Today's Blue & White
The Citadel Brigadier Foundation's Official Electronic Newsletter
Friday, August 28, 2009

Opening Kickoff!
Classes began Wednesday so things on campus are rapidly returning to a state of normalcy.  Now let the games begin!

The first official intercollegiate contest of the 2009-10 academic year begins this weekend as the volleyball team travels to Durham, NC and will challenge Georgia State, High Point, North Carolina Central and UNC Asheville while the soccer team hosts Alabama State at WLI Field on Sunday at 1 pm.  For all of the fall sports schedules, results and updates, please refer to www.CitadelSports.com.

More than 1,000 people came to Saturday's football Meet the Bulldogs Day and the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility, and the volleyball team inaugurates their version of Meet the Bulldogs on Wednesday in McAlister Field House (see information below).
 
As you've come to expect we continue to have another interesting issue of Today's Blue & White, so let's get to it and Go Bulldogs!!!

Meet the (Volleyball) Bulldogs Set for Sept. 2
The inaugural Meet the Bulldogs for volleyball takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 2 in McAlister Field House. 

Beginning at 5 pm and lasting for approximately 15 minutes, complimentary food will be available as fans will have the opportunity to secure autographs from the volleyball players and coaches.  At 5:15, Coach Carolyn Geiger will address those in attendance, give a brief outlook of the season and will then introduce the assistant coaches while the players introduce themselves.

From 5:25 until around 6:15, a full three-set, 15-point intrasquad scrimmage will take place with promotions and giveaways being held during timeouts and in between games. 

The Ailing Running Backs and the Training Room
Don't be surprised to see running backs coach and Hall of Famer Everette Sands '94 talking a lot these days with veteran Director of Sports Medicine Andy Clawson.

Two more of Sands' position players showed up in the Seignious Hall Training Room Monday with broken bones as redshirt sophomore Rickey Anderson experienced a broken leg and true freshman Van Dyke Jones suffered a broken hand.

Anderson already has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in both knees, and was sidelined after five games last season with a torn meniscus in one knee, yet rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries last season.

Jones has shown the most promise among freshman backs in preseason practice and was likely the No. 2 running back behind Anderson.
 
Aside from Anderson and Jones, the Bulldogs have sophomore Terrell Dallas, who is coming off of ACL surgery and has been limited in preseason practice.  True freshmen Bucky Kennedy and Remi Biakabutuka are walk-ons who have been working mostly with the second and third teams in practice.

Sophomores Christian Graham and Quentin Bivens will likely move up the depth chart.

The injuries continue a run of bad luck at running back.  Since the end of last season, the Bulldogs lost 2008 leading rusher Asheton Jordan to personal reasons, Northern Iowa transfer John Shaw to a knee injury and backup running back Cody Wilson, who transferred.

More than 1,000 Show Up for Meet the Bulldogs
More than a thousand people lined the field at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility at Willson Field this past Saturday for the annual "Meet the Bulldogs Day."

The football team scrimmaged for two hours as fans looked on to get a peak at the team as they prepare to open the season at North Carolina on Sept. 5.  The class of 2013 outlined the field and cheered on their fellow Cadets as fans looked on and cheered from nearby bleachers.  Refreshments were available and players gathered in McAlister Field House following the scrimmage for an autograph session.

The Bulldogs scrimmaged without starting quarterback Bart Blanchard and All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts, who both were out with sprained ankles. Redshirt freshman Miguel Starks played with the ones as several receivers had the opportunity to step up and make big plays.

Kevin Higgins Radio Show Begins Sept. 9
The Kevin Higgins Radio Show, hosted by "Voice of the Bulldogs" Darren Goldwater, begins on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and airs from 7-8 pm on ESPN Radio 910-AM and every Wednesday thereafter during the season.

Fans can call in at 843/721-9500 with questions for the coach.

Brad Franco Joins Radio Broadcast Team
Brad Franco, an anchor at Charleston's WCBD-TV 2 (NBC affiliate) has joined The Citadel Radio Network's broadcast team for football.  He will be the sideline reporter (for all games except Princeton) and joins second-year play-by-play man Darren Goldwater and analyst Walt Nadzak, The Citadel's director of athletics from 1985-2000 and a recent inductee of our Hall of Fame.

