Today's Blue and White, June 10, 2011

Today’s Blue & White

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation’s Official Electronic Newsletter

Friday, June 10, 2010

First Pitch!

Although Summer School is in session, it is relatively quiet on campus but there’s always something occurring in the Department of Athletics.

Congratulations are extended to sprinter Brunson Miller for his participation in the NCAA East Regionals and to tennis player Josh Cook and soccer player Shanna Couch who were selected as recipients of the league’s Coleman Lew Leadership Award.  In other highlights, pitcher Matt Talley was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and Jesse Jackson received a Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Conference. 

Former athletes Kevin Hammack (basketball) and Raleigh Jackson (football) have returned to campus to serve as assistant coaches while the department welcomes Buddy Wellman as our new compliance coordinator. 

As expected, we have another packed issue of news and notes, so enjoy and Go Bulldogs!!!

Brunson Miller Narrowly Misses National Quarterfinals

Sophomore Brunson Miller fell just short of advancing to the national quarterfinal after posting a time of 48.19 in the 400m dash in the preliminary round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Regional on Thursday, May 26. 

Miller finished the event in 29th place out of 47 competitors, just missing the top-24 qualifying mark by two tenths of a second. 

The Murrells Inlet, S.C., native concludes his sophomore campaign with three Southern Conference titles, with the crown in the 400m dash in both the indoor and outdoor championship, as well as with the 4x400m relay team during the indoor season.  The three titles extended Miller's collection to a total of six in two seasons in a Citadel uniform. 

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSports.com. 

Jesse B. Jackson Is One of the 12 Recipients of the Southern Conference’s 2011 Distinguished Service Award

The Southern Conference has announced that Jesse B. Jackson is one of the 12 recipients of the league’s 2011 Distinguished Service Award.  Each member institution selects an honoree based on that person’s contribution to the institution.  Each award winner was honored for their contributions at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Charleston on June 1. 

A native of rural Hickory Tavern, Jackson was the first in his family to earn a college degree when he graduated from The Citadel in 1980.  Following his father’s advice of “play sports, get involved, but do well in class first,” Jackson has always had a great admiration for the student-athletes who are able to succeed on the field and in the classroom.  With his loyalty to his alma mater, Jackson donated $1 million to The Citadel for football and baseball scholarships.  In 2010, Jackson was presented with the Society 1842 medal, celebrating his generosity by inducting him into The Citadel’s most prestigious lifetime giving society. 

The Distinguished Service Award program was started in 2002 as a way for the Southern Conference to recognize those individuals from its member institutions who have contributed to all aspects of the university. 

Here is The Citadel’s list of past recipients of the Distinguished Service Award: 

2011 – Jesse Jackson ‘80

2010 – Bill Schupp ‘62

2009 – Bill Sansom ‘64

2008 – Dr. Sam Pearson ‘55

2007 – Gene Moore III ‘50

2006 – Tom McQueeney ‘74

2005 – Dr. Kenny Caldwell ‘79

2004 – Gene Brooker