Hooten: Wrapping up the summer

July recruiting period is over and we saw a lot of kids for the 2011 and 2012 classes. If all goes well we will only need to sign 3 in the 2011 class. My assistants did a great job of putting me in the right places to see the right kids this July.


Since the last time we talked there has also been a new addition to our coaching staff. Will Weaver from the University of Texas has joined the Bearkats. I am very excited to have Will on board. He brings a lot of versatility in many different areas to the program. Will can help me on a lot of different fronts, and I am looking forward to watching him grow as a recruiter and coach.

Our roster is pretty much set. I know a lot of you had a bunch of questions throughout the spring and summer months. Unfortunately due to NCAA rules and other reasons, there wasn't too much that I could say at the time. We have filled all 13 scholarships and have five walk-ons for a total of 18 players.

Only changes from last year will be Marco Cooper not returning. Marco, his family, and myself decided that it was best for Marco academically and athletically to have a change of scenery. At this time Marco has signed a scholarship to attend Our Lady of The Lake an NAIA school in San Antonio, Texas. Marco will do really well there and we wish him nothing but the best.

We really have two new additions since the last time we spoke, Marcus James from Seward County CC in Liberal, Kansas, and Konner Tucker a transfer from Wake Forest. Marcus, we actually signed a while back but due to some summer school stuff elected not to officially put it out in the media yet.

Marcus is a long 6-foot-7 forward that can really defend and rebound. Offensively he will be a lot like Preston in that his best is yet to come. He will step out and really expand his game the next two seasons. We're excited to have Marcus's toughness and athleticism. Marcus has also been well coached and knows what it takes to be successful and WIN!

Konner on the other hand, will have to sit out 2010-11 season due to transfer rules. Konner played his freshman season at Lon Morris before signing with Coach Gillespie at Kentucky. After Gillespie was fired, Konner decided to be re-recruited and ended up at Wake Forest. He left last Christmas and sat out the spring semester at home. Konner has really gotten bigger and stronger, and is a lot heavier than the 175 listed, lol. A really good player who can flat out SCORE! Actually can play 3 different positions and we had to beat a couple of really good schools to land Konner.

As for me, it has been a whirlwind. Everything from finishing our schedule to the simplest things like arranging our offices, paper work, academic assignments, ordering new uniforms, and the list goes on and on. I am really looking forward to getting on the floor and working with the guys. I know it will be here before you know it.

In my small amount of spare time, I have done a lot with my wife and 2 small children. Of course I have found time to watch my Texas Rangers. I will be there this week to watch them play the Yankees, 10th and 11th. If I remember correctly in one of my first articles, I told you all that the Rangers would win the pennant and make a run at the World Series. It looks like my prediction may stand up!!!! What I would do to have the Rangers and the Braves in the World Series.

Let's all get ready to support the Fall sports and come out to watch the BEARKATS. This is a good year to get back on the Commissioner’s Cup train. Come see us anytime, will start working out on August 30th with weights, conditioning, and individual workouts. October 16th will be here before you know it. Still need to find 2 more games to finish up our schedule. It's going to be a pretty tough one, but one that I feel will prepare us for SLC play. Take care.

--Jason Hooten
Men’s basketball head coach

McCown lands in the UFL

Former Sam Houston State quarterback Josh McCown will get a chance to be a starting quarerback again. He announced his signing with the Hartford Colonials of the UFL. McCown played one season for the Bearkats in 2001, leading the team to a Southland Conference championship and a trip to the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs.

The following is the story from the Hartford Courant

By MIKE ANTHONY
The Hartford Courant

EAST HARTFORD — Josh McCown, potentially the starting quarterback and face of the franchise, was introduced as the newest member of the Hartford Colonials Tuesday at Rentschler Field.

McCown, 31, has played for four NFL teams in eight years. He joins quarterbacks Ryan Perrilloux and Andre Woodson on the roster. The three will compete for playing time in training camp beginning Aug. 18 at Sage Park in Berlin.

"I wanted to have a young quarterback I could develop and try to help along [Perrilloux], I wanted a guy two or three years out who had some experience in the NFL [Woodson], and I definitely wanted a veteran quarterback," coach Chris Palmer said. "As I studied the league during the spring, the teams that were most successful had quarterbacks who were experienced guys who had played in the National Football League for an extended period of time and had a lot of starts under their belts."

McCown, selected by the Cardinals out of Sam Houston State in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft, spent four seasons in Arizona, posting career highs of 2,511 yards and 11 touchdown passes in 14 games in 2004. He shared quarterback duties with Daunte Culpepper under Lane Kiffin with the Raiders in 2007 and spent the last two seasons as a backup in Carolina.

"Could I bounce around and continue to be a No.2 or 3 or something like that? Maybe," McCown said. "But more important to me was a chance to come and play and to continue to play at a high level and really increase my ability as a quarterback, to be productive and to get better."

McCown would like to play his way back into the NFL and will be free to sign with any team after the UFL season. The Colonials open their eight-game season Sept. 18 at Rentschler Field against Culpepper and the Sacramento Monarchs.

In addition, McCown announced his support for the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford by agreeing to donate $10,000 to the club. He was to present a check later Tuesday at the club located at 170 Sigourney St.

Soccer training camp right around the corner

Training camp is almost here! The team will arrive on Friday and spend the day going through physical testing so we can see where the fitness component of the team is. This weekend, the team will be holding two training sessions each day. Morning sessions will begin at 8:30 AM and the evening session will start at 6:30 PM. These sessions will be held on upper Prichett Field due to the laying of new sod in worn spots on the lower field. All sessions are open to the public and we would encourage you to get an early look at this year's team.

You can also keep up to date on the happenings of the team on our new Facebook page. Just search for SHSU Soccer and then follow the team as we begin our 2010 campaign.

Go Bearkats!

-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

Former Kat golfer wins Texas State Open

By Brad Meyer
The Courier of Montgomery County

Robert Gwin, 26, of Montgomery, took top honors in the 40th annual Chesapeake Energy Texas State Open golf tournament Thursday through Sunday in Tyler. He came from four strokes down in the final round to win the tournament on the final hole.

“I was playing steady throughout the tournament,” Gwin said. “I just focused on my play and tried not to get ahead of myself.”

Gwin, who played college golf at Sam Houston State University, shot solid golf all week, turning in rounds of 66, 65, 68 and 66 for a combined score of 265. He made six birdies and two bogeys during the final round to take the TSO championship and a $26,000 payday.

“I was dead even with Bobby Massa, of Grand Prairie, going into the last hole,” Gwin said. “I shot par on the 72nd hole and he bogeyed it, so I avoided a sudden-death playoff.”

Read the rest of this story

The ESPY awards

I finally got a chance to sit and watch the ESPY awards last night on ESPN. As always they did a good job mixing the awards and jokes with some of the serious topics like the job the Jimmy V Foundation is doing for cancer research.

Another of the awards given out every year at the ESPY’s is the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. This year’s recipient was Ed Thomas, a high school coach in Iowa who was killed by a former player.

I had read the stories about Thomas, but didn’t have a full understanding for what he meant to that community until I watched the interviews with everyone involved last night. ESPN did a great job of capturing one part of a very difficult series of events that two families and a small town have had to deal with.

After watching I think I gained a greater appreciation for the fact that former Bearkat football coach Ron Randleman was named the first recipient of the Ed Thomas Award at William Penn University. Randleman was the head coach at William Penn while Thomas played quarterback there.

The award Randleman received was inscribed "For his inspiration and motivation as a coach based on the principles of faith, family and excellence."

"That truly describes Ed Thomas," Randleman said. "Ed was one of Parkersburg and Iowa's most beloved citizens. It was a privilege being part of a ceremony honoring his contributions to football and education."

-- Jason Barfield
Media Services

Top games of 2009-10

We are about to countdown the top games and moments of the last year in Bearkat athletics and need your help.

Leave a comment and let us know what game you think should be on the list. Include your name and why you think that particular game is one of the best of the last year. The top responses will be included with the stories in the countdown.

This will be our last look back before the Bearkats begin another great year at Sam Houston State.

