Spring Hill Badgers' Sims selected to AlaBCA Hall of Fame

FRANK SIMS
HEAD BASEBALL COACH
SPRING HILL COLLEGE
SIAC BASEBALL

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Alabama Baseball Coaches Association (ALABCA) Awards Committee has selected Spring Hill College (SHC) baseball head coach Frank Sims as an Inductee for the ALABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2017. The induction banquet will held on Friday, January 20, 2017 in the Marriott Hotel (Highway 280) in Birmingham.

"It's really both an exciting and humbling thing to have happen to you," said Sims upon hearing of his selection. "When you get into coaching you don't set a goal of being in a Hall of Fame. You just want to work with the players and try to win as many games as you can, so while it's nice to be recognized it's really more about the young men who have played the game. They are ones who have to go out and do the things on and off the field that it takes to win.

"I'm so proud of the accomplishments we've had at Spring Hill and we've come a long way since 1985," said Sims. "I want to thank Spring Hill College and everyone who has been a part of this program."

Sims became the head coach of the Badgers with just three weeks remaining in the 1985 season and has since won 822 games. Over his 35 years as a collegiate head coach, Sims has accumulated 858 total victories. Sims holds the record for most career victories at Spring Hill and his tenure with SHC includes 23 20-win seasons, six 30-win seasons, two 40-win seasons and four conference championships. Spring Hill appeared in the NAIA Regional Tournament four times in his reign and Sims has been honored as a Conference Coach of the Year on five occasions with the latest time being the 2014 Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) honor in NCAA Division II. During Spring Hill's 2015 NCAA Division II transition season, the Badgers rang up a perfect 16-0 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and a 26-14 record overall. In 2016, the Badgers once again topped the SIAC with an 18-3 conference record.

Upon getting the phone call that he was chosen for the Class of 2017, Sims was surprised. "When [former University of Montevallo head coach] Bob Riesener told me that he had nominated me I asked, 'Hall of Fame of what?'" Sims laughed. "I thought he was just kidding at first and had pretty much put it out of my mind when I got a telephone call a few weeks later saying they had named me. My reaction was, 'Are you being serious?'"

Before joining the Badgers in 1985, Sims was the head coach at Milton College (Wis.) where he compiled a 36-10 record and reached the NAIA Regional Tournament during the 1982 season. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater Eastern Illinois University where he received his B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) in 1977. After a successful three-year stint as the head coach at Sparta (Ill.) High School from 1976-80, Sims became a graduate assistant coach at Morehead State University (Ky.) in 1980-81 and later completed his M.A. in HPER at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater where he served as a graduate assistant coach from 1982-85.

During his nine seasons in international competition, Sims coached the United States to the 2009 and 2010 championships of Prague Baseball Week while also coaching US teams to Runner-Up finishes in 2008 and third-place finishes in 2005 and 2006.

Born and raised in Charleston, Ill., Sims grew up on a farm with seven brothers and sisters. He graduated high school in 1970 and attended Lake Land Junior College before pitching for the University of Iowa. In 1973, he was a member of the Hawkeye's co-Big Ten championship team. He and his wife, Dana, have four children (Drew and his wife Caitlin; Sarah and her husband Charlie Anderson; Kelsey and her husband Tyler Welch; and their youngest son, Brian) along with two grandchildren.

"What makes this even more fun for me is that [St. Paul's Episcopal School head coach] Andy Robbins will be in the same class and he was my son Drew's high school coach," said Sims. "When you think about all of the great names that are in at ALABCA Hall of Fame, it's really humbling to be included in such good company."

Those who wish to attend the 2017 ALABCA Induction Banquet can purchase tickets on-line at www.alabca.org or with a check payable to ALABCA mailed to 401 South Bolton Ave, Sylacauga, AL 35150. Tickets are $40 per adult and $20 per child and must be purchased by January 13, 2017.

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SAU Men's Basketball Outlasts Alderson Broaddus For Second Straight Win

Anthony Gaskins Scores 24 Points Including Key Layup In Final Seconds

PHILIPPI, West Virginia -- On Thursday, Anthony Gaskins (Sr./Greenville, NC) scored a game-high 24 points including the game-clinching layup as Saint Augustine's University held off Alderson Broaddus University 71-66 at Rex Pyles Arena in Philippi, W.Va. for its second straight men's basketball victory.

After the Battlers whittled a 12-point deficit to two on a three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, Gaskins scored on a driving layup with 13 seconds left to push the Falcons lead to 70-66. He added a free throw with one second left after a steal by Quincy January (Jr./Atlanta, GA) sealed the contest.

