BB: USAC: USA South Athletic Conference

[NCWC]

you beat me to the punch.  Its a shame matt couldn't have done that at home.  And this leads me to believe that Moore and Robertson will only see light work if any on this trip.

[A.G.]

I was surprised to not see either of them, today, as they could have split the game and be on pretty much a full rest going into the tournament.

BTW...my son said BOTH Smith and Pecora should get drafted...that Matt is that good of a player and someone should take a shot on him.  On Crews's triple, Matt ALMOST made a Jim Edmonds back to the plate catch in deep RCF...laid out and the ball just tipped off his glove. 

BTW...pretty classy group of parents and fans traveling with the team, I enjoyed meeting some and talking with them.

[OshDude]

if y'all don't read the weekly blog on the baseball site, you should...this week's blog is an interview with jarrod washburn and he mentions the monarchs and brian ford beating uw-oshkosh twice in the 1995 championships - good stuff - here's the link

and here's the quote:
"Q. How did it feel to win the 1994 D-III Championship?
A. At the time, the best feeling in the world. When you start the season you set out with the goal of winning the championship no matter the level. You want to be the last team standing at the end. We were able to accomplish the goal and win it all that year. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

Q. What about the 1995 Championship?
A. That was a disappointment. I still think we were the best team but we got beat and ended third. There was one lefty [Methodist's Brian Ford] that beat us twice and he had our number. It was a tough loss."

Wesleyan went in the that 94 Series 42-2 that year with a loss to D1East Carolina and someone else.   They were the team to beat that year.   Coach Fox would always talk about that team and the offense they had that year. 

I'm not so sure about that. That 39-5 1995 Oshkosh team was the defending national champion and featured four future pro pitchers (three went in the first 14 rounds and two in the first 5 rounds) and had perhaps (probably) the best position player in D3 history, SS Tim Jorgenson, who hit .491 with 39 HR, 121 RBI and 83 R, 1.275 SLG in 44 games that year. Jorgenson hit for the cycle in one game that year ... with home runs! He hit a solo, 2-run, 3-run and grand slam in the same game.

Protecting Jorgenson was 1B Craig Lieder, who had 23 HR and 73 RBI in 1995. Up and down that lineup there was a star. That 1995 team was probably the best in Oshkosh history, even though it didn't win it all.

Oshkosh lost to D1 Arkansas and split four games with NAIA powerhouse St. Francis. UWO's only D3 losses were those two to Methodist.

If anything, the Methodist/Oshkosh games pitted two of the best teams of the era. I'd go so far as to call them the best. Those were the days ... but I find it almost unbelievable that there was another team as good as Oshkosh that year, let alone a better one. Reading Wash's quotes, he still can't believe it either ... 13 years later.

[NCWC]

I was surprised to not see either of them, today, as they could have split the game and be on pretty much a full rest going into the tournament.

BTW...my son said BOTH Smith and Pecora should get drafted...that Matt is that good of a player and someone should take a shot on him.  On Crews's triple, Matt ALMOST made a Jim Edmonds back to the plate catch in deep RCF...laid out and the ball just tipped off his glove. 

BTW...pretty classy group of parents and fans traveling with the team, I enjoyed meeting some and talking with them.

Pecora did last year, he probably will again.  About 30 pages of this thread ago we had a discussion about Matt.  I always thought some team should give him a chance.  He's not big and if he was it would probably ruin his game, people have questioned his strength, he is not bench press or squat strong.  He is country strong.

[A.G.]

...and being raised in the country...I can appreciate "country strong."  I recall the discussion on Matt and the knock against his size.  My son says its a crock.  Some team certainly will give him a shot in a 50 round draft.  He seems to be a very level headed kid, too.  I spoke to him briefly after the game and he comes across very polite, even after a tough loss.

[hokieone]

Smith made one of the best catches I've ever seen against CNU this year, at any level, going from  dead center to straightaway left to catch a high fly off Chris Despins bat on the warning track; the ground he covered to get there was just hard to believe.  Still is.  And the NCWC parents were indeed great folks and we enjoyed them when they came to CNU.   

CNU v. Ferrum backed up to 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, I guess trying to assure the rain has cleared out. For the scoreboad watchers, don't go nuts looking too early.

[A.G.]

Enjoy Rocky Mount 
(my hometown...I can joke)

[NCWC]

Friday, April 11, 2008
Smith breaks career hits record, NCWC falls at Lynchburg 11-10

Lynchburg, VA - Senior Matt Smith entered Friday afternoon's game at Lynchburg College tied for first place on North Carolina Wesleyan's career hits list. It did not take him long to separate himself from his predecessors as he led off the game with a single through the right side, the 252nd hit of his stellar career. Smith (pictured) collected four more hits on the day, going 5-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBI. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Bishops (23-10-1) fell to the Hornets (23-7) in extra innings by an 11-10 score. The victory was Lynchburg's ninth straight.

NC Wesleyan scored three runs in the first two innings, two coming on a Smith double in the second. The Hornets battled back, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-4 lead, but the Bishops refused to quit as they regained a two-run lead in the sixth with four runs of their own.
Trailing by two going into the ninth, the Hornets got a RBI-triple from Jon Crews, who later scored on a sac-fly by sophomore Jeff Taylor to send the game to extras.

