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News Nuggets, 04.22.04
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NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Diamondbacks dial up ex-Pirate Tracy

When they needed a replacement for an injured player, the Arizona Diamondbacks apparently figured it's hard to quibble about a minor league prospect with a .400 batting average.

Former East Carolina infielder Chad Tracy was called up from Triple-A Tucson and made his major league debut in Milwaukee Wednesday night as a member of the Diamondbacks, striking out in a pinch-hit appearance as Arizona lost to the Brewers 10-6.

Tracy received the call-up after Arizona placed second baseman Roberto Alomar on the 15-day disabled list late Tuesday. Alomar sustained a broken hand in the D-Backs 4-2 loss to the Brewers that night.

Through 12 games at Triple-A Tucson this season, Tracy was batting .400 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs.

After being selected in the seventh round of the 2001 MLB Amateur Draft as a junior, Tracy decided to forego his senior season at East Carolina.

He has compiled a career minor league average of .333 in 326 games played with 22 home runs and 195 RBIs through three seasons of professional baseball.

Tracy ranks among the top 10 in ECU history in batting average (.339), hits (154), doubles (48), and RBIs (154).

Bulldogs get 'lights out' win over Memphis

STARKVILLE � With Memphis trailing Mississippi State 7-2 in the top of sixth, a transformer within 100 yards of the leftfield wall behind Dudy Noble Field blew, causing an immediate power outage.

The game was officially called after an hour and five-minute delay while technicians attempted to fix the problem and � after an agreement by both head coaches � the contest will go into the books as a Mississippi State, which improved its record to 24-14.

Each team had 10 hits in the game, but the Bulldogs were able to do more with their opportunities. Mississippi State first baseman Brad Jones went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs while catcher Craig Tatum went 3-for-3 with a RBI.

Third baseman Bill Moss led the Memphis, which is 18-16 on the season, with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.

Eustachy announces two staff additions

Southern Mississippi head basketball coach Larry Eustachy has announced the hiring of two members of his coaching staff, naming Steve Barnes as the associate head coach and Austin Norris as an assistant coach.

Barnes, whose relationship with Eustachy dates back to the 1970's, most recently coached with Eustachy at Iowa State as associate head coach in 1998-99 and 2002-03.

Barnes and Eustachy were high school and college teammates at Arcadia High School, Citrus Junior College and Chico State. The pair have competed or coached together in six different settings (Arcadia High, Citrus, Chico State, Idaho, Utah State and Iowa State), including all three of Eustachy�s head coaching posts.

"I am very fortunate that Steve Barnes has joined our coaching staff," Eustachy said. "He brings a lot to the Golden Eagle basketball program and his outstanding credentials speak for themselves.

"As a coach, he is at the same level as any coach in Conference USA and has had numerous opportunities to go other places. But he has shown tremendous loyalty to me. When we were at Iowa State together and I stepped down, he could have stayed to become the head coach.

" ... He makes our coaching staff at Southern Miss one of the best in college basketball."

Between his two stints at Iowa State, Barnes was the head coach at San Jose State University for three years, posting a 39-51 mark.

Barnes was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 22, 1957. He spent his youth growing up in North Carolina, before moving to Arcadia, Calif. He and his wife, Judy, a native of Folsom, Calif., are the parents of two children, Megan (18) and Josh (16).

Norris comes to Southern Miss after serving as a basketball graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming for the past year, where he was involved in all aspects of the program. He also planned, organized and ran the basketball camps.

Prior to his stint at Wyoming, Norris served for more than three years as an assistant coach at Des Moines Area Community College in Des Moines, Iowa. While there, Des Moines Area Community College posted an 84-16 record, ranked in the top 10 nationally for three-straight seasons and the 2002 team finished fourth at the national tournament.

For 10 consecutive weeks in the 2001-02 season, Des Moines was the No. 1 ranked team in the country in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rankings.

"Austin is a young and energetic coach who has a bright future ahead of him," Eustachy said. "He was a student manager for me at Iowa State and did an outstanding job. He's a tremendous worker and has been very loyal to me."

A third staff position has yet to be filled.

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News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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