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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.
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.
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Several former Savannah State athletes were awarded their degrees during the university's 180th commencement ceremony in Tiger Arena on May 5.
Michael King (baseball) earned his master of business administration degree.
Receiving undergraduate degrees were Julius Green (baseball), Dexter Kelley (baseball), Rod Mitchell (basketball), Derek Williams (football), Ashley Roper (women's basketball), Cheick Diop (football), Darren Hunter (football), Cordarian Robertson (baseball), AJ DeFilippis (football), Ivy Smith (women's basketball), Courtrevez McTier (baseball), Treasure Monroe (women's basketball), Chris Herans (football), Brittany Lewis (volleyball), Matthew Nowacki (baseball), Channing Welch (football), Courtney Long (women's basketball), Alisha Nelson (women's basketball, track), Thelmore Jackson (football), Amara Jones (women's track), William Edwards (football), Damon McKinney (football), Eric Ransom (baseball), Calvin Leonard (football), Vince Cochran (football), Brandon Miller (football), Angela Palmer (tennis), Patrice Rogers (softball), Jarvis Thomas (football), Rodney McDowell-Turner (track), Shamyra Adama (softball), Craig Huling (football) and Devin Stowers.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Ben Hall, who held the position of interim head coach this past season, has been selected as North Carolina A&T’s new head baseball coach, director of athletics Earl M. Hilton III announced Tuesday.
“Coach Hall played under (longtime college baseball coach) Jack Leggett like (former A&T baseball coach) Keith Shumate. I see a lot of similarities between coach Hall and coach Shumate in terms of their approaches and philosophies to the game,” said Hilton. “Coach Shumate was a very successful coach for A&T, and I think coach Hall can be as well. I had a chance to observe him throughout the season, and I was impressed with what I saw from him in terms of paying attention to detail, preparation and overall leadership. While our win-loss record was not what we hoped it would be, coach Hall effectively guided the program through a difficult transition period.”
Hall was announced as an assistant coach under then head coach Joel Sanchez on October 1, 2014. Three weeks later Hall was named interim head coach after Sanchez’s dismissal. In Hall’s first season as a head coach, the Aggies finished 10-36 overall and 7-17 in the MEAC. But in the Aggies last 12 games, they went 6-6 including a win over arch-rival N.C. Central in the regular-season finale that prevented the Eagles from qualifying for the MEAC tournament.
Hall discusses the importance of pitching
“I am truly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to lead the North Carolina A&T State University baseball program forward,” Hall said. “First I want to thank Chancellor Harold L. Martin, and athletics director Earl Hilton for this opportunity and the confidence they have displayed in me through this appointment. In addition, I definitely want to thank all of the A&T staff and faculty I have had the pleasure to work with this past year. A&T is an amazing place that displays all the characteristics of a destination for student-athletes to come and chase their dreams.”
Hall’s first season saw three players earn first-team All-MEAC honors including conference rookie of the year Adan Ordonez. Ordonez was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American under Hall.
“Our program’s first priority is to lead our student-athletes as they develop into men while striving for success on and off the field. Secondly, our daily work will honor the rich tradition of Aggie baseball, yet push for new heights,” said Hall. “I am excited about the new staff we have in place. Their talent, energy for the game and consistency in their work ethic will directly benefit this program going forward. We are excited for the future of Aggie baseball.”
Before he came to A&T, Hall spent three seasons as assistant with the Winthrop Eagles baseball program. During his time with the Eagles he assisted with infielders, hitters and all aspects of recruiting, which included 2014 first-team All-Big South outfielder TJ Olesczuk who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and 2013 all-conference third baseman Chad Smith.
Before accepting the post at Winthrop, Hall worked at Division II Wingate for four seasons. He started there as a graduate assistant before being promoted to an assistant coach in 2010, where he worked with hitters and infielders. In 2011, the Bulldogs finished in the top-10 in hits, doubles, home runs and slugging percentage nationally. The Bulldogs finished 34-22, won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and earned a bid to the Southeast Regional. The Bulldogs won the SAC regular-season title in 2010.
As a player, Hall spent one season each at Stetson and Daytona Beach Community College before transferring to Clemson University where he played under Leggett. At Stetson he hit .321 and was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team. His best season at Clemson came in 2005 when he hit .319 with five doubles and nine RBI.
Hall received his undergraduate degree in sports management from Clemson in 2007 and his master’s degree in business administration from Wingate in 2009.
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Alabama State will open the 2014 season with a three- game home series against Eastern Kentucky University (Feb. 14-16). This season, the Hornets will also travel to the University of Pacific for a weekend series (Feb 21-23), and will culminate this year's schedule with a three-game road series against the University of Miami (May2-4). Also on this year's slate are home-and-home match-ups against UAB, South Alabama, Troy, Samford, Jacksonville State, and Mercer. The Hornets will also play a pair of contests at Auburn.
"Every year we try to play a very competitive schedule to get our guys ready for the conference play. With the schedule we have I believe we will face a lot of quality teams", head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez said. "We have a lot of home games on the schedule that our fans will get to enjoy. We're very excited about the season. It will be challenging and our team will be ready to go."
