SPORTS
r-
H.poking for that 'sperial hit'-
Coach pins hopes for team
on power hitting, less errors
i>.. Cimc .1. _ • • .
By James Sims
The Elizabeth City State Univer
sity’s baseball team hopes to rebound
from last season’s 14-17 record by
eJiminating small mistakes and utiliz
ing power hitters, coach Charles Cul-
^lens said.
f So far the Vikings have endured
' close to a .500 season by winning 13
: games and losing 14 despite the power
, hitting from such players as Duane
Bynim (.412 batting average), Andre
; Nelson (.384) and Shaun Bigbie (.373).
‘Team batting average is great,”
said Cullens, “but we can’t get that
^cial hit when we need it”
' Cullens also mentioned that leav
ing men on the bases is a misfortune
tjiat the team must change.
“We must bring in the runs,” he
added. “We lose a lot of games that
way.”
No one was left on base when Andre
Nelson made that “special hit” and
dapped one across the fence for a
grand slam against Hiram College
March 28, at Knobbs Creek Ra:rea-
tipn Park in Elizabeth City. That hit
along with others helped the Vikings
win the game 11-9.
Andre Nelson, also a valuable asset
to the Viking football team, has made
a tremendous impact on the Viking
baseball team.
At the All Sports Award Banquet
held April 10, Cullens commented on
Nelson’s possible future on the base
ball field.
“When Andre came to play ball for
me,” said Coach Cullens, “I didn’t
know he was an honorable mention
All-State in High School. If he doesn’t
go pro in football, he might go in base
ball.”
Another plus for the team has been
the pitching by freshman Shaun
Bigbie. Bigbie originally a back-up
pitcher, has three wins under his belt
and no losses. Bigbie’s ERA is 1.40
with 17 strike outs.
“We still need to brush up on our
overall pitching,” Cullens said.
After losing to Norfolk S tate twice
in a double header, 0-1 both games,
the V ikings came back fighting, beat
ing Shaw University twice April 3, by
scores of 14-0 and 17-4 and then
beating Virginia State one game in a
double header 10-4. Beating these
teams made Juan Langford feel as
though everything is improving.
“One game we would have poor
pitching and the next game we would
have bad hitting,” said Langford, a
junior from Scotland County. “But
now everything is coming together.”
“The guys have to start believing
in their ability,” added Cullens. “Once
they do, we ’11 be in the thick of things.”
In the thick of things they are, but
not in a positive sense. The Vikings
lost to arch rival Norfolk State once
again, by a score of 13-10 April 17.
The Vikings then went on to beat Sl
Augustine twice in a double header
10-0 and 6-3 April 18.
Saturday April 20, the Vikings
travelled to Bowie Maryland only to
be upset once more by the Bulldogs
13-10.
The Vikings will be on the road
this week for their last two seasonal
games against Duke and Shaw Uni
versity. The Vikings will then take a
shot at the tournament championship
beginning April 25.
Changes prevail at spring practice.
Vikings hopeful for 1991 season
- By James Sims
' Clash, Clank, you can do it! These
i are sounds I’ve been hearing as my
i teammates and I have been slamming
i down weights, straining to lift 300 to
1400 pounds off our chests.
For the past three months ever since
■ ow season ended, ECSU’s Vikings
■ have been preparing for spring foot-
? ball practice. We all know we have to
. work harder if we are going to im-
*{)rove on last season’s 3-6-1 record.
“It’s good that the team is prepar-
lirig so hard,” said Jerald Lewis, a
i^jijhior linebacker from Chicago.
> “Some guys are not working out and
' are going to get hurt during practice.”
> " This year's spring practice featured
• several changes. For example the 15
(day spring practice rule.
f ' The NCAA has passed a rule that
' mandated an allowance of 15 days of
spring practice. During ten of them,
icolleges are allowed to dress in com-
I
plete uniform and have contact. Those
will be ten hard and fun-filled days for
the Vikings. They will be battering
and competing against each other for
a position, trying to make sure there
will be a place for each of them on the
’91 Viking football team and thatnone
will “smell the fumes” of the bus
when it’s time to make a road trip.
Another change is the intensity of
practices. So far, the running and ex
ercise done in practice has been a tre
mendous pain for some players.
‘The practice sessions are harder
than they used to be,” said Darrin
Stewart, a 6 foot 3 inch 345 lb offen
sive tackle from Washington D.C. “I
don’t mind though, because I know it
will pay off in the end.”
Vikings say they are excited, moti
vated and are beginning to develop
more comraderie because of Kelly’s
psychological impact on the team.
“Under the coaching of Alvin
Kelly, I think that we will have a new
and improved team,” said Spencer
Abraham, a 6 foot 2 inch 242 lb line
backer from Greensboro. “He has a
way of motivating us and making us
feel like a family.”
Vikings say Coach Kelly is not just
a guy who teaches footbil, he also
teaches the players about their moral
values and that they have priorities
they have to deal with.
Kelly stressed the importance of
academics and social behavior in a
previous meeting held with the play
ers.
“You must go to your classes,”
Kelly said, “If you haven ’ t been work
ing like you’re supposed to, you still
have time.”
Kelly also stated that if players are
caught getting in trouble that he will
not hesitate to get them sent home.
“I will go in my pocket if I have to
and send people home who are putting
a bad reputation on the team,” KeUy
said.
