CORAL GABLES, Florida -- The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (27-32) held off a late charge by the Columbia Lions (29-20) in the 2014 NCAA Regional elimination game on Saturday afternoon at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, holding on for the 6-5 win and earning the first postseason victory for the program in 12 seasons.
“It was a great moment for Bethune-Cookman baseball history to take the first step in eventually, hopefully winning a Regional and moving this program forward,” Head Coach Jason Beverlin said. “[There is] Definitely a lot of tradition and history and this is just building on that tradition and history and that’s where we want to get to.“
“They did a good job of preparing themselves for today’s game like they did yesterday, and the results were just a little bit different,” Beverlin added. “But both days I was proud of the way they went about their business.”
Right fielder Josh Johnson got the Lions’ attention early and set the tone in the first inning, sending a high leadoff home run over the left field wall, granting B-CU the early 1-0 advantage.
“I joked around with a couple of players like, ‘I’m due for one.’ I always say it, though. It’s the funniest thing because I say it before every game, and I only have three career home runs,” Johnson said. “It felt amazing. Off the bat I saw it was gone and it felt great.”
Although Columbia starter Kevin Roy settled in and limited the Wildcats’ damage for the next two frames, B-CU kept continuous pressure on and capitalized in the third, as an RBI single for shortstop Shaun McCarty brought Eric Sams in from second base, while Eros Modena scored from first on a fielding error by CU right fielder Gus Craig, moving the lead out to 3-0.
In the fifth the Wildcats tacked up another run, as Johnson led off reaching base on balls and Matt Noble scored his classmate from second base on a single through the left side to go on top 4-0.
As the Wildcats began to drive Roy’s pitch count with a four-run advantage, the Lions opted to go to the bullpen and senior Joey Donino, who put together a quick and tidy sixth inning. However, the seventh frame got away from the right-handed reliever. Johnson led off with a 4-0 walk and Bryant Munoz followed with a single through the left side. Noble capitalized on the scoring opportunity with his 13th double of the season, a two-runner to outer left field, pushing the Wildcats ahead 6-0.
After six steady shutout innings, Zuniga allowed three consecutive Columbia hits to open the bottom of the seventh, allowing the Lions to put a run on the board off John Kinne’s RBI single to left center.
Trailing from the opening frame, Columbia began to put some pressure of their own on the Wildcats, who went to the bullpen, cycling through three relievers in the frame before John Sever closed it out on an Aaron Silbar pop-up to second base. When the dust settled, the Lions had put in four runs off four hits to trim the B-CU advantage to just two runs.
CU reliever Zach Tax took over on the rubber for the Lions, holding preventing the Wildcats from adding insurance runs in the final two frames, giving Columbia a chance for a final run to avoid elimination. The Lions sliced the lead down to a single run in the bottom of the ninth, scoring pinch runner Logan Boyher from third on a Craig RBI single with two outs. The Lions top hitter in the Regional, Robb Paller, lined out to Eros Modena in center field, securing the final out and the 6-5 victory.
With the win over Columbia, the Wildcats will advance to a third game in NCAA Regional play for the first time since defeating Florida International, 7-4, in the 2002 Gainesville (FL) Regional. The win moves B-CU’s all-time Regional record to 2-27 and 3-31 overall in NCAA postseason games.
Pitching six innings in the start, Zuniga (8-4) picked up the win, allowing seven hits and three runs, while striking out one Lions batter. Sever pitched three completed frames, striking out two batters to earn his fourth save of the year.
“The momentum was definitely on their side, and you could see that and for him to squash that and shut them down was huge,” Beverlin said of Sever. “He really did a good job of minimizing the damage and getting out of that without things snowballing out of control.”
Noble topped the Wildcats at the plate, hitting 2-for-3 with three RBI. McCarty added another RBI with a 2-for-4 hitting performance, while Johnson scored three runs on the day.
The Wildcats move on to game five of the Coral Gables Regional bracket, slated for a 2 p.m. meeting in a Sunday (June 1) matchup with the loser between Miami (FL) and Texas Tech at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.
