Pair of locals play big roles for Bobcats
With Major League Baseball in a lockout, Division I college play just starting and high schools yet to begin, the only baseball well underway is for small colleges and junior colleges.
Bryant & Stratton has begun the campaign 4-3. Jose Cazorla, a Venezuelan, has led the Bobcats with nine RBIs, and the .375 batting average by catcher Warren Bailey, a former Maury High player, includes a walk-off homer in an 8-7 doubleheader-opening victory Wednesday against Harford Community College of Maryland.
BSC’s Antonio Velasquez, a Western Branch alum, has posted a 1.13 earned-run average in two starts encompassing eight innings. He has struck out eight and yielded five hits, enabling him to overcome eight walks. Teammate Kevin Caceres has struck out 11 and posted a 2.84 ERA in his first 6 innings.
Bryant & Stratton returns to action at 1 p.m. today with a home game against Fayetteville Technical Community College of North Carolina, then welcomes Salem Community College of New Jersey at 3 p.m. Monday.
Apprentice School has huge shoes to fill after the retirement of Bryan Cave, who spent 32 years as head coach. Longtime assistant Ben Jones, considered the best pitcher in Builders history, is 1-4 as head coach so far. Grassfield High graduate Maxwell Burcham, an infielder, belted three home runs in a two-game span.
Apprentice is scheduled to face Paul D. Camp Community College of Franklin on Tuesday at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, where the Builders have a threegame series scheduled against Division II Bloomsburg that should begin at 1 p.m. Friday.
Virginia Wesleyan, playing an event in Alabama this weekend, will return home to face SUNY New Paltz at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Marlins seek to mock their prediction of 10th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Christopher Newport began the season 0-3 with heartbreaking losses at Piedmont’s tournament in Georgia, but the Captains are at home this weekend. They’re scheduled to face Susquehanna at noon today, and a few yards away, the Captains’ nationally ranked softball team is set for a season-opening exhibition against Louisburg at 1 p.m.
Here’s more of what’s happening — and about to happen — in area college sports:
Softball: Most Virginia Wesleyan fans will have to settle for seeing it on internet video, but the defending NCAA Division III champion Marlins’ 1:30 p.m. Wednesday doubleheader at Salisbury should be one to watch. The Marlins were 46-6-1 last year, and the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference favorite Sea Gulls (25-9) finished the season ranked 14th.
Tennis: Today’s a big day for Old Dominion, whose men are coming off Wednesday’s 4-1 indoor victory at longtime rival William & Mary. The ODU men (4-3) play at noon at dangerous Liberty, while the Monarchs’ nationally ranked women visit Kansas. The men return home for a 1 p.m. match Saturday against Southern Conference power Furman.
As for the Tribe (3-4), there’s a men’s-women’s doubleheader set for Saturday. At 11 a.m., unbeaten and improved James Madison probably will face its toughest foe yet in the Tribe, which has dominated the Dukes in recent years. Then at 2 p.m., the W&M women will take on Penn.
Women’s lacrosse: Area fans can look forward to a 6 p.m. Wednesday clash of Old Dominion at William & Mary. Their seasons are in relative infancy.
Swimming: Old Dominion, which has competed this weekend in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association championships, will participate in the Conference USA meet this week — possibly for the last time, depending how the C-USA/Sun Belt realignment snafu is resolved.
Gymnastics: Both William & Mary teams have been on the road most of the time this season, but they will compete on the same Kaplan Arena floor at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Tribe men will face Springfield, while the women meet West Chester.
Sarah Kuper, a freshman from Naperville, Illinois, has been W&M’s top all-around female competitor, posting a season-high 38.375 to place second last weekend against West Chester.