Good Sports

Some much-needed rain is falling in the Charlotte area now and it's time for a SHOUT!


Plenty of Big South fans keep up with what teams have won championships on the fields and courts of play, but do you know what teams have won the greatest respect from their peers when it comes to sportsmanship?


The Big South Conference polls teams in every sport at the conclusion of their competitive seasons to see whom the student-athletes consider the best examples of sportsmanship. An institution lists its top three (not voting for themselves, of course), they get corresponding point values, all the points are added up, and a winner for that sport is announced by the Conference office. At the very end, an overall winner is declared by combining the results of the various Big South sports and determining who got the highest percentage of their possible points. For the last two years, the overall award was earned by the student-athletes of VMI.


Here's how things have been going this year, with several spring sportsmanship awards announced and only baseball left to report...

Liberty (5.5): Men's Cross Country, Volleyball, Women's Indoor Track, Men's Golf, Men's Outdoor Track, Women's Outdoor Track (tie)

Radford (3.5): Men's Indoor Track, Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Women's Golf (tie)

VMI (3): Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Football

High Point (2.5): Women's Cross Country, Men's Tennis, Women's Outdoor Track (tie)

Charleston Southern (1.5): Women's Basketball, Women's Golf (tie)

Winthrop (1): Softball

No first-place finishes for CCU & UNCA / baseball results still pending.


Of course, don't make the mistake of thinking that fewer of these honors makes a school out to be a collection of poor sports! We think everyone in the Big South does a good job upholding honor and dignity--this award merely thanks the ones who are the best at doing that all year long from the perspective of their fellow student-athletes.

Geographic bonus note: Virginia schools have claimed 12 of the 17 awards issued so far (NC and SC schools 2.5 each).

Have a great weekend, sports fans...

PC Piece for PC Pleas

The alliterative title may be overselling it a bit, but there was an interesting development recently involving transitioning Big South Conference member Presbyterian College...translate the post headline as "a politically correct decision settles a Presbyterian College request".

As many of you probably know by now, the Blue Hose of PC in Clinton, SC, have played D-II for some time and have begun the transitioning process into D-I and membership in the Big South. NCAA policies and timelines being what they are, PC does not just get to jump in and play--there is a waiting/transition period: in this case, a four-year period altogether.

In the meantime, you have been seeing Presbyterian showing up on most Conference materials starting in 2007-08, with the PC teams incorporated in all schedules starting in 2008-09. The Blue Hose will not be fully vested and eligible across the board for everything that comes with D-I and the Big South until 2011-12. Seriously...I told you it was a long wait, but again--those are the rules.

So, here's the twist that took place when the Conference leadership got together for the Spring Meetings in Hilton Head: PC campaigned for a bigger stake in the Big South club...and won. Director of Athletics William "Bee" Carlton pled his case for proper recognition for his student-athletes who would be competing on the field of play but would not have their accomplishments acknowledged in the standings under the status quo. The debate that followed looked at the matter from more angles than I'm going to burden you with here, but suffice to say that the idea gained momentum and support to the degree that the matter looked far different when the meetings adjourned than it did when they convened.

Originally, PC games would be scheduled, but not count toward Conference standings/seedings and therefore would not impact Conference championships and awards--until such point as Presbyterian was fully eligible (sidebar: transitioning schools can "fast-track" two sports for eligibility in two years rather than four...for PC, those sports are softball and men's tennis).

When all was said and done, the Presbyterian College Blue Hose games would count in the Conference standings for all sports, PC was to be listed in the standings at the place befitting the school's record (not at the bottom or as 0-0), student-athletes would be eligible for Conference awards during and at the end of the season, and PC could even win a regular season championship (excluding football this upcoming year, since PC does not play a full Conference schedule)--but the school cannot compete in tournaments or advance to any post-season play; that part of the NCAA structure was not altered in any way.

It will make some things very interesting, especially if you're trying to keep stats straight, like the folks in our PR department...in this scenario, Presbyterian will be recognized by the Big South for more than by the NCAA--so you could see someone post a record acknowledged by the Conference but not by the national leader boards, etc. Stay tuned for the developments in this area over the next couple of seasons.

