• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1989-02-02_Vol54_No17_12

The Western Carolinian Page 12 Thursday, February 2,1989 Baseball Cats: In Quest of a Record by Frank Lamm Carolinian Staff Writer This Saturday the Western Carolina baseball program will begin their long journey to what Catamount coach Jack Leggett hopes will be a fifth straight Southern Conference title. But this season's squad is facing a rebuilding year as it tries to replace a combined 67 home runs, 232 runs batted in, and a .374 batting average by those players not returning. Despite the losses the Catamounts are ranked ninth in Collegiate Baseball's pre-season poll. Western begins its season against Florida in Gainesville. The two teams will play a double- header on Saturday, then will play a single game Sunday. Florida is coming off a season in which they won the Southeastern Conference, then won the NCAA's East Regional to advance to the College World Series. Flordia defeated Western two of three games last year. Gone from last year's 38- 24 squad are outfielders Skip Nel- lons and Keith LeClair, third baseman Tom Malchesky, and catcher Dave Piela, all of whom signed professional contracts. "There is no denying that we will not be as explosive at the plate and will be very young at several positions, but I like the chemistry of this team and these players know that we are going to have to do it differently this year," said Leggett. "For this team to be a contender, it will combine good base-running, bunting, sound defense and above all, solid pitching." "Last year, we never panicked no matter how many runs we were behind," he stated. "This year, we are going to have to work to get ahead early and keep the lead so we can play our type game. I don't think we can afford to get in home run contests this year." However this team is not without solid players. Leading the way is two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, and All- America Clint Fairey. Fairey returns at first base, where last year he contributed 25 home runs (fourth nationally) and a .353 batting average. Power hitting designated hitter Mark Poarch hit .361 last year to lead all returnees. Poarch also added 11 home runs. Grant Bnt- tain, a two year starter, is solid at shortstop. Last year's freshman sensation Kevin Bollomo (.356) is the only starter returning in the outfield. The other two spots will be up for grabs between sophomore Rodney Tesh v.231), junior Shelton Grant (..203), and freshmen Herb Wallace, Mike Ramshaw, and Joey Cox. Vermont's 1988 High School Athlete of the Year Matt Raleigh appears to have won the third-base job vacated by Malchesky. The starting catching job will come down to a battle between sophomore Todd Raleigh (.268), and junior Richie Senn (..250), both of whom saw extensive action last season. The pitching staff is a promising one despite the loss of Tim Sinicki (9-4,3 complete games), the team's top winner last season, and Ward Withrow, arguably the school's best-ever relief pitcher. His career marks stand at 10-3 record, 16 saves, and a 2.90 earned run average. When you look at the starting rotation you begin with Stewart Keyes, a 1987 all-conference pick, who was 6-3 last season as a junior. Championship Celebration has become commonplace for WCU Baseball Program Sophomore right-hander Paul Men- hart (8-3) returns with last year's ERA leadership at 3.55. Filling out the starting rotation will be senior left-hander Gary Volpe 7-5 in his 15 career starts, and junior right-hander Doug Uzdilla (3-5, 5.64 ERA). Freshman lefty Jack Kimel is expected to push the veterans for a spot in the starting rotation as the season goes along. Sophomore Brian Huie (1 -0,5.68) and freshman Todd Hyde will begin the season as middle inning relievers and spot- starters. The ace of the bullpen will likely fall into the hands of senior left-hander Jeff Stevens. Stevens has made 44 career relief appearances in his career. From the right side, Mike Thomas is making a bid to be a closer. The hard throwing righthander is also a quarterback