The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
Tallahassee, FL - William Campbell still has a very vivid memory of the stoic look on Costa "Pop" Kittles' face when he gathered the Florida A&M baseball team in the middle innings of the final game of a 1972 doubleheader against the University of Miami. FAMU was down 5-0 and Kittles had seen enough.
"Pop called us in and told us we were better than we were showing," Campbell recalled Thursday night during a telephone interview from his Las Vegas home. "We began chipping away, chipping away."
The Rattlers ended up with an 8-5 victory, giving them a doubleheader sweep after taking the first game 5-2 from the Hurricanes who were ranked No. 1 at the time. That was the biggest win in the three seasons (1972-76) that Campbell played for FAMU.
ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.
“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.”
“War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.
North Augusta, SC - Fox Creek High School baseball standout Rick Hickson recently signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Paine College in Augusta next year.
Paine offered Hickson a four-year scholarship to play for the Lions, who are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Paine is fourth in the SIAC's east division this season at 16-22 overall, 5-7 in conference play.
Hickson is a senior and a four-year varsity letter-winner for the Predators. Primarily a pitcher, Hickson has been instrumental to the Predators' consistent winning seasons. That includes the 2011 campaign, where they're 17-6 overall and 12-0 in Region 4-A. Fox Creek head coach Wesley Brown has been most impressed with Hickson's dedication.
TUSCALOOSA, AL | The Stillman College baseball team set three school and one NCAA record in a 38-2 win over LeMoyne-Owen in the second game of doubleheader at Stillman Park on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers won the opener 5-0 as junior left-hander Josh Cagle flirted with a perfect game.
With the doubleheader sweep, Stillman improves to 21-16 overall and 15-2 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The Tigers has won all 11 games in the SIAC Western Division this season. LeMoyne-Owen falls to 3-23, 2-19 in SIAC play with the two losses. The Magicians have lost 13 straight games.
ALBANY, GA — Fresh off a doubleheader sweep of Morehouse on Saturday, the Albany State baseball team made it 3-for-3 when it won a slugfest, 14-10, in the series finale Sunday. The Rams moved to 21-16 overall and 8-1 in the SIAC one year after winning the conference title.
Dallas Neloms led the way, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI, while posting two hits each were Corbin Williams (two runs scored, RBI), former Westover star Jacob Campbell (two runs scored, RBI), Brandon Small (two runs scored, RBI) and Desmond Towns (three runs scored, two RBI).
Videographer: albanystatega; The Past, Present and Future: The Role of HBCUs in Higher Education
ALBANY, GA — Talk about laying it on thick. That’s what Albany State’s baseball team did to Morehouse College in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Maroon Tigers (10-19 overall, 1-7 SIAC) did not stand a chance as they tried the bounce back from a 20-7 thumping in Game 1, only to fall in similar fashion by a final of 12-2 in the night cap.
“I thought we came into the second game with a little more sense of urgency — (we) jumped right on them,” said ASU interim coach Kenyan Conner, whose team improved to 20-16 overall and 7-1 in the SIAC. “Anytime you don’t have a lot of walks and (play) good defense then you will always give yourself a chance to win.
But the effort by the Rams, who won the SIAC title last season under longtime coach Edward Taylor before Taylor left and Conner took over, on the defensive side of the ball was just one reason for their dominance in this meeting as their bats got hot early — and stayed that way for the entire afternoon.
Greenville, S.C. - Michelin North America is underwriting a Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 at Fluor Field, and the proceeds will go to the United Negro College Fund, organizers said. Two UNCF baseball teams, from Claflin UniversityandVoorhees College, will square off at 7 p.m., said Greenville Drive baseball team spokeswoman Ashley Peden.
The game is open to the public; tickets are $8, she said. There will be local students, church groups, sororities, fraternities, members of the United Way and others in attendance, Peden said. “A high school band will play.”
Herb Johnson, Michelin's director of community affairs, said he and Mike DeMaine, the Drive's general manager, teamed up. Johnson said Michelin is eager to raise funds for UNCF. “It helps us fulfill our diversity goals,” he said.
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.
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.
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
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.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Add Ulysses Wilson’s name to the list that includes Andre Dawson, Vince Coleman and Hal McRae. Make a spot for the kid from Albany who ran like a rabbit and made playing shortstop look all too easy in a time when baseball was still the No. 1 sport in America.
He was there before Dawson or Coleman or McRae, an original FAMU Rattler who stung the ball all over the field, a smart hitter who made teams pay with his bat, his glove and his feet — the consummate No. 2 slugger who knew how to get on base and wreak havoc once he was there.
Tonight, they’ll honor Wilson at Florida A&M University, where he will be inducted into FAMU’s Sports Hall of Fame. Dawson will be there to speak and...
A lot of what Florida A&M accomplished while Amos Hill was defensive line coach has been pushed into his rearview mirror in 30 years. Of course, he'll always remember major achievements such as winning a national championship and the 1979 upset of Miami.
But Hill found a reason to look back and bring into view some of the things that he hadn't been thinking about much. Back in the summer he received notice he would be among the five inductees who will be enshrined in the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame tonight at the Lawson Center.
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."
Tuskegee University's William Clarence Matthews, whose photo is adapted from a June 1905 image in McClure’s Magazine (courtesy of Karl Lindholm), began playing for Burlington in the Northern League later that summer. (Photo Illustration by Mark Bushnell).
The rumor arose in July 1905: William Clarence Matthews was about to become the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. The news reached Vermont just days after Matthews did.
Matthews, who had just graduated from Harvard (University), had signed to play shortstop for the Burlington team in the Northern League. The rumor, which first appeared in the pages of the Boston Traveler newspaper, was that Fred Tenney, manager of Boston's National League club, was considering adding Matthews to his roster.
If a club was looking for a player to test the unwritten rule that kept blacks out of the major leagues, Matthews was an excellent candidate. Well-educated, well-spoken and well-liked, Matthews seems to have had the temperament and intellect to bear the pressure that would come with being the player to break the "color line." And, as he had proved while leading Harvard, one of the country's best amateur teams, he could hold his own with the best white players.
Today, we know that the rumor never came to fruition. The world would have to wait 42 more years for Jackie Robinson to break the color line. But thank goodness the Traveler printed the rumor, whether or not it had any basis in fact. Otherwise, Matthews might have been lost to the ages.
The notice in the Traveler sparked debate in newspapers around the country. That debate was mentioned briefly in a couple of books about blacks in baseball. When Vermont scholar Karl Lindholm saw those few lines, he suspected there was more to the story. He has been working since to resurrect Matthews from obscurity.
READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.
Karl Lindholm is a Dean of Cook Commons and Assistant Professor of American Studies at Middlebury College. He specializes in the study of baseball, the Negro leagues in particular, and has published widely on baseball topics. He has written about William Clarence Matthews for academic journals and other magazines and is nearing completion of a full-length biography. Most of the details in this column come from Lindholm's research. Lindholm earned his B.A.( English ) from Middlebury (1967) and holds a Ph.D in American Studies (American Literature) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
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.
Tallahassee, FL - William Campbell still has a very vivid memory of the stoic look on Costa "Pop" Kittles' face when he gathered the Florida A&M baseball team in the middle innings of the final game of a 1972 doubleheader against the University of Miami. FAMU was down 5-0 and Kittles had seen enough.