For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feeds, @CookmanBaseball or @BCUathletics, or "Like Us" on Facebook at BCUathletics.
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Sunday, June 1, 2014
Alabama State Wins Commissioner's Cup, Sweeps All-Sports Awards
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama State University athletics program won the 2013-14 Commissioner's Cup Award, symbolic of the best all-around sports program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
It's the first time Alabama State has won the Commissioner's Cup, as ASU swept all three conference awards for the first time ever. For the second straight year, the Lady Hornets won the women's all-sports trophy, while the Hornets won the men's all-sports trophy for the first time in school history. Overall, Alabama State finished first or second in the SWAC in 13 of 18 sports this season.
For the third straight year, the women's track program won the "Triple Crown," earning SWAC championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. It was the third straight league title in cross country, the sixth consecutive title in indoor track, and the fifth consecutive outdoor track championship.
For the second straight year, both the women's and men's golf programs won SWAC Championships this spring, earning NCAA Tournament appearances. The women's team earned its second straight SWAC title and third in four years, while the men's team won its third consecutive league title.
Alabama State volleyball won its first Eastern Division championship and first SWAC Championship in school history, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in setting a program record for wins.
The success of the athletics department occurred not only in competition but in the classroom as well. Nearly 200 Alabama State student-athletes had cumulative or semester 3.0 GPAs in the fall of 2013, with 40 student-athletes graduating in the past academic year.
The women's track triple crown, volleyball and golf titles highlighted the women's team accomplishments. The nationally-ranked ASU bowling team won the SWAC's regular season title and finished second overall, both firsts in the program's history. The women's soccer team won the conference Eastern Division title and finished second overall, again firsts in the history of the program.
The SWAC title in golf highlighted the men's team accomplishments. The men's cross country, indoor track, basketball, tennis, and baseball teams each finished with at least a share of second place this season. For the first time ever, men's basketball was selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. For the second straight year, the baseball program set a school record for wins, won the division title for the first time since 1994, and its second-place finish was the highest in school history.
The commissioner's cup is named the James Frank Award for the former long-time SWAC Commissioner and NCAA President. The women's award, the Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee Trophy, was named for two conference pioneers. Jacket was a long-time track coach at Prairie View and is in the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame. Magee is the winningest coach in Jackson State women's basketball history. The C.D. Henry Award, presented to the top men's program in the conference, is named for the former executive officer of the SWAC and the first African American to serve as assistant commissioner of any conference when he joined the Big 10 Conference in 1974.
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It's the first time Alabama State has won the Commissioner's Cup, as ASU swept all three conference awards for the first time ever. For the second straight year, the Lady Hornets won the women's all-sports trophy, while the Hornets won the men's all-sports trophy for the first time in school history. Overall, Alabama State finished first or second in the SWAC in 13 of 18 sports this season.
For the third straight year, the women's track program won the "Triple Crown," earning SWAC championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. It was the third straight league title in cross country, the sixth consecutive title in indoor track, and the fifth consecutive outdoor track championship.
For the second straight year, both the women's and men's golf programs won SWAC Championships this spring, earning NCAA Tournament appearances. The women's team earned its second straight SWAC title and third in four years, while the men's team won its third consecutive league title.
Alabama State volleyball won its first Eastern Division championship and first SWAC Championship in school history, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in setting a program record for wins.
The success of the athletics department occurred not only in competition but in the classroom as well. Nearly 200 Alabama State student-athletes had cumulative or semester 3.0 GPAs in the fall of 2013, with 40 student-athletes graduating in the past academic year.
The women's track triple crown, volleyball and golf titles highlighted the women's team accomplishments. The nationally-ranked ASU bowling team won the SWAC's regular season title and finished second overall, both firsts in the program's history. The women's soccer team won the conference Eastern Division title and finished second overall, again firsts in the history of the program.