After holding the Bishops scoreless in their half of the tenth, Kyle Bradley singled with two outs to start the Hornets' rally in the bottom of the frame. A crucial Bishop throwing error extended the inning, allowing Daniel Haugh to deliver a two-out RBI-single that plated the winning run.

Bradley ended the game 4-for-5 with three RBI, while Keith Yancey got the win in relief. He gave up only two hits in two innings of work.

Wesleyan was sparked by Smith, who broke NCWC Hall of Famer Rusty Dail's 20-year old mark. Chris Pecora was 3-for-6 with five driven home, while Justin Batts tripled and homered. Freshman Andrew Webb suffered the loss.

Wesleyan returns to action on Sunday when the Bishops travel to York College (PA). Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m.

[Catfishncwc]

if y'all don't read the weekly blog on the baseball site, you should...this week's blog is an interview with jarrod washburn and he mentions the monarchs and brian ford beating uw-oshkosh twice in the 1995 championships - good stuff - here's the link

and here's the quote:
"Q. How did it feel to win the 1994 D-III Championship?
A. At the time, the best feeling in the world. When you start the season you set out with the goal of winning the championship no matter the level. You want to be the last team standing at the end. We were able to accomplish the goal and win it all that year. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

Q. What about the 1995 Championship?
A. That was a disappointment. I still think we were the best team but we got beat and ended third. There was one lefty [Methodist's Brian Ford] that beat us twice and he had our number. It was a tough loss."

Wesleyan went in the that 94 Series 42-2 that year with a loss to D1East Carolina and someone else.   They were the team to beat that year.   Coach Fox would always talk about that team and the offense they had that year. 

I'm not so sure about that. That 39-5 1995 Oshkosh team was the defending national champion and featured four future pro pitchers (three went in the first 14 rounds and two in the first 5 rounds) and had perhaps (probably) the best position player in D3 history, SS Tim Jorgenson, who hit .491 with 39 HR, 121 RBI and 83 R, 1.275 SLG in 44 games that year. Jorgenson hit for the cycle in one game that year ... with home runs! He hit a solo, 2-run, 3-run and grand slam in the same game.

Protecting Jorgenson was 1B Craig Lieder, who had 23 HR and 73 RBI in 1995. Up and down that lineup there was a star. That 1995 team was probably the best in Oshkosh history, even though it didn't win it all.

Oshkosh lost to D1 Arkansas and split four games with NAIA powerhouse St. Francis. UWO's only D3 losses were those two to Methodist.

If anything, the Methodist/Oshkosh games pitted two of the best teams of the era. I'd go so far as to call them the best. Those were the days ... but I find it almost unbelievable that there was another team as good as Oshkosh that year, let alone a better one. Reading Wash's quotes, he still can't believe it either ... 13 years later.

I was talking about our 94 team.  I have no doubt that 95 team was legit.   We didn't have a D3 lose till the series in 94.  Lost to East Carolina 2-3 at ECU and beat William & Mary and UNC Wilmington that year both D1.  We had 3 players drafted from the 94 team all hitters.  We both could go on and on about how great these teams were so it would be safe to say all these teams were great.  BTW we were 4-3 against Methodist that year losing in the regional finals against them that year.

[hokieone]

CNU wins the opener, 9-4. Kenny Moreland goes 6 then exits with a touch of sickness. CNU bullpen does its job well.  Ferrum shot itself in the foot all day with beaucoup errors. What a gorgeous field.

[vabaseball]

CNU downs Ferrum 14-0 on Sunday afternoon.

[NCWC]

CNU downs Ferrum 14-0 on Sunday afternoon.

That locks up #1 and #2.  Nice conference season by the Captains.  NCWC takes down York 11-6 and waited to the last few innings to do so.

So at the end of the regular season, CNU locks it up at 9-2, NCWC 9-3, G-boro 7-4, Methodist 7-5, Shenandoah 5-7, Ferrum and Averett 2-10.

[Catfishncwc]

About Matt Smith getting drafted, I presonally think he should get a shot but he will probably not.  One note on this East Carolina has a similar centerfielder (right handed batter) who  is about the same size same speed though the ECU CF is a little more filled out up top.  They are like carbon copies of each other, both are seniors this year and I will keep my eye on the draft to see if the ECU CF gets drafted.   Though probably both will go undrafted I think.
Smith actaully had better a season that him in the Coastal Plain League also.  If the ECU guy that would just fuel the agreement on D3 guys vs. D1 guys in the draft. 

[narch]

the saturday loss by the monarchs was tough from the standpoint of conf tourney seeding and regional record - the monarch bats just didn't wake up until sunday - they're at lynchburg today and need a win in a bad way if they want any chance at a pool c should they fail to win the conference tourney

A.G. sent me a message asking what i thought the monarchs would do from a pitching standpoint, and i responded that i thought they'd pitch jordan, with a strict pitch count and the hope that he could go 5 and then get an inning or 2 from andrade, and inning from kisiah and an inning from sholar - if the monarchs lost in game 1, the earliest they could possibly need jordan would be friday, and that gives him 3 full days of rest

i think that regional games are still CRITICAL for the monarchs - i could be grasping straws, but i've got them at 18-9-1 in region with 5 regional games to play along with the usasac tournament - a 8-2 record in those games, against the teams they're playing and have played has to get them into the conversation for a pool c bid if they don't win the usasac tournament - today is too important to whole staff it, especially when you won't necessarily be hurting your chances to win the conference tournament by pitching your best available pitcher today

[A.G.]

Gisenger on the bump.