East Carolina and Conference USA
have been informed of a network change for the ECU-Virginia Tech contest
scheduled for 12 noon on Sept. 1 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
The Pirates and Hokies will now
be shown on ESPN rather than ESPN2 as had been announced earlier.
ECU's
Roller named to national frosh unit
East Carolina designated hitter
Kyle Roller has been named to the inaugural Ping!baseball All-Freshman
team as a second-team selection.
Roller, who was named to the
Conference USA All-Freshman team, batted .306 with 30 RBI's and shared
the team lead in home runs with 11.
A native of Rockingham, NC,
Roller is playing this summer for the Thomasville Hi-Toms in the wooden
bat Coastal Plain League.
C-USA scholar awards go ECU's Krug, Williams
East Carolina senior volleyball
player Heidi Krug and senior golfer Michelle Williams have each been
named recipients of the 2006-07 Conference USA scholar athlete of the
year awards.
The awards are presented to the
top student-athlete in each conference-sponsored sport and are based
upon academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service.
Krug graduated this spring with
a cumulative 4.0 GPA as a biology major while Williams also upheld a 4.0
cumulative GPA as a bio-chemistry major.
June 12, 2007
Irish to don
throwback jerseys for USC game
Notre Dame and Adidas will honor
the 30th anniversary of the Fighting Irish's 1977 national championship
team by wearing green jerseys and gold pants for the Southern California
game on October 20th, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has announced.
The throwback uniforms will be
designed to replicate those worn by the 1977 team.
Herd soph on Athletes in Action Jones
Cup team
Marshall sophomore Tyler Wilkerson is one of 10
players from eight NCAA Division I universities, along with a former pro
and one National Christian College All-American, that will compete for
the Athletes In Action team representing the United States at the 2007
Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, beginning July 2.
Athletes In Action (AIA) captured the 2006 Jones Cup
championship, marking the 15th time a U.S. team had won the tournament
since its inception in 1977.
Seminoles
capture back to back NCAA track titles
Florida State's men clinched their second consecutive
NCAA outdoor track and field championship with wins in the 200- and
400-meter events in Sacramento.
Ricardo Chambers won the 400 meter in 44.66 seconds
and Walter Dix captured the 200 in 20.48 to clinch the team title for
the Seminoles.
June 11, 2007
Pirates' Myers 12th in
NCAA hammer throw
East Carolina wrapped up the
2007 track and field season this weekend at the NCAA outdoor
championships in Sacramento. Terrance Myers advanced to the finals in
the hammer throw, where he finished 12th.
ECU's Chelsea Salisbury missed
the cut for the women's hammer throw event.
Myers, who advanced to the NCAA
championships after finishing third in the hammer throw with a mark of
62.87 meters in the NCAA East regionals, placed fifth in his preliminary
heat with a mark of 63.34 meters, and was 11th overall, advancing to the
finals.
Myers recorded a mark of 61.73
meters in the finals for 12th place.
ECU's
Neitz taken by Giants in 37th round
Jason Neitz, who ranks fourth
all-time in pitching appearances at East Carolina, was picked in the
37th round of the major league baseball draft by the San Francisco
Giants with pick number 1,117.
A lefty from Mifflinburg, PA,
Neitz took the mound in 35 games, posting a 5-2 overall record with a
team-best 2.60 ERA, striking out 40 batters and walking 20 in 55 1/3
innings pitched. His 35 appearances in a single-season ranks second in
total appearances and relief appearances only to Shane Mathews' 39.
Neitz, who picked up wins
against Duke, N.C. A&T, Tulane, Marshall and Western Carolina, joins
three ECU players taken earlier in the draft: redshirt junior relief ace Shane Mathews (Conover, NC; 8th round,
pick 249, Baltimore Orioles); junior infielder Dale Mollenhauer
(Gibsonia, PA; 17th round, pick 539, Chicago White Sox);
and junior southpaw pitcher Dustin Sasser (Pikeville, NC; 21st round,
pick 637, Chicago Cubs).