Manuel getting his chance in the show

Robert Manuel got his second call up to the big leagues, and he got to pitch this time. The former Bearkat pitcher was recalled to Boston earlier this month and has seen some time for the Red Sox out of the bullpen.

Since being called up on July 2, Manuel has pitched well for Boston. Through Saturday, the former Bearkat has made four appearances, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.

“We think he deserves to be here,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “He was pitching great. Righties were hitting something silly off him down there. We’d like to give him a chance to pitch and see how he does.”

In his first outing on July 3, Manuel, who inherited a 9-1 lead in the ninth against the Baltimore Orioles, allowed a pair of runs to cross home plate before coaxing Julio Lugo to pop out to shallow center field to end the game.

Manuel’s next two appearances went a little smoother as he held Tampa Bay scoreless through 1 1/3 innings.

Most recently, Manuel, pitching with a 14-2 lead, allowed just one run to score in a pair of middle relief innings against Toronto on Friday to earn his third hold in four attempts.

Manuel was called up to Boston in June and spent just three days in the show before getting sent back down without ever appearing in a game. On July 1, he was named a Triple-A All-Star playing for the Pawtucket PawSox of the International League. He would have played with former Bearkat Dustin Martin who was named an All-Star playing for the Rochester Red Wings of the Twins organization.
 
This is Manuel’s third stint in the big leagues. Last season, Manuel made his major league debut on his birthday and ended up pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings in three appearances for the Cincinnati Reds.

Former Kat lands head coaching gig

By Mike Forman
The Victoria Advocate

Lauren Janak will be speaking from experience when she talks about the state tennis tournament.

Janak made two appearances at the state tournament as a player and she hopes to return after being named the head tennis coach at Victoria West. Janak's hiring was approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote of the Victoria school board of trustees at a special-called meeting on Friday.

"It's exciting coming to a new high school," Janak said by phone from Baton Rouge, La. "I think I'm ready to build a new team."

Janak, 24, is a 2003 graduate of El Campo High School where she won two regional doubles titles and advanced to the state tournament.

She was a junior college All-American at Lee College in Baytown before lettering for two years at Sam Houston State University. Janak worked as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State while earning her master's degree. She has been an assistant tennis coach at Groesbeck High School for the past two years.

"I've had great experiences working with coaches and I learned a lot from them," Janak said.

Janak is anxious to meet her players and start preparing for the team tennis season.

"I think teamwork is a majority of it," Janak said. "It's what you can do all together."

Brown: ready to get training started

In about one month, the team will be reporting to training camp. We start training on the afternoon of August 6. During the first couple of days, we will be doing fitness testing to measure the incoming fitness of our players. The team will measure a couple of explosive strength tests in the weight room, a "flying" 40 yard sprint, body fat, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test.

These tests help me to determine the workload in upcoming training sessions and spot potential injury problems for players who score low in one of the tests. It also allows our players to show us what fitness improvements they have made with the summer conditioning program.

We will have a couple of days of two-a-day training and then get into a two-a-day followed by a one-a-day pattern. For me, it is about quality training and not quantity training. Therefore, it is important that our players show up in shape and not plan on using pre-season training to get fit.

Our athletic trainers work long hours to make sure that our players are ready for the next session. Each session is followed up with mandatory ice baths and hydration levels of each team member are monitored. All of that is on top of dealing with the blisters, muscle strains and bruises that accompany pre-season training. Other recovery methods are built into our pre-season schedule to help make sure that our players are ready to get the best from their training.

Four of our incoming freshman, Kelsi Brown, Natalie Johnson, Tricia Mallory and Carly Rheman recently competed at the USYSA Region 3 Championships. Their team, Challenge 92, won their preliminary group and a quarter-final game before falling in the semifinals 3-2. Although they fell short of their goal of advancing to the National Final Four, they had a great season and we are looking forward to their contributions to our team in this upcoming year.

Speaking of semifinals, I am looking forward to watching the World Cup semifinals this week. There have been so many surprises in the competition this year! Although my two favorite teams, the USA and England, are out, I have been excited to watch every game. I might have to root for the team in Bearkat Orange!!!

Go Bearkats!

-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

Hooten: just catching up

It has been a long time since the last post. There are a lot of things going on in the world of Bearkat Basketball. Since the last time we spoke my assistant coaches have been on board exactly a month Thursday. So much to do and yet school will be starting before you know it.

We have gotten a lot of things established here in the office with recruiting and such. They have created a Facebook and Twitter page for the program, and we have also installed new recruiting software which I have wanted to do for some time now.

Within the next month or so we will be adding another person to our staff. He will be labeled as the GA until we officially get another full time assistant coach, but in essence he will really be the 3rd assistant. I am really excited about this guy and he will add another dimension to our staff. That’s about all I can say at this time.

As far as the program is concerned, we have every returner in the first session of summer school. This is a big time deal to have these guys working hard in the weight room every day with Coach Speer and then working with each other in the gym. The NCAA does not allow us to work with the players in the summer time, but these guys are getting a lot done on their own.

In the classroom -- so far so good. We will finish up finals next Tuesday and it looks like everyone will do really well. As of right now, in the 2nd term we will have 5-6 more here. Summer time is the best time to get ahead academically and get better and stronger as a player. We will hit the road recruiting on July 6th and be out until the 16th in the first period, then the 2nd period will be from the 22-31. All 3 of us will be out the whole time looking at student-athletes for the future.

Our schedule is really starting to fall in place the way I want it. We will play Houston here and there in the same season, and UNT here. Our road contests are to Austin, Nov 23rd to take on Texas and at UTEP on Jan 2nd. We are still looking for few more games and trying to solidify the home date with UH.

I will try not to wait so long to get back with you all next time. Thanks.

-- Jason Hooten
Men's Basketball head coach

Bearkats in the News: Shaina Woolbaugh

Wanted to pass on a link to a news story in New York on future bowler Shaina Woolbaugh.

http://www.wbng.com/sports/94554009.html

Glad to have some help around the office

Finally it is really going to happen. After two months on the job I am going to finally be able to unveil my new assistant coaches. Coach Bobby Williams and Ms. Bobbie Hilliard were very gracious in letting me get the two candidates that I wanted from the beginning.

I am so excited about these two young, energetic and hard working guys. They both have been in winning programs, and worked under some great head coaches already at such an early stage in their careers. They will officially begin working Monday June 1. They have officially been hired so I can release there names at this time, Alvin Brooks III and Chris Mudge.

Alvin has been at Bradley University the past three years, and before that won a national championship as an assistant at Arkansas Fort Smith and Midland College. Back to back years at two different places is pretty amazing! He will bring a lot of great things to the table: recruiting, coaching, player development, academic monitoring and the list goes on and on. Alvin is a young guy who we coaches call a budding star. I am looking forward to working with him and hopefully helping his career grow even more. He is really excited to be at Sam Houston State and back at HOME!!!

Chris Mudge is what we coaches in the business call a GRINDER! He works 24-7 and loves the game of basketball. He will always turn over every rock and never leave a loose end untied. I am really excited about Chris because in essence he really reminds me of myself when I was that age many moons ago. His tireless work ethic will come in handy with recruiting, film preparation, player development, and all the ends in outs of the day to day operation of a program.

Chris is very intelligent and has also been a part of some Championship caliber basketball at Midland College as an assistant coach. He also was under the tutelage of coach Barnes at the University of Texas as a graduate assistant. Coach Barnes is a very good friend of mine and called on Chris's behalf. Was very complimentary of his work ethic and desire to become a Division One assistant coach. By the way, we will be making a trip to Austin, Texas, on November 23rd of this upcoming season for a contest with the Horns.

As for the basketball program, we are starting to slow down just a bit. Our guys finished up the semester strong academically, and we are looking forward to summer school where we will have the largest participation of our players that we've ever had. Lance and Josten will graduate first summer session and walk in August. Of course they both have another year of eligibility remaining and will use it! Corey finishes up in the Fall semester with two classes that he can take on line while he pursues a professional basketball career. Preston as I mentioned in an earlier piece, will have to take all of next year to finish due to his preparation to get into Physical Therapy School. Arthur and DeLuis finished this May.

