Two More Gryphons Heading To World Series

Last year during the college World Series in Omaha Nebraska. Two former Gryphons on the UNC baseball team Hobbs Johnson and Benton Moss pitched for the Tar Heels. Sunday night or should I say early Monday morning two other Gryphons wrote their tickets to the Division II World Series which starts this weekend at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.

Lander University won the final game close to 2am in the morning.  Why so late?  Lander who was in the position of having to lose twice saw a rain delay hold up the first shot at winning their regional and the first game didn't start until 7pm. Lander lost the game and was faced playing Columbus State but the deciding game didn't have the first pitch until 11:06.

Lander won the deciding game 5-2 and in doing so Thomas Berry the redshirt junior will head to Cary as Lander's DH and during this weekend's regional had a second week end in a row of great baseball.  In the five games Berry got Six hits in Thirteen at bats, hit a home run, drove in five runs, scored three times and walked another four times to add to his already national lead in walks.  For the season Berry is batting 359 and when you add 61 walks his on base percentage is 545 which leads the Bearcats.

Down at the third base coaching box is "Baseball" Britt Johnson who's playing career resulted in two at bats and he got one hit during his Gryphon playing days.  As late as just a couple of seasons he has helped coach Post 58 with Hank Jones.  He spent a couple of seasons as assistant coach at Nash Central before he got this gig at Lander under head coach Kermit Smith.  Heading to Cary Lander is 51-7.




The game of the century for this baseball season happens today in Greensboro when 10 seed NC State plays seven seed North Carolina in a play in game for the right to join six other teams already assigned to play in the ACC baseball tournament.

At stake for the loser is the end of the season without playing in the conference tournament and by not doing that damaging their chances to make the NCAA tournament.  Neither team has had the season thought would happen after both made it to the college World Series last year.

Since this is the first game it will begin at 11am.  Last year in Durham over 11 thousand watched the epic 18 inning game but I doubt they will have half that many in the stands at 11am on a Tuesday morning.  If more shows up it will only show you where college baseball has progressed in the state of North Carolina especially when the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack is concerned.