Monday, January 28, 2013
College baseball: Alabama State to tackle defending NCAA champs
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State’s baseball team won 20 games for the first time in 10 years last season under first-year coach Mervyl Melendez and tied for second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division race.So what does Melendez do for an encore? How about scheduling a three-game series with defending national champion Arizona?
The Hornets opened baseball practice on Friday with an eye toward playing in Major League Baseball’s Urban Invitational for the second consecutive year and a trip to Tucson, Ariz., to play the Wildcats in a three-game series in late April.
“If you want to get to the promised land, you have to get through some obstacles and some difficult situations,” Melendez said. “Going to play Arizona is not going to be easy, but in order for us to become the team that I believe we can be, and the program I believe we can be, we’ve got to play good teams. And it doesn’t get bigger than playing the defending national champions.”
The trip to Hi Corbett Field to play the Wildcats is ...
ASU HORNETS 2013 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
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2013 MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
TICKET BOOKS ON SALE NOW!
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Ticket books are on sale now for the 2013 MEAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament scheduled for March 11-16 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Virginia.
Each ticket book provides entrance for one (1) person to attend all 24 men’s and women’s games including the championship final slated for Saturday, March 16 with the men’s game starting at 2 p.m. followed by the women’s game at 5 p.m.
Ticket books can be purchased at all 13 MEAC university ticket offices, Norfolk Scope Arena Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, the MEAC Administrative Office and online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available by calling the MEAC at 757-951-2055 or Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.
Fans interested in sitting within their university’s fan block are encouraged to contact their institution’s ticket office directly.
The annual MEAC Basketball Tournament marks in first year back to the City of Norfolk since 1997. Norfolk will serve as the tournament’s host through 2015. The Hampton University Lady Pirates and the Norfolk State Spartans men’s and women’s teams earned the tournament crowns last year and are favorites to win this year’s titles.
About the MEAC Basketball Tournament
The MEAC Basketball Tournament is a single elimination championship playoff that involves Division I historically black colleges and universities located across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, and South Carolina State.
The tournament is played at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Virginia. Both the men’s and women’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
About Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia is a city of some 242,803 residents and more than 100 diverse neighborhoods. It is the cultural, educational, business and medical center of Hampton Roads, hosts the world's largest naval base, the region's international airport and is one of the busiest international ports on the East Coast of the United States. The city is undergoing a successful renewal, including new office, retail, entertainment and new residential development along the rivers and bay front, and revitalization projects in many of its neighborhoods. Norfolk's residents and city officials have long supported sports programs at all levels.
About VisitNorfolk
VisitNorfolk is the official Destination Marketing Organization for the City of Norfolk. VisitNorfolk, a non-profit organization is dedicated to enhancing the role of travel and tourism in our economy by producing high volumes of both leisure and convention visitors, tax revenues and travel related jobs in Norfolk. VisitNorfolk also provides the resources and tools to ensure our visitors stay in Norfolk is both a productive and enjoyable one. For more information, visitnorfolktoday.com or call 800-368-3097. #Norfolk, Virginia
VISIT MEACHOOPS.COM for more information or:
COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS
Perfect game on final day leads Maryland-Eastern Shore to Kutztown 1st place win
The Hawks, who dominated the tournament from start to finish, opened the day as the number one seed, facing the second-seeded Commodores from Vanderbilt. UMES jumped out to a one game lead with a 246-189 win but Vandy rebounded to even the match at two with a 233-197 win. Then it happened, the Hawks were perfect, shooting 300 and collecting all 12 strikes and besting Vandy's 166. The perfect five line-up was: Kristie Lopez (Ponce, Puerto Rico), Valentina Collazos (Cali, Colombia), Mariana Alvarado (Leon, Mexico), Anggie Ramirez (Bogota, Colombia) and T'nia Falbo (Greensburg, Pa.). With a perfect game and 2-1 lead you would think UMES was cruising toward the finals, but the Commodores won the next three games 234-214, 188-170 and 225-201 for the 4-2 win.
It was the first loss of the tournament for UMES and the emotional roller coaster from 300 to a loss sent them searching for an answer. They would have to find it against Norfolk State, the four-seed, who topped Wisconsin-Whitewater in the three vs. four match-up.