Our recruiting is almost complete. I know a lot of you are wondering how we can sign all these people when there are only a certain amount of scholarships available. This will all take care of itself in due time. Until all the grades are in and decisions are made, we will continue to look at possibilities to improve our basketball program. We feel good about the guys we have signed up to this point, and when the dust settles in the next couple of weeks the makeup of our team will be complete.

Jason Hooten
Head basketball coach

Andres looks to make it 24

Hitting streaks can be fun to watch. Each day presents a new challenge and a new set of hurdles. Right now Sam Houston State designated hitter Chris Andres has a pretty good run going.

The junior from Brenham has hit successfully in 23 straight games going back to the Texas Southern game April 7. The streak is the third-longest in school history behind Terry Pirtle’s 34-game streak in 1987 and Andrew Kasparek’s 28 game streak in 2003 and the first game of the 2004 season. The streak is currently the 8th-longest current streak in the nation. Florida International’s Garrett Wittels is on an amazing 45-game hit streak.

Three players in the Southland have had longer streaks this season with one still current. Northwestern State’s Eric DeBlanc is on a 24-game hitting streak. Tanner Hines at SFA had a 24-game streak snapped and Jermaine Marek had a 25-game streak this season.

Taking a look at the hitting streak for Andreas, his average during this span is .383 and he has eight multi-hit games during the streak. Nine times he extended the streak in his first at bat, and one of those times it was a pinch-hit homer against McNeese, his only at bat of the game.

Twice, Andres pushed the streak to his last at bat of the game, and both times were late in the streak. He picked up a single in the eighth against Southeastern Louisiana to extend the streak to 18 games. The hit to extend the streak to 22 games might have been the most dramatic of the streak.

He did it on the bottom of the ninth this past weekend against Central Arkansas. With two outs, Andreas ripped a single to extend the streak. The story there happened the play before, however. With two outs, Braeden Riley hit a grounder on the infield. Payton Wisner was at first base and hustled to second, sliding in just ahead of the throw to keep the inning alive.

With three games left in the season, Andreas has a chance to extend the streak to 26. He then will have nine months to think about game No. 27.

Martin to face Strasburg on Tuesday

EDIT (5-19-10): The game was rained out on Tuesday, and will be played tonight. It will be video streamed on www.milb.com

Former Sam Houston State outfielder Dustin Martin is on a pretty good run right now at AAA Rochester. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, including seven straight. He also has five consecutive multi-hit games.

Martin is now hitting .339, with five homers and 31 RBI, which leads the team in all three categories.

He will get a chance to test himself against the best on Tuesday when the Red Wigs welcome Stephen Strasburg and the Syracuse Chiefs to town.

It will be Martin’s second outing against one of the top pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball. Last week, Martin faced Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, and was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs. Chapman signed a $30.2 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason and entered Friday’s game with a 2.84 earned-run average.

Strasburg, 21, who entered the 2010 season as Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect (Atlanta outfielder Jason Hayward No. 1), was the first overall pick in the 2009 June baseball draft.

In seven minor league starts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 5-1 record with a 1.06 ERA. In 34.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed nine runs (four earned) on 14 hits while walking eight and striking out 40. Opponents are batting just .121 (14-for-116) against him.

In his two starts for Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA. In 12.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed just one hit and struck out 13.

There is no live video of the game listed, but if you want to give it a listen, the Red Wings offer free audio.

Kats set for double-dip today at The Don

The Bearkats are set to play a double header today (assuming the weather permits) against Central Arkansas. This series will g a long way in determining if the Bearkats will be in Corpus Christi for the Southland Conference Championship in two weeks.

This will be the fourth double header day for the Bearkats this season and the third time against the same team. This year, the Kats are 3-3 this season on double header days. They were swept in the home opening series against Utah on Feb. 27. A week later, the Bearkats took two from Creighton and Northern Colorado. They have one Southland Conference double header this season, splitting a pair with Texas State in Huntsville.

The Bearkats enter the day 1 ½ games back of Nicholls, which lost last night to Texas State, for the eighth and final tournament spot. Since the Colonels have the tie breaker, the Kats will have to finish a game ahead of them.

In Mark Johnson’s four years in Huntsville, the Bearkats are 23-17 on double-header days with six sweeps. In double headers played in Huntsville the Bearkats sport a 17-9 record, and they are 17-11 in double headers against the same team.

Katy chipping in to help Southland Tournament

In three years of hosting the Southland Conference basketball tournament in Katy, the crowds have steadily increased. This past March when the Bearkats knocked off SFA in the championship game, it featured the largest attended championship game the Southland has had since moving back to a neutral court. In fact, this year's game had a larger crowd (3,573) than the previous two years in Katy combined (1,006 in 2008 and 2,531 in 2009).

Now the city of Katy wants to do its part to ensure the tournament is a success and continues to grow. The City of Katy is awarding a $110,000 grant to the Southland Conference to help fund promotional and operational costs of the 2011 college basketball tournament at the Merrell Center.

Council unanimously approved the Convention and Tourism Bureau application request during a regular meeting Monday night. The amount includes last year’s request of $65,000 for tourism-related advertising and promotion of the city, as well as an additional $45,000 for facility rental and operational cost.

“On the days they play, we actually get national coverage on ESPN, and that’s the only national thing we have in Katy,” city finance director Byron Hebert said. “Hotel money can be used to promote the city, and that’s probably the biggest stage we can do at this time.”

Read the rest of the story in The Katy Times

An unexpected record

It is always fun at the end of the season to go back and add the stats from the year to the record book. Every year, players move up the career lists, and on occasion set a new school record.

Most of the time, the accomplishment is not unexpected. During the year we are checking the record book to see where people stand. Sometimes, you do get a surprise.

We got one today when updating the softball record book – sort of. Amy Brown has been a four-year starter for the Bearkats at first base. The nature of the position will get you a lot of putouts over a career.

So when Amy was added to the top of the list for career putouts with 1,734, it was really no surprise. She was at the top of the list to start the season. Even the fact she beat Kim Nevil by more than 500 is also not a huge surprise.

However, we had no idea how quickly she was climbing the NCAA all-time list. Although the national list won’t be updated until the end of the season, Brown ranks in a tie for No. 10 on the list for most putouts in NCAA history.

Oddly enough, the player she is tied with is also a Southland Conference softball player. Shante Jones of Northwestern State had the same number of putouts during her four-year career with the Lady Demons from 1996-1999.

The NCAA doesn’t keep up with fielding percentage, but I’d have to think Amy’s would rank pretty high. In 1,837 career chances, she committed just 18 errors.

Bearkats in the News: Former baseball player Todd Sebek

Tivy-ex Sebek content without baseball
By Richard Oliver, San Antonio Express News

Todd Sebek says he doesn't harbor bitterness today. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't have a long memory.

The former Kerrville Tivy star recalls his 2007 summer with the Alaska Baseball League, leading the circuit by hitting .440. He remembers his All-America senior season at Sam Houston State, collecting nearly 100 hits, 33 for extra bases, en route to a .356 average.

But he also recollects sitting in front of his computer for long hours in June 2008, shell-shocked as his name failed to appear in 50 rounds of selections in the major-league amateur draft.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Sebek, 24. “I'm an All-American, and I'm not picked up in 1,500 picks? I was as blue-collar a player as they come. I thought I was the prototype of the kind of person you want in the ring with you.”

Instead, today Sebek sells medical supplies in San Antonio, more content to pick up a fishing rod than a bat. He's a baseball fan, no longer a player, and claims to be perfectly content with that evolution.

Read entire story

Bearkat minor league baseball update

A pair of former Bearkat baseball players are off to great starts this season at the AAA level. Dustin Martin who finished his career at SHSU in 2006 is currently playing for the Rochester Red Wings in the Minnesota Twins organization. Robert Manuel, who was an SHSU pitcher in 2005, is playing at Pawtucket in the Boston Red Sox organization. Another former Kat, Ryan Tepera is 2-0 at the Class A level.


