Here are some news and notes from Around the Country from Division 1 all the way down to the NJCAA level.
2017 CWS sets Attendance Record
Oh my, what a College World Series it was. For fans viewing the games in-person or on TV, it was a banner year.
Sure, home runs were flying out of TD Ameritrade Park, setting records, but the real kicker was the number of fans who attended the games in Omaha, Nebraska.
Washington College names Cory Beddick as Head Coach
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Washington College Director of Athletics Thad Moore has announced the hiring of Cory Beddick as the College’s new head baseball coach. Beddick, a graduate of fellow Centennial Conference school Gettysburg College, comes to Chestertown from Hood College, where he served as that institution’s first-ever head baseball coach and turned the Blazers into a competitive team in just three seasons. He was named the 2016 MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year. Beddick replaces Matt Reynolds, who was named the head coach at his alma mater, Division I UMass, last month.
“After a highly competitive national search, we couldn’t be happier to name Cory as our next baseball coach,” remarked Moore. “Throughout the interview process, it became clear that Cory’s passion and knowledge of the game were the perfect fit for our department and baseball program. We look forward to watching him lead us into the next chapter of Shoremen Baseball.”
Vanderbilt recruit Tyler Solomon spending Summer in New England
Incoming college freshman athletes typically start school over the summer to lighten their academic workload once their seasons are underway.
But then there’s Battlefield High School graduate Tyler Solomon who will prepare for the rigors of college in a different way. Instead of arriving early at Vanderbilt, Solomon will get up to speed as a college baseball player by spending the summer with the Seacoast Mavericks of the nine-team Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England.
Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field Construction Available For Viewing On Live Cameras
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With construction underway on the new Dudy Noble Field, fans can view the progress of the $55 million facility project through either of the two live cameras that take photos every 10 minutes.
There is a home-plate view of the project from outside Dudy Noble, along with an additional angle that looks into Dudy Noble from beyond the right field wall.
The main entrance at home plate, right field entry plaza, lower level of the main grandstand, grass berms on first and third base sides, and the Left Field Lounge are all expected to be completed for the 2018 season. Mississippi State expects to release a seating plan for the 2018 season later this summer.
Viterbo University hires Brian Lewis as Head Coach
Brian Lewis is dropping “interim” from his title and officially taking the reigns as head coach of the Viterbo University baseball team. The announcement of the program’s ninth head coach came from athletic director Barry Fried on Wednesday.
Lewis was named interim coach this past season after Ted Falkner left the program. Lewis guided a young team — including 27 underclassmen — to a 12-36 overall record in a season that showed the V-Hawks building strength and progressing through in conference play. The team finished sixth in the NSAA with a 10-14 record while hitting .286 in conference play.
Central Oklahoma Baseball Receives Anonymous Gift for New Stadium
EDMOND (June 27) – The University of Central Oklahoma athletic department Tuesday received another record-setting gift – a $13.5 million anonymous donation – to construct a new baseball stadium and fund athletic scholarships. The donation is the largest in school history, surpassing a record of $10 million gift less than two years ago.
The gift is another in a line of major contributions to the UCO athletic department over the past two years. Since beginning the Complete the Dream campaign in 2015, UCO athletics has raised more than $25 million.
“This gift is transformational in every way, benefiting our student-athletes and advancing our mission to build quality facilities,” university President Dr. Don Betz said.
“What a monumental day for the University of Central Oklahoma, its student-athletes, alumni, and the institution as a whole,” Athletic Director Joe Muller said. “A gift of this magnitude will impact UCO athletics for generations to come and will have a significant impact on the sport of baseball in Oklahoma.
