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News and Notes -- March 24, 2005
For whatever reason, it has been a while since Professor Briggs has posted a News and Notes column. With that in mind, there is a lot to cover. Winter sports wrapping up and spring sports getting started -- plenty of material.
> Former Kennedy Catholic basketball standout John Reimold recently concluded an outstanding career at Bowling Green State University. Reimold scored 1,782 career points at the collegiate level, including 1,380 in three years at Bowling Green.
This season, Reimold led the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 18.5 points per game (537 total points). He shot 52.3 percent from the floor (second in the MAC) while his 45.7 percent (79 of 173) accuracy behind the three-point line also ranked second. In addition, Reimold finished 10th in the MAC in foul shooting (77.7 percent) and 17th in rebounding (5.1 per game).
For his efforts, Reimold earned Second Team All-MAC honors. He also earned Mid-Major All-America honors from CollegeInsider.com.
Against Ball State in the MAC Tournament First Round March 7, Reimold carried the Falcons to a 74-72 win over Ball State by firing in 38 points, including six three-pointers. The 38 points is the highest postseason scoring effort in BGSU history and is the second-highest in MAC Tournament history, trailing only former NBA and Miami (Ohio) standout Ron Harper (45 points).
Bowling Green's season came to an end March 10 in the MAC quarterfinals against Miami, 85-65, as the Falcons finished 18-11. Reimold fired in a team-high 24 points for Bowling Green.
""I've had a great experience at Bowling Green," Reimold said via press release. "I couldn't ask for a better coach, better coaching staff, better teammates."
BROTHERLY LOVE
While John Reimold produced three outstanding seasons at Bowling Green on the hardwood, another member of the Reimold family is excelling on the diamond. Nolan Reimold is a junior right fielder for the Falcons (12-3) and is off to a fast start this spring. Reimold is hitting .400 (22 of 55) with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in. Reimold is slugging .945 and boasts a .522 on-base percentage. He is the Falcons' regular No. 3 hitter in the batting order.
Entering the season, Reimold owned a career average of .370, sixth-best in school history. Last year, Reimold hit .404 with 13 dingers and 57 runs batted in. He led BGSU in batting average, at bats, runs, hits, home runs, triples, total bases, walks and slugging percentage in 2004.
BOOMER SOONER
Wilmington grad Brandon "Boomer" Whiting is off to a great start with the University of Louisville baseball team. A junior, Whiting has started all 18 games in center field for the Cardinals (12-6, 3-0 Conference USA) and leads the team with a .394 batting average (26 of 66). The team's leadoff hitter, Whiting has scored a team-best 24 runs and also leads the Cardinals with 15 stolen bases in 15 attempts. He also leads the team in on-base percentage (.488), as he leads the team in hits and hit-by-pitch (5).
MUCH ADO FOR NOTHING
The Gannon University baseball squad recently had seven of its games stricken from the record books. The reason? The NCAA is requiring teams to play nine-inning games when playing a "split" doubleheader -- or back-to-back games against different teams -- in order to be considered a regulation game. However, Gannon (and numerous other schools) played 7-inning games whether they played the same team or not in a twinbill.
Thus, Gannon's record after a week's worth of games in Florida is officially 1-2. Northwood lost 12 games while Saginaw Valley lost five games. A total of seven Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) teams lost 37 cumulative games, which are being more or less, called no contest.
The decision comes from Rule 5-7 (doubleheader) and 5-8 (regulation game) of the 2005 NCAA Baseball Handbook. The rule only allows seven-inning games to be played as part of a scheduled doubleheader. By definition, a doubleheader must meet the following criteria: (1) It must include contests between the same two teams; (2) the second game of a doubleheader must begin no more than 30 minutes after the first game; (3) doubleheaders must be scheduled as two nine-inning games, a seven-inning game and a nine-inning game, or two seven-inning games.
