GAINESVILLE, Florida -- Like it or not, right now, Florida A&M's baseball team is the flagship program of the school.
The Rattlers, MEAC champions for the first time since 1994, are in the middle of a baseball renaissance. After back-to-back seven-win seasons, Florida A&M is 49-49 since the 2013-14 season with a MEAC title and a 4-3 win over the Florida Gators.
Let's just think about that for a second.
The baseball team is .500 over the last two years. No other team in FAMU's athletic program can match it. No other team can say it brought down a nationally-ranked program. No other team has 16 members of the 2015 MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team.
The wins and academics were there last season, and now the national spotlight is there, too.
That's not to say the softball and women's track programs — both MEAC champions — are not feathers in FAMU's cap. They're strong teams and have been strong teams for awhile.
CONTINUE READING
Thursday, May 28, 2015
5 benefits from FAMU's regional berth
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M head coach said tallying wins over his first two season as head coach has helped immensely with recruiting after the Rattlers had to suffer through back-to-back seven-win seasons before he arrived.
1. Recruiting
The Rattlers are 49-49 with a MEAC title — the team's first since 1994 — with Shouppe at the helm.
"Players want to be a part of a winning culture," Shouppe said.
"We've been able to turn the tide a little bit and start winning a few more ball games. We don't have a whole lot of scholarship money for this year to recruit with. But we're getting some walk-ons, kids that want to be part of what we're trying to do, that are coming to the program.
"Those walk-ons may be better than some of the kids we've got on scholarship."
Before leaving for the NCAA tournament, Shouppe told members of the 220 Quarterback Club, a group of FAMU sports enthusiasts, had had more recruits visiting the school in the coming weeks.
CONTINUE READING
1. Recruiting
The Rattlers are 49-49 with a MEAC title — the team's first since 1994 — with Shouppe at the helm.
"Players want to be a part of a winning culture," Shouppe said.
"We've been able to turn the tide a little bit and start winning a few more ball games. We don't have a whole lot of scholarship money for this year to recruit with. But we're getting some walk-ons, kids that want to be part of what we're trying to do, that are coming to the program.
"Those walk-ons may be better than some of the kids we've got on scholarship."
Before leaving for the NCAA tournament, Shouppe told members of the 220 Quarterback Club, a group of FAMU sports enthusiasts, had had more recruits visiting the school in the coming weeks.
CONTINUE READING
Florida, FAU, South Florida, Florida A&M: Gainesville Regional Preview
 |
| COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS |
4. Florida A&M Rattlers (23-23, MEAC automatic)
Florida A&M comes into the Gainesville Regional at the MEAC Champion with a 23-23 record. The Rattlers finished 15-9 in the conference to receive a regional bid for the first time in program history. Head coach coach Jamey Shouppe will have his hands full with an opening game against a national power in Florida, a game with David and Goliath overtones.
FAMU hit .261 as a team, hit 20 home runs and stole 47 bases in 58 attempts, led by Jared Walker (.324/.444/.423) and Marlon Gibbs (.311, 30 RBI, 15 SB).
Having seen FAMU earlier this year in a three game series against USF, don’t be surprised to see coach Shouppe make frequent pitching changes with nine pitchers on the roster that have logged 21 innings or more.
FAMU has an opportunity to measure their program against four of Florida’s more established programs.
Top Hitters:
CONTINUE READING
Grambling women’s hoops hit with APR penalties
GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Just when Grambling’s men’s basketball team found its way out of an Academic Progress Rating mess that has hindered the program for the past several years, the women’s hoops team was hit with APR penalties of their own Wednesday.The NCAA announced the Lady Tigers are among 13 teams hit with Level One APR penalties, which is described as losing “four hours and one day of practice time per week in season.”
Grambling’s APR had been going strong with recent marks of 956 in 2012-13, 977 in 2011-12 and 972 in 2010-11, but that number dipped to 918 in 2013-14. Teams are subject to penalty with anything below 930.