Franco came to News 2 in August 2001.  Cleveland born and raised, he is the second of four boys. Brad's father, brother, and uncle are firefighters in his hometown of Broadview Heights.

He was a kicker for the 1997 University of Findlay (OH) National Championship football team and graduated with a degree in broadcasting from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Franco is active in sports -- playing softball, golf and whatever else provides him with a challenge.

He joined News 2 Today as an anchor on August 9, 2004.

Coach Higgins Teams with SC Highway Patrol for A Series of Public Service Announcements
Football coach Kevin Higgins recently teamed with the South Carolina Highway Patrol to create several public service announcements that will be seen on local television, heard on radio and seen on SpikeVision at our home football games.  Coach Higgins and Capt. Chris Williamson taped the spots on Aug. 19 at Johnson Hagood Stadium and they promote awareness of the issues that come with drinking and driving.  Stay tuned.

Cross Country Men and Women Picked to Finish 10th in the SoCon Coaches Poll
The Southern Conference coaches have predicted that The Citadel's men and women's cross country teams to finish 10th in the league.

Appalachian State men's team and Samford's women's squad were picked to win the titles at the 2009 Southern Conference Championships, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 31, in Elon, NC.

Former Standout Zach Brown Joins Baseball Staff
The baseball team welcomes the return of Zach Brown to the program as Coach Fred Jordan has added the former first baseman as the staff's volunteer assistant coach.  Brown, a 2007 graduate, returns after a 2½ -year stint in the minor leagues with the San Diego Padres organization.

Brown played in the Arizona League, the Northwest League and the Midwest League after being drafted in the 27th round of the MLB Draft in 2007 by the Padres.

While at The Citadel, Brown played in the infield, the outfield and pitched.  He was a first-team all SoCon selection by both the media and coaches, and was a member of the SoCon All-Tournament team his senior season. The Greenville native was also rated the third-best prospect in the Southern Conference by Baseball America in his final season.

In 2007, Brown put together a solid offensive campaign as he collected several school single season records.  He ranks sixth in runs scored with 67, seventh in total bases with 148, tenth for home runs with 13 and is tied for fifth with 21 doubles.

Brown was named to the Coastal Plains League All-Decade team after his accomplishments with the Thomasville Hi-Toms from 2005-06. He helped lead the Hi-Toms to their first-ever Petitt Cup Championship in '06.

12th Annual Citadel Baseball Golf Tournament Set for Nov. 6
The 12th Annual Citadel Baseball Golf Tournament, with proceeds benefitting The Citadel Baseball Scholarship and the program's travel budget, will be held at Legend Oaks Golf Club on Homecoming Friday, Nov. 6.

Registration at the Summerville course will be held from 8-8:55 a.m. with tee time set for 9 o'clock.  The format is Captain's Choice and the $100 per/person ($400/team) fee includes green and cart fees, beverages, lunch and prizes.

Hole sponsorships are available at $100 each.

For additional information and to sign up, please contact Assistant Coach David Beckley at 843/953-5285 or email him at david.beckley@citadel.edu.

Recent Graduate Matt Crim Named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year
Recent graduate Matt Crim has been named Appalachian League's pitcher of the year as the right-hander recorded a 10-0 record for the season with a 2.61 ERA.

The 21st round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves shattered the franchise record for most wins in a season.  He has 45 strikeouts to go with only eight walks in 62 innings while marking a 2.52 ERA while left-handed batters hit only .077 against the southpaw.

Crim helped the Danville Braves clinch the Eastern Division with a 43-18 record.

Chris McGuiness Promoted to Greenville Drive
Former first baseman Chris McGuiness was promoted last week to the Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League, the Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox's 13th round selection was batting .263 with 16 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBI in 46 games at first base with the Lowell Spinners of the NY-Penn League. Selected as a NY-Penn League All-Star earlier this month, McGuiness set a Spinners franchise record with six straight games with an extra-base hit, part of a 13-game hitting streak from July 17-30.

The Greenville Drive is in the same league as the Charleston RiverDogs but they do not play each other any more this season.

And Finally ...
Here are five notable facts about the Class of 2013:

• U.S. states represented: 39;
• SAT average: 1090;
• Cadets in the top 25 percent of their high school class: 166 (33.5 percent);
• Top major: Business administration (142 cadets), followed by engineering, criminal justice, history and physical education;
• State most students are from: South Carolina (332, or 46 percent of the class), followed by Georgia, North Carolina and Florida.