A total of
29 Conference USA players were
selected in the draft, including first-round pick Joe Savery of Rice.
The Owls' junior lefthander was grabbed by the Philadelphia Phillies
with the 19th pick.
Anteaters nip Shockers to earn berth in Omaha
Junior Bryan Petersen doubled in
Matt Morris with the game-winning run as Cal Irvine stunned Wichita
State 3-2 on Sunday at Eck Stadium in Wichita to advance to the College
World Series for the first time in program history.
The Shockers tied the game at
2-2 in the top of the ninth. However, the Anteaters struck back in the
bottom of the frame as Morris led off with a one-out single off reliever
Anthony Capra and then advanced to second on a wild pitch to set the
stage for Petersen, who drove Capra's full-count offering to
right-center to score Morris for the game-winner.
Other super regional champions
that will join Cal Irvine at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE, for the
eight-team College World Series that begins Friday include Arizona
State, Cal State Fullerton, Mississippi State, Rice, Louisville and UNC-Chapel
Hill.
The Corvallis, OR, Regional
pitting Oregon State against Michigan has yet to be settled. OSU
defeated the Wolverines 1-0 on Sunday in the first game of the
best-of-three series. Rain had forced the game to be postpones from
Saturday until Sunday. The teams will meet again today and, if
necessary, play a deciding game on Tuesday.
June 10, 2007
Bulldogs beat Clemson to earn way to Omaha
Mississippi State scored four
runs in the second inning thanks to a Clemson error and never trailed
again, defeating the Tigers 8-5 on Saturday in front of 13,715 fans at
Dudy Noble Field in the Starkville super regional.
The Bulldogs advanced to the
College World Series with the win and improved to 38-20 on the season.
The Tigers ended their season
with a 41-23 record.
Heels, Gamecocks resume super regional today
Due to inclement weather
Saturday, game two of the 2007 NCAA Chapel Hill super regional was
suspended in the middle of the seventh inning with South Carolina
holding an 8-5 lead over No. 3 national seed North Carolina.
The game will be resumed at 2:30
p.m. Sunday (ESPN2). Should the Gamecocks hold on for the victory, the
decisive game three will be played as scheduled at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).
June 9, 2007
Rice leads
parade of 29 draft picks from C-USA
Rice established a new
Conference USA record by having 13 players selected in the 2007 Major
League Baseball Draft, which concluded Friday evening.
Owls junior lefthander Joe
Savery was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 19th overall
selection of the major league baseball draft to lead the selections.
Savery's selection marks the third straight year that a C-USA player has
been taken in the first round of the MLB Draft and the fourth time in
the last five years that the league has produced at least one first
round pick.
The Owls record 13 selections
included eight pitchers. Tulane set a school record by having six
players chosen. East Carolina produced four picks, seven including a trio
of incoming recruits. Southern Mississippi had two players selected,
while Houston, Memphis and Central Florida each had one player taken.
ECU players taken in the draft
were redshirt junior relief ace Shane Mathews (Conover, NC; 8th round,
pick number 249, Baltimore Orioles), junior infielder Dale Mollenhauer
(Gibsonia, PA; 17th round, pick number 539, Chicago White Sox),
junior southpaw pitcher Dustin Sasser (Pikeville, NC; 21st round,
pick number 637, Chicago Cubs), and senior left-handed pitcher Jason
Neitz (Mifflinburg, PA; 37th round, pick 1,117).
C-USA's 29 total selections were
the second-most in league history. In 2004, the league produced 32 draft
picks.
Three players that signed
letters of intent to enroll at ECU in the coming academic year were
selected in the draft: Tyrell Worthington (Pitt South Central High
School, football signee; 5th round, pick number 163, Arizona
Diamondbacks), Sthil Sowers (North Lenoir High School; 22nd round, pick
number 677, Cleveland Indians), and Derrick Conaster (Tallahassee
Community College, 28th round, pick number 859, Cincinnati Reds.