Martin is currently hitting .298 for the Red Wings, and leads the team in home runs (3), RBI (11) and stolen bases (2). He is second on the team in runs (11).

Last week, Martin was named the Red Wings player of the week.

At Pawtucket, Manuel has been dominant on the mound. In eight appearances this season, he has yet to allow a run. The right handed pitcher has worked 12 innings this season and has a 2-0 record and a save, all in relief. He has struck out 10 batters while allowing just one walk and seven hits. Opposing batters are hitting just .167 against him.

The two former Kats faced off against each other on April 18. Manuel entered the game in the fourth inning and Martin singled off his former teammate. Martin later homered in the game off a different pitcher, but Manuel picked up the victory.

You can read more about Manuel on the PawSox blog.

One other former Bearkat is also off to a good start. Ryan Tepera is currently 2-0, playing for the Lansing Lugnuts, a Class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He picked up his second win of the season last night, tossing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run.

Tepera currently has a 3.98 ERA in four starts this season. In his second start of the year, threw seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball to pick up the win.

Chris Andreas homer from Sunday

Here is the blast Chris Andreas hit on Sunday against Nicholls. It is one of the farthest home runs I have seen at this stadium and I have only missed a handful of games here in the last five years.

Volleyball set to wrap up busy spring

Hello Bearkat Volleyball fanatics!

We have been quite busy this spring with training, fundraising, recruiting, scheduling and all the normality and craziness that is involved in any sports program, so we apologize for the delay in blog posts, as we always want to keep the fans involved!

Here's a recap of what we have been up to lately:

Spring Competitions - we played two home tournament/single match events in March, playing local junior colleges from around the area. We were a little sluggish in the first four-team tournament, splitting with Lee, Blinn and San Jac, while beating Paris 2-0. When Blinn came up to Huntsville on March 31, we ended up losing in five sets, 12-15 in the fifth, they are quite the squad with great athletes going to some top 25 programs, but we should have found a way to win. Playing with some people out of position and players recovering from injury this spring isn't an excuse, we need to execute.

We played at the University of Houston on April 7, and won in a sloppy, but needed 3-1 match. We improved from our previous dates of competition, and saw some good things out of our new kids. Overall, we still needed to cut down on the errors. We finished our fourth date of competition on April 10th at Texas A&M in their practice court, which was about the same size as Lamar's regular playing gym, but very nice. We ended up taking one set from them, but could have won two more, losing 1-4. It was good to see where we stack up against the Aggies, considering they made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year -- we can play with any team that we want to -- but must find a way to really 'dial in' and focus when we are in the last 5-7 points of a set and find a way to victory. That being said, it was an overall good day for the team.

We are finishing up with individual practices this week to end our spring.

Fundraisers - We always have various fundraisers throughout the year to help the program raise money. We sold roses on Valentine's day, and sold out in just our pre-order sales. It was the first time in the 7 year history, pretty impressive! Two weekends ago, our third annual golf tournament was another record setting success, and you can read a more detailed recap on the official site, but we had 13 teams of four golfers, more than 50 hole sponsors, and raised more money for the program than the past two years!

Recruiting - we signed two great young ladies when the spring signing period started on April 14th, Lakeshia Craft, a 6'0" Middle Blocker junior transfer from Blinn (Junior) College, and Tarona Williams, a 5'11" Middle Blocker senior from Hightower HS (just southwest of Houston). Lakeshia we have targeted for awhile, and has been committed for a few months, will help us tremendously in the middle right away, gaining valuable experience playing for the 2008 NJCAA National Champions. Tarona was a late find for us, but what a gem she will be in the classroom and on the court - she has a high ceiling, and we can't wait to get her in the gym and training with us! Both of these young ladies will enroll for the summer II session in July to take a class and be able to work out with our strength and conditioning coach to get ready for the fall.

Last night we had the SHSU All Sports banquet which awards all sports, coaches, trainers, managers and the staff associated with everything that we all do. Our team had many honors, including our team MVP, Senior Middle Blocker Anna Ferguson. Outside Hitter Carli Kolbe was named the SH Award winner, which goes to the top sophomore female athlete in the entire athletic program. Anna Ferguson was also named the top female student athlete of the SHSU athletic program. She spoke well, and it was a great night for our volleyball program!

Hope y'all are doing well, and glad you are reading!!

-- Joe Lind
Assistant volleyball coach

Soccer wraps up spring practice

Soccer has finished up for the spring season and is now going through individual meetings and fitness testing. This year's spring season was focused on improving technical skills under the pressure of time and space. As we continue to upgrade our schedule, it is important for our players to be able to play more quickly and cleanly. This next year's schedule will feature home games against Baylor and North Texas as well as an away game in Fort Worth against TCU. It is important in these games, as well as in our Southland Conference schedule, that we are able to play and move quicker because of the speed of play.

Coach Neal has done another outstanding job with improving the strength of our players. Although most of our fitness testing will be done this week, one important statistic is that our team averaged more than a .2 second drop in their 40 yard dash. This is a very positive change for a team that already had quite a bit of speed. The strength training combined with our functional speed training will help us as we move into next season. Coach Neal has said repeatedly that this has been the best spring in the weight room for women's soccer. By recruiting soccer players who are better athletes and keeping past players who are willing to work hard in our system, we feel this hard working culture will help us be successful in the future.

For the 2010 season, we will return 13 of the 16 players who started games this past season. We also return 3 of the top 4 goal scorers from last season. All 3 players who earned all-conference honors return also. One player who will be missed will be freshman Shelby Grissett. She scored 7 goals last season, including the game winner in the conference playoff victory, despite missing 9 games due to a concussion. Due to her history of concussions, it was felt best if she stopped playing. We will miss Shelby and wish her the best! The team will have to work hard to replace those goals next season.

After just two seasons and one recruiting class the team has been able to post the first winning season, the highest finish in the Southland Conference regular season, and the most shutouts in one season. We hope with the addition of our second recruiting class this August, the team will be primed to reach even more heights next year. Please come out and catch us when the Bearkats play their home opener against the University of North Texas on September 3.

-- Tom Brown
Head soccer coach

Six months until the Battle of the Piney Woods

We have the auction tonight and the Orange-White game on Saturday, so football is on the mind right now. It is never too early to start looking ahead to football season in the fall and today seems like the perfect day to do that.


Today marks six months from the Battle of the Piney Woods making the move to Reliant Stadium. The annual SHSU-SFA rivalry will begin a four-year partnership to play the game in Houston on October 23. If you are a season ticket holder, that game is part of your season ticket package.

We are not going to limit you to just your season ticket amount, however. Hopefully you will take some friends with you to the game in Houston. Just let us know how many more tickets you want for that game and we will make it happen for you. We want to see as much orange in Reliant as possible.

If you are not a season ticket holder, but are still planning on making it out to the game, don’t wait to buy tickets. They are on sale right now in the Bearkat Ticket office here at the Mafrige Field house or by going online and purchasing your tickets.

This is going to be an exciting event and it will be here before you know it. Don’t wait. Make sure you get all the tickets you want and get them together by purchasing now.

Looking forward to a great auction

We are getting things wrapped up with Spring Football coming to a close on Saturday for the Orange White game. The night before is going to be our annual auction, and I am excited about the items we have up for bid this year.
Some of the highlights include hunting trips, fishing trips and a couple of very nice dinners. Some of the stuff I am most excited about is the autographed items we are going to have up for bid.

I have had these things in my office the last few weeks and it has looked like a museum in here. We have some great stuff here that I would be real tempted to buy myself.

A few of my favorites are the jerseys. We have a signed jersey from Earl Campbell, Drew Brees, Gayle Sayers and maybe my favorite, a jersey combo of LaDanian Tomlinson with a signed TCU and Chargers jersey.

If you are a fan of the college game, then we have the piece for you. We will have a football up for auction that is signed by 17 Heisman Trophy winners included Mark Ingram, the 2009 winner. This one will be a hard one to let leave my office, I can tell you that.

In addition to all the great items up for bid, I would love to just have everyone come out to the dinner so I can get a chance to meet you. That has been one of the best things since starting this new job is getting to meet all the fantastic Sam Houston State football fans out there.

