When it rains, it pours – literally and figuratively for Concord Baseball.
Rain, in the literal sense, has the CU coaching staff again juggling the team's schedule.
Rain, in the figurative sense, refers to a downpour of good news this week for the Mountain Lion program.
Bad weather has forced the postponement of the non-conference game between Concord and Bluefield College (VA), originally slated for Tuesday, March 30th.
Instead, the game will be played on Monday, April 12th, at Bowen Field in Bluefield, WV. First pitch is at 7:00 pm EDT.
The CU and BC coaching staffs are in talks to schedule another game, at Anderson Field, at a day and time to be determined.
Meanwhile, Concord's WVIAC series with Shepherd this week is moved up one day.
The Mountain Lions and Rams were to have played on Friday and Saturday, April 2nd and 3rd. Instead, the series will be Thursday and Friday, April 1st and 2nd, with a seven-inning doubleheader on the first day and a single nine-inning game the next. All three games will be at Anderson Field on the Concord campus.
Elsewhere, Concord's non-conference doubleheader against King College on Monday, April 5th in Bristol, TN, will not be played that day. Both teams are discussing possible make-up dates.
Also being discussed is the re-scheduling of Concord's postponed early-season home series against Salem International. The Mountain Lions and Tigers were to have met for four games on February 27thth, but the series was set aside because of snow and wet grounds.
Now, for the good news.
Concord's Devin Smith is the latest West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week. The sophomore outfielder from Wytheville, VA helped the Mountain Lions go 5-0 last week by hitting .667 (12-18) with a remarkable 19 RBIs. He homered, hit seven doubles, scored six runs, stole three bases and walked twice.
CU's Chastin Akers was a finalist for Pitcher of the Week, after throwing a complete-game three-hitter in an 10-1 win over Bluefield State on March 28th.
Smith is Concord's second Player of the Week of the season; Greyson Schram shared the honor last week. Akers won the Pitcher of the Week award March 15th.
Here's this week's official announcement from WVIAC Associate Commissioner Will Prewitt:
The Mountain Lions have risen to #3 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic Region poll.
Concord started the season 8th in the poll, rose to #5 two weeks ago and #4 last week.
CU is one of five WVIAC teams in the top ten.
NCBWA ATLANTIC REGION POLL: 29 March 2010
| RANK |
TEAM |
W-L |
PTS |
LW |
| 1 |
West Chester (PA)
|
22-4 |
100 |
1 |
| 2 |
Kutztown (PA) |
17-6 |
86 |
3 |
| 3 |
CONCORD |
11-2 |
77 |
4 |
| 4 |
West Virginia State |
11-4 |
67 |
2 |
| 5 |
California (PA) |
13-10 |
52 |
5 |
| 6 |
Seton Hill |
15-10 |
51 |
8 |
| 7 |
Slippery Rock (PA) |
13-11 |
48 |
6 |
| 8 |
Mercyhurst (PA) |
10-12 |
17 |
7 |
| 9 |
Pitt-Johnstown |
11-9 |
14 |
NR |
| 10 |
Alderson-Broaddus |
12-6 |
11 |
RV |
[WVIAC teams in ITALICS.]
Dropped out: #9 Mansfield, Pa.; #10. East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Also Receiving Votes: St. Augustine's (NC), 18-6, 10; Mansfield (PA), 10-8, 8; Gannon (PA), 13-13, 6; East Stroudsburg (PA), 10-10, 2; Virginia State, 13-14, 1.
Concord made its first 2010 appearance in the NCBWA's national Division II poll released on Tuesday, March 30th. The Mountain Lions are in the 'Also Receiving Votes' category, ranked the equivalent of #31 in the country. (Link: www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/div2poll/index.html)
Concord also debuted in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national DII poll this week. The Mountain Lions are tied for 30th and are one of two WVIAC teams in the rankings; West Virginia State is in the “Also Receiving Votes” category.
This statistical note from CU Associate Sports Information Director Brandon Besl:
The second through sixth hitters in Concord's batting order combined to hit a remarkable .556 (45-81) last week.
They drove in 51 runs, scored 47 times and drew 18 walks. They combined further for 16 doubles, three home runs and a triple, with four sacrifice flies.
Individually, the 2-6 hitters' numbers look like:
** Keith Morrisroe (#2 hitter): .421 (8-19), 10 runs, 5 RBIs, HR, Double, 3 stolen bases, sacrifice fly
** Donovan Huffer (#3): .733 (11-15), 12 runs, 6 RBIs, 3 doubles, triple, 5 walks, stolen base
** Greyson Schram (#4): .429 (6-14), 8 runs, 5 RBIs, 2 doubles, 4 walks, 3 stolen bases, 2 sacrifice flies
** Brooks Cullen (#5): .533 (8-15), 11 RBIs, 11 runs, 3 doubles, home run, 4 walks, sacrifice fly, stolen base
** Devin Smith (#6): .667 (12-18), 19 RBIs, 7 doubles, 6 runs, home run, 3 stolen bases, 2 walks
Finally, some good news about the weather.
Forecasters are calling for almost summer-like conditions for this week's series against Shepherd. Look for sunny skies Thursday and Friday, with high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s.
