Lander University pitching spotted Southern Indiana a 5-0 lead by issuing five walks and hit three batters before Lander's come back fell short. Former Gryphon Thomas Berry went 0-4 but his final at bat he hit a fly ball caught at the right field wall which allowed base runners on first and second to advance to third and second. Those two runners were the tying run on third and the lead run on second but Lander failed to push either run across.
Lander falls into the losers bracket game Wednesday at 3pm against Tampa who knocked out Chico State 14-6. Tampa came into the World Series as the top ranked team in the nation who lead D2 baseball in scoring. Lander who came in ranked second in the nation. The winner will get a shot at Southern Indiana Thursday and if they win that game will have to beat Southern Indiana again Friday before the National Championship on Saturday.
The Tarheels are in along with Campbell but State, ECU and Duke are out of the NCAA D1 baseball tournament which starts Friday. Carolina heads to Gainesville Florida for a Friday afternoon game against Long Beach St. Campbell making their first playoff appearance since 1990 plays South Carolina at 7pm Friday night. Both games can be seen on ESPN3.
How close was it for Carolina? During the aftermath gossip Carolina was team number 63 of 64 picked while an NC State was four teams short of making the field.
Duke won their 3rd National Championship in Lacrosse in four years beating conference foe Notre Dame 11-9. Duke just six years ago was in the middle of a major scandal but now is the premier lacrosse team in the country.
Thursday night Coleman Pitt Post 58 will open up their baseball schedule for the summer as they host Wayne County Post 11 . Hank Jones will be the head coach again this season with his top aids being Cameron Ramsey and Colin Cuthrell. Game time is 7pm at Legion Field on Howell Street.
Monday, May 26, 2014
A Year Late
One year to the day Campbell Baseball had won the regular season Big South with if I remember like a 48-12 season. During the Big South Tournament they went undefeated until the championship game. The Big South Tournament winner gets the automatic bid and the Big South tournament regardless of how many losses you have the once beaten team plays the undefeated team in a winner take all final game. Campbell loss that game and with it went and NCAA bid.
This year as the three seed Campbell lost their first game in the tournament but fought their way to take on the host school Winthrop, Who was the undefeated team this year in the Tournament and Campell turned the trick that killed them last year is sending them to the NCAA tournament this year.
Duke, State, ECU and others are sitting on the edge of their seats today waiting on the NCAA selection show at noon on ESPNU. A dagger for all teams hoping to get in is that in the Horizon League's Youngtown State who was the sixth seed in a six team tournament and wins the Horizon League bid. Their record 16-36. They RPI is near 200 but what their getting in does for any team with 64 or less RPI and that includes all of the fore mentioned teams just means one less bubble team to get in the tourney.
We now need to start keeping up with the X Man 's stats as the Frontier League opened their season last weekend and Xavier Macklin is playing for the Gateway Grizzlies. Eight games in X is batting 233 with a home run.
The Frontier League is an Independent league which means all players are playing for themselves not being paid by a Major League team. The league pays the players all the same and if any player stands out then they can be scooped up by any team.
Hobbs Johnson lost his latest start for Brevard in the Florida State league and his record stands at 4-5 with 46 strikeouts in 49 innings in 9 appearances. His ERA is still under Three at 2.94. His won loss record is not impressive but his performance otherwise is.
Brian Goodwin is hitting 222 in Syracuse for the AAA Chiefs. It is still early enough that a 0-4 night can drop his average ten points where a two hit night can make it go up 15 points.
Cousin Lauren Doughtie finished in 56th spot this week which is the third Futures tour tournament in a row where she has cashed a check. She needs one or two that are top ten money.
Tonight at 5pm Thomas Berry and his teammates at Lander University play in a winners bracket game at the USA Baseball Complex in the NCAA DII World Series. The game is being streamed on NCAA.com. Look for DII on front page and it should bring up the game.
This year as the three seed Campbell lost their first game in the tournament but fought their way to take on the host school Winthrop, Who was the undefeated team this year in the Tournament and Campell turned the trick that killed them last year is sending them to the NCAA tournament this year.