“We’re coming up with a game plan to be able to address these issues so they don’t come up with these issues in the future,” Grambling coach Nadine Domond said. “At the end of the day, this matters and we want to make sure we’re not in that situation.”
CONTINUE READING
Alcorn basketball hit with postseason ban
LORMAN, Mississippi -- Academic trouble is leading to athletic trouble for Alcorn State and a few other schools in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.Alcorn’s men’s basketball team received a postseason ban for the 2015-16 season when its Academic Progress Report score stayed below the NCAA’s threshold of 930 for the second consecutive year.
APR measures the academic progress of student-athletes. Every Division I team is scored, with student-athletes earning one point each semester they remain eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating.
Teams are subject to NCAA penalties if their multi-year APR falls below 930. Alcorn’s basketball team had a score of 893 in 2012-13, and 839 for 2013-14. The latter is the academic year this year’s APR is based on.
The low APR made Alcorn’s basketball team eligible for a level two penalty, which includes restrictions on practice time and a postseason ban.
No other athletic programs at Alcorn State were sanctioned. The football program, which had a 915 APR in 2012-13, raised that to 931 in 2013-14.
CONTINUE READING
Former HBCU basketball legend Bob Hopkins dies at age 80
As a player at Grambling State, Hopkins set an NCAA career record of 3,759 points and has been No. 2 on that list for the past 43 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Robert M. "Bob" Hopkins Sr. was a tremendous basketball coach and player. Hopkins, the head basketball coach of Xavier University of Louisiana from 1969-74, died on Friday, May 15, 2015, of heart and kidney disease. He was 80.
Hopkins' Xavier University stint was his longest in 17 seasons as a college head coach — he also worked at Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State, Grambling, Southern and Maryland-Eastern Shore — and it was one of his best. He jump-started an Xavier University program which had resumed in 1967 and produced NAIA District 30 championships and appearances in the NAIA National Championship in 1972 and 1973. His 1972-73 team — led by Donald "Slick" Watts and Bruce Seals, both eventual NBA players — upset top-ranked and unbeaten Sam Houston State 67-60 in the second round of the NAIA's national tournament. Until 2012, the 1972-73 Gold Rush were the only Xavier University team in any sport to reach the NAIA national quarterfinals.
"Once I met the vice president [Anthony Rachal] and president [Dr. Norman C. Francis], I was elated," Hopkins said in November 2013 of his interview with Xavier. "They did everything in their power to enhance the program. They were very supportive. I didn't even have to negotiate with them. We had some great teams at Xavier. We won the City Series. We beat Tulane, a major D-I at the time. You didn't need an airplane and a million dollars a year to make a good program."
CONTINUE READING
Alabama State Claims Second Consecutive Commissioner's Cup
 |
|
|
The announcement was made during the league’s annual spring meetings. This is the third consecutive year that ASU has won Magee/Jacket Award, and its second consecutive Commissioner’s Cup.
Magee/Jacket Award
The Magee/Jacket Award is presented to the top women’s athletic program in the SWAC. The Lady Hornets beat their point total from last year, finishing over 20 points ahead of second place with 104. They captured five team titles: cross country, volleyball, indoor track and field, golf, and outdoor track and field.
Texas Southern finished second with 83 points and Prairie View A&M University placed third with 76.5 points.
C.D. Henry
The Henry Award is presented to the top men’s athletic program in the SWAC. It was a tight race this year with only five points separating the top three universities. This is the first time in program history the Tigers have won the men’s all-sport award. They finished with 70.5 points after winning three team titles in basketball, indoor track and field, and baseball, and finishing second in three others: cross country, golf, and outdoor track and field. TSU beat out second place Alabama State by just two points.
The Hornets earned 68.5 points and Prairie View A&M finished a close third with 65.5 points.
James Frank Commissioner’s Cup
The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded to the university compiling the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sport points. With 104 points from the Magee/Jacket Award and 68.5 from the Henry Award standings, ASU took first place with a 172.5 points. Texas Southern came in second at 153.5 points. And Prairie View earned third at 142 points.
Click here to view a summary of the Commissioner’s Cup and all-sport award points.
COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)