Gamecocks prepare for Duquesne

A year removed from last season's star-studded starting nine, the University of South Carolina baseball team is set to open the season on Saturday in Columbia against Duquesne. (3-game series)

Coach Ray Tanner and the Gamecocks will be playing in the first game at the brand-new state-of-the-art Carolina Baseball Stadium. South Carolina's new venue sits nearly 9,000 and costs $36 million to construct over the last two years. It should be confines suitable for the long ball.

Baseball writers have pegged this year's squad 4th in the SEC East, a surprise if you follow Gamecocks' baseball. South Carolina has made a postseason regional eight consecutive years and earned a trip to the College World Series three times since 2000. The Gamecocks have won the SEC twice during that span. (NCAA runner-up in 2002, 12-6 loss to Texas)

Without 1B Justin Smoak, C Phil Disher, SS Reese Havens and 3B James Darnell (all current pro's and draft picks last season), it may be a long year for the Garnet and Black offense. As always though, pitching wins championships.

Junior heading back to Seattle

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution gets it wrong . . . again.

A few weeks after reporting Rafael Furcal is coming back to Atlanta (he re-signed with Los Angeles) Tuesday's report of Griffey to the Braves was all but a sure thing. Wrong. Griffey signed a one-year $2 mil deal with the Seattle Mariners yesterday, saying no to a previous offer from the Braves. Griffey said the AJC's story on him agreeing to an ATL contract was "completely false".

Can a newspaper really affect a player's decisionto sign with the Braves? That's twice the AJC has dropped the ball.

Braves in talks with The Kid

Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren and Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent have began talks about the possibility of bringing Jr. to Atlanta for the 2009 season.

Griffey said he is willing to split time in left field with Matt Diaz.

The former Seattle Mariners' phenom lives in Orlando, home of Atlanta's spring training site at Disney's Wide World of Sports. It would be great to see Griffey come to Atlanta, but it's about 5-7 years too late . . .

Going Deep with UNCP - Second Entry

UNCP senior Kevin Dietrich un-officially has the Black and Gold's longest homer at Sammy Cox Field this season.

Dietrich's gargantuan blast to left in the bottom of the fourth this afternoon was his second of the game, giving the Braves a 10-5 lead. UNCP would go on to beat Millersville in the first game of a weekend series, 17-7. It was Dietrich's first multi-homer game of his career.

Dietrich lifted a high fastball on a 1-1 pitch into the pine trees about 15 feet above the wall. Coach Paul O'Neil's quote after the game: "Diets hit a tape-measure shot. That ball is still stuck in the mud out there somewhere."

Tom Porricelli added a solo homer to left in the third. The Braves' 17 runs was the highest total this season. Game one of tomorrow's doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.

UNCP BASEBALL Robesonian Preview


UNCP HR TALLY THROUGH SEVEN GAMES = 12

A few recent story links

Here's a few links to recent UNCP articles in The Robesonian newspaper. I'm doing an internship there this spring:

Braves lose in final minute

UNCP rally falls short

UNCP Signing Day

Going Deep with UNCP - First Entry

If Nike’s late-90s “chicks dig the long ball” phrase still has life, co-eds should be flocking to Sammy Cox Field at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke this season.

I've decided to make a season-long homerun tally blog that charts each dinger the Braves hit this season. I'll try to describe each bomb as best as I can if I see it live. Let's see if anyone can eclipse some of Jason Morales' moonshots last season.

Braves (4-2) batters have shown an early knack for power through the first six games, connecting on nine homeruns including three dingers from returning slugger Keith Whitman (pictured left).

I have only seen one homer LIVE and that was in yesterday's 13-9 loss to Pfeiffer. Seth Kivett went deep to right on the first pitch he saw from a Falcons' middle relief pitcher. More to come following UNCP's four-game set with Millersville this weekend.

UNCP HR TALLY THROUGH SIX GAMES = 9

UNCP Baseball opens 4-2 in Week 1

Black and Gold baseball is under way at Sammy Cox Field in Pembroke and the Braves are 4-2 through their first full week, including a doubleheader sweep of St. Andrews to open the 2009 schedule.

After winning four straight, the Braves have dropped back-to-back decisions to Anderson and Pfeiffer despite having the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth in both contests.

Coach Paul O'Neil said he'll be able to really see where the team's at following this weekend's four-game set with Millersville. Right now, O'Neil is busy switching around the lineup and figuring out the starting rotation.

I will be covering most of UNCP's home games this season for The Robesonian and may go to a few away games as well. Look for game stories and features throughout the spring.

UNCP will play host to Millersville this weekend in a four-game series beginning Friday at 3pm. Saturday features a doubleheader with a 1pm first pitch and Sunday's noon start will finish the series.