Conference USA's 2007 Major League
Baseball Draft Picks
Round - Player - Position - School - Major League Team
1. Joe Savery LHP Rice Philadelphia Phillies
3. Brian Friday SS Rice Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Tim Bascom RHP UCF Baltimore Orioles
4. Sean Morgan RHP Tulane Arizona Diamondbacks
7. Cole St.Clair LHP Rice Cleveland Indians
8. Shane Mathews RHP East Carolina Baltimore Orioles
8. Tyler Henley OF Rice St. Louis Cardinals
8. Danny Lehmann C Rice Minnesota Twins
9. Aaron Brown RHP Houston Seattle Mariners
11. Brad Emaus IF Tulane Toronto Blue Jays
13. David Clark RHP Southern Miss Los Angeles Angels
15. Daniel Latham RHP Tulane Minnesota Twins
17. Brandon Gomes RHP Tulane San Diego Padres
17. Dale Mollenhauer IF East Carolina Chicago White Sox
18. Bobby Bramhall LHP Rice Milwaukee Brewers
21. Dustin Sasser LHP East Carolina Chicago Cubs
24. Adam Zornes C Rice Cleveland Indians
28. Bill Moss 2B Memphis Chicago Cubs
28. Warren McFadden OF Tulane Detroit Tigers
29. Jonathan Runnels LHP Rice Toronto Blue Jays
34. Chris Kelley RHP Rice Arizona Diamondbacks
34. Ryne Tacker RHP Rice Oakland A's
36. Tyler Conn LHP Southern Miss Arizona Diamondbacks
37. Jason Neitz, LHP, San Francisco Giants
37. Scott Lonergan RHP Rice Boston Red Sox
44. Chad Lembeck OF Rice Colorado Rockies
44. Cat Everett SS Tulane Houston Astros
45. Travis Reagan C Rice Washington Nationals
48. Kyle Gunderson RHP Rice Washington Nationals
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Thompson to
direct ECU's basketball operations
Mark Thompson has been named director of basketball
operations at East Carolina, filling the position vacated by Jeremy
Shyatt, who resigned earlier this spring to pursue other opportunities.
"Mark and I worked together at the University of
South Carolina for one successful season and I'm thrilled to add him to
our staff," said ECU coach Ricky Stokes. "As a former player, it's a
natural transition for him to move into coaching. With his background,
work ethic and knowledge I know he'll be a great addition to the Pirate
family."
Thompson's responsibilities at ECU include handling
the program's daily operations, coordinating its travel itineraries,
assisting with scouting videos and overseeing the team's student
managers. He will also oversee the overall operation of ECU's summer
boy's basketball camps.
Owls' Savery
named finalist for Howser Trophy
Rice junior pitcher/first baseman Joe Savery has been
named as one of the four finalists for the 2007 Dick Howser Trophy,
given to the nation's top collegiate baseball player.
Savery is joined by Vanderbilt left-handed pitcher
David Price, Texas outfielder Kyle Russell and Florida State second
baseman Tony Thomas, Jr., as finalists for this year's award.
Houston's Brad Lincoln won the Dick Howser Trophy
last season, becoming Conference USA's first recipient of the award.
Tigers' Mays
decides to return for senior season
Clemson junior James Mays has withdrawn his name from
the NBA draft and will return to school for his final season in 2007-08.
Mays, who declared for the draft on April 25, participated in the
pre-draft camp last week in Orlando.
"I have decided to return to Clemson for my senior
year," Mays said. "I am glad that I went through this process, but feel
coming back will give me a chance to continue to develop as a player,
and enhance my draft status for next year.
"It will also allow me to work towards getting a
degree, which is important to me and my family. My focus now is to do
everything possible to help Clemson win an ACC championship."
The 6-foot-9 Mays was honorable mention All-ACC this
past season while helping the Tigers to a 25-11 overall record. He
averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He also established
Clemson single-season records for assists (95) and steals (69) by a
frontcourt player.