chuck@blackcollegebaseball.com
Edward Waters had a breakout season last year. The Tigers have a proud baseball tradition, and head coach Kerby Marshall was hoping to resurrect some of that.
He did, leading the EWC to a school-record 35 wins. Now, in 2009, Marshall wants to take the Tigers to the next level and qualify for the NAIA national tournament.
To do that, he’ll lean heavily on junior Charles Thomas. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Thomas was an all-region selection last year after hitting .375 with 10 homers – all that while missing an entire month with an injury.
In addition to playing the corner infield spots, Thomas also has a fastball that reaches the low-90s. Marshall said major-league scouts are intrigued by Thomas’ potential.
Mo Turknett returns to his shortstop spot after also earning all-region honors a year ago. He stole 18 bases and fuels the Tigers’ speedy lineup.
Freshman pitcher Aaron Reed also has made an impact, going 4-1 through his first five decisions.
Through the first 18 games, EWC is 12-6, 1-2 in The Sun Conference. Marshall expects that his Tigers will do enough to qualify for the national tournament, and, coupled with last year’s success, recruiting will become a whole lot easier in the competitive Florida market.
“The phone calls are coming in. The kids are looking at the college for baseball now,” said Marshall. “It’s making it easier on me.”
Outside of Edward Waters and Harris Stowe, which started 6-2, the rest of the 2009 season is off to a slow start for the remaining HBCUs competing in the NAIA. But there are still a few performances that have been noteworthy.
At Texas College, Andrew Kuhn and Jon Marc Rea are putting up impressive numbers. Through TC’s first 21 games, in which the Steer went 6-15, Kuhn was hitting .478 with five homers and 20 RBIs. Rea was hitting .477 with 17 RBIs.
Robert Gordon has hit .357 with a homer and 16 RBIs, and Jeremy Bueno hit .327. Pitcher Lamar Guzman was leading the team in wins at 2-3 with a 5.87 ERA.
Wiley College also got off to a slow start, going 5-10 in its first 15 games. Rafael Sanchez, however, was solid in the early going, hitting. 371, and Hector Rivera was hitting .359 with a homer and four RBIs.
Jarvis Christian was 6-11 through its February schedule. Michael Rios and Felix Rivera had both driven in 13 runs, and Hector Mercado 10 for the Bulldogs.
Paul Quinn College has several returning athletes to build its 2009 season around. Seniors Leo Sotero, Jason Curry and Jordan Poche give PQC an experienced infield. Culbert Evans is the top returning pitcher and also a senior.
Outfielder Jared Wesley and utility player Patrick Jackson are two of PQC’s more intriguing freshmen. They also stand out in the classroom, as both are dean’s list students.
Tougaloo College is relying on a younger squad that is dominated by juniors and sophomores. Derek Singleton, Lanford Porter, Mike Spann and Anthony Triplett lead the junior class, while the top sophomores include Louis McGowan and Bennet Womble.
Several freshmen are also expected to play key roles: Brett Stegall, Deron Simpson and Anton McKay.
“We are a team small in numbers (14) and short on talent, especially in the pitching department,” said coach Bobby Franciskato. “The schedule is tougher this year. I expect for this to be a tough yet exciting year for the players and the new coaching staff as we go through growing pains together.”
Voorhees College, too, is be relying heavily on younger players after graduating six seniors. Michael Curry is the team’s senior captain; he hit .276 through the Tigers’ first 17 games. Senior pitcher Julian Yearwood has picked up one of the Tigers’ two wins so far, while fellow senior Curtis Hills is hitting .309 with 10 RBIs in the early going.
Kirk High was the Freshman of the Year last season, and he’s off to a good start in 2009 with a .382 average and a team-high 25 total bases.
James Arthur leads the team in hitting so far with an impressive .452 mark (14 for 31), while newcomers Chris Moon, Alex Johnson, Ivan De Jesus Sada, Standish Morgan and Chase Stanford have been contributing.
Huston-Tillotson was hit hard by graduation and had started just 3-16. Patrick Sherek leads the Rams in hitting with a .323 mark, and Mario Garza is hitting .289,
Florida Memorial dropped its first eight games. Kyle LaMotta was a bright spot in the early going, hitting .320 with a homer and seven RBIs.