Duke, State, ECU and others are sitting on the edge of their seats today waiting on the NCAA selection show at noon on ESPNU. A dagger for all teams hoping to get in is that in the Horizon League's Youngtown State who was the sixth seed in a six team tournament and wins the Horizon League bid. Their record 16-36. They RPI is near 200 but what their getting in does for any team with 64 or less RPI and that includes all of the fore mentioned teams just means one less bubble team to get in the tourney.
We now need to start keeping up with the X Man 's stats as the Frontier League opened their season last weekend and Xavier Macklin is playing for the Gateway Grizzlies. Eight games in X is batting 233 with a home run.
The Frontier League is an Independent league which means all players are playing for themselves not being paid by a Major League team. The league pays the players all the same and if any player stands out then they can be scooped up by any team.
Hobbs Johnson lost his latest start for Brevard in the Florida State league and his record stands at 4-5 with 46 strikeouts in 49 innings in 9 appearances. His ERA is still under Three at 2.94. His won loss record is not impressive but his performance otherwise is.
Brian Goodwin is hitting 222 in Syracuse for the AAA Chiefs. It is still early enough that a 0-4 night can drop his average ten points where a two hit night can make it go up 15 points.
Cousin Lauren Doughtie finished in 56th spot this week which is the third Futures tour tournament in a row where she has cashed a check. She needs one or two that are top ten money.
Tonight at 5pm Thomas Berry and his teammates at Lander University play in a winners bracket game at the USA Baseball Complex in the NCAA DII World Series. The game is being streamed on NCAA.com. Look for DII on front page and it should bring up the game.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
The Blessings From Baseball
Don and Wanda Johnson and Steve and Cyndi Berry have spent their lives following their three sons through thick and thin that the game of baseball provides. There has been more ups than downs through their trek of a parent following their children play the game they love.
Between the two families they have been to state little league championships, state championships in Babe Ruth, Regionals in Babe Ruth and even World Series at the Babe Ruth, State High School Championship and even an American a Legion state championship and last week two of their sons went to the next level when two took part in a regional college baseball playoff. Saturday another step in climbing the mountain as two sons have made it to the Division II College World Series in Cary.
Saturday Lander University made their first appearance in the D2 World Series in Cary with Thomas Berry as the teams DH and assistant coach and the third base base coach Britt Johnson. The Berry and Johnson clans were well represented in Cary as each family took up about three rows a piece of grand parents, aunts and uncles, brother and sisters and of course mama and daddy's. My guess there were probably 100 or so that call Rocky Mount home there to cheer for our home boys.
Lander took on Chico State from California who is making their ninth trip in the last 18 years to the World Series. The World Series is being played at the National Training Center at the USA Baseball Complex just about three miles from the end of the south runways at RDU Airport. The incoming planes were just high enough to not be disturbing.
Lander scores three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead and two innings later that would be the final score. Chico had the tying runs on second and third as the last out was made. This was an intense game with the only distraction being the umpire behind the plate. He was consistently inconsistent. Thomas Berry went 0-4 but reached base the hard way with a hit by pitch, while Britt was able to wave home from the third base coaching box five of the six runs. One scored
on a base on balls.
Lander moves on in the winners bracket for a Monday afternoon at 5pm game with Southern Indiana. The Johnson's and Berry's will take away From this tournament the thrill of winning at least one game during the ultimate of their children's baseball lives. We never know what is around the corner of our lives and neither family may never get the feeling they had at games end knowing that their child won on the big stage of baseball.
What a blessing baseball has been for them and what a blessing it was for me to be there to share the moment with them. Hope there is more to come.
Between the two families they have been to state little league championships, state championships in Babe Ruth, Regionals in Babe Ruth and even World Series at the Babe Ruth, State High School Championship and even an American a Legion state championship and last week two of their sons went to the next level when two took part in a regional college baseball playoff. Saturday another step in climbing the mountain as two sons have made it to the Division II College World Series in Cary.