for the football team also expected to see action are sophomore Travis McCrackine and freshman Jon Hooper. "I see this as a good defensive team," stated Leggett. "We will solid up the middle and enough 1M9 WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY BASEBALL SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME Feb. 4 (Sat) Florida (2) Gainesville, Fl. 1:30 p.m. Fib. 5 (Sun) Florida Gainesville, FL 1:30 p.m. Ftb. 10(Frl) Auburn Auburn, AL 3:00 p.m. Feb. 11 (Sat) Auburn (2) Auburn, AL 1:00 pm. Feb. 12 (Sun) Auburn Auburn, AL 12:00 p.m. Feb. 17 (Frl) Carson-Newman CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Feb. 11 (Sat) (arson-Newman CULLOWHEE, NC 12:00 p.m. Feb. 19 (Sun) Canon-Newman CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 p.m. Feb. 25 (Sat) N.C. Slate (2) Raleigh, NC 1:00 p.m. Feb. 26 (Sun) N.C State (2) Raleigh, NC 1:00 pm Feb. 28 Clue) demon Clemson, SC 3:00 p.m. Mar. 1 (Wed) Carson-Newman CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Mar. J (Frl) High Point High Point, NC 3:00 pm. Mar. 4 (Sat) High Point High Point, NC 1:00 pm. Mur. S (Sun) High Point High Point, NC 1:00 p.m. Mar. 6 (Mon) Campbell Bules Creek, NC 3:00 p.m. Mar.7(Tue) Campbell Bules Creek, NC 3:00 am. Mar. » (Wed) Campbell Bules Creek, NC 3:00 p.m. Mar.U(Sat) "Furman (2) Greenville, SC 12:00 p.m. Mar.l2(Sun) 'Furman Greenville, SC 1:00 p.m. Mar.l4(Tue) Clemson Clemson, SC 3:00 p.m. Mar.l6(Thur)USC-Spartan. CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Mar.lS(Sal) •The Clladel(2) CULLOWHEE, NC 12:00 noon Mar.l9(Sun) 'The Citadel CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 pm. MarJlCl'ur) Ohlu Unl». CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 pm. Mir.22(Wed) Ohio liulv. CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Mar.24,Frl) «E.Tenn.SL Johnson, City, TN 12:00 noon Mar.2S(Sal) «E. Tenn. St Johnson City, TN 1:00 pm. Mar.28(Tue) USC-Spartan. Spartanburg, SC 3:00 p.m. Mar.29(Wed) UNC-Ashevllle Asheville, NC 2:00 pm. Apr.l (Sat) »VMI(2) CULLOWHEE, NC 12:00 noon Apr. 1 (Sun) »VMI CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 pm. Apr. 4 O'ue) Georgia Athens, GA 7:00 pm. Apr. 5 (Wed) Georgia Athens, GA 4:00 pm. Apr. 6 CThur)Clen»on CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Apr. S (Sat) 'Marshall (2) Huntington, WV 1:00 p.m. Apr. 9 (Sun) 'Marshall Huntington, WV 1:00 p.m. Apr.U O'ue) Tennessee Knoxville, TN 7:00 pm. Apr.13 CThur)Campbell (2) CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 p.m. Apr.15 (Sat) Mid. Tenn. St (2 CULLOWHEE, NC 12:00 noon Apr.16 (Sun) Mid. Tenn. St. CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 p.m. Apr.18 CTue) Carson-Newman Jefferson City, TN 3:00 pm. Apr.19 (Wed) UNC-Ashevllle CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 pm. Apr.20 (Thur)Pledmont Coll. CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 pm. Apr.22 (Sat) »ASU (2) CULLOWHEE, NC 12:00 noon Apr.23 (Sun) 'ASU CULLOWHEE, NC 1:00 p.m. Apr.25 CTue) Carson-Newman CULLOWHEE, NC 3:00 p.m. Apr. 27-30 CThur-Sun) SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT ASHEVILLE, NC TBA May 24-29 NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TBA June 2-10 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES Omaha, NB TBA •Denotes Southern Conference Game experience, speed, and arms to be competitive everywhere," he added. "This is going to be a different type team," advises Leggeett. "We are going to have to be aggressive and execute all the fundamentals of baseball like never before. We have enough players who have been through Southern Conference and NCAA tournaments that know what it takes to win. My job is to make sure they do not try to be a type team they are not, " he explained. Lady Cats Having Trouble Finding Win in Conference Millwood Leaves WCU Football Staff /r Injuries and inconsistency continued to tell their tale with Western Carolina's women's basketball team last week, with the Lady Cats losing to Southern Conference opponents Appalachian State last Tuesday (84-62) and East Tennessee State this past