe said. "That's what I want to do, I want to play baseball. I know it's a long shot, but I want to make a career out of it and this is my chance to make that happen. It meant the world to me when the coach called and said they want to give me a spot on the team. I would have went there for free."
Winston-Salem State wasted little time finding a coach for its new baseball program, naming Kevin Ritsche yesterday (June 30) on an interim basis. "Wow," Ritsche, 28, said as he was introduced by Chancellor Donald Reaves at the Bowman Gray Stadium Fieldhouse. WSSU, as required by the CIAA for reentrance, must field a baseball team by the spring of 2011, and Ritsche said he's ready to start putting the pieces together. WSSU last offered baseball in 1973.
"After a 38-year hiatus, baseball is back at Winston-Salem State University," said Reaves, an avid baseball fan. "We have a short time frame to get a team on the field, but now is the best time to once again have baseball back at this university." Athletics Director Bill Hayes stayed in-house to find his coach. Ritsche has been a faculty member in WSSU's exercise-science department since 2005 and is working on his doctorate.
"After I talked to Kevin, I didn't have to talk to anybody else," Hayes said. "This guy wants to start practice now, so he's ready to hit the ground running. That's what we need." Ritsche was a catcher and team captain at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., and later a graduate assistant there. He was an honorable-mention NAIA All-America in 2004.
FAIRHOPE, AL – Fairhope High School Pirates right-hander Ashton Johnson signed with Stillman College Monday in the Fairhope library. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound pitcher, who also swings the bat well, helped the Pirates reach the semi-finals in the 6A division this past spring. Now he's looking forward to the college experience with the Stillman Tigers in Tuscaloosa.
"I am just really excited to go play," Johnson said. "My family needs this and it is going to help out a lot. I am just really excited to know where I am going and I am glad that it is a nice school like Stillman. They are a very strong team and I think I will be a good fit for the program. It is a very good academic school and it will fit me perfectly. That is why I like Stillman." Johnson plans to major in psychology.
As a All-County senior right-hander, he went 5-2 with 62 strikeouts in 49-2/3 innings for the No. 2-ranked Pirates. "He was one of our most affable kids in the program in the last four years," said Fairhope head coach Stu Fuller. "He got along with everybody and just pulled for his teammates so hard. If you ask me what I am going to remember about Ashton, it is going to be that." Combined, Johnson finished his 2009 and 2010 seasons on the mound with a 9-5 record, 131 strikeouts, 79 walks and an earned run average of 4.51. The Pirates finished 35-9 overall.
NCCAA South Region Player of the Year for Baseball -- Chowan University's Justin Bagbey from Virgilina, VA /Halifax County H.S.
Justin ‘Buzzard’ Bagbey continues to succeed at the next level, after another standout season at Chowan University. Bagbey was named National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Region Player of the Year for Baseball. Bagbey was named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association player of the year earlier and first team, 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association Atlantic All-Region (ABCA).
The Hawks first baseman led the conference in home runs (13) this season and hit at a .437 clip. “It’s actually a big honor. When we had the tournament down at our place a couple of weeks ago, I saw a lot of great athletes there, a lot of great baseball players there. For them to name me regional player of the year over all them, it really told me something and it was a big honor,” Bagbey said.
The Chowan University sophomore had added protection in the lineup this year, always a boost for key run producers. The Hawks outstanding freshman Justin Shockley usually got a big hit if pitchers walked Bagbey, giving the former Comet extra help. Shockley was named to the 2010 ABCA Atlantic Region Second Team after hitting at a .452 clip as the Hawks' designated hitter. He collected nine doubles and 22 RBI in his first season of collegiate play.
Bagbey showed extra patience at the plate, a sign of maturity. “I knew after my freshman year, I was going to see a lot of off-speed. I ended up drawing 34 walks this year. Being patient helped a lot, too,” said Bagbey. The Chowan first baseman said he’s getting better, even if he did not produce the same offensive numbers as last year as a freshman. “But if you look at it, I had about ten more walks than I had last year, and other guys in the lineup also hit around me. If they didn’t want to pitch to me, they had trouble to pitch to behind me and everything.
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Note:When Justin 'Buzzard' Badgey career is over a Chowan University, he may be the most famous person in his hometown of Virgilina, Virginia, which has a population of 147 people based on the 2008 census.
Stillman (12-13, 6-0 SIAC) will serve as the home team for the three-game series to be played in one of the state’s oldest minor league ballparks. 
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