ASU will open Southwestern Athletic Conference play March 1-2, with a home weekend series against Mississippi Valley State. The Hornets will close-out conference play with two weekend series against archrival Alabama A&M, April 19-20, and eastern division foe Jackson State April 26-27.
Alabama State will host North Carolina Central University for a three-game home series that will kick-off a mid-season stretch that will have the Hornets playing five games in six nights, March 28-April 2, wrapping up with games against Mercer and Jacksonville State.
This year's SWAC tournament is set for May 14-18 and will be held in Fort Worth, Texas at LaGrave Field.
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
NEW ORLEANS -- Four Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) will compete at the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy (MLBYA) in the 10th annual Urban Invitational, which is being hosted in New Orleans for the fourth consecutive year from Friday, February 17th to Sunday, February 19th.
Alcorn State University (Alcorn, Mississippi), Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana), Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas), and Southern University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) are returning to Major League Baseball's round-robin collegiate baseball tournament designed to highlight HBCUs and their baseball programs. This will be Southern University's 10th Urban Invitational, making them the only school to have participated in every tournament. Grambling State will make its sixth appearance, with both Prairie View A&M and Alcorn State University making their third appearance each.
The four HBCU teams will be joined by teams from the University of New Orleans and the University Illinois at Chicago, which will be making its tournament debut, with additional games throughout the weekend being played at Maestri Field at Privateer Park, the home of the University of New Orleans baseball team.
The games played by the four HBCU teams on Saturday, February 18th will air LIVE from the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy on MLB Network and MLB.com, with play-by-play from Scott Braun and analysis from former All-Star Outfielder Cliff Floyd. Southern University will wear Negro League uniforms in commemoration of Black History Month. Below is the tournament schedule: Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 17, 11:00a.m., UIC vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 2:00p.m., UIC vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 5:00p.m., Grambling State vs. Alcorn State, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 6:00p.m., Southern vs. UNO, University of New Orleans Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 18, 1:00p.m., UIC vs. UNO, University of New Orleans
Feb. 18, 2:00p.m.*, Alcorn State vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 18, 6:00p.m.*, Grambling State vs. Southern, New Orleans MLBYA
Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 19, 12:00p.m., UIC vs. Grambling State, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 19, 1:00p.m., Prairie View A&M vs. UNO, University of New Orleans
Feb. 19, 3:00p.m., Alcorn State vs. Southern, New Orleans MLBYA
*These games will air LIVE on MLB Network and MLB.com.
In addition to tournament play, the New Orleans MLBYA will host youth-focused events before games on Saturday, February 18th. A PLAY BALL event will take place at 11:30 a.m., followed by regional trials for the Scotts MLB Pitch, Hit and Run and the Jr. Home Run Derby skills competitions beginning at approximately 3:00 p.m. The PLAY BALL initiative is proudly supported by MLB sponsors Chevrolet and Scotts.
Former Major Leaguers, including pitcher Marvin Freeman, catcher Lenny Webster and manager Jerry Manuel, as well as Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, will attend various portions of the Urban Invitational, particularly the youth events throughout Saturday. Freeman (Jackson State) and Webster (Grambling State) are both HBCU alums. Manuel is a Youth Programs Consultant for MLB.
HBCUs have long offered quality educational and athletic programs and have a proud tradition of attracting outstanding baseball players. Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Brock (Southern University) and Andre Dawson (Florida A&M) played in HBCU baseball programs. In 2015, Earl Burl III, who played for Alcorn State University and was the first player to be drafted out of the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy, was selected. During the 2016 Draft, Tyree Thompson, became the second player to be drafted out of the New Orleans Academy.
MLB's youth initiatives will be well-represented at the 2017 Urban Invitational as 12 players on this year's rosters are alumni of MLB Youth Academies, RBI programs or MLB Development Camps, such as the Breakthrough Series. At least one White Sox A.C.E and RBI program alumni will be represented on each HBCU team in the tournament, six of whom have participated in the Breakthrough Series (BTS): Tyler Laux (BTS), Tyler Gordon (BTS), and Andrew Garcia (BTS) from Prairie View A&M; Reggie Johnson (BTS) and Robert Fletcher II (BTS) from Alcorn State; Marshawn Taylor (BTS) and Nick Wheeler from Grambling State; and Justin Freeman, son of Marvin Freeman, from Southern University. Southern University has two other RBI alumni in J'Markus George (Atlanta Metro RBI) and Niko Hayes-Saltare (Miami Marlins RBI). The Breakthrough Series will have eight total alumni, with three coming out of Southern University, three out of Prairie View, one out of Alcorn State and one player out of Grambling State.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- When you play baseball, it's a dream come true to be elected into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame and Ken Free was one of those inductees.
Ken Free inducted into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame
Began playing semi-professional baseball at age 15
Played in the Negro Leagues with the Raleigh Tigers
At the age of 15, the Greensboro native played semi-professional baseball, later joined the Army and then played professionally in the Negro Leagues with the Raleigh Tigers in 1959. He got his time to shine playing in the All-Star game at the famous Comiskey Park in Chicago.