The SWAC title in golf highlighted the men's team accomplishments. The men's cross country, indoor track, basketball, tennis, and baseball teams each finished with at least a share of second place this season. For the first time ever, men's basketball was selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. For the second straight year, the baseball program set a school record for wins, won the division title for the first time since 1994, and its second-place finish was the highest in school history.
The commissioner's cup is named the James Frank Award for the former long-time SWAC Commissioner and NCAA President. The women's award, the Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee Trophy, was named for two conference pioneers. Jacket was a long-time track coach at Prairie View and is in the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame. Magee is the winningest coach in Jackson State women's basketball history. The C.D. Henry Award, presented to the top men's program in the conference, is named for the former executive officer of the SWAC and the first African American to serve as assistant commissioner of any conference when he joined the Big 10 Conference in 1974.
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XU's Ciccone will represent Jamaica in Davis Cup play
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| Vincenzo Ciccone was 10-7 in singles and 4-1 in doubles during the 2013-14 season, his first at Xavier. |
Ciccone, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., was eligible for the Jamaican team because his mother is a native of the country. He qualified for the team by winning 2-of-3 singles matches in trials at Kingston, Jamaica, in April.
The six-day, nine-nation Group III competition will begin Monday at Palmas Athletic Club in Humacao, Puerto Rico. The top two countries will be promoted to Americas Zone Group II in 2015. The other competing countries are the Bahamas, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago.
Ciccone was a junior and in his first season at Xavier in 2013-14. He was 10-7 in singles and 4-1 in doubles to help the Gold Rush reach the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship and rank eighth in the NAIA postseason coaches poll. Ciccone, a graduate of Aspirations High School and ASA College, was the 2012 American Tennis Association men's singles champion.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Jackson State falls 3-1 to Mississippi State at Lafayette Regional
LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – One day after recording its first ever NCAA postseason victory, the Jackson State baseball team was not able to keep the momentum going against Mississippi State (39-22) on day two of the NCAA Lafayette Regional. The Bulldogs used a two run sixth inning to pick up a 3-1 win over the Tigers at “Tigue” Moore Field.With the loss JSU faces Louisiana Sunday at 1 p.m. in the second elimination game of the regional. Jackson state played a clean game, but MSU came through with timely hitting in the sixth to secure the win.
Desmond Russell (9-5) recorded his ninth complete game in the losing effort. In nine innings of work he allowed three runs on seven hits, while striking out seven batters. Prior to MSU rallying in the sixth, Russell retired 11 straight batters.
Mississippi State pitchers Ben Bracewell and Jonathan Holder held the Tigers to three hits. Holder (7-1) pitched 5.1 innings in relief to pick up the win for the Bulldogs.
“Mississippi State pitched awesome, they pitched well. We knew that they were able to do that from some of the information we had on them. We had a couple opportunities to score runs and left them out there, but you have to give their guys some credit. That guy made some pitches when he needed to make pitches. They’re a good team and are coached well.”
Gary Thomas scored JSU’s only run in the fourth inning, tying the game at 1-1. Thomas singled to get on base and Bracewell walked the next three batters to score Thomas.
Thomas finished the game with a hit and a run for JSU. Tilur Smith recorded a hit (double) and a walk for JSU and Charles Tillery posted JSU’s third hit of the game.
JSU’s Post Game Quotes
Omar Johnson (HC)
On Desmond Russell’s complete game: “It gives us an opportunity to have a lot of guys available tomorrow. When you’re in an elimination game like we are tomorrow, you need as many arms as you can.”
On the team’s confidence after the UL victory: “Games are about matchups, so we’ll try to put the best guy out there to match up with them. We had confidence today. You have to take advantage of your opportunities. We’re prepared for tomorrow.”
JSU SP Desmond Russell Quotes
On the sixth inning: “I’ve got to give it to them. They played good. We played good. I just messed up on a few pitches. We have to capitalize a little bit more. Other than that I felt pretty great.”