Monday in overtime (69-62). Meanwhile, WCU continued to perform well against non-conference opponents, knocking off powerful UNC-Charlotte on Saturday (77-72). Western Carolina will face another power from outside the league this Wednesday at Georgia Tech (7:00 p.m.), before returning to the Ramsey Center to host Marshall on Friday (7:00 p.m.), and Winthrop on Monday (5:00 p.m.). The Lady Cats, 8-7 overall, have been a non-conference terror all season, with key wins against the likes of Eastern Kentucky and Presbyterian, as well as Saturday's victory over UNC- Charlotte. Against conference opponents, however, the Lady Cats have been a bit less fortunate, as their 0-4 mark puts them in the conference cellar. "It is important right now for us not to dwell too much on our conference record," commented WCU's head coach Dr. Tony Baldwin. "Some of our conference opponents are probably not the caliber of UNC-Charlotte, yet we haven't beaten them. I'm still positive and optimistic about this team as we've only played four conference games and still have six to go, plus we have played some very good non-conference teams and have won under adversity." The adversity that WCU has been playing under became even greater this week with the loss of another key player to injuries. The Lady Cats, who were already without the services of senior Lynn Rhymer due to a knee injury, will have to do without sophomore forward Kelly Parker for at least a week. Parker, who was averaging almost five points and two rebounds a game, suffered a partially torn ligament in her right knee during last Thursday's practice. For Baldwin, the key word is patience. "Lynn has beerl released by the doctor and will be able to resume practice as early as Friday, and Kelly should be back in action by the middle of next week," said Baldwin. "We've just got to hold everything together until they get back." Friday's match will put the Lady Cats against the league's top team in Marshall University. The Lady Herd is undefeated in league play at 3-0 and own a 10-7 overall mark. Following Monday's contest with Winthrop, the Lady Cats will remain at home to host Furman on Wednesday, February 8, and Liberty on Friday, February 10. Don Millwood, an assistant football coach at Western Carolina University for the past 15 years, has been named athletic director of athletics and head football coach at Madison High School in Marshall, North Carolina. He will assume his new duties on March 1. Millwood, 47, coached WCUs running backs and tight ends and has been a member of the WCU staff since 1974. WCU will not be able to hire a replacement for Millwood because of the NCAA's 1986 football staff attrition rule for Division I-AA football playing schools. I-AA schools are allowed to employ only seven assistant coaches. Those schools that employed more than seven assistants before the passage of the rule, as was the case at WCU, were allowed to maintain that number until normal attrition left the school with seven assistants. "I am very excited about the opportunity and challenge at Madison High and cannot wait to get started," said Millwood. "I am very impressed with the show of support by the people I have met in the county." "I leave Western Carolina with mixed emotions. I just hope that my experiences at Madison High will be as great and rewarding as they have been at Western in the past 15 years," he added. David Wyatt, Madison High's principal, says Millwood was the unanimous choice of his search committee. "We are very pleased and excited that we were able to hire a man of Don Millwood's caliber, He has tremendous qualifications with experiences in many areas," he stated. Bob Waters, Western Carolina University's head football coach, calls Millwood "a very good coach of fundamentals". "He has the work ethic and toughness needed to lead the building of a strong program. He has been an important part of this program for 15 years and will be missed. He is not only a loss to our coaching staff, but is also a loss to our teaching facility as our coaches also teach classes," he