So come on out and please come by and say hi.

-- Willie Fritz
Head Football Coach

Soccer signees pick up postseason honors

After successful high school careers, several players we signed to join next season's soccer team have been recognized for their play on the field.

Defender Carly Rheman, from Katy H.S. and midfielder Kelsi Brown, from Atascocita H.S. were named First Team All-Greater Houston by the Houston Chronicle today. Rheman, who has been one of the area's top defenders the last three years, was also named District 17-5A Defensive Player of the Year. Brown, who scored 39 goals and had 10 assists this season, was the District 19-5A Most Valuable Player.


After helping The Woodlands to the 5A State Championship, goalkeeper Mallory Garthwaite and defender Natalie Johnson were both named to the District 14-5A All-District First Team. Midfielder Tricia Mallory, of Klein H.S., was also named First Team All-District in District 13-5A.

-- Tom Brown
SHSU soccer coach

First few weeks going well

The first few weeks on the job have been unbelievable. I have been doing everything from radio/TV/newspaper interviews, to individual skill workouts for the guys, or trying to find a couple of good assistant coaches.


I finally got moved into Coach Marlin's office and it sure is nice to have new furniture and my own space. Feels like I can get so much more done now, or it may be because I got so much more to do, lol. You really start to appreciate how valuable you were as a head assistant when you now are doing the head coaches job and the assistants’ job.

It has really been a lot of fun and I haven't been able to let it soak in due to Neil leaving and I have no help. I'm BUSY! Recruiting is going really good. Can't comment much on that but I feel good about where we are. Have a couple of really good assistants in mind and I think they will be tremendous when that time comes.

We had our first team meeting with all the guys and it was really positive. Then I brought each one in individually and that was productive as well. Our goal is to finish the semester strong in the classroom and in the weight room. Emphasizing CLASSROOM.

Josten and Lance will graduate after the first summer session and walk in August. Corey will finish in August, and Arthur graduates in May. Preston will finish next fall due to heavy lab work load. He will then go to PT school for a couple of more years. Ashton has officially signed with an agent out of Houston and he is very happy. Corey will sign with his high school AAU coach who now is partners with another guy.

The Rangers are playing really well even though the record isn’t really showing it. Lost several in the 8th or 9th inning so we could be much better. I'm feeling a PENNANT in Arlington!

-- Jason Hooten
Head Basketball Coach

First bowling signee has strong senior year

Sam Houston States inaugural bowling signee Kimi Davidson has made a strong finish to her high school career and is looking to have a very promising summer as she travels to some of the largest youth national tournaments in the country.

Despite mid-season injuries Kimi concluded her high school career on a very positive note by bouncing back and winning the Fort Worth-South-Regional High School Individual Championship as well as played a key contributor to her teams success in qualifying for states for Azle High School.

Kimi had a strong appearance at States held at Bandera Bowl in San Antonio where she qualified for the semifinals as the 11th-seed overall, finished with a top ten finish and concluded her 2009-2010 high school bowling season with one of the top 20 averages in the state of Texas.

There's no doubt in my mind that Kimi's level head, willingness to learn and excel will be a very key contributing asset to this teams success next season.

-- Brad Hagen
SHSU head bowling coach

State championships for three future Kats

Three incoming freshmen will bring state championships with them when they report to training camp in August. The Woodlands won the 5A state soccer championship with a 3-2 score. Mallory Garthwaite started in goal and Natalie Johnson started in defense. Last year, The Woodlands lost in the championship game.

Gayle Ziegler won her second consecutive 4A State Championship with a 3-0 win. Ziegler started as a left midfielder for Richardson Pierce.

-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

Future Kats on verge on championship

Three incoming freshmen have powered their high school teams into the state soccer tournament this weekend in Georgetown.

Goalkeeper Mallory Garthwaite and defender Natalie Johnson helped The Woodlands to a 2-1 win over Westwood High School. The 5A semifinals will begin on Thursday.

Defender Gayle Ziegler helped lead Richardson Pearce to a 1-0 win over Longview. The 4A semifinals will begin on Friday. Good luck to them!

Go BearKats!
-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

Hooten: A little more about me

I just wanted to catch you up on who I am and where I’m from. I was born and raised in the Central Texas city of Killeen. Killeen is known for neighboring the largest army base in the world, Ft. Hood. Although my life consisted of military friends and nights of lying in bed listening to bombs going off, my family was/is not military.

I come from a very athletic family. My father played baseball for 1 semester at Sam Houston State, and then transferred to Tarleton State to play baseball but only stayed there 1 semester. Now that I look back, it's kind of weird that he went to school at both places I’ve worked, just reverse order. He really didn't like college so he moved back home and ran my grandfather's Texaco gas station.

After meeting and marrying my mother, he went to work for a construction company for the next 30 years. Got to work around 5am every morning and off at 6pm for 30 years. Probably missed a hand full of days in 30-plus years and those were to come see me play ball! That's kind of who I am, get up no matter what every day and go punch the clock.

My uncle was a great pitcher at Blinn JC and then transferred to Rice where he had a tremendous career. Killeen, Texas was a rough and tough city. I was a good baseball player growing up and everyone just knew that this would be my ticket. Somewhere around my junior year in high school basketball started to become really important to me. Not sure if the years of constant baseball and expectations just got to be dull.

Basketball was exciting, fast paced, and something that no one expected me to excel in. My junior summer was the first time UIL would allow summer league basketball to take place. We went up to Waco, 1hr, once a week and played in a very competitive league. College coaches could attend the games and I will never forget the feeling I got knowing those guys were watching us play. I still believe to this day that the rush and excitement I got from that summer is what led me to continue playing basketball and enjoying recruiting as much as I do.

From there I had to choose between playing baseball or basketball in college. I obviously chose the basketball route and looking back it's the reason I am where I am today. I ended up at McLennan Community College and played for a tremendous coach named Ken DeWeese (he is now the Head Coach at Mary-Hardin Baylor who is on our schedule next season).

In my second year at MCC an assistant coach from Houston Baptist walked in the gym one day to come see a player they had put into MCC. That guy’s name was Bob Marlin. Isn't it weird how small of a world we live in. After my 2 years at MCC I transferred to, at the time a small NAIA school, Tarleton State University. Played on 2 championship teams and after a year of doing my student teaching/part-time assistant coaching at Weatherford JC for my former high school coach, I went back to Tarleton State as an assistant coach at the ripe age of 23.

In August of 1993 I signed my contract to be an assistant coach, teach four classes and be the head tennis coach, LOL, not even going to say for how much $. Oh and I almost forgot, my boss was not only the head basketball coach, but also the AD! I walked in that office the first day, he tossed me a phone card and a couple of scouting services and said we need to bring in 3 players, and you got about 2 weeks to do it. That's where it all got started!

Bearkat Elite adding extra incentive for football

Willie Fritz loves competition. He also loves teammates working together for one common goal. This fall that goal is a Southland Conference Championship. Right now that goal is pizza.

All semester, the Bearkat football players are participating in a weekly competition called Bearkat Elite and the prize at the end of the week is a pizza party.

“Just like everything in life there is a winner and a loser,” Fritz said after practice on Friday. “I like guys who are competitive on the field and off the field. I like them competing on the football field, the weight room, the classroom and compete to be a good person.”

Fritz said they broke into eight different teams, had a draft with eight players on each team. They compete for points on a variety of different competitions that range from class work to attendance at other sporting events on campus.

“They get positive points for things and they get negative points for things,” Fritz said. “The winners get a pizza party at the end of the week and the losers have some sort of punishment. We are competing and a lot of it involves peer pressure.

“They get points for study hall, sometimes I have guys go to a game and the team with the most guys there gets the most points,” he said. “Miss class you get a negative point. We check grade cards and the guys who have A’s and B’s get plus points and the guys who have C’s, D’s and F’s get minus points.”

A ring ceremony honoree

At the end of practice on Friday, Fritz called Michael Pittman to the front of the team and congratulated him on getting his ring from Sam Houston State and going through Thursday’s Ring Ceremony at Austin Hall. He told the team what a great event it was and urged more players to take part in it next year.