They Said It:
"It was a great atmosphere here.  It really does a lot for our program.  I share with our players this is one of the few places in the country where you can have this kind of fan support for an intrasquad scrimmage.  It just shows how much people on campus and in the community care about the program and it says a lot about our responsibility to them as well."

• Coach Kevin Higgins, on the huge turnout for Saturday's "Meet the Bulldogs Day."

"... Miguel is doing a better job with where he is going with the football.  His biggest challenge is when he has to make a last-second decision on throwing the ball away or trying to get it to a receiver who might have a chance to make a play."

• Coach Higgins, on backup quarterback Miguel Starks.

"On film, he changed direction very well and caught the ball well, too.  So it will be interesting to see at this level what that translates to.  I think he can run the ball well, but we'll have to get a better feel for his speed.  He's a little bigger than we thought, so we hope that will help him, as well."

• Coach Higgins, on freshman running back Remi Biakabutuka, younger brother of former Ohio State and Carolina Panthers running back Tim Biakabutuka.

"Football is football.  I think the guys here are faster and a little stronger, for sure.  The level of competition is a little higher.  I will have to adjust to that."

• Freshman running back Remi Biakabutuka.

Upcoming Birthdays
Aug. 25 Lt Col William Sharbrough  Faculty Athletics Representative
Aug. 30 Boo IX     Mascot
Sept. 10 Jody Huddleston   Cross Country/Track & Field
Sept. 20 Daryle Wong    Football
Sept. 26 Matt Smith    Sports Medicine
Sept. 28 Lt Gen John Rosa   President

Upcoming Special Events
Aug. 28 Fan Club Breakfast (8 am)  Holliday Alumni Center
Sept. 2  Meet the Bulldogs (Volleyball) McAlister Field House
Oct. 30  Hall of Fame Banquet   Holliday Alumni Center
Nov. 6  Baseball Team's Golf Outing  Legend Oaks Golf Club

Have a Friend Who Might Be Interested?
Today's Blue & White is the sister publication of the The Blue & White, the official publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation that is printed monthly.  In order to receive the printed version, one has to be a member of TCBF.  However, we've opened Today's Blue & White to anyone and everyone who has a computer and who is interested in activities of TCBF and, of course, The Citadel's Department of Athletics.  Today's Blue & White is free.  All one has to do is sign up is to click on this link:  http://www.nmnathletics.com/main/NewsMailSetup.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=
 

Today's Blue & White is the official electronic publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, Inc. with its office located at The Citadel, McAlister Field House, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC  29409 (office 843/953-5277).
Publishers..................Jerry Baker & Larry Leckonby
Editor.....................Andy Solomon
Photographer.............Russ Pace
Layout/Design............Noelle Orr Blaney

The Bulldog Volleyball team begins the 2009 season against Georgia State, High Point, North Carolina Central and UNC Asheville in the Hilton RTP/North Carolina Central University Tournament Aug. 28-29 in Raleigh, N.C. The Citadel enters the 2009 season ranked 6th in the South Division of the Southern Conference Preseason Poll.

"We have a young program, but that doesn't mean that we lack leadership", said Head Coach Carolyn Geiger.  "Our juniors have stepped up and taken on leadership roles. They are taking on responsibilities that include mentoring the freshmen and they are really working hard to improve themselves and this program."

The 2009 slate will bring tough competition for the Bulldogs in both non-conference action and Southern Conference play. The Citadel will play four teams that finished last year ranked in the top 100 of the RPI rankings. 

"The girls know we are looking to see who performs well in practice.  The freshmen are all adjusting well to our system and everyone is contributing.  We have more options as a program this season and we will use the first couple of tournaments to work on those options."

On Friday, Aug. 28, the Bulldogs will face the Georgia State Panthers at 11:00 a.m. followed by defending Big South co-champions High Point at 3:00 p.m. The Citadel will then face host North Carolina Central Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a game against the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville at 5:00 p.m. to conclude the tournament.

"I know our players are anxious and eager to play in our first tournament this weekend.  It should be a great tournament with tough competition, but I think our team is ready to take our preparation and turn it into competition as we start our 2009 season. We have a team full of capable players.  We have height, we have depth, and we have the options.  It is exciting to see the potential of this program this year."