"We were out drawing some of the major league places," he said. "Comiskey Park drew 60,000 people."
The following year he played with Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. The next season, Free would play for Hickory in the Western Carolina league where he took lessons from Paige.
"I learned how to be patient, wait until your time [and] to hustle at all times. I learned how to make sure you didn't get upset with the abuse," he said. "Satchel would teach us that type of stuff."
After his playing career, the North Carolina A&T grad was named the first full-time commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1978. Free helped expand the MEAC to 12 teams and lead them into Division I.
Kenneth A. “Ken” Free’s professional baseball career began in 1952 when he played for the semi-pro Greensboro Redbirds at the age of 15.
Free was a star baseball player and graduate of both Greensboro’s Dudley High School and North Carolina A&T State University and has always been devoted to athletics and recreation. Professionally, he played in the Negro League for The Raleigh Tigers during the 1959 season and played in the East/West All-Star game in Chicago’s famous Comiskey Park. That game highlighted the Negro League season and drew 45-50 thousand people and all the Major League scouts. He started the 1960 season traveling with Negro League icon Satchell Paige who is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame. Free finished the 1960 season by signing a pro contract with Hickory of the Western Carolina League. In 1961 the NY Mets were approved as a MLB expansion team, bought the contract and assigned Free to their farm team, The Raleigh Caps of the Carolina League.
He began his venture into athletics management as a community center director at Windsor for the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department. He then moved up to become a regional Parks/Recreation consultant for the state of North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources. Through his professional administrative prowess and deep concern for youth and intercollegiate athletics, Free became the first full-time commissioner of the MEAC in 1978 and reigned until June 1996. He made Greensboro the conference headquarters early in his tenure. Free was instrumental in the drive for MEAC institutions to attain NCAA Division I status, which became a reality in 1980. In 1987, he was named to the powerful NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee, becoming the first African-American appointed to that group. After his MEAC run, Free served as Commissioner of the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (EIAC) from 1996-2006. In 1986, Free received the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Society prestigious FELLOW AWARD, the highest honor in that association. Also, during his eight years with the state of NC, he received the ORDER OF THE LONG LEAF PINE from the late Governor James Holshouser. Most recently, he served on the Greensboro Parks and Recreation committee. Since 2006, Free has served on the board of the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL), which started in Richmond, Virginia and provides opportunities for African-American children to participate in America’s pastime. Ken was instrumental in bringing the MJBL’s Annual Inner-City Classic to Greensboro, which will be held from July 17-22. Ken Free, Sr. was inducted into the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. MEAC MEDIA COMMUNICATION
LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, Texas (Courtesy SWAC.org)
Birmingham, Ala. – The 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball
Championship is headed to Fort Worth, Texas. The tournament, which is slated for
May 15-19, will be held at the historic 5,100-seat LaGrave Field.
LaGrave
Field opened in 1926. During its existence, LaGrave Field has hosted nearly 50
members of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. That list includes Hank
Aaron, Babe Ruth, Sparky Anderson, Yogi Bera, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio,
Larry Doby, Willie Mayes, Willie McCovey, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson and Ted
Williams, just to name a few.
LaGrave Field is the present-day home of
the Fort Worth Cats minor league baseball team. The Cats are members of the
United Baseball League.
The Fort Worth area is home to over 758,000
residents. The nation’s 16th-largest city recorded the 12th-largest numeric
increase in new residents adding over 16,000 between April 2010 and July 2011
according to new population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
For more
information about the 2013 SWAC Baseball Tournament, visit
www.SWAC.org. 2013 SWAC Baseball Tournament
Schedule
Wednesday, May 15 Game 1 – 9:00
a.m. – West #3 vs. East #2 Game 2 – 12:00 p.m. – East #3 vs. West #2 Game
3 – 3:00 p.m. – East #4 vs. West #1 Game 4 – 6:00 p.m. – West #4 vs. East
#1
Thursday, May 16 Game 5 – 9:00 a.m. – Loser G1 vs.
Loser G3 Game 6 – 12:00 p.m. – Loser G2 vs. Loser G4 Game 7 – 3:00 p.m. –
Winner G1 vs. Winner G3 Game 8 – 6:00 p.m. – Winner G2 vs. Winner
G4
Friday, May 17 Game 9 – 9:00 a.m. – Loser G7 vs.
Winner G5 Game 10 – 12:00 p.m. – Winner G6 vs. Loser G8 Game 11 – 3:00
p.m. – Winner G7 vs. Winner G9 Game 12 – 6:00 p.m. – Winner G10 vs. Winner
G8
Saturday, May 18 Game 11a (If Necessary) – 12:00
p.m. Winner G11 vs. Loser G11 Game 12a (If Necessary) – 12:00 p.m. or 3
p.m. Loser G12 vs. Winner G12
Sunday, May 19 Game
15 – SWAC Championship - 2:00 p.m. Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner
The Tallahassee Democrat has confirmed that Florida A&M University has hired former University of Illinois head men's track and field coach Wayne Angel, as the Rattlers next men's track coach. Angel's bio can be read at: Player Bio: Wayne Angel - FIGHTINGILLINI.COM // THE OFFICIAL HOME ...