Athletes honored at sports banquet
j- ' By James Sims
i ECSU’s top student athletes re-
1, edved awards and recognition at the
.All Sports Awards Banquet held April
I 10, at the Kermit E. White Graduate
Center.
■ Big awardees of the banquet were
I graduating senior linebacker, Michael
: Mabry and junior defensiveendEver-
i etteMclver. Mabry totaled five awards
. including the Hardees’ MVP of the
year Award.
Mclver walked away with three
awards including the Coca-Cola
Golden Helmet Award.
• Even though these were two ath
letes who received special awards for
putstanding performances in sports,
no athlete was left out. Every player
received awards for participating in
his/her sports for one, two, three or
four years.
. First year players received letters,
^ond year, trophies, third year;
Watches; an; fourth year players re
ceived plaques.
Recipients of the Coca-Cola
Weekly MVP Awards in football were:
Curtis Perkins, Greensboro; Nelson
Welch, Fayetteville, Ga.; Tim
Johnson, Sumpter S .C.; Darrin Mitch
ell, Ahoskie; Jimmy Smith, Scotland
county; Johnnie Carr, Wilmington;
Demetrius Hardison, Ahoskie; Mark
Hines, Greenville; Billy Powell, Cur
rituck; Michael Mabry, Rocky
MounL;Stuart Squires, Juan Langford,
Scotland county; Roderick Barfield,
Wilmington; Emanuel Smith, Scot
land county; Spencer Abraham,
Greensboro; Everette Mclver, Fay
etteville and Andre Nelson, Lugoff
S.C.
Other special award recipients
were: Joynita Robison, Coca-Cola
Most Spirited Cheerleader Award;
ErikaRuffin, S.T. Holmes Sportsman
ship Award; Stuart Squires, Hodges
& Alford MVP Award.
Squires, who has kept a GPA of 4.0
throughout his four years at ECSU,
will receive a scholarship in the name
of Hodges & Alford to attend East
Carolina University’sMedical School.
Recipient of the Coca-Cola MVP
Award for basketball was James Ea
ton and the Robert L. Vaughan MVP
Award was presented to Darryl Rid
dick.
Eaton and Riddick will travel to
Winston-Salem April 22, to play in
the Black College All-Star Baske^all
Classic.
Head volleyball coach Debbie
Lynch mentioned that Terry James, a
sophomore from Elizabeth City, was
selected as All Conference in Volley
ball.
Guest speaker for the banquet was
ECSU alumnus Lawrence Alford.
Alford, Director of Personnel for the
Norfolk Shipyard, stressed the impor
tance of doing more than asked to
succeed in life.
“If a coach tells you to run 40
yards, run 60,” he said. “Go that extra
yard to be outstanding.”
Alford also stressed the importance
of responsibility in athletics.
“It’s the athletes’ responsibility to
attend class,” he said. “Coaches should
not find ways to get you to go to
class.”
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recruiting for police officers. To apply, you must be a United States citizen with a high school
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Applicants must be in good health with uncorrected vision of at least 20/100, correctable to 20/
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May 7th through 9th, 1991 — 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
No appointment is necessary.
McMmna
ECSU's Chad Woolard dives head first toward a St. Augustine player as he tries to make it safely to first base.
St. Augustine beat the Vikings 12-8 April 13. The Vikings have wavered above and below the .500 mark ail
season as they head for the CIAA toumey.
Controversy again for Lady Vikes;
CIAA commissioner sends a fax
By Mark Morris
The ECSU Lady Vikings softball
team finished the regular season with
an 11-13 overall record, an 11-11
conference record, and a close call
with missing their second consecu
tive CIAA Tournament.
“In order for a division II school to
qualify for an end of season tourna
ment, they must play 24 games against
division II oponents.” said Andre
Smith, ECSU Sports and Information
Director “As of April 17, they (Lady
Vikings) had only played 22.”
On April 17 W^lace Dooley, the
commissioner of the CIAA, faxed a
letter to the ECSU athletic depart
ment. The letter said that the softball
team would be ineligible for the con
ference tournament in Hampton last
weekend if they did not play two more
games against division II oponents.
Head coach James Hoggard
scheduled a doubleheader against
Virginia State on April 18, one day
before the CIAA tournament
The team played two games in the
first round of the tournament on April
19, losing decisively to St. Augusti-
nes and North Carolina Central Uni
versity.
Smith said a large part of the prob
lem lies in scheduling too many games
that do not count
“Games with junior college teams
don’t count.” said Smith “Our team
doesn’tplay teams in the CIAA south
ern division because of travel time
and other reasons.”
The Lady Vikings played four
games this season against Chowan
College, a junior college in
Murfreesboro, N.C.
Last season, the Lady Vikings fin
ished third in the CIAA but did not go
to the conference tournament because
their statistics were not turned in on
time.
When reached for comment at that
time, Hoggard told The Compass, “I’m
disgusted. I’m just disgust^!”
A number of players have ex
pressed discontent about the situation.
“I think the bottom line is lack of
leadership,” said one player. “It sim
ply has to get better for next season.”
%
Lady Vikings catcher Paula Forham poised to catch a pitch from Genevie Moore while a Norfolk State
Spartenette batter clinches up for a swing. The Lady Vikings were in danger of sitting out of the CIAA
Tournament for a second consecutive season.
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