It was a struggle getting it back together and head coach Kristina Frahm juggled her line-up. Lopez went out, Collazos went to lead-off and Megan Buja (Rockford, Ill.) entered. It wasn't long before Tatiana Munoz (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) replaced Collazos, but the shuffling worked. After Norfolk took a 2-0 lead (224-177, 186-167), UMES would find their line and take a 3-2 lead (241-176, 277-235, 239-186). Norfolk rebounded to win game six 194-181 to tie it up and a final game seven would mean a trip to the finals for the winner. The Hawks then edged it out 201-194 to set-up the rematch with Vandy.
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On Video Day 3: UMES vs. Norfolk State (move to 3:15:54)
UMES vs. Vanderbilt (move to 4:14:55)
Norfolk State vs. Sacred Heart (4:14:55)
In the final rematch Munoz, Buja, Alvarado, Ramirez and Falbo kept up the momentum, taking a 217-190 win in the first game before allowing Vandy to tie it up with a 231-177 win in game two. Then it was all Hawks. UMES cruised to three straight wins, 238-204, 223-203, 200-183 and taking the 4-1 win and the tournament title.
"It is a great feeling to come to the nation's largest tournament and lead the entire way," said Frahm.
"It is a good confidence booster heading to Texas where we will see some teams that we don't normally bowl."
With the wins, UMES finishes the tournament 14-1 and improved their overall record to 52-8. They have now led the field 11 of the 12 days they have bowled so far this season.
Sacred Heart (12-3) and Vanderbilt (11-4) were the only two other teams to earn more than 10 wins in the event. They finished third and second respectively. Norfolk State was fourth with a solid tournament, while St. Francis (Pa.) rounded out the top five.
Wisconsin-Whitewater, Kutztown, Stephen F. Austin, Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth rounded out the top ten. Fellow MEAC schools Delaware State, Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina Central, Florida A&M, Coppin State, Howard and Morgan State were 13th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 25th respectively.
UMES now heads to Arlington, Texas for the Prairie View Invitational Feb 2-4.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION; VIDEO COURTESY OF BOWLTV
DONALD HEATH: SSU shines in front of ESPN cameras
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- There’s an old saying, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”Try running that by Savannah State University.
One only knows the reception ESPN received after arriving on campus last Monday for SSU’s men’s basketball game against Bethune-Cookman.
The sports leader usually hauls a trailer of negativity on its way to the college by the sea. Only a few months ago, ESPN’s College GameDay was here before SSU’s game with Florida State.
The crew discussed the season-opening 84-0 pounding from Oklahoma State and talked about the Tigers’ 70-point underdog status for the next week while foreshadowing a second pummeling from the Seminoles.
Two years ago, ESPN came to campus to look into the dismissal of football coach Robbie Wells. The storyline pursued? A reverse discrimination claim of a white coach against the historically black college.
ESPN’s trucks rolled in during the 2004-05 basketball season. That season, SSU drew national headlines during its dubious fast break to an 0-28 record.
Talk about kicking a tranquilized Tiger missing claws and teeth.
This time, ESPN arrived with another agenda.
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Battling for MEAC title, NCCU feels the hate
NCCU Sports Network Broadcast Link (GameCentral)
GAME NOTES: NCCU vs. Morgan State (PDF)
DURHAM, North Carolina — None of that chest bumping for N.C. Central’s Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman.
When he gets introduced before games as the Eagles’ starting point guard, he’ll run out like he’s going to collide with NCCU hype man Karamo Jawara before hitting the brakes in exchange for a little dance -- you might call it the Poobie Hustle.
That goes over just fine when NCCU is at home in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium, but it’s the sort of thing that could come off like fingernails on a chalkboard when the Eagles are on the road.
NCCU coach LeVelle Moton said there’s little love for his team around the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as it is.
“We are the black Duke,” Moton said.
The Poobie Hustle doesn’t exactly engender warm fuzzies in hostile MEAC gyms, nor did NCCU guard Jeremy Ingram blaring his eyes and stretching open his mouth at A&T’s home crowd the way he did in December after knocking down shots in what turned into the Eagles’ first conference win of the season.
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