Florida A&M could make its next athletic department personnel hire out of the state of Mississippi.
On Tuesday, when FAMU signed former University of Mississippi associate athletic director Derek Horne to run its athletic department, President James Ammons said he would interview his final choice for the vacant head baseball coach on Wednesday. Ammons didn't name the finalist, and while it wasn't immediately confirmed that Ammons conducted the interview, sources have said Jackson State's baseball coach Omar Johnson visited the campus Wednesday.
READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.
From the Beep...
Dang! FAMU's President Ammons is knocking the ball out to I-10 with the hiring of new athletic director Derek Horne, former Illinois world-class track and field coach Wayne Angel, and now an attempt to hire the highly successful Jackson State University baseball coach, Omar Johnson.
The 411 on Johnson.... He's a Winner... a Miami (Florida) native who is the first JSU baseball coach to reach the 100-win plateau(106-62) within his first three seasons. He has coached the German national team in the 2009 Baseball World Cup and 2010 European Championship (when they won the Bronze Medal for the first time in 35 years). Johnson also coached current major leaguer Josh Willingham of the Florida Marlins. He is a University of North Alabama graduate.
These personnel moves are a major step in Dr. Ammons changing the status quo culture of the FAMU athletic department. Now, if the Rattlers men's basketball problem can be addressed, please.... Yes, I like these hires! Go Rattlers! (beepbeep)
ALBANY, GA — Albany State interim baseball coach Kenyan Conner was momentarily speechless following Friday night’s SIAC Tournament game against Miles. Then he aptly described his team’s 18-12 win. “Long,” he said about the four-hour game where his team nearly blew a 15-0 lead.
The sixth-seeded Rams hung on and are still alive in the SIAC Tournament, but now they have no room for error entering the final two days of the event.
After committing five errors in a 5-3 quarterfinal loss to the No. 2 seed Stillman College Tigers, the Rams avoided bowing out of the double elimination tournament Friday at Paul Eames Sports Complex by knocking off Miles.
ALBANY, GA - Some people who survived those storms in Alabama are in Albany this week at the SIAC Baseball Tournament. While they're playing ball or rooting for their teams, all of them said their hearts are back home.
The Stillman College baseball Tigers from Tuscaloosa had a former teammate killed in the tornadoes that flattened their town. Three members of the Miles College baseball Bears from Birmingham lost their rental homes at school, while two players' families lost their homes.
Many of the fans at today's games lived through the killer storms. Katie Watkins' fiance is one of the coaches for Stillman College's baseball team. She was in her apartment in Northport during the tornadoes. "He had gone to be with a girl, to protect her...
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.
NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana – Southern University Roger Cador has been named to the 2019 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class. Cador is the nineteenth member from Southern University and the first since the induction of Otis Washington and Avery Johnson in 2015. Cador will be joined by Peyton Manning, LSU Les Miles, Danielle Scott-Arruda, Charles Smith, Matt Dunigan, Max Fluger, And T. Barrett Porter.
The Class of 2019 will be enshrined Saturday, June 8, in Natchitoches to culminate the 60th Anniversary Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration June 6-8.
The 2019 Induction Class will be showcased in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum, operated by the Louisiana State Museum system in a partnership with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The striking two-story, 27,500-square foot structure faces Cane River Lake in the National Historic Landmark District of Natchitoches and has garnered worldwide architectural acclaim and rave reviews for its contents since its grand opening during the 2013 Hall of Fame induction weekend.
A 35-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association committee selected the 2019 inductees. The panel considered a record 145 nominees from 30 different sport categories on a 31-page ballot, said Hall of Fame chairman Doug Ireland.
The eight new competitive ballot inductees will raise the total of Hall of Fame members to 350 competitors honored since the first induction class -- baseball’s Mel Ott, world champion boxer Tony Canzoneri and LSU football great Gaynell Tinsley -- were enshrined in 1959 after their election a year earlier.
Also to be spotlighted next summer will be three other Hall of Fame inductees, the winner of the 2019 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award and the recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism presented by the LSWA. Those contributor ballot inductees will be announced later this year.
The complete 11-person Class of 2019 will bring the membership in the Hall of Fame to 433 men and women, including 19 Dixon Award winners and 64 sports journalists.
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame already includes 18 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, 18 Olympic medalists including 11 gold medal winners, 10 members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, seven of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, six National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 37 College Football Hall of Fame members, nine National High School Hall of Fame enshrinees, jockeys with a combined 16 Triple Crown victories, six world boxing champions, seven Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinees, seven College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 10 College Basketball Hall of Fame members, four NBA Finals MVPs, four winners of major professional golf championships, four National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame inductees and two Super Bowl MVPs.
Biographical information on all 422 current Hall of Fame members is available at the LaSportsHall.com website, with a steady stream of info available at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page and the @LaSportsHall twitter account.
