Trojan Beat

T-Day, baseball, softball and HOF ceremony

It will be a busy week on the campus of Troy University. T-Day game, baseball galore, softball and the induction of the 2nd Troy University Sports Hall of Fame class.

FOOTBALL

The T-Day game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The final scrimmage of the spring will give us a good idea of what we can expect in 2013… or will it? Currently, Daron White is taking the majority of the snaps at running back with Michael Lindsey and Brandon Burks also seeing some time. Khary Franklin and Brandon Knight are also in the mix. Remember though, newcomers like Josh Anderson and Jordan Chunn have yet to arrive so things could change.

Corey Robinson looks good at quarterback and Troy needs him to have a senior-like season if they hope to return to a bowl game.

Defensively, the secondary is banged up with safeties Chris Pickett and Camren Hudson both out with shoulder injuries. Don’t be shocked if the offense puts up some big numbers on Saturday. Robinson threw a 95-yard touchdown pass to Eric Thomas in the team’s last scrimmage this past Saturday.

I’ll have position-by-position breakdowns of the entire team as the week progresses.

BASEBALL

Troy’s baseball team will look to get back on track after dropping two-of-three to Western Kentucky. The Trojans watched as the Hilltoppers erased a 6-1 deficit and eventually take Game 3 of the series, 7-6, in 10 innings. On Saturday, WKU, trailing 4-3, scored a run in the fifth and sixth inning to down Troy, 5-4.

The Trojans (24-11, 8-7 Sun Belt) are very much still in the conference hunt. Troy will host Alabama A&M on Tuesday and Wednesday in midweek action. Both games are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start. Arkansas-Little Rock pays a visit to Riddle-Pace Field over the weekend for a three-game conference series.

HALL OF FAME

Troy University will induct eight former student-athletes into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at Trojan Arena.

John Archer (men’s basketball), John “Doc” Anderson (track & field/cross country; administration), Bobby Enslen (football), Chan Gailey (football), Danny Grant (football), Joyce Sorrell (women’s basketball; administration), Willie Tullis (football) and Lawrence Tynes (football) will all be added to the Troy Hall of Fame.

The ceremony is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

SOFTBALL

The Troy (19-23, 7-7 Sun Belt) softball team will play host to UAB on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and Western Kentucky over the weekend. The Troy-WKU series will begin with a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday.

Football player suspended after multiple on-campus fights

One football player has been suspended by Troy University pending a hearing after being involved in multiple fights on campus Thursday. About half a dozen students were suspended overall.

The Messneger’s Robbyn Brooks was the first to report on the incident and the suspensions.

Here’s what we know:

- The player is a non-scholarship athlete (walk on).

- Two other players were involved in trying to break up the fight.

- The first fight occurred at the new dining hall earlier in the day. Head coach Larry Blakeney says three players were “attacked”. The second altercation happened at Alumni Hall.

- The fights stemmed from an altercation at a social event last Thursday. This is believed to have taken place on the fourth floor of the Stadium Tower.

- Blakeney says that all of the players were counseled after the first altercation and further punishment could be handed down.

HERE is the full story.

Statement from Troy University Director of Athletics John Hartwell

“Anytime there is a disturbance on campus that involves a student-athlete we take it very seriously. We have thoroughly investigated today’s disturbance and talked to officials involved with the investigation. There was one non-scholarship, football student-athlete involved, and that individual has been suspended from campus and from our team pending a university hearing. We also understand that there were other student-athletes in the vicinity who, according to officials’accounts, helped restore the peace during the disturbance.”

Cunningham making moves just two weeks in to tenure at Troy

Just weeks into his tenure as the Troy University men’s basketball coach, Phil Cunningham is on the road selling his program.

The former Mississippi State and Western Kentucky assistant retained Ben Fletcher and added Marcus Grant to his staff on April 4.

Cunningham says he expects to add a Director of Basketball Operations and another assistant in the coming weeks but is concentrating on recruiting and selling the Troy program to prospective athletes.

“What we’re able to do right now (having three coaches) is put some eyes on some guys that are already here and see what we have coming back. It will also allow us to see what holes we need to fill,” Cunningham said. “One thing we always tell recruits is that (choosing a school) is the one decision you can be selfish about. It’s all about what school fits you the best. Once you make that choice, it’s all about the team.”

Cunningham says that there will be an opportunity for incoming players to quickly make an impact.

“We only have a handful of guys coming back that have played a lot of minutes or put up big numbers. There is a chance there for a guy to come in and get some playing time and really help this team,” Cunningham said.

While Cunningham’s style of play may contrast former head coach Don Maestri’s, the new coach wants it to be exciting.