Saturday Lander University made their first appearance in the D2 World Series in Cary with Thomas Berry as the teams DH and assistant coach and the third base base coach Britt Johnson. The Berry and Johnson clans were well represented in Cary as each family took up about three rows a piece of grand parents, aunts and uncles, brother and sisters and of course mama and daddy's. My guess there were probably 100 or so that call Rocky Mount home there to cheer for our home boys.
Lander took on Chico State from California who is making their ninth trip in the last 18 years to the World Series. The World Series is being played at the National Training Center at the USA Baseball Complex just about three miles from the end of the south runways at RDU Airport. The incoming planes were just high enough to not be disturbing.
Lander scores three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead and two innings later that would be the final score. Chico had the tying runs on second and third as the last out was made. This was an intense game with the only distraction being the umpire behind the plate. He was consistently inconsistent. Thomas Berry went 0-4 but reached base the hard way with a hit by pitch, while Britt was able to wave home from the third base coaching box five of the six runs. One scored
on a base on balls.
Lander moves on in the winners bracket for a Monday afternoon at 5pm game with Southern Indiana. The Johnson's and Berry's will take away From this tournament the thrill of winning at least one game during the ultimate of their children's baseball lives. We never know what is around the corner of our lives and neither family may never get the feeling they had at games end knowing that their child won on the big stage of baseball.
What a blessing baseball has been for them and what a blessing it was for me to be there to share the moment with them. Hope there is more to come.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Big East Still Has One
I had said earlier that Big East spring sports was done for this year but I had forgotten Fike girls soccer team. Tonight Fike beat Northern Guilford 4-3 and has reached the Eastern Finals. They await the winner of the Chapel High-Swansboro winner Saturday night in Swansboro.
That area along the coast Swansboro and Topsoil for years were 1-A schools but almost over night that area has become a hot bed for growth. The quality of athletes in that area has made both Swansboro and Topsoil make deep playoff runs in several sports this year.
Tonight Benton Moss took the hill for UNC with hopes with a victory that Carolina's Saturday afternoon game against Maryland would be for a shot to play Sunday in the ACC championship game. Benton gave Carolina everything they could ask for going six and one third innings giving up just four hits did not walk a batter but poor infield defense allowed two runs to score and when Benton left the game he was the pitcher of record. Carolina hit a two run homer in the bottom of the Sixth inning to tie the game and got Moss off the Hook. UVA scored a run in the bottom of seventh to win 3-2.
Carolina who is not a shoo in for the NCAA playoffs needs the win against Maryland Saturday afternoon in order to not have to wait for Monday to see if they get in the tournament on a three game losing streak.
Maryland who has not even been in the ACC tournament in ten years but they in their last year in the ACC will play for the title for the first time ever Sunday.
Duke's game at 11am Saturday against Miami and a Florida State lost Saturday night would give the Blue Devils a championship date Sunday. All the hype that State and Carolina in the preseason Duke has turned out to be the best Triangle team.
I think Carolina is in come Monday during the NCAA selection show. I think Duke is safe but State and ECU are probably outside looking in after Monday.
Saturday at 1pm the Division II College World Series get under way at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Lander University with Thomas Berry and Britt Johnson of Rocky Mount play their first game at 5pm.
That area along the coast Swansboro and Topsoil for years were 1-A schools but almost over night that area has become a hot bed for growth. The quality of athletes in that area has made both Swansboro and Topsoil make deep playoff runs in several sports this year.
Tonight Benton Moss took the hill for UNC with hopes with a victory that Carolina's Saturday afternoon game against Maryland would be for a shot to play Sunday in the ACC championship game. Benton gave Carolina everything they could ask for going six and one third innings giving up just four hits did not walk a batter but poor infield defense allowed two runs to score and when Benton left the game he was the pitcher of record. Carolina hit a two run homer in the bottom of the Sixth inning to tie the game and got Moss off the Hook. UVA scored a run in the bottom of seventh to win 3-2.