Cador became one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s top all-time coaches in any sport while leading the baseball team at his alma mater, Southern University, for 33 seasons (1985-2017). He compiled a career record of 913-597-1 (.604) in leading Southern to 14 conference titles and 11 NCAA tournaments.
In one of the milestones of his career, on May 21, 1987, Cador guided the Jaguars to a stunning 1-0 upset of No. 2-ranked Cal State Fullerton, which was the top seed for the NCAA South II Regional at UNO. It was the first time an HBCU school won an NCAA tournament game.
Cador added two more NCAA tournament victories en route to posting a dozen 30-win seasons. He coached 10 All-Americans and had 62 players chosen in the Major League Baseball draft. Under Cador'ss tutelage, second baseman Rickie Weeks, a two-time NCAA batting champion, won the 2003 Golden Spikes Award as college baseball’s top player and was the second overall pick in the draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
"I would like to congratulate Coach [Roger] Cador. His body of work speaks volumes," said Southern University Athletic Director Roman Banks. "Southen's family thanks Coach Cador, in the way he enhanced Baseball, Southern's Athletic Department, and Southern University as a whole."
The 2019 Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday, June 6, with a press conference and reception. The three-day festivities include two receptions, a youth sports clinic, a bowling party, and a Friday night riverbank concert in Natchitoches. Tickets for the Induction Dinner and Ceremony, along with congratulatory advertising and sponsorship opportunities, will be available early in 2019 through the LaSportsHall.com website.
Anyone can receive quarterly e-mails about the 2019 Induction Celebration and other Hall of Fame news by signing up on the LaSportsHall.com website.
Adding to the 342 sports competitors currently enshrined, 18 winners of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership award and 62 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, there are 422 current members of the Hall of Fame before next summer’s inductions.
The 2019 Induction Celebration weekend will be hosted by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Foundation President/CEO Ronnie Rantz at 225-802-6040 or RonnieRantz@LaSportsHall.com. Standard and customized sponsorships are available.
Grambling, La. - Grambling's rich history once again will be on display when the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame inducts its third class of stellar athletes, coaches and contributors at a 6 p.m. Saturday ceremony at the Fred C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Much like the previous two classes, the inductees always come back to the same subject: the family atmosphere at GSU.
"My ties to Grambling are so very, very deep," said inductee Douglas Porter, who was an assistant coach under Eddie Robinson and has been a close adviser for the coaches who succeeded Robinson. "The people who I come in contact with, they say, 'Why did you come back to Grambling?' I say, 'It's because I'm a Gramblingite. It's because I've got friends here that are the greatest friends you could ever have, and when you've got friends it's priceless."
More on this year's Grambling Sports Legends Hall of Fame class of inductees ...
FRANK GARNETT (baseball) – A New Orleans native, Garnett was a three-sport letterman and a state champion in both baseball and basketball at St. Augustine High. He then served as a team captain on the 1962-63 Grambling baseball teams, as the Tigers advanced to the national NAIA baseball tournament for the third of what would be four times between 1961-67. He was named all-conference in each of his four years on campus – once at first base, twice at third base and once a shortstop – and earned first-team All-America honors in 1963. Garnett, later a longtime Los Angeles area educator, then signed a baseball contract with the Washington Senators, and played seven seasons of minor league baseball.
JAMES “SHACK” HARRIS (football) – A senior personnel executive for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, the Monroe, Louisiana, native led Grambling to SWAC championships in each of his four years as quarterback and was named MVP of the 1967 Orange Blossom Classic. Drafted by the AFL’s Buffalo Bills, he would become the first black player to start a season at quarterback, the first to start a conference championship game and the first to be named MVP of the Pro Bowl over the course of a career that also included stops with the Rams and Chargers.
TASHA HOLLIS (women’s basketball) – A standout at Grambling from 1988-91, the Mobile, Alabama, native scored a total of 2,058 points. She boasted a career shot percentage of 58 percent, and a free-throw average of 64 percent. That included scoring in double figures 75 times in 85 games played. The Lady Tigers, under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Pat Bibbs, claimed the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles in 1988-89. Hollis also notched double figures in rebounds in 69 career games, and had 140 blocked shots and 142 steals.
DELLES HOWELL (football) – Famously started at Grambling as a freshman cornerback, then in the NFL as a rookie. The Monroe, Louisiana, native starred on a trio of Southwestern Athletic Conference title teams for fellow Grambling Legends Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson, then for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in a six-season NFL career – collecting 17 career interceptions. He has found a second calling in the ministry, serving as pastor of New Light Baptist Church in northeastern Louisiana.
JAMES “HOUND” HUNTER (football) – Drafted 10th overall out of Grambling, where the two-time All-SWAC corner claimed a league championship in 1974, Hunter led the NFL’s Detroit Lions in interceptions in 1976-77 and in 1980, eventually logging 27 career picks. Hunter was runner-up for NFL defensive rookie of the year before a neck injury in the early 1980s shortened a promising pro career. He died of an apparent heart attack in 2010; Hunter was just 56.