Things didn't get any better for the Golden Knights Wednesday afternoon as Gannon forfeited a doubleheader to Slippery Rock University, 7-0 and 9-0. According to the SRU press release, the games were forfeited to The Rock "in the wake of a disciplinary action taken against team members by Gannon athletic director Griz Zimmerman."
Gannon features a pair of locals on its baseball roster in Hickory grads Bobby States and Joe Daoust, pair of seniors. States is 0-1 this season (in the three games that count, statistically). He will see action both as a starter and a reliever this year. Daoust has started all three games in center field and is hitting .364 (4 for 11). He also has one stolen base.
THE ROCK IS COOKIN' (WITH LOCAL INGREDIENTS)
Four Slippery Rock High School graduates are members of the Slippery Rock University baseball team this spring. Scott Rice is a sophomore pitcher while Mike DeCola is a freshman pitcher. Matt Messer is a freshman outfielder while Adam Rose is a freshman infielder.
Messer is 4-for-17 with two doubles in six starts for SRU (13-1) while Rose is 0-for-2 so far this year. DeCola has made one appearance in relief, allowing one earned run. Slippery Rock is ranked eighth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America national poll and is 13th, according to Collegiate Baseball magazine.
CRIMSON QUARTET
Four local products are members of the Grove City College softball team this spring. Grove City High grads Steph Briggs and Kristen Hughes are joined by West Middlesex grad Alicia Stefanak. In addition, Mercer product Abby Moose is joining the team this spring.
Briggs (Professor Briggs' younger sister) went 2-for-4 against 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier Wisconsin-Eau Claire Tuesday, then added a pair of hits Wednesday night against Wisconsin-Superior. She is a two-year team captain and is the Wolverines' starting right fielder. Hughes is a freshman infielder who is seeing time at third base.
Stefanak is Grove City's incumbent at first base. She is a junior, and like Young Briggs, throws and bats from the left side. Moose is playing collegiate softball for the first time this year after scoring 1,209 points (5th all-time) in four seasons with Grove City's women's basketball team. Moose will likely see time at second base or in the outfield.
ONLY IN AMERICA
Former Slippery Rock High School boys basketball coach and current WLLF/WPIC basketball analyst Chris Burtch contributed a chapter to a book written by Butler County native Bob Batchelor, titled "Basketball In America." The book examines basketball's relationship with American society and culture through the years as well as the future of this relationship.
Burtch's chapter is Fundamentals: Coaching Today's High School Player. The book is available from Haworth Press at the above link. An excerpt can be found here.
POWERS THAT BE
Former local radio personality and hoops guru Jim Powers recently worked in the media room at the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship Tournament earlier this month in St. Louis. Powers helped the MVC's media relations staff with a wide variety of tasks during the four-day event. The "Valley" sent three teams into the NCAA Tournament this year: MVC champ Creighton, along with at-large teams Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
"It was a great, great experience," Powers said via telephone. "It is great basketball and was well worth it. It was a lot of fun being ivolved with it.
"(MVC Associate Commissioner) Mike Kern and his staff run a first-class tournament."
The MVC Tournament is not the only basketball championship to be held in St. Louis this year. The Final Four is also in St. Louis and will be held at the Edward Jones Dome April 2-4. Powers will also be working in the media room that weekend.
"To be able to work the Final Four is a dream come true," Powers, who currently works at Vatterott College as an admissions counselor, said.
While in Western Pennsylvania/Eastern Ohio, Powers worked at WPIC as a salesman and sports broadcaster for both high school and Thiel College events. He also worked the sports desk at The Herald and was a fixture at the media room of the LPGA Giant Eagle Classic.
WHO'S THE BOSS(IER)?
Slippery Rock High School and Grove City College grad Shane Meling, currently sports information director at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, will be working with the Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings of the Arena 2 Footbal League this summer.
Meling will be handling the statistical duties for the BattleWings' eight home games this year at the Century Tel Center in Bossier, La. He is currently in his second year as LeTourneau's SID, where he is responsible for promoting the school's 13 intercollegiate varsity sports teams.