“I am a graduate of Sam Houston myself and that is a really neat deal that Dr. Gaertner started,” Fritz said. “I just wanted to make sure the guys hear those sort of things. That is the goal. I tell them all the time, ‘if you come here and play football for five years and don’t get your degree, you are really wasting your time.’”

Hooten: A wild couple of days

What a last couple of days, whew! This actually all started about 2 weeks ago when we came an eye lash away from beating No. 3-seed Baylor on national television.

The truth of the matter is the country could no longer say that Bob Marlin was the best kept coaching secret, it was out! My phone began to ring then, and has not stopped. Everyone knew that Coach Marlin’s time had come, and everyone felt that my time was coming.

I guess out of all the things that have happened the last couple of days, knowing that your friends, family, co-workers, and most importantly colleagues, were pulling for you to get this opportunity makes you feel even better.

This is a hard business and after years of blood, sweat, and tears, I have finally reached a huge step in my career. It is just the next chapter and something that I have been groomed for by two of the best coaches in the country, Lonn Reisman and Bob Marlin.

Both of these men taught me how to run a program and I will do my best to make them proud.

-- Jason Hooten
Head Basketball Coach

Baseball game today moved to 2 p.m.

With the threat of inclement weather in Natchitoches, La., today's baseball game with Northwestern State has been moved to 2 p.m.

The series finale between the Bearkats and Demons is still schedule for Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Bearkats fell in last night's game in 13 innings and will be looking to rebound today and even up the series.

Wiginton: A couple of big wins for softball

Hey there Bearkat fans. It has been a busy few weeks for your softball team. Many successful things have happened along with some hardship. We started off a little rough in our conference play. SFA and TX State got the wins in the series, but we fought back hard against Monmouth and UTSA and got the sweeps!


On another positive, we split with two nationally ranked teams. Against North Dakota State we had a rough opening game and lost, but the second game we won 2-1 in 10 innings. Then a couple weeks later we faced Baylor, and we won the first game 4-0. The second game was a hard fought game but resulted in a Baylor win.

We now start the second half of our conference race. The team is looking great and we are really coming together at the right time. Our practices have picked up and are becoming tougher, but at the same time better executed.

In addition to how all our team is doing as a whole, my teammate Morgan Mikulin was awarded with dual Southland Conference honors of Pitcher and Hitter or the week. I just wanted to send a congratulation to her. WAY TO GO MO!!!!

This Friday and Saturday we host McNeese at home, double header on Friday at 1 p.m. then on Saturday single and final game of the series at 1 p.m. Come out and support your Bearkats!!
EAT EM UP KATS!!!

-- Hailey Wiginton #2

A closer look at the 7-game winning streak

Things are starting to go the Bearkats way on the diamond as of late. Last night was a pretty thrilling win for the SHSU baseball team rallying for a 9-7 win over a very strong Dallas Baptist team at Don Sanders Stadium.


The win was the seventh straight for the Bearkats. Over this stretch, there have been some pretty incredible numbers put up by a few Bearkat hitters and pitchers.

Two Kats are hitting above .500 over the last seven games with Chris Andres hitting at a .531 clip and Mark Hudson checking in at .516. Greg Olson hasn’t been too bad either, producing a .462 average in his last seven games.

Hudson especially has been on a tear as of late. During the current winning streak, he leads the team in homers (4), RBIs (13), runs (10), doubles (4) and stolen bases (4).

Chris Andres has hit safely in all seven wins and currently carries an eight-game hitting streak. Braeden Riley has the longest hitting streak of the season of 11, which was snapped last night against the Patriots.

The Kats have had a few very good performances on the mound as well. Brandon Kimbrell has been very good on the hill for the Kats. The junior from Cameron has worked 7 2/3 innings over the last week and a half without allowing a run. He has given up just four hits in two appearances, picking up the win both times for the Bearkats, once in relief.

Matt Shelton has settled back in and looks more like the Shelton of 2009. His last four appearances he is sporting a 1.93 ERA and has picked up three wins for the Kats. In 9 1/3 innings of work he has allowed just two runs and fanned seven batters.

Maybe the guy who stands out the most over the last seven games is a guy who has been productive both hitting a pitching. Daniel Nottebart has nine plate appearances and has reached base five times. He has three hits, with two of those home runs, two walks and has driven in four runs. He has scored three runs as well. On the mound, Nottebart has worked 6 1/3 innings without allowing a run and has given up just two hits. In his three appearances he has a win and two saves.

As a team the Bearkats are hitting .352 and are outscoring opponents 62-43. One of the differences has been their production late in the game. Over the last seven game, the Kats are outscoring opponents 12-1 in the 8th and 9th innings. They are also taking care of business the second and third times through the batting order, outscoring opponents 22-8 in the third and fourth innings.

The Kats will be back in action on Thursday for a three-game series against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.

Soccer picks up home win against PVU

The women's soccer team played its only home game of the spring season this past Saturday. We defeated Prairie View A&M 2-0. Leah Snelson opened the scoring early and Kirby Zak finished it with a late header from a corner kick. The players were able to gain some valuable experience which will be helpful next season.

Before Spring Break, the team traveled over to College Station to play against the University of Utah. The team lost 1-0 to a very good Ute team. In spite of an early goal, the goalkeepers and defenders held tight and played a very good game.

The Bearkats will close out the spring season in Austin on April 11. We will travel to St. Edwards for an afternoon game.

Also, incoming freshmen Mallory Garthwaite and Natalie Johnson will lead The Woodlands today in a regional quarterfinal playoff game. Gayle Ziegler's team, Richardson Pearce, also plays today as they try to progress towards a second state championship.

-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

Milestone for Mark Johnson

Sunday afternoon was a big day for head baseball coach Mark Johnson. The veteran coach notched his 1,000th career victory with a win over UTSA.

While Johnson was able to celebrate the milestone wearing Bearkat orange, a majority of the victories coming while he was in charge of the Texas A&M program.

Longtime Aggie sports information director Alan Cannon sent over a copy of the box score from Johnson's first win of his career. It came on Feb. 24, 1985 against Northeast Louisiana in a 10-1 win in the season opener for the Aggies.

"I remember that game better than I remember a game we played two weeks ago," Cannon said with a chuckle Monday afternoon.

The winning pitcher in that game was Tom Arrington, who has gone on to a great coaching career of his own. In 10 seasons as the head coach at San Jacinto College, Arrington has compiled a record of 422-146. On Monday, Arrington was unaware he was win No. 1 for Johnson.

"I should remember that game better, but I do know early in that year I was really having a good season," Arrington said. "I remember he was an assistant the year before and was a very respected man. I am happy for him and to win 1,000 games at the level he has done it is remarkable."

Arrington is not the only Aggie from the game who has gone into college coaching. Steve Johnigan, the starting catcher for the Aggies, has served as an assistant at Baylor for the last 15 years.

"Was 'Hoot' my catcher in that game?" Arrington asked referring to Johnigan. "There are so many guys who played under him who have gone into coaching and I think it was only years later that you realized how rewarding it was playing for Mark Johnson."

Another familiar name in the Aggie lineup that day was Scott Livingstone, who was a second round pick of the Detroit Tigers and had an 8-year career in the majors with Detroit, Toronto, San Diego, St. Louis and Montreal.


Here is a scan of that box score.

Women golfers continue strong play

It has been busy around here and I haven’t had a chance to write anything in a while. I have two events to catch up on, including a great effort by the ladies in Victoria.


At the Islander Classic the Corpus Christi, Kirsten Spittler finished second medalist and Shelby Hardy got her second consecutive top 10 finish of the spring season. The team finished fifth overall.

During spring break, we played in a strong 16-team field in Victoria where the Bearkats received a third place trophy. Landa Stewart finished tied for fifth individually. The team finish was quite an accomplishment because we were playing without one player who got sick after the first round. Following the first 18 holes we were in fifth place, and moved up two spots over the remainder of the tournament playing one player short. Great job ladies!

--Tommy Chain
Women’s golf coach

Former Bearkat to be featured on documentary

Former Sam Houston State baseball player Dustin Martin is still trying realize his dream of one day making it to the "Show." Martin is currently in the Minnesota Twins organization and spent last season with AAA Rochester Red Wings.