said. Terry Wanless, WCU's former director of athletics, echoes the praise of Millwood. "Don has served this university in several capacities as a football coach, track & field coach, classroom instructor, and active member of faculty committees. We appreciate his hard work and contributions." Millwood came to WCU in 1974 from Iowa Lakes Community College in Esterville, Iowa where he was head football coach for one season. Prior to that position, he was an assistant football coach at the University of Northern Colorado (1968) and was head football coach at University High in Greely, Colorado for four years (1969-72). He is a native of McDowell County and was an all-star football player at Marion High. He was named to the All-Armed Forces football team three times while serving with the U.S. Air Force. He was an all-conference fullback at the University of Northern Colorado (1964- Don Millwood 67). In addition to his football and teaching duties, Millwood served as WCU's track and field coach for eight years and was twice voted the league's coach of the year. He is married to the former Mary Lou Spratt, also of McDowell County, and they are the parents of two children - Rick, 26, and Amy, who is a senior at Smoky Mountain High School. Support WCU Basketball: Join "Poss's Pit" and back the Cats this weekend against App. State and E. Tenn. St. WCU SPORTS CAPSULE ^ Friday. February 3 Basketball—Women vs. Marshall at the Ramsey Center, 7:00 p.m. Indoor Track and Field—Men and Women at Clemson Invitational at Clemson, SC. Saturday. February 4 Basketball— Men vs. Appalachian State at the Ramsey Center, 7:30 p.m. Baseball—WCU vs Florida (doubleheader), at Gainesville, FL, 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Fehruarv S Baseball—WCU vs. Florida at Gainesville, FL, 1:30 p.m. Monday. February 6 Basketball—Men vs. E. Tennessee St. at the Ramsey Center, 7:30 p.m. Basketball — Womenvs. Winthrop at the Ramsey Center, 5:00 p.m. Wednesday. February 8 Basketball—Women vs. Furman at the Ramsey Center, 7:00 p.m. ^= J CAROLINIAN SPORTS STAFF LARRY GRAY, Sports Editor & Layout/Design LAURA GOFF, Writer FRANK LAMM, Writer RICHARD SUMNER, Writer GAMES & STANDINGS 1988-89 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE MEN'S (UPCOMING GAMES) BASKETBALL STANDINGS (MEN'S SC) MONDAY. FF,R, tf SCHOOL CONFERENCE ALL GAMES WEDNESDAY. FEB.l ETSU at WCU SATURDAY. FER. 4 Won Lost Won Lost Home Road Streak Wake Forest at ETSU ASU at UT-Chatt. ASU at Liberty 1988-89 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE WOMB'S UT-Chatt. 5 2 11 E. Tenn. St. 4 3 12 9 5 5-2 6-2 5-7 LI 3-2 W3 Wofford at Furman Citadel at Liberty Presbyterian at Furman Furman at ETSU BASKETBALL STANDING^ Appal. St. 4 3 14 4 8-1 5-3 Wl THURSDAY. FEB. 2 SUNDAY. FEB. 5 The Citadel 4 3 10 6 6-2 2-4 Wl ASU at Davidson WEDNESDAY. FFR 8 Marshall at UT-Chatt. 1EAM CONF, OVERALL Furman 4 3 9 Marshall 3 4 10 8 9 6-3 6-3 2-4 Wl 3-5 LI Citadel at SC State Richmond at VMI Piedmont at Citadel Augusta at Furman MONDAY. FER. 6 Marshall 3-0 10-7 Appalachian State 4-1 10-7 WCU 2 5 8 10 5-3 2-6 LI Winthrop atWCU UT-Chattanooga 3-1 12-6 VMI 2 5 6 (LAST WEEK'S GAMES) 10 5-2 1-7 L3 SATURDAY. FEB. 4 ASU at WCU (WOMEN'S SC) THURSDAY. FEB. 2 WEDNESDAY. FFR. 8 UNC-A at ASU Furman at WCU E. Tennessee State 1-3 6-11 Furman 1-3 15-5 THURSDAY: SATURDAY: MONDAY: Furman atCitadel UT-Chatt. at Georgia St. Western Carolina 0-4 8-7 WCU 76, UNC-A 72 WCU 80, Furman 68 VMI 69, ASU 76 ETSU at UT-Chatt. Marshall 83, ASU 76 WCU 51, Citadel 79 Marshall at VMI FRIDAY. FEB, 3 UT-Chatt. at Ala. -Birmingham UT-Chatt. 71, Citadel 67 Marshall 84, ETSU 101 Marshall at WCU ETSU 91, VMI 81 UT-Chatt. 74, Furman 76

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University’s student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1989-02-02
  • Date digitized: 2019-09-12
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 14.25"
  • Pages: 20 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1989-02-02_Vol54_No17
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library