“We want to be competitive from day one. We’re going to be patient in recruiting but we want to be exciting. I want to have a team that if I’m a fan, I’m going to come out and watch because I know that we are going to compete and be fun to watch. Those are two things I want to do right off the bat. I want to be competitive and I want to be exciting.”

Troy secondary looking to shut down opponents in 2013

Troy’s struggles on the defensive side of the football have been well documented over the last two seasons. Ask any player, however, and all of that is about to change.

Enter Wayne Bolt.

Bolt led the Trojan defense through its difficult transition to Division I. During that time Troy played some of college football’s toughest opponents and though the Trojans struggled at times, they seemed to compete in every game.

From 1997 to 2002, Troy’s defense was one respected around college football under Bolt’s direction. In 2002, Troy’s second season a FBS member, the team finished just 4-8 but the defense ranked fourth nationally and 13th against the run.

As the game changed and the Sun Belt Conference evolved, more pressure was placed on teams’ secondary. In 2011, Troy ranked 101st against the pass allowing 261.4 yards per game. Last season, the unit was 97th giving up 258.4 yards per game through the air.

While the game has changed, Bolt feels the fundamentals have remained the same.

“The kids are taking coaching and getting used to us as coaches and trusting what we’re telling them,” Bolt said. “I think there has to be a better sense of urgency. Getting the call from the sideline, getting lined up and executing the play. That applies to every position. You have to have good communication.”

The intense attitude that Bolt and the defensive coaches have displayed this spring has already made significant impressions on the players.

“We know that every single day we have to come out here and get better. There are team all across the country getting better everyday and we have to get better too or we’ll fall behind,” said junior cornerback Ethan Davis. “The coaches want everything to be full speed even if you mess up. The intensity that they have brought has really been a blessing to this team.”

Dustin Landry assumed the role of secondary coach this off-season and has complimented Bolt’s mentality well. Randy Butler and Benjy Parker return as defensive coaches and will also play a crucial role in the resurgence of the Troy defense.

“We’re trying to get back to way Troy defense used to be. Troy has never been known for having a poor defense. The coaches are showing a commitment to improvement of the defensive side of the ball,” said senior safety Chris Pickett. “We’re going to put our best 11 players out there and we’re going to be better there the other team’s best 11. These coaches have been teaching more. They are showing us why we play a certain defense, why we use a certain technique and basically why we do the things we do. It’s getting back to the basics.”

Pickett and Hudson slowed by injury

Troy safeties Chris Pickett and Cameron Hudson will be held out of all contact drills after each underwent shoulder surgery during the off-season.

Pickett, a senior, started eight games for the Trojans last season ad made 61 total tackles. Hudson is entering his senior season as well. Last year, Hudson made five starts but played in all 12 games. Hudson recorded 50 tackles and recovered two fumbles. Coaches expect the pair to return to full speed for fall practice.

Keion Payne, a Hutchinson Community College transfer who originally signed with the University of Miami, is also sitting out spring practice with a shoulder injury.

Jacksonville State at Troy preview

OVERVIEW: It’s “Whup Jax St.” time. Troy hosts Jacksonville State at Riddle-Pace at 6pm. The Trojans are coming off a rough weekend in which they lost two-of-three games to Louisiana-Lafayette. Jacksonville State took the weekend off after defeated Samford and losing to UAB in midweek action. Troy and Jacksonville State have met 132 times since 1970 with the Trojans holding a 80-52 advantage including a 13-5 victory over the Gamecocks on March 19.

What to Watch: Ryan Sorce is scheduled to get the start for Troy. Sorce is 3-0 this season with a 2.95 ERA. He has started two games this season and made six overall appearances. It’s shouldn’t be a stretch to think that if Will Starling continues to struggle on Saturdays that Sorce could end up getting a look in that role. Sorce’s last start came April 2 against Alabama State. He threw five innings allowing two earned runs. He also turned in a solid start against Auburn on March 26 going five innings allowing two runs – one eared – and struck out eight.

Tropolitan column: True fans cheer ‘Give ‘em hell Troy’

ICYMI, here is the column I wrote for the Tropolitan’s Cardinal Rule baseball edition that came out March 26. Troy baseball and its fan base was build around the rivalry with Jacksonville State. Troy plays the Gamecocks tonight at 6 p.m. at Riddle-Pace Field.

There are few things more American than baseball. The image of a young boy playing catch with his father can only be related to The United States and the American way.

Locally, the city of Troy is a baseball town. No one can say for sure when it became obsessed with baseball, but one could speculate that the university’s successes on the diamond had something to do with it.

Troy University baseball has provided so much in the way of legend and lore over the decades. Wendell Stephens’ home run at midnight in the 1986 Division II World Series and West Georgia head coach Archie White being ejected and watching the remainder of the contest from the wooden bleachers with the legendary First Base Mafia are just two tales that have made Troy baseball so attractive and fascinating.