On what his complete game does for the team: “We only used three pitchers so far. We have confidence in each and every pitcher in our bullpen. It was good that I threw a complete game to give them an opportunity to be fresh.”
JSU 1B Tilur Smith Quotes
On MSU relief pitcher Jonathan Holder’s performance: “His curveball was good. We really just wanted to hit the fastball...we missed a couple. He just had us off-balance.”
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Athletic committee starts FAMU fund-raising
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- A committee of FAMU alumni that president Elmira Mangum introduced almost two months ago to serve as a liaison between her office and athletic director Kellen Winslow Sr. has disclosed the initial phase of an ambitious plan to raise $3.2 million for upgrades to the school’s football facilities.Gregory Clark, a former FAMU baseball player who heads up the President’s Alumni Advisory Committee, said the initial plan is to upgrade the field house and resurface the turf in Bragg Stadium by next spring. A more in-depth study will be done to determine how much and how long it will take to upgrade the rest of the stadium, he said.
The concentration is on football, Clark said, because it’s the primary revenue generator for athletics.
“We should commit to this sport to ensure that it bears the fruit that we are looking for,” he said.
“Hence, we want to start by addressing some of these football issues.”
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ASU Student-Athletes Continue To Shine In Classroom
Of the 171 student-athletes with 3.0 GPAs, 110 students made the Dean's List (3.0 GPA with at least 15 semester hours), with 34 earning 4.0 GPAs. These stats are very similar to the Fall 2013 semester, when 172 student-athletes had at least a 3.0 GPA, 107 making the Dean's List, and 18 earning 4.0 GPAs.
All of Alabama State's athletics programs had student-athletes earn at least a 3.0 GPA. Football led the way with 37 players, followed by baseball (23), women's track (14), softball (13), women's basketball and soccer (12 each), men's track (11), volleyball (10), men's golf (nine), bowling (eight), women's tennis (seven), men's basketball (six), women's golf (five) and men's tennis (four).
The bowling team had the highest team GPA with a 3.646 mark, with all eight players earning a 3.0 or better, six of whom with at least a 3.5 with two players earning 4.0s. Women's tennis was second with a 3.517 team GPA (six 3.5+, three 4.0s), and men's golf third with a 3.474 team GPA (six 3.5+, four 4.0s).
Baseball (23): Jahmal Brooks, Patrick Coffin, Dillon Cooper, Christian Cumberlander, Wesley Dismuke, Logan Dyer, Waldyvan Estrada, Jose Figueroa, Joshua Magee, Hunter McIntosh, Kevin Olmeda, Jorge Pantoja, Jamari Randle, T.J. Renda, Armando Ruiz, Julian Shields, Derron Simmons, Taylor Singletary, Michael Tellado, Ryan Thompson, Julio Valdez, Chase Waters, Cameron White.
Men's Basketball (6): Nicholas Davis, Brandon Graham, Eugene Johnson, Darius Scott, Darrius Sizemore, Jamel Waters.
Football (37): Kevin Bass, Kourtney Berry, Ja'Quez Bowser, Robert Brown, Jahaad Coleman, Kenyan Davis, Johnny Garner, Meryles Gilbert, James Graves, Ronald Hall, Andre Hammon, Nehemiah Henry, Kelsey Hunter, Anthony Jacob, Trey Jenkins, Barry Johnson, Andre Kincey, Damian Love, Dreyvon Mitchell, Justin Mitchell, Edward Mosley, Kadeem Murray, Brandon Napier, Marcus Owens, Nathaniel Parker, Shawan Parks, Jaquinton Patterson, Therron Presley, Justin Robinson, Willie Roller, Robert Roquemore, Kara Stewart, Bradley Street, Clarence Sutton, Quinterris Toppings, Daerius Washington, Kerry Williams.
Men's Golf (9): Francis Berthiaume, Branson Ferrier, Robert Grant, Joseph Killebrew, Ian Mmbando, Daniel Park, Yann Pfeiffer, Corey Price, Jose Rodriguez.
