Stillman faces Albany State for SIAC title

ASU Coach Kenyon Conner

ALBANY, Ga. - The Stillman College baseball team's quest for a fourth Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship was put on hold Saturday afternoon at the Paul Eames Complex.

The Tigers were scheduled to play in the championship game at 5 p.m. but the game has been rescheduled for today at 11 a.m. after the Albany State University Rams won both elimination games against Tuskegee and Claflin to reach the championship game.

NCAA and SIAC rules prohibit a team from playing three games in the same calendar day, so the championship game was rescheduled for today.

Stillman (24-17) is the only undefeated team remaining in the SIAC Tournament and needs just one win to claim the school's fourth conference title in the last five years. The Tigers won tournament crowns in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

ASU arms keep Rams alive

ALBANY — An Albany State baseball team that entered the 2011 season with uncertainty and inexperience is now two wins away from winning its second straight SIAC Tournament championship.

“Everybody doubted us because we had a bunch of freshmen,” ASU interim coach Kenyon Conner said about a Rams squad that doesn’t have a single senior. “They didn’t think we would win 20 games, but we did. They didn’t think we would make it to the championship game.”

On Saturday, they did that, too. The sixth-seeded Rams (29-24) capitalized on a pair of strong pitching performances to beat Tuskegee University and Claflin University in back-to-back loser’s bracket games at Paul Eames Park, advancing to today’s championship series with Stillman College.

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Defending champion ASU Rams open 2011 SIAC tourney today at home

ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.

“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.”

“War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.

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