Carolina who is not a shoo in for the NCAA playoffs needs the win against Maryland Saturday afternoon in order to not have to wait for Monday to see if they get in the tournament on a three game losing streak.
Maryland who has not even been in the ACC tournament in ten years but they in their last year in the ACC will play for the title for the first time ever Sunday.
Duke's game at 11am Saturday against Miami and a Florida State lost Saturday night would give the Blue Devils a championship date Sunday. All the hype that State and Carolina in the preseason Duke has turned out to be the best Triangle team.
I think Carolina is in come Monday during the NCAA selection show. I think Duke is safe but State and ECU are probably outside looking in after Monday.
Saturday at 1pm the Division II College World Series get under way at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Lander University with Thomas Berry and Britt Johnson of Rocky Mount play their first game at 5pm.
The Ghost Of Crash Davis
If you saw the movie Bull Durham Crash Davis(Kevin Costner) broke into a visiting stadium and cut on the water sprinklers in order they could get a rainout. Of course that is a movie and that never happens right?
The Big South baseball tournament was suppose to have started on Wednesday but somewhere a long the way somebody either forgot to cut the sprinklers off or the automatic shutoff didn't shut off. Winthrop University the host school this year is dumbfounded at the episode. The Big South had a whole day of rainouts and had to wait until Thursday to start. Anybody seen Crash Davis?
There has been some really good games so far in the ACC Tournament and yesterday we mentioned the the State-Carolina game that Nash County's very own John Haggerty was the second base umpire during the big brew-ha in the sixth inning. Found out last night that another Nash County native Alex Pearce the former Bulldog of Nash Central and Pembroke baseball catcher and pitcher is now umpiring ACC and SEC games. I hope to see Alex soon either at a game or on TV.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 had tryouts last Saturday and practice is underway heading toward their home opener May 29th against Wayne County. There is a 15 date schedule lined up with three double headers. as always Pitt County and Wilson are on the schedule. Ahoskie will be the only trip to the northeast this season but Apex, Garner, Cary, And Raleigh will give P 58 plenty of trips to the Triangle. The only team on the schedule at this time that they will play only once is Roxboro.
Legion season starts next Thursday night 7pm at Legion Field.
The Big South baseball tournament was suppose to have started on Wednesday but somewhere a long the way somebody either forgot to cut the sprinklers off or the automatic shutoff didn't shut off. Winthrop University the host school this year is dumbfounded at the episode. The Big South had a whole day of rainouts and had to wait until Thursday to start. Anybody seen Crash Davis?
There has been some really good games so far in the ACC Tournament and yesterday we mentioned the the State-Carolina game that Nash County's very own John Haggerty was the second base umpire during the big brew-ha in the sixth inning. Found out last night that another Nash County native Alex Pearce the former Bulldog of Nash Central and Pembroke baseball catcher and pitcher is now umpiring ACC and SEC games. I hope to see Alex soon either at a game or on TV.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 had tryouts last Saturday and practice is underway heading toward their home opener May 29th against Wayne County. There is a 15 date schedule lined up with three double headers. as always Pitt County and Wilson are on the schedule. Ahoskie will be the only trip to the northeast this season but Apex, Garner, Cary, And Raleigh will give P 58 plenty of trips to the Triangle. The only team on the schedule at this time that they will play only once is Roxboro.
Legion season starts next Thursday night 7pm at Legion Field.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Big East Is Out
Third round of the state playoffs in baseball and softball ends the athletic seasons for the Big East. Hunt lost in third round to a Topsoil 2-1 while Southern Nash lost in softball 11-1.
Thomas Berry and the Lander Bearcats open play in the Division II World Series in Cary at the USA Baseball Complex Saturday at 5pm. They will be playing Chico State who won the west Region. Lander is representing the Southeast.
Ok, let's go ahead and say it. Turner was safe by a mile. When I got home from work Tuesday I had taped the game and with all that I had heard during the day I went right straight to the 6th inning to take a look for my self.