Men's Tennis (4): Dylan Cleary, Digvijay Naruka, Jarred Thompson, Stefan Vojnic.
Men's Track (11): Devauntay Brown, Justin Davis, Donovan Dupin, Carlos Flores, Jalen Floyd, Ryan Hall, Byron Kearney, Harry Rhodes, Dequarius Smith, Stevie-Durrell Stephens, James Walker.
Women's Basketball (12): Taila Arrington, Jamesha Blake, Tabitha Bradshaw, Antoinette Brown, Daniele Ewert, Erica Henderson, Brittney Howard, Durriya Shields, Ashunte Smith, Brittney Smith, Kayla Tucker, Britney Wright.
Bowling (8): Andranice Collins, Rebecca Hresko, Jessica Ledbetter, L'Neisha Porter, Tanisha Pughsley, Kaila Ryan, Danielle Walker, Briana Wells.
Women's Golf (5): Brooklyn Kraakman, Janelle Kraakman, Dismary Marquez, Sylvia Masango, Shanon Spinuzzi.
Softball (13): Valerie Centeno, Chontanee Combs, Kendall Core, Stephanie Hernandez, Jasmine James, Rachel Mills, Bailey Patt, Jazzmin Romero, Kimberly Ross, Shantelle Smith, Raven Walker, Makayla Webster, Brittney Wilson.
Soccer (12): Samantha Bruno, Jordan Creel, Kayla Edwards, Kylee Hathaway, Stephanie Howard, Courtney Ledonne, Anastasia McCleary, Allysa Murphy, Iita Pienimaki, India Pleasant, Alayna Smith, Helma Von Zadow.
Women's Tennis (7): Matabe Akoachere, Irina Cvijovic, Brianna Fairley, Giovanna Lombardi, Nathalie Lorenco, Brankica Orlovic, Arantxia Wijngaarde.
Women's Track (14): Lori Davis, Tatiana Etienne, Latrice Lee, Artrailia Lesane, Mia Mike, Paige Rankine, Summer Simmons, Soyong Smith, Breanca Thompson, Jahneel Tyrell, Kimberly Wedderbunn, Kawandra Wiggins, Shakalia Williams, Shantia Wilson.
Volleyball (10): Brooke Beasley, Jamie Coleman, Dragana Cvoric, Latoya Ellington, Luiza Griz, Ellyn Jones, Shanquella Jones, Tiara Kelley, Erika Thompson, Scout Wonsang.
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B-CU football coach Brian Jenkins disqualified in MMA debut
DELAND, Florida — Bethune-Cookman football coach Brian Jenkins did not walk out of the Tommy Lawrence Arena with a win in his mixed martial arts debut Saturday, but he was able to leave with his head held high.
Jenkins, 43, wobbled Chris Green, 27, with a right, and dropped him with a left seconds into their fight and appeared well on his way to a win. But a pair of blows, deemed illegal by two ringside judges, while Green was grounded, led to Jenkins' disqualification in their fight at Breakthrough MMA 12.
While strikes on the ground are legal in professional MMA, they are illegal in amateur mixed martial bouts when fighters have less than three fights.
“I am proud of what I showed,” Jenkins said. “Whatever the judges decided, I'm not going to question. I committed myself to eight to 10 weeks of training. I wanted to prove to my players that everything I ask them to do as far as focus and attention to detail … that is what I put into preparing for this fight, and I went out and executed. And I wanted to prove to my son and daughter that if you set your mind on something you can do it.
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While strikes on the ground are legal in professional MMA, they are illegal in amateur mixed martial bouts when fighters have less than three fights.
“I am proud of what I showed,” Jenkins said. “Whatever the judges decided, I'm not going to question. I committed myself to eight to 10 weeks of training. I wanted to prove to my players that everything I ask them to do as far as focus and attention to detail … that is what I put into preparing for this fight, and I went out and executed. And I wanted to prove to my son and daughter that if you set your mind on something you can do it.
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