Stories based around Troy baseball are abundant and the community has grown to embrace them as their own claim to fame.

Sitting in the stands at a Troy home game you can hear plenty of those stories. Fans talking about the time when Auburn’s Bo Jackson hit a home run that flew over not only the right field fence but over University Avenue and onto the softball field that once neighbored Sartain Hall. Or, what about the year (2005) that Adam Godwin stole 84 bases, it was almost criminal.

As the First Base Mafia began to fade, the left field hooligans grew in number. Groups began popping up like Pierces’ Posse and Barry’s Boyz in respect to Troy head coach Bobby Pierce and the Voice of the Trojans, Barry McKnight. In 2006, the Trojans won 47 games and Riddle-Pace Field was buzzing. No opposing left fielder was safe from the heckling. If an opponent hit a home run, Troy left fielders – and shortstops for that matter – knew not to completely turn their attention back to the field of play until the ball was ferociously returned by a spirited fan.

Being a fan of Troy baseball takes far more skill than just being a student at the university or simply wearing cardinal and black, it’s about much more than that. To be a true Troy baseball fan, one must know the aforementioned stories by heart. A true fan must know who is warming up in the bullpen based on inning and situation not by uniform number. A true Troy fan thinks of Trojan baseball all week and is uncontrollably impatient on Friday mornings knowing that the weekend home series opens in a few hours.

“Whup Jax State” is a Troy baseball fans’ battle cry and “Give ‘em hell Troy” always follows the final notes of the National Anthem. Knowing that a Troy head coach really can stare down a rain cloud or having the passion to stand on top of a car to watch the Trojans battle Alabama in an NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa are both prerequisites for being a Trojan baseball fan.

It isn’t a joke; it’s just what it takes to be a true Troy baseball fan.

Former Trojan Clint Robinson claimed off wavier by Toronto

Former Troy Trojans slugger Clint Robinson was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays today. Robinson was drafted by the Kansas City Royals then traded this offseason to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he spent this spring training.

Robinson batted .200 (4-for-20) this spring with the Pirates. The Blue Jays optioned Robinson to Double-A New Hampshire.

In 2012, Robinson got four at bats in his debut. He went 0-for-4 and struck out twice.

MTSU at Troy preview

Overview: Middle Tennessee State (16-11, 3-3 Sun Belt) makes its final trip to Troy (16-7, 3-3) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Blue Raiders will join Conference USA in July. Troy holds the series advantage over MTSU, 24-19, including a 14-10 mark at Riddle-Pace Field. The Trojans enter the series after earning a series win over ULM then defeating Auburn on Tuesday. MTSU swept ULL last weekend then split with Memphis in a midweek road trip.

Schedule:
Friday – 6pm
Saturday – 6pm
Sunday – 1pm

What to Watch: The first game of the series is always crucial but even more so as the Troy-MTSU series is usually a dogfight. Troy’s offense struggled in Game 1 versus ULM and needs a strong start this weekend. Seven of Troy’s starting nine batters are hitting over .300. Danny Collins (.412) and Tyler Vaughn (.411) lead the way as the Trojans lead the SBC in average (.317) and extra-base hits per game (3.5). MTSU is no pushover at the plate either. The Blue Raiders lead the conference in doubles with 57.

Probable Pitchers:
MTSU at Troy
Hunter Adkins (4-3, 3.42) vs. Tanner Hicks (3-1, 4.36)
Johnathan Frebis (3-2, 3.41) vs. Will Starling (3-2, 6.31)
Zac Curtis (4-2, 5.34) vs. Shane McCain (4-0, 3.38)

UPDATED: Sun Belt to add four schools in 2014

The official announcement came down today – March 27 – that Georgia Southern and Appalachian State will be joining the Sun Belt Conference in all sports on July 1, 2014. SBC commissioner Karl Benson announced that Idaho and New Mexico State will also join the conference at the same time.

The addition of the two FCS school will give the Sun Belt 12 football members. This will enable the Sun Belt to host a conference championship game.

Recent events have put a bulls-eye on the back of current SBC member Western Kentucky. It is expected that the Hilltoppers will get a phone call from Conference USA when Tulsa makes the jump to the Big East. Both of those moves seem imminent.

Outside of the schools mentioned above, no other institutions have been named as a possible replacement if WKU or any other school leaves. Social media chatter has named James Madison as a potential addition but that seems to be rumor mill material as of now.

2014 Sun Belt Conference (football)

Troy
South Alabama
Western Kentucky
ULM
ULL
Texas State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
New Mexico State
Idaho