Beginning in May a 13-part documentary titled "Minor League" will air on PBS, which takes an in-depth look at the life of a minor league baseball player. Camera crews followed the Red Wings during the 2009 season.

The show takes a look at the physical and mental challenges players/coaches deal with on a daily basis, promotions to the Major Leagues, life outside the ballpark, and much more.

"What I like most is that you won't necessarily have to be a baseball fan to enjoy the show because it will feature the everyday rollercoaster of emotions that our players endure during the season. We have some outstanding young men that will be playing here this season and this will give fans from all over a chance to develop a better rapport with them and follow them throughout their careers," said Red Wings general manager Dan Mason on the Red Wings official web site.

"Minor League" will be made available to approximately 385 public television affiliates across the United States. Several of these affiliates are considered "border stations" that will reach into every major market in Canada as well.

According to Twins beat writer La Velle E. Neal III from the Star Tribune, Martin is one of the players who get "plenty of camera time."

The box set will be available starting June 1. The cost: $29.99 - which includes all 13 (30-minute) episodes and several hours of bonus footage, not seen in the series. If you would like to purchase a copy of the series you can e-mail the producer directly by clicking here. 
 
Last season Martin hit .254 for the Red Wings. He was fourth on the team in hits (107), fourth in RBIs (53), third in runs (58) and lead the team in steals (26). 
 
If the show is going to air in Texas, we will post the schedule. If you want to read more about it, check out the official "Minor League" page.

Several activities tonight at baseball and softball

There are several good reasons to head out to baseball and softball this afternoon to see the Bearkats play. The softball team is in action against Baylor in a double header that starts at 4 p.m. The baseball team is taking on Houston Baptist at 6:30 p.m.

Tonight is 25 cent hot dog night, the first of two that will be held this spring. Also, it is military appreciation night at baseball.

At 4:30 p.m. ROTC will be firing up the grill for complimentary burgers over at the intramural fields. Outside of the stadium there will be a rock wall for kids/students to take a try at climbing. Pre-game ROTC will be presenting the flags, as well as honoring local veterans and a highly noted one, Colonel Etheridge.

During the game, we will replace Bearkat/Baseball Trivia with Military Trivia and will have the ROTC cadets help as much as possible.

At some point there will be a fly-over in the distance as the helicopters from the intramural fields will be departing.

So head out to both stadiums and be part of this exciting night.

Got a great email during the Baylor game

Just wanted to pass this e-mail along that came in during the Baylor game. Usually don't put stuff up like this, but this letter was too good to keep to myself.

Just watching the Baylor tourney game and it just went to halftime....this is probably ridiculous but I just wanted to say that on two consecutive fouls by Baylor on Clavell...on both occasions he went to the Baylor player on the floor to help him up and then headed to the freethrow line....I thought that shows a lot of class on his part and is a credit to him and your coaching staff...for what it's worth...in this "look at me" era of sports that kind of gesture often goes unnoticed...I thought it was classy and deserves some praise. Best of luck.

The funny thing is, when both of those plays happened, I had the same thought. A lot of time our athletes don't get enough recognition for when they do the right thing, and I just wanted to share this e-mail to everyone else.

-- Jason Barfield

Bearkats make cover of SI

Just getting settled in after a few days in New Orleans. Trying to catch up on some of the things that happened while we were gone.

The annual Sports Illustrated NCAA Tournament Preview collage cover was released and the Bearkats were featured twice. The collage always included a player or mascot from all the teams participating the in the Big Dance. For SHSU, it was both.

Sammy, easily one of the most colorful mascots in college athletics, makes the cover. Also, Corey Allmond is featured on the cover. The picture of Allmond is from the Kentucky game when he hit a Rupp Arena record 11 3-pointers. This particular shot is of him "quieting" the home crowd.

This is the second time the Kats have made the cover of Sports Illustrated. The first was in 2003, the first time they made the NCAA Tournament. Anyone remember who made the cover then?

Postgame press conference

Don't know if this got posted anywhere or not, but just in case you want to watch, here is the link to the press conference after the Bearkats lost to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tourament in New Orleans.

Postgame Press Conference

Germany trip comes to an end

I have arrived back in the USA after a great adventure in Germany. The last three days were exciting. On Thursday, we heard about the German coaching license program and how they structure their courses. From there we had some time to explore Cologne and catch our breath before two more long days of travel. I went back to visit the cathedral that I mentioned in an earlier posting. A couple of coaches and I climbed the 516 step, winding staircase in the cathedral. It was very tiring but the view was spectacular! We recovered by doing some shopping for our families!

On Friday, we traveled down to Frankfurt and visited the headquarters of the German Soccer Association. We had a couple of lectures and then got to see the trophy room. Germany's 1974 and 1990 World Cup trophies were on display as well as the 2007 Women's World Cup trophy. We traveled back to the hotel and then were quickly on the road again to watch the game between Schalke 04 and Stuttgart. Over 62,000 fans dressed in blue watched the home team win 2-1. It was an amazing game and the fans celebrations will be etched in my mind.

Saturday found us traveling to Monchengladbach to visit their women's academy and watch their women's first team train. From there we went and watched their men's team, which features American Michael Bradley, play against Wolfsburg. It was not a good day for the home team, as they lost 4-0. That night we had a celebration dinner with some traditional German food. It was then up early for a LONG flight back to Houston.

This was a tremendous opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the world. Experiencing the passion of the German soccer fans will be something that I will not quickly forget. I appreciate Sam Houston State allowing me to go on this professional development course and I hope I will be able to bring back some new ideas that will help us reach our goals for next season!

Go Bearkats!

-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach

A look back to seven years ago

Saturday, the Bearkats will take on Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference Championship game at the Merrell Center in Katy. Seven years ago the Kats and Jacks hooked up in the Southland Finals with SHSU notching an overtime victory to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Here is the game story that ran in the Huntsville Item the day after:

Kats March On

originally published March 15, 2003
By Jason Barfield
The Huntsville Item

If there was any doubt what month it is, the Bearkats and Lumberjacks quickly reminded more than 5,000 fans at Johnson Coliseum the meaning of March Madness.

Donald Cole hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in overtime to lift Sam Houston State to 69-66 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Friday afternoon, earning the Kats their first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The shot put the Kats up by two. Cole hit one more free throw with two seconds left to give them a three-point victory.

"We wanted to spread it out, and I didn't think they were going to leave me open and they did," said Cole who was named tournament MVP. "(Robert Shannon) hit me in the corner and I looked up and the point guard, who is a lot shorter than me was in front, so I just decided to take the shot and it went in."

Cole's shot was necessary because just 20 second earlier, Antonio Burks hit a jumper to give SFA its first lead of the overtime period.

The Kats brought the ball down the floor and called a timeout with 32 seconds left to set up their offense. SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said he actually called three plays depending on what the Lumberjacks defense did.

"We had seen them run some 1-3-1 (zone defenses) against Arlington and we walked through it this morning in case we saw it," Marlin said about the final play of the game.

"We were going to try and run it to Jason (Stephenson) and use him as a decoy thinking they were going to go with him. He cut and (Marcus) Clark stayed so we knew it was going to be the zone so we went straight to domino."

Domino is the name of the play the Bearkats were running when Cole hit his game-winner.

SFA coach Danny Kaspar said he wasn't looking for an outside shot. That's why the Jacks went to the zone.

"We expected them to drive to the basket and try to draw the foul," Kaspar said. "Se we went to the 1-3-1 zone to defend it. You know Cole taking a 3 is not a bad shot to give."

Marlin said Cole was the man he wanted to have take the shot with the game on the line.

"There is not another guy on the team shooting we want taking that last shot then Donald Cole," Marlin said. "He is probably our best 3-point shooter, even though he is a post player. Big players make big plays and that is what he did, and that is why he is the player of the year."

Cole, who was named Southland Conference Player of the Year, finished with a game-high 26 points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds. He came up big every time the Kats needed it.