Grambling State (QB Kendrick Nord) vs. Alcorn State (QB Steve McNair) Sept. 3,1994; This was the largest attended game in Robinson Stadium history at 25,347. The two teams combined for 1,318 yards total offense, as Grambling rolled up 612 and Alcorn gained 706. Grambling wingback Tyrone Jones caught six passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and Curtis"Hail" Ceasar had five catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
GARY “BIG HANDS” JOHNSON (football) – A three-time All-SWAC defensive tackle, the Shreveport, Louisiana, native helped Grambling to a trio of conference titles before becoming the first pick of the 1975 draft for San Diego, playing for the Chargers until a 1984 trade to San Francisco – where he won a Super Bowl. Johnson made the Pro Bowl in each of the 1980-83 campaign, setting a 17 ½ sack season record for San Diego that still stands. Johnson died in August 2010 at age 57, having never recovered from a stroke he suffered the previous July.
JAMES JONES (basketball) – Averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds a night over 104 career games, as fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Fred Hobdy led the Tigers to three SWAC championships, then was selected 13th overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1967 NBA Draft. He finished as one of the old ABA’s all-time leaders in every category, becoming just the second in league history to score more than 2,000 points in one season. Jones played seven years in the ABA and then three with the NBA’s Washington Bullets.
FRANK LEWIS(football) – Part of the Pittsburgh Steelers first two Super Bowl-winning squads, Lewis helped Grambling to a SWAC crown and then led the league in scoring over his final two seasons. A two-time all-conference wingback, he finished with 42 career touchdowns at Grambling, then had nearly 400 receptions and 40 touchdowns in the NFL. Later an all-pro with the Buffalo Bills, Lewis was the first player in league history to gain 100 yards in receiving in postseason games for two different clubs. He is employed in workforce development in south Louisiana.
ALEX PERO (baseball) – In 1962-63, Pero had a staggering 0.00 ERA to help Grambling to the national NAIA baseball tournament. Grambling led the nation in ERA that season, and the team would earn NAIA berths four times between 1961-67 under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach R.W.E. Jones. In 1965, Pero set a Division II mark for strikeouts per nine innings amongst 50-game starters that to this day remains second all time. He played for three seasons in the minor leagues. Pero passed in 2009 at age 65.
EVERSON WALLS(football) – An all-conference selection for the SWAC champion Tigers, Walls led the nation in interceptions in 1980 – setting a school record that still stands. He then played 14 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, leading the league in picks in both 1982 and 1985, earning All-Pro honors three times and a Super Bowl after the 1990 season with the Giants. The Texas native works as a businessman in Dallas.
ROBERT WOODS (track and field; football) – A two-sport star, Woods left Grambling in 1978 with a SWAC championship and all-conference honors as an undersized but unstoppable wingback for fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson. He was the Bayou Classic MVP of 1977, then was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in ’78. Woods played two seasons in the NFL. Now executive director of a residential treatment center for adolescents in Houston, Texas, he has worked in the mental health field for more than 20 years.
LARRY WRIGHT (basketball) – Wright, of Richwood, Louisiana, helped Grambling to the 1976 league tournament championship and then led the Washington Bullets to an NBA title in 1978. A former head basketball coach for the Tigers, Wright was a two-time all-conference selection, a two time NCAA small college All-American and the SWAC player of the year in 1975-76. Later, Wright was a celebrated player overseas, earning MVP honors as Roma claimed its first-ever European title. He currently serves as an associate high school principal in northeastern Louisiana.
AL DENNIS JR. (pre-1960 honoree) – A New Orleans native and World War II veteran, the late Dennis was one of Grambling’s most celebrated early football captains. Playing from 1946-49, he was a two-time All-America blocker for future College Hall of Famer Paul “Tank” Younger. In 1968, he would become the first African-American to receive a master’s degree in health and physical education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He coached and taught for more than 45 years, notably at Brown High in Springhill, Louisiana.
DOUGLAS PORTER (contributor) – A former assistant at Grambling under Eddie Robinson, Porter was a head coach at FCS programs Mississippi Valley State (1961-65) and Howard (1974-78) and finally at Division II Fort Valley State (1979-94), earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He has remained a trusted advisor for every coach to have succeeded Robinson, and was instrumental in the efforts to construct a museum in Robinson’s honor on the Grambling campus.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida A&M baseball team, which is coming off its' first MEAC Baseball Championship since 1994, continues to work through its' fall practice schedule as the Rattlers are in the second week of practice that will conclude at the end of October. FAMU will wrap up fall practice with five games against junior college opponents over the final two weeks of October, in Tallahassee.
"We broke the fall up into two segments," said head coach Jamey Shouppe. "The first segment will be a three week segement in which we go six days a week to get our 20 hours a week in. We do that to get our system in place and because it mirrors what we'll do when we come back in January to get ready for our 2016 season. When we come back, we'll have six weeks to prepare for our first game. We will play five games our last three weeks of our fall."