Odds favor the impact being a small one--after all, PC is moving up in level and transitions like that are not always easy. It would be foolhardy to forecast a glut of Presbyterian championships during the transition years...but it's not out of the question to see the "new kids" win something (remember the surprises the Blue Hose threw down in football last year). It's a tricky situation...after all, most of us would agree that the athletes are competing just as hard on the fields/courts/etc. of play and deserve the merits (and demerits) that come with winning and losing, just as all the other schools do...at the same time, it's not the way we've seen transitions like this handled before, hence the debate and discussion that occurred.

Either way, the proposal that started with PC was voted through (after some alteration and amendments), so look for Presbyterian College to be treated like everybody else for the most part in the season ahead (just don't look for them in the tournaments).

Why no fuss with Gardner-Webb, also coming into the Big South? No transition necessary: the Runnin' Bulldogs were already D-I, playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and can begin as a fully eligible member immediately. At least that is a simple matter...more complicated, apparently, is which way the Runnin' Bulldog should face--word has it he needs to look left now, but I only have the "right" dog picture, which may in fact be the "wrong" dog picture...we'll settle that later...

And a quick note to close--CONGRATS to Big South staffer Nic Bowman, who got married this past weekend...now that's a reason for a SHOUT-out !!!

Outstanding in Their Fields

Well, it's time to put a wrap on Big South baseball for this year.

Although it would be really nice to say that more games were ahead, our last Conference contender has finished now that Coastal Carolina lost the Cary, NC, Super Regional series to the UNC Tar Heels in two games.

North Carolina was the nation's number two overall seed and the Heels had several opportunities to demonstrate their worthiness for Omaha, but don't sell the Chants short--after winning the Big South, they hosted a Regional and won their way through it (as seen in the asterisk-shaped celebration pictured at right), then fought a tough battle in the Super Regional in falling to UNC.

I was at the USA Baseball Training Center in Cary for Sunday's game (UNC has used the USA facility as a home site this year during renovations to the field on campus in Chapel Hill), and let me tell you--everybody on the field (umpires included, of course) and in the stands should get credit for withstanding the brutal heat to play that game or support their teams. Wow, what a scorcher! Even trying to take extra steps to handle the conditions could not properly prepare you for frying like bacon out there--late July, maybe I could understand, but it's not supposed to soar past 100 like that here in early June! Oh well, no more whining, it was worth it for all the CCU and Big South fans to make the trek into ACC territory to root for the Coastal squad even with the weather. You can't hang your head when you've earned one of the last 16 team slots in the country (still, the College World Series was tantalizingly close)...

In any case, the month of June also means baseball honors and the Major League Baseball Draft.

First I'll touch on the Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team.

Five Big South stars made that squad--all of them from Palmetto State teams: Charleston Southern had the trio of shortstop Taylor Black, outfielder Steve Antolik, and designated hitter Derek Smith; Coastal Carolina's Scott Woodward at third base; and Winthrop DH Eddie Rohan (pictured at right). Add to that recognition CCU catcher Dock Doyle making 2nd Team All-American (and the Johnny Bench Award watch list--the top collegiate catcher honor will be given out June 27th). While on the subject of trophies, the Wallace Award will be given in July to the top collegiate baseball player...finalists will be announced soon, but the list of candidates includes the aforementioned Mr. Doyle (pictured below) and UNC Asheville RHP Alan DeRatt.

Now to the topic of the MLB Draft...in all, 14 players got selected out of Big South schools in rounds 5-38 of the First-Year Player Draft last Thursday and Friday. That figure matches the total from the previous year and comes only two players shy of the Conference record (16 were drafted in 2005). The Chanticleers had two first-day draftees, each taken in the 5th round: pitcher Pete Andrelczyk (148th overall by the Marlins) and Dock Doyle (164th overall by the Mets). Coastal wound up with the most picks (5) of Big South teams, but six schools had at least one: CCU-5, VMI-3, UNCA-2, Liberty-2, Radford-1, High Point-1. Check out the full list of Conference draftees at Big South Sports.com.

That might be it for today...I'll part with a couple quick hits of information for you--hate to say this, but High Point University will be dropping its men's and women's tennis programs (never like to report sports leaving the scene, but facts are facts)...and in business news, Big South Conference partner JumpTV is merging with NeuLion to create an even more powerful presence in the ever-growing sports internet-video market (merger announced just this morning).

Until next time, keep an ear open for the Big South SHOUT!

Spring Cleaning

Lest you think that SHOUT fell into a deep hole, I'll begin by agreeing that the lapse since the last post was longer than intended--things have certainly been busy around here! Time to clean up the outstanding issues, at least briefly, so that we get all caught up to June...