Gaskins heroics stopped a late run by the Battlers, who trailed 67-55 with 4:44 remaining in the contest. With the victory, the Falcons (4-4 overall) posted their first two-game winning streak of the season.

The outcome was in doubt around the 8:30 mark of the second half when the score was tied 53-53, but the Falcons used a 14-2 run to push ahead 67-55. Kenneth Collins (Jr./Clayton, NC) keyed the surge by scoring seven of his 15 points during the spurt. Though the Battlers (1-6 overall) came back, the cushion was enough for the Falcons to prevail.

The Falcons outscored the Battlers 41-32 in the second half to wipe out a four-point halftime deficit. January played a huge role in the second-half resurgence, scoring 14 of his 15 points in the second stanza after playing only three minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 44 seconds of the game.

With January out the game, Gaskins carried the Falcons in the first half, scoring 18 points as the Falcons went into halftime behind 34-30. With both Gaskins and January playing the bulk of the second half, the Falcons quickly took the lead at 38-37 on January's three-point play with 17:31 on the clock and never fell behind again.

Craig McDaniel (So./Holly Springs, NC) added eight points for the Falcons, who shot 51.9 percent including 6 of 9 three-point attempts for 66.7 percent as Gaskins and Collins were both 3 of 4 behind the arc. Behind January and Gaskins, the Falcons outscored the Battlers 42-32 in the paint.

Dorrell Foster scored 14 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Battlers, who shot 55.8 percent from the floor but made only 3 of 15 three-point attempts for 20 percent.

The Falcons will visit Davis & Elkins College on the second leg of their West Virginia trip on Saturday, Dec. 3 in Elkins, W.Va. starting at 2 p.m.

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Returning its top playmakers, Southern's defense looking to continue progress in 2017

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern's defense took a step forward in its first season under coordinator Trei Oliver, and considering what the Jaguars have coming back next season, it would be reasonable to expect more progress.

Head coach Dawson Odums cleared out his defensive staff after a 2015 season that saw his team yield 33.5 points per game.

Enter Oliver, who brought a 4-2-5 base look with him from North Carolina A&T and routinely emphasized the importance of turnovers in practice.

The positive results were evident almost immediately.

After a pair of uneven performances against FBS schools ULM and Tulane, the Jaguars nearly shut out their first Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent — allowing a touchdown to Alabama State with less than a minute remaining in a 64-6 win.

They forced six turnovers in that game, setting the theme for what wound up being a successful first season under Oliver’s direction.

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AAMU's Bentley named SWAC Freshman of the Year; joins Dorsey on All-SWAC second team

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama A&M running back Jordan Bentley has been named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. He and tight end Jonathan Dorsey were also named to the All-SWAC second team offense.

The conference made the announcement following voting conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors.

Bentley of Guntersville was the third-leading rusher in the conference with 851 yards. He was also the third-leading rusher in the nation among all FCS freshmen and 36th overall.

He is a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, presented annually to the national Freshman of the Year.

Dorsey, a senior from Tuskegee, led all SWAC tight ends and was third in the nation among tight ends with an average of 17.27 yards per catch and with 449 total yards.



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Alabama State Lady Hornets eye Gators in NCAA Tournament

GAINESVILLE, Florida – At first glance, it may not have seemed likely at the start of the season that this band of Alabama State Lady Hornets would be in the position that they are in.

Not when you consider that the team had lost eight seniors to graduation off an experienced two-time championship team, who had been no strangers to the NCAA Tournament. 

Not when four of those players (Rachel Smith, Myla Marshall, Amber Bennett and Chelsey Scott) ranked among the top five in kills in program history since the 1994 season and accounted for nearly 4,000 kills during their tenure here.

Not when it would be starting again with a first-year setter (Justus Tuiolosega) with the program or considering that it's such a young team with six freshmen and only one senior to steer the leadership. 

But these Lady Hornets have no use for barriers in their minds—they're too busy winning volleyball matches—21 of their last 22 to be exact. 

Breaking conventional wisdom, Alabama State (24-8) will take on Florida (26-3) for the second time in three seasons in a NCAA Tournament match up on Friday at Florida's Lemerand Athletic Center for a 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT start in Gainesville. 

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For Florida, it marks their 26^th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament—only three programs have longer active streaks in the NCAA.

Penn St. (36), Stanford (36) and Nebraska (35) are the only schools with longer active streaks. 

It marks the Lady Hornets' third overall NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons. 

So when ASU head women's volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White discusses the reasons behind the success of her Lady Hornets this season, it's interesting what she points out.

"They expect to win and I think they genuinely like each other," said coach Lucas-White.

"And, I think that a team that loves each other, can play really, really well together. I think it's important for women to bond together.  Men must battle to bond, but women must bond to battle.  I really think that they have a really, tight cohesive niche as a group." 