My take, no doubt safe but here is the problem I have. If you watched the game then it was a plain as could be that Richard Sarmiento was seated directly behind home plate watching the game. Wednesday night I saw him at the visitation for Herb Greenburg. I ask Richard how did you see it. Safe was the reply.
Here is the problem I have with umpires when calling strikes that turn their back on the field when making a call. It was obvious that the third strike the umpire added a little mustard to his call and had turned away from the play. He then started taking his mask off as he was turning back toward home and he discovered a play at the play which he didn't see the entire play. I think Elliot Avent asked for and appeal which was not granted. Considering the ump was out of position he should have asked for help. Did you know John Haggerty was umpping at second base.
Sitting in the pressbox I don' like umps who kind of gives you a punch toward the back of the catcher when they call a strike. I will say one thing those umps keep their eyes on the field all the time. I will be interested to see if the ump who made the call gets another game this weekend.
Yes the ump made a terrible call but State left 16 runners on base. They had every chance in the world to win. This game was a microcosm of their entire season. Couldn't get a big hit. After battling to get into the tournament Mike Fox coached the FSU game last night as if he didn't have enough pitching to get through last night's game. wonder why he didn't change pitchers until they were six runs behind?
My guess there were about six thousand fans at the State-Carolina game and most wore red. By the Wake/Georgia Tech game there was about 500 people there. Last night about three thousand watched the Carolina lost to Florida State. Certainly Carolina fans could have supported their team better than they did.
Thomas Berry and the Lander Bearcats open play in the Division II World Series in Cary at the USA Baseball Complex Saturday at 5pm. They will be playing Chico State who won the west Region. Lander is representing the Southeast.
Ok, let's go ahead and say it. Turner was safe by a mile. When I got home from work Tuesday I had taped the game and with all that I had heard during the day I went right straight to the 6th inning to take a look for my self.
My take, no doubt safe but here is the problem I have. If you watched the game then it was a plain as could be that Richard Sarmiento was seated directly behind home plate watching the game. Wednesday night I saw him at the visitation for Herb Greenburg. I ask Richard how did you see it. Safe was the reply.
Here is the problem I have with umpires when calling strikes that turn their back on the field when making a call. It was obvious that the third strike the umpire added a little mustard to his call and had turned away from the play. He then started taking his mask off as he was turning back toward home and he discovered a play at the play which he didn't see the entire play. I think Elliot Avent asked for and appeal which was not granted. Considering the ump was out of position he should have asked for help. Did you know John Haggerty was umpping at second base.
Sitting in the pressbox I don' like umps who kind of gives you a punch toward the back of the catcher when they call a strike. I will say one thing those umps keep their eyes on the field all the time. I will be interested to see if the ump who made the call gets another game this weekend.
Yes the ump made a terrible call but State left 16 runners on base. They had every chance in the world to win. This game was a microcosm of their entire season. Couldn't get a big hit. After battling to get into the tournament Mike Fox coached the FSU game last night as if he didn't have enough pitching to get through last night's game. wonder why he didn't change pitchers until they were six runs behind?
My guess there were about six thousand fans at the State-Carolina game and most wore red. By the Wake/Georgia Tech game there was about 500 people there. Last night about three thousand watched the Carolina lost to Florida State. Certainly Carolina fans could have supported their team better than they did.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
A Rocky Mount Ground Breaker
I was sitting in my living room I don't exactly remember when on a Friday night my guess was the football season of 1998. I was watching TV and I know WHIG was replaying a SouthWest Edgecombe football game without any play by play but they were using the PA at SouthWest.
Since moving to Rocky Mount In 1995 I had already been to WRMT to offer my services for radio but they had shown no interest. I walked into what they were calling a studio and met Herb Greenburg for the first time. My first experience with Herb was no better than my reception from the radio station.