The 2008 Big South Baseball Championship wrapped up with Coastal Carolina taking the title, and, while it should not be considered a surprise to see the top seed snag the win, the tournament did have its share of drama--including Liberty's surge to push Coastal into a second and deciding game on the last day of play.

Since then, the Chanticleers hosted one of the NCAA Baseball Regionals and dispatched the visitors (Alabama, East Carolina, Columbia) to advance to this weekend's "Super Regional" at the North Carolina Tar Heels. The games will be played at Cary, NC, on Saturday (12pm), Sunday (1pm), and Monday if necessary (time TBA), and all carried on the ESPN family of networks.

Meanwhile, outdoor track marches on with continued success, and the Big South powered through the NCAA Regional meet to place ten male automatic qualifiers to Nationals and one female at-large participant. The Men's OTF representation of the Big South exceeds that of most of the nation's college conferences and falls behind only ten leagues (largely of the major college heavyweight variety). Congratulations to all these stellar athletes who have gone farther, faster, or higher than the competition to reach the highest level--great job, everyone!

Don't forget that as the year has been putting on its final touches in the fields of play, additional action has been going on behind the scenes on behalf of the institutions and student-athletes of the Big South Conference with the annual Spring Meetings. All last week, the member school CEOs (presidents, chancellors, etc.), Directors of Athletics, and other upper-level administrators joined the Conference Staff for a series of meetings and discussions on a variety of issues facing the Big South in the coming seasons. I won't belabor the fine points here, but in coming installments we may touch on a few of the decisions and how they will impact what you see as a fan in terms of championship events, team standings, and other such matters.

Finally, a couple of individual notes of gratitude--
First, we thank Bernadette McGlade, who has done a commendable job as Coordinator of Officials for the Big South in women's basketball (alongside her duties as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference)...she is moving on to be the new Commissioner of the Atlantic 10 Conference and we wish her all the best!
Next, we salute Associate Commissioner James Companion, who has completed ten great years of service in Big South Conference Marketing, where he has taken Conference partnerships and sponsorships beyond all expectations. Fortunately for us, James is just celebrating that anniversary and is not going anywhere else (or so we hope)!

Thanks also to all our viewers and contributors who kept The EDGE alive and well this year, as we enjoyed a slate of about 525 streamed events--unprecedented in Big South Conference history. That will be a tough act to follow in the coming academic/athletic year, but we'll certainly give it a shot...

Covering Your Bases

It's been a longer gap than normal, so let's get caught up on what we have to SHOUT about today...

The BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP has arrived! That's right--play begins this afternoon from the minor league park in Danville, VA (Liberty University is the host school). The Tuesday "A-B" games will eliminate two of the four lowest seeds right out of the gate, with the highest four seeds waiting on the winners to join them in the double-elimination phase of the tournament that starts Wednesday morning. If it seems confusing, get your hands on a bracket (available here) to sort it out.

Game A has #6 Radford facing #7 Charleston Southern.

Game B has #5 High Point against #8 UNC Asheville.

For Wednesday, Game 1 (11am) has #1 Coastal Carolina--the regular season champions (pictured)--taking on the lowest surviving seed from the Tuesday games.

Game 2 (3pm) has #2 Liberty--the host team--playing the highest surviving seed of Tuesday's competition.

The third game of the day for Wednesday sees #3 VMI and #4 Winthrop go head-to-head.

From there it's three more games on Thursday and three on Friday to set up the concluding Saturday with one or two games (as needed) to determine the 2008 Big South Conference Baseball Champion.

And yes, each and every game can be seen on The Big South EDGE--order the tournament by the day or get the full event for one affordable price! The Baseball Championship games are the only events left on the 2007-08 streaming schedule.

Meanwhile...

Winthrop defeated Liberty to win the softball title last week, earning a spot in the NCAA and the loaded Knoxville Regional: Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Louisville--and the Lady Eagles got K-O'd in K-ville for the second year in a row.

17 of 18 Big South Champs have been crowned, with Liberty holding 8, Coastal and Winthrop each with 3, and one each for Radford, High Point, and Charleston Southern. That leaves just VMI and UNCA without a crown for the season and only one remaining to fight for now...of the two, VMI would seemingly have the better chance, coming from the 3-seed slot while UNCA would need to climb from the disadvantageous 8-seed position. The Keydets have never owned a Big South Championship in any sport, so they're trying to reverse a significant trend.