While the Gators have only dropped three matches all season (#1 Nebraska, Kentucky, and at Missouri), coach Lucas-White expects her team to rise to the challenge. 

"My kids are very ambitious," coach Lucas-White said. 

"They've very driven.  And I'm excited that I get to do this one more time with this group.  For our kids who were here two years ago, they remember the team and have something to prove.  For the players who are here, they are excited to prove who they are.  I think people will be surprised at how well we play." 

Florida and Alabama State met in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago in the first round in Gainesville as the Gators won in three sets. 

It was the only meeting between the schools. 

The Gators are led by Rhamat Alhassan (.422 hitting percentage; sixth in the nation), Alex Holston (3.81 kills per set; 71^st in the nation) and Allie Monserez (12.29 assists per set; leads the nation).

The Lady Hornets counter with four players, who accounted for at least 230 kills in Briana Dorsey (281 kills, .416 hitting percentage is good for 10^th in the nation), Ni'yesha Brown (274 kills), Bayle Bennett (261 kills) and Krysta Medearis (230 kills).

The winner of the match will meet the winner of Florida State/Cincinnati on Saturday. 

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Howard Bison End Season With NCAA Tournament Loss To #3 Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisconsin – After one of the best seasons in program history, the Howard University volleyball team came up short on Thursday night in a 3-0 (11-25, 18-25, 10-25) loss to No. 3 Wisconsin in the 2016 NCAA Tournament First Round at UW Field House.

Although the Bison were unable to take down the Badgers, they had an impressive record-setting season to look back on.

Senior Katherine Broussard and junior Jessica Young totaled seven kills apiece in the match for the Bison (26-6), who advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship for the second straight year.



Junior Khaila Donaldson added six kills and five digs and sophomore Tamia Dockery posted a team-high 22 assists and seven digs. Senior Morgan Marlbrough was close behind with six digs of her own. Donaldson along with seniors Dominique Cleggett and Whitney Fields each had a pair of blocks.

After trading the first eight points of the match, the Badgers took a 7-4 lead and the Bison had to call a timeout. Howard quickly used its second timeout of the set when Wisconsin extended its run to 8-0. The home team doubled up on the Bison, 22-11, before it scored the final three points to take the set, 25-11.

Wisconsin had to burn an early timeout of its own once Howard opened the second set with a slight 4-3 edge on blocks by Donaldson and Fields and kills from Young and Cleggett. The Bison pushed their lead to 8-4 when Donaldson went opposite side for the kill but the Badgers rode a 14-8 run to get to a 20-17 advantage. Young's swing couldn't be controlled by the defense for the kill but HU dropped the set, 25-18.

The Badgers started the set with a 12-4 lead. In her first rally, sophomore Olubunmi Okunade joined Dockery at the net for the rejection but the Bison would need a timeout as the deficit grew to 15-6. Wisconsin's hard hitting proved to be too much as Howard fell, 25-10.

Molly Haggerty led the charge for Wisconsin on 16 kills. Kelli Bates added 14 digs and Lauren Carlini had 41 assists.

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FAMU ranks third in FCS average home attendance

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The NCAA Division I FCS Statistics through Nov. 27, list Florida A&M at #3 in average home attendance for the 2016 season.

FAMU drew 78,839 fans to Bragg Stadium for four dates, a total which was 11th nationally in total home attendance, but the per-game average of 19,710 was 3rd, surpassed only by Montana (25,377) and James Madison (21,646).

Among Historicially Black Colleges and Universities in FCS, FAMU was #1 in average home attendance at 19,710, followed by perennial leader Jackson (Miss.) State at 19,660, good for fourth nationally.

The Rattlers also led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in both total and average home attendance.

North Carolina A&T (72,360 in five games) was third among HBCUs with a per-game average of 14,472, while Alcorn (Miss.) State was fourth among the HBCUs with a 14,342 per-game average.

Those four schools – FAMU, Jackson State, North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State – were the only HBCUs listed in the NCAA FCS Attendance Top 20.

NOTES:

• For classics, the Rattlers vs. Tuskegee drew 19,233 to the inaugural 5th Quarter Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.  
• The Florida Blue Florida Classic at Camping World Stadium, Orlando Florida had an attendance of 45,372, a decrease of 356 fans in year over comparison to 2015. 
• The FAMU Rattlers ended the season with an overall record of 4-7 (MEAC 4-4), an improvement over the 1-10 record of Alex Wood first season.
• In previous year 2015, Florida A&M drew 60,240 in 4 home dates, 15,060, ranking #11 in FCS and #2 in the MEAC.

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