With 1:34 left in regulation, the senior from Port Arthur scored to put the Kats up by three. He also scored the first basket of the overtime period.

"I told myself that if the opportunity presented itself I was going to come through for the team," Cole said.

The Kats seemed to be in control early in the second half. Jay Oliphant made a shot inside the paint and was fouled on the play. He hit the free throw to put the Kats up 51-37 with 11:51 to play.

However the Lumberjacks responded like the second-place team in conference. Over the next 6:21, SFA went on a 17-1 run to take a 54-52 lead, their first since an 18-17 advantage with 6:30 left in the first half.

"We told our guys they were going to make a run because they are a very efficient team," Marlin said. "They are one of the top shooting teams in the country. Their guys stepped up and hit some big shots, and they got the lead and took the momentum."

Stephenson hit a free throw and Felton Freeman made a jumper to give the lead back to the Kats at 55-54. With less than four minutes to play and clinging to a one-point lead, Eddy Fobbs, who was pivotal in the semifinal win against McNeese State, jumped and got just enough of a finger on Burks' shot to knock it off course.

"I just did my best to jump as high as I could to get to the shot," Fobbs said. "I didn't know if I was going to hit it or not, but I just took a chance."

Fobbs then came down on the other end of the floor, drew a foul and hit both free throws to put the Kats up 57-54.

Taylor Moore, who was averaging just four points a game, had a career day. The sophomore scored a career-high 19 points, including a jumper with less than three minutes left to cut the SHSU lead to just one.

After Cole's shot put the Kats up by three, Burks evened the score at 59 with just 34 seconds left in regulation. SHSU had one last shot to win the game but Stephenson couldn't get off an attempt in the final seconds.

One of the main keys to the victory was the Bearkats rebounding. They grabbed 23 offensive boards and got 28 second-chance points. Overall they outrebounded the Lumberjacks 45-33.

"We talked about rebounding the ball and we have some good athletes that can go get it," Marlin said. "We have been beaten on the glass some this year but we got 23 offensive rebounds because we missed a lot of shots. However, second-chance opportunities are what it is all about."

The Bearkats now will wait for their next opponent. The NCAA's field of 65 will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

"It doesn't matter where or who we play, Marlin said. "We feel like we are good enough to beat some teams. But if you set a 16 (seed) (beating a No. 1 seed) has never been done. We won't go out and lay down next week, I can tell you that."

Visits to two pro workouts went great

The last two days have been a great adventure here in Germany. On Tuesday, we started our day at FC Cologne and watched the pro team train in the morning. We got to meet with an assistant coach after training, who explained their weekly schedule and gave us some insights into the team. From there we traveled to the sport university and met with the director of fitness for the German Boys National Team Program. He told us about the fitness training initiatives they are doing in their national team program. The day ended by watching a great Bayern Munich vs. Fiorintina Champions League game. The twists and turns in the game were exciting!

I do have to congratulate Arsenal, who is supported by our AD Bobby Williams, on their win. Great win BUT not important enough to watch!

Today was an amazing day. We traveled up to Bayer Leverkusen and watched their pro team train. The team contains many international players, including the current German national team goalkeeper. We had lunch in the hotel at the stadium and then got to tour the stadium. The stadium is huge and we got the "inside" tour. We also had a special treat and got to meet Rudi Voller. He is the current general manager for Bayer Leverkusen, but was a German National Team star in the 80's and early 90's. I got to take a picture with him and get an autograph card signed! We went to visit the youth academy and spoke with the director. We are back at the hotel and I am eagerly awaiting the Manchester United game tonight.

I will send one more update before leaving. We have three more great days, two more live games, and share one great passion - SOCCER!

Go BearKats!

-- Tom Brown
Head soccer coach

Down in Katy

Well it was a tough loss for the women's team here in Katy. They played a fantastic first half, but in the end, just didn't have enough to overcome Texas A&M Corpus Christi. It was another step in the right direction for the women's basketball program and hopefully something they can build on for next year.

The men will be in action tonight, and we are hoping to see as much orange here in Katy as we can. The game tips at 6 p.m. so for the first time, we are playing in the evening session here in the first round. Students can get in free by showing their ID. If you can't make it out to the Merrell Center, it will be available online at GoBearkats.com.

After the game we will have highlights and the press conference posted on the official site.

Here are the highlights from yesterday's women's game.

Trip to Germany off to great start

I have traveled to Cologne, Germany for an International Diploma course that is being held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the German Soccer Federation. The course opened on Saturday with us viewing a game between Bayern Munich and FC Cologne. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The local boy, Lukas Podolski, who had played at Bayern Munich but moved back home to play for FC Cologne scored the opening goal. In the second half, Byern Munich inserted the French international Frank Ribery and he helped produce the equalizer. It was a great game and great way to get the course going.

We woke up on Saturday morning with snow on the ground and the temperature never got above freezing. Before leaving for the game, I visited a cathedral that was started to be built in the 1200's and survived World War II. It was truly amazing and I felt very small inside this very large cathedral.

Today we watched FC Cologne's under-17 team win their game 2-0 and then had lunch at the teams training facility. We have spent most of our classroom time talking about match analysis based on the games we have observed. We will return to FC Cologne over the next two days to see the professionals and academy teams train and meet with their coaches concerning how they do match analysis.

I will update you again in a few days.

Go Bearkats!

-- Tom Brown
Head soccer coach

Walk off wins for Bearkat baseball

It was an exciting Sunday at Don Sanders Stadium with the Kats winning a pair of games in dramatic fashion. In the opener of the day Ryan Mooney hit a solo homer in the 8th inning to give the Bearkats a 3-2 lead. Northern Colorado followed with a homer in the ninth to force extra innings. In the bottom of the 15th, Doug Oney gave the Kats the win with a solo shot that just cleared the left field fence.

In the second game of the day, the Kats had to rally in the ninth to pick up the victory. Greg Olson finished off the dramatics with a two-run single to give SHSU an 11-10 victory.

If you missed either of the two finishes, you can see both of them along with Mooney's homer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOlGlUdqyNE

Schedule changes for the week

We have made a few changes to the baseball and softball schedules with rain in the area this week.

The Bearkat baseball game scheduled for Tuesday in Houston has now been moved to Don Sanders Stadium. The game will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be available to watch on Bearkat Vision. The Bearkats will now play on April 7 at Texas Southern.

The softball team was scheduled to play their Southland Conference opening series on Tuesday at Stephen F. Austin. Because of unplayable field conditions in Nacogdoches, the series will now be played at The Bearkat Softball Complex. The two teams will play a double header Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. and the series finale on Wednesday at 2 p.m.


This makes for a busy week around the athletic department as there will now be 11 games here on campus over the next six days between baseball, softball and women's basketball. Also on Saturday, Bowers Stadium will host a high school track meet with 50 schools scheduled to compete.

Wiginton: Team ready for SLC play

Hey there Bearkat fans! It has been a long hard schedule for us so far in our season. Looking just at the scores of the games we have played gives no justice to how we have been playing at all. We have played some tough teams so far including, Ohio State, Arkansas, University of Houston and Texas A&M. In each game we put up a fair fight, hitting is very strong for our team this year.


In both the U of H tournament and the UNT tournament we had our ups and downs. But these tournaments have been used for us to get used to playing with each other, as we have a new line-up this year. Also they have been used for our pitching to get a few games in and get fired up for the season ahead.

The game against A&M went very well we fought till the end in that game, which ended with a 2-1 A&M win. We then followed up the next week with 2 victories over Texas Southern winning 15-0 and 8-0.

Seems to me, this schedule has prepared us very well for the conference road that starts with SFA on Tuesday. Our pitching, along with our hitting, has gotten the chance to work together and work through some kinks. Everything is ready to fall into place just in time to start the conference fight.

The team is very excited to get after it and we are looking forward to working hard and following Bearkat men’s basketball’s lead and joining them as Southland Conference Champions. Both the SFA and Texas State games are away this week, the next home game is on Wednesday, March 10 where we will host Monmouth at the softball complex. So come out and support your Bearkats as our conference games takeoff.

EAT EM UP KATS

-- Hailey Wiginton No. 2