What do you think about the last championship of the year?

Vote your selection in the Big South SHOUT poll, running through Saturday!

Another SHOUT coming your way soon...

Anything but "Soft"

This morning's post comes to you from the press box at Winthrop University's Terry Field, where I'm perched up high right now, watching Charleston Southern and Liberty play the first elimination game of this tournament.

Yes, it's the Big South Conference Softball Championship--and I have to tell you, this is really good stuff. "Softball" may conjur up images of the company picnic for some folks, but if you have had only limited contact with the collegiate game before now, give it a chance (you can watch every game of the tourney on The Big South EDGE--or if you're anywhere near Rock Hill, SC, drop on in for some fun right here).

The competition has been impressive. On day one, Birmingham-Southern, playing as an associate member of the Conference only for softball this season, notched a win in the morning's opening game (BSC 2-1 over Liberty, Panthers star pitcher Bethney Reynoldson pictured)--only to drop a close one to the top-seeded host team in the afternoon (Winthrop 3-2 over BSC, WU outfielder and Big South Player of the Year Lisa Kingsmore pictured). Also on the first day of games, Coastal began with a victory (CCU 3-1 over CSU, Lady Chants home run hitter Verity Long-Droppert pictured)--then fell at the hands of the second seed in a hard-fought ballgame (Radford 5-3 over CCU, Highlanders pitcher and Big South Pitcher of the Year Ashley Taylor pictured).

Those results set the stage for the Friday slate of games--with five contests scheduled before this day of competition is done! LU/CSU is in the second inning as I type this entry, BSC/CCU is next, and each of those games will knock one team out of the running in this double-elimination tournament. The 3pm game should be a doozie, as Winthrop and Radford square off. Those squads have been the elite of the Conference this season--the All-Conference team consists of ONLY WU/RU players! One of them has to take a loss in the afternoon game, and that team will play Friday's nightcap against the winner of the early evening game (itself a battle between the winners of the day's first two contests, with the loser getting knocked out). Once all those games have been decided, we'll have two teams left standing. They will meet Saturday to decide (in either one or two games as needed) who earns this season's Big South Conference Championship. That's a lot to keep up with--which is what brackets are for.

I mentioned the games are being video streamed (like every championship this season except golf)--and I'm calling the play-by-play for all the games not involving Liberty. LU has radio coverage for the Flames' match-ups, so Vincent Briedis has the call for those games (great job Vince!). Nic Bowman from the Conference staff has joined me to provide some color commentary on our broadcasts (and to keep my voice from giving out with so many games in such a short span). Getting the two of us in the booth leads to a few laughs, so you may want to check it out for a chuckle while you watch the ballgames.

When the competition wraps up this weekend, that will leave only baseball with Conference games remaining for 2007-08. The baseball championship games will run May 20-24 in Danville, VA.

Well, gotta go--time to get ready for the next game!!!

Radford Announcement

Here's a quick breaking news tidbit for you...Radford is holding a news conference at 1pm today (Wed., 5/7) to announce the school's new women's basketball coach. The announcement will be streamed live on The Big South Edge--click here to get the link for the stream.

Big South Quick Hits...

***In our last post, we discussed the NFL Draft...of course we all know that's not the only way the pro teams build their rosters. As soon as the draft is over, it's free agent time--and three Big South players signed free agent deals with the hopes of latching on with a team. The players: Coastal Carolina's Mike Tolbert (FB, Chargers) and Liberty teammates Vince Redd (LB, Patriots) and Stephen Sene (OL, Rams). Good luck to one and all!

***This week featured a parade of coaches through the Big South's Charlotte offices--time for the annual meetings of the basketball coaches! The coaches all spent an afternoon (men's coaches on Wednesday, women's on Thursday) to discuss a variety of rules, policies, and ideas on how to keep hoops in the Big South growing and improving in the seasons to come. Meetings come with the territory--it can't all be fun and games...

***Some folks hear that May has arrived and run through thoughts of horse racing, auto racing, and playoffs in basketball or hockey, but for the Big South it's more like the "Big Finish": playing three days of games to crown a softball champion, holding five days of games to decide the baseball champion, and ending the month with the Conference Board of Administrators meetings (more planning, rules, policies, etc.)--culminating in the Hall of Fame Dinner to induct this year's class. Busy times!

***More great Big South baseball and softball this weekend--enjoy the games!!!