Keeping Track (& Field)...plus Fashionable Coaches!

Before vaulting into today's first topic, here's a reminder to "state your case" in the current SHOUT poll question--"Which state has the strongest set of Big South schools?" Enter your answer in the poll found along the right column...now back to our blog, already in progress...

So...it's spring, it looks great outside for most of us--what are you going to do this weekend?

There are plenty of Big South athletic activities in Virginia and the Carolinas--if you're in the neighborhood, you may want to check out what the Conference is up to these days.

Softball has a light slate: Charleston Southern hosts Winthrop today and tomorrow (doubleheader today, one game Saturday, all of them viewable on The Big South EDGE if you can't make it to the South Carolina Lowcountry--although that is certainly a nice place to visit for a weekend); meanwhile, Coastal Carolina travels to Birmingham-Southern, associate member for softball.

Baseball offers up a full Conference schedule for the first time this year. The games this weekend are mostly in Virginia, with CSU at Radford, CCU at Liberty, and Winthrop at VMI, plus for those not in the Commonwealth, there's UNCA at High Point (NC).

Then there's Outdoor Track and Field--all the Big South schools are actively running, jumping, and throwing this weekend throughout the Big South's three-state region. Some started yesterday, many are in action today, and all of them are still going strong tomorrow. Here's the lowdown...

If you want to find the most Big South schools in one spot, you need to head to Rock Hill, SC, for the Asics Winthrop Invitational. That's where you'll see Winthrop, Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, and Radford--plus future members Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian College (with more than a dozen other schools, including Davidson, Marshall, VCU, Delaware, Campbell, UNCW, and plenty more).

At the Liberty Collegiate Invitational, the Flames welcome North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Elon to a group that also includes a number of smaller schools from across the state of Virginia.

The remaining three members will be trying their speed and skills at separate meets in the Carolinas: UNC Asheville at the WCU Invitational, HPU at NC State's Raleigh Relays, and VMI at South Carolina's Weems Baskin Invitational.

TOTALLY SWITCHING GEARS...

My thanks to our friends at Liberty for tipping me off to this one, but College Insider.com is running its annual "Fashionable Four" tournament and the Big South is very well represented! The Conference may have had only one team in the NCAA field of 65, but there were four sharp-dressed men from the Big South in this "FF" field...seriously. It's all in pursuit of naming the best-dressed men's basketball coach in the country.

The contest began with the "Style-In" game (I'm not making this up), which was a showdown between the Greenberg brothers: Seth from Virginia Tech and Brad from Radford (pictured here with a nice tie selection). Seth took the win, although we might suggest some contest favoritism in that match considering he is doing commentary on the bracket for College Insider. He claimed to be displeased with being in the "Style-In" game ("an absolute joke"), but offered this about the match-up: "I have a lot of love for my brother Brad, but he really had no chance here. Did you really think I was going to lose this matchup? Pitino is next." That's as in Rick Pitino of Louisville, top seed in the Southeast Region (John Calipari of Memphis has the 2nd seed).

Also in the Southeast--High Point's Bart Lundy (a 14-seed, facing VCU's Anthony Grant in the first round, with the winner likely to face Grant's mentor and Pitino's protege Billy Donovan in the next round).

But wait, there's more intrigue--how about Winthrop's Randy Peele (also a 14-seed) possibly facing former Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall (now with Wichita State) in the second round if Coach Peele can get past Dave Leitao of Virginia? That's in the East bracket, where the top seed is Villanova's Jay Wright and 2nd is UNC's Roy Williams.

I mentioned Liberty off the top, and yes, Flames Coach Ritchie McKay (an impressive 9-seed) is in the mix--he's been sent into the West bracket, facing Washington's Lorenzo Romar. The winner goes up against West top seed Tom Pecora of Hofstra.

What's it all mean? Not a darn thing...but it is kinda fun, don't you think?

Final Thought...

Saturday the 29th is the birthday for Liberty's basketball standout Frazee triplets (Megan, Moriah, and Molly), so from SHOUT to the Frazees: Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!