My wife Pat retired from Carolina telephone in early 1999 and took a job with the Mall in the Marketing department and during a Fathers Day promotion they set up a putting green and the father who shot the lowest score won a weekend in Myrtle Beach. The Mall needed someone who could get on the PA and encourage fathers to come over and try to win the trip. Pat says to her boss my husband can do that for you and for free!
I was doing my carnival barking and here comes Herb with his camera and he is going to shoot footage for TV. Sometime while I am begging fathers to come over Herb says to Pat. "Who is that guy he's pretty good on that Mic." Pats says to Herb" You have already met him last fall, he came by the station looking to do sports but you turned him down".
By September I was doing play by play on WHIG football coverage. Of course that was September of 1999 and Hurricane Floyd. The TV station like so many was without power for a couple of days. The Saturday afternoon when the power was back on Herb calls me about 6 pm, that's Herb call you at the last minute and ask if I would come to the station and go on the air with him as cameraman and just tell everyone that had power every bit of information that the city and the state had available that everyone still needed to know about what was happening in the area concerning the hurricane conditions. He said I doubt many people have power we will stay on the air until we have told all the info that we have.
We went on the air around seven pm and about 2:30am Herb says to me. I can't believe this. The phone has not stop ringing the entire time we have been on the air. I was wore out and he was give out too. That night showed Herb how important His tiny station was to Rocky Mount. Yes we all make fun of how hokie programming is and yet we all seem to know what's on.
Herb knew nothing about how to run a TV station but he provided to all of us a little bit of Rocky Mount. He put on all kinds of programming from preachers to lawyers. Most of all if you were a civic organization you got free time on air. Thirty minutes or 12 hours with a telethon Herb did it for Rocky Mount.
I have no idea what the future will be for WHIG but what ever direction it goes no one will be able to put into it like Herb did. He gave his whole heart and Rocky Mount is better off that Herb decided after getting out of the garment business that he wanted to do a TV.
Goodbye Friend:
Since moving to Rocky Mount In 1995 I had already been to WRMT to offer my services for radio but they had shown no interest. I walked into what they were calling a studio and met Herb Greenburg for the first time. My first experience with Herb was no better than my reception from the radio station.
My wife Pat retired from Carolina telephone in early 1999 and took a job with the Mall in the Marketing department and during a Fathers Day promotion they set up a putting green and the father who shot the lowest score won a weekend in Myrtle Beach. The Mall needed someone who could get on the PA and encourage fathers to come over and try to win the trip. Pat says to her boss my husband can do that for you and for free!
I was doing my carnival barking and here comes Herb with his camera and he is going to shoot footage for TV. Sometime while I am begging fathers to come over Herb says to Pat. "Who is that guy he's pretty good on that Mic." Pats says to Herb" You have already met him last fall, he came by the station looking to do sports but you turned him down".
By September I was doing play by play on WHIG football coverage. Of course that was September of 1999 and Hurricane Floyd. The TV station like so many was without power for a couple of days. The Saturday afternoon when the power was back on Herb calls me about 6 pm, that's Herb call you at the last minute and ask if I would come to the station and go on the air with him as cameraman and just tell everyone that had power every bit of information that the city and the state had available that everyone still needed to know about what was happening in the area concerning the hurricane conditions. He said I doubt many people have power we will stay on the air until we have told all the info that we have.
We went on the air around seven pm and about 2:30am Herb says to me. I can't believe this. The phone has not stop ringing the entire time we have been on the air. I was wore out and he was give out too. That night showed Herb how important His tiny station was to Rocky Mount. Yes we all make fun of how hokie programming is and yet we all seem to know what's on.
Herb knew nothing about how to run a TV station but he provided to all of us a little bit of Rocky Mount. He put on all kinds of programming from preachers to lawyers. Most of all if you were a civic organization you got free time on air. Thirty minutes or 12 hours with a telethon Herb did it for Rocky Mount.
I have no idea what the future will be for WHIG but what ever direction it goes no one will be able to put into it like Herb did. He gave his whole heart and Rocky Mount is better off that Herb decided after getting out of the garment business that he wanted to do a TV.
Goodbye Friend:
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