Florida A&M will face Darton College (Oct. 13), Chipola State College (Oct. 15), Gulf Coast State College (Oct. 19), and NW Florida State College (Oct. 21) all at Moore-Kittles Field before wrapping up the fall schedule at Tallahassee Community College on October 27. All games are scheduled for a 5:00 PM first pitch.
OCT
13 Tues Darton College (JC) Tallahassee, FL 5:00 pm
15 Thurs Chipola State College (JC) Tallahassee, FL 5:00 pm
19 Mon Gulf Coast State College (JC) Tallahassee, FL 5:00 pm
21 Wed NW Florida State College (JC) Tallahassee, FL 5:00 pm
27 Tues at Tallahassee Community College (JC) Tallahassee, FL 5:00 pm
FAMU returns 21 players, including nine pitchers, from a 2015 team that was a part of a historic season that saw the Rattlers advance to the programs first-ever NCAA Regional as Florida A&M reached the Gainesville Regional.
"Been impressed with the talent that's there, Shouppe continued." "There's very good competition behind the plate between Brian Davis and Jacky Miles, Jr., a transfer from Chipola. We feel like offensively we're going to be better. At first base, we brought in a fifth year transfer from Jacksonville University in Dylan Dillard, who we think is going to be a good asset to us offensively. We've just been very pleased so far in how the fall has gone."
Florida A&M’s roster will have 13 newcomers, including six freshmen, five junior college transfers and one collegiate transfer.
Of those 13 newcomers, five are additions to the pitching staff that only lost one senior from 2015. Last year's staff posted the first-ever sub-5.00 team ERA in program history.
"We've got a lot of new guys in the system and the guys returning have done a good job of helping them out and guiding them to the things that we do on a consistent basis," said pitching coach Bryan Henry. "The scrimmages have been great so far and has given me a chance to learn their stuff. It's also a chance to see what pitches they like to throw in certain situations and how hitters react to them. The best part about it is the competition we have going on between the pitching staff. It's a little deeper than it was last year with us only losing one senior and we brought in a few guys. It's no secret that there's some great competition for those innings and it will bring out the best in everybody. We've got some guys that can throw secondary pitches for strikes and anytime you can throw an off-speed pitch in a fast ball count, you're going to have success. We've got multiple guys who know how to pitch and when you combine that with the guys coming back from last year, and returning your whole weekend rotation, that's always a good thing. The depth is there we may not have had last year."
Shouppe also announced the 2016 Florida A&M baseball schedule as the Rattlers will see 16 games against in-state opponents. On top of the home MEAC schedule, FAMU will host games against Marshall, Western Michigan, Toledo, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, Jacksonville, Alabama State and Mercer. Florida A&M also has a mid-week game at Auburn (Feb. 24) and a three-game weekend series at Miami (April 29-May 1) for a very strong 51-game schedule.
Under head coach Jamey Shouppe the Rattlers have won 29 regular season games against MEAC opponents (29-19), which is the most conference wins over any two-year period in program history.
The 2016 season will open on Friday, February 19 against Marshall for a three-game series at Moore-Kittles Field.
As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @FAMUAthletics and the 2016 baseball schedule is now available on www.FAMUAthletics.com.
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Fifty-eight student-athletes and cheerleaders graduated from Saint Augustine's University this past weekend at the school's 2013 Commencement, held on the lawn of the campus Quadrangle.
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the graduating class were student-athletes and cheerleaders. The total number of graduates was 228. The percentage surpasses last year's percent number (22%).
Among the graduates were All-American football player Tyron Laughinghouse (Greenville, N.C.), who received numerous national, regional and conference awards including Beyond Sports Network Division II Special Teams Football Player of the Year and CIAA Special Teams Football Player of the Year. CIAA Baseball Player of the Year Ariel Polanco (Harlem, N.Y.) and football player Franklin James (Hampton, Va.) also were in the graduating class. James received The Fannie Glovenia Carter Baker Scholarship, given each year in honor of President Dianne Boardley Suber's grandmother, Mrs. Glovenia Carter Baker, to a graduating senior.
Cynthia Marshall, the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for AT&T Services, Inc., delivered the commencement address at the event on Sunday, May 5, 2013. The class of 2013 made history as the first graduating class of Saint Augustine's University. On Aug. 1, 2012, the school changed its name from Saint Augustine's College to Saint Augustine's University.
The ceremony capped another successful academic year for the school's athletic program. St. Aug won CIAA championships in five sports this season including men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field and men's outdoor track and field. The men's track & field team won the NCAA Division II indoor championship, and the women's basketball team won the CIAA team highest grade point average award in its sport.
Below is a list of the 2013 student-athletes who graduated from St. Aug and their respective sports:
Bachelor of Science (School of Applied Health and Medical Sciences) Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA) Abeje Carrington – Volleyball, Softball
Bachelor of Science (School of Business, Technology and Sport Management) Summa Cum Laude (3.80-4.00 GPA) Keisha Parris – Volleyball
Magna Cum Laude (3.60-3.79 GPA) Rory Nixon – Football, Men's Track & Field
Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA) Theodore Bacote – Football Mallory Felder – Men's Tennis Scharlawn Hubbard – Women's Basketball
Hilberto Ayala – Football Anthony Boone – Track & Field Nicholas Chamblee – Basketball Stedman Gardner – Football Anthony Holloway – Baseball Derek Johnson – Golf Jonathan Kindred – Men's Basketball Tyron Laughinghouse – Football, Basketball Ariel Polanco – Baseball Christopher Rogers – Baseball Amber Thomas –Cheerleader Gerald Marshall – Football Steven Woods – Men's Basketball
Bachelor of Arts (School of Liberal Arts and Education) Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA) Daniel Pittman – Golf Aisha Taylor – Cheerleading
Charles Clark – Cheerleading Lakesha Fowler – Women's Tennis Christopher Grant – Men's Basketball Brandon Houston – Football Tawanna Lynn – Bowling Tiana Morris – Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Women's Tennis Christian Pride – Football ShRhonda Ross – Cheerleading Keaven Russell – Football Claude Simeus – Men's Track & Field
Bachelor of Science (School of Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering) Jermaine Browne – Football Jone' Harris – Football Kharea Roseboro – Football Deonte Toliver – Football Alejandro Crisostomo – Baseball
Bachelor of Arts and Science (School of Social and Behavior Sciences) Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA) Ramadana Simmons – Softball
Nicketa Bernard – Women's Track & Field Che Brown – Football Jasmine Cobbs – Women's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country Christopher Dalton – Football, Men's Track & Field Keianna Evans – Women's Basketball Brittany Hicks – Volleyball Christopher Johnson – Men's Basketball Cory Landrum-Smith – Golf William Martin – Golf Chantel Floyd – Softball Vaniecia Reaves – Cheerleading Shane Russell – Football Darnea Sayles – Cheerleading
COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- Following a 2013 campaign which saw UAPB improve their win total by 13 games, plus make their first SWAC Tournament appearance since 2009, UAPB Head Coach Carlos James unveiled the program's 2014 schedule on Thursday.
This year's schedule is highlighted by 24 games at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex, which include non-conference matchups against Incarnate Word, Arkansas-Little Rock, Central Arkansas. The schedule also includes an away series at perennial powers Oklahoma and Tulane plus the Tiger Classic at Auburn against AU, California, and East Tennessee State.
"I am very excited about our schedule this upcoming season," said James. "It continues with our goal and tradition of playing the best out-of-conference competition we can, and I especially like that our fans will have the opportunity to see our team at home more than years past."
"As always, we will be challenged by our competition right from the start with Tulane then having to travel to Oklahoma for a two-game series before heading to the Tigers Classic to play Auburn, Cal, and East Tennessee State," James continued. "Following our Opening Week, we get into conference play against a competitive Western Division and follow it up throughout the year against the likes of UALR, UCA, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech to name a few."
"We will also be challenged by our two home series with the University of Incarnate Word and ACC addition Pittsburgh visiting Pine Bluff," noted James.
The Golden Lions open their fourth season under James with a 9-game road trip before hosting their first conference series against Prairie View A&M the weekend of February 28.
After playing their lone home series in the month of February, the Golden Lions will hit the road again traveling to Southeast Missouri for a two-game series (March 4-5) then head to Southern (Mar. 7-9) and UALR (Mar. 12).
Beginning the weekend of March 14, UAPB will play eight out of their next nine games at home against opponents Grambling, UCA, and Incarnate Word.
Over Spring Break, the Golden Lions will make their first trip to Lubbock, TX to take on Big 12 member Texas Tech (Mar. 25-26) before returning home to play Texas Southern (Mar. 29-30).
After the completion of the first-half of conference play, the Golden Lions will visit Oxford, MS and play SEC member Ole Miss (Apr. 2) then head to Prairie View A&M to kick-off the second-half of conference play. Following a mid-week game at home versus Lyon College (Apr. 8), Southern University will visit the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex the weekend of Apr. 11.
The Golden Lions travel to Ruston (LA) to take on Grambling (Apr. 19-20), before hosting UALR for a single game on April 22. Later that week, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member Pittsburgh will make its first trip to Pine Bluff with a doubleheader on Sunday, April 27, followed by a single-game on Monday, April 28, at Taylor Field.
Bookending the series with Pitt, UAPB and Alcorn will play a home-and-home with the Golden Lions concluding their regular season play at Texas Southern in Houston from May 2-4.
The 2014 SWAC Tournament, which features the league's top eight finishers in the regular season, is set for May 14-18 at LeGrave Field in Fort Worth, Texas. NCAA Regional action takes place, May 30-June 2, followed by NCAA Super Regional play, June 6-9.
The NCAA College World Series returns to TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha, Neb., for the fourth time, June 14-25.
Home game times at Delta Natural Kraft Field at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex are tentatively set, but subject to change. Season ticket information and the full slate of game times will be released at a later date.
Fall practice for the Golden Lions concludes this weekend with Saturday's intrasquad open to the public for viewing.
For more information about UAPB Baseball, follow @UAPB_Baseball on Twitter and goldenlionsbsb on Instagram.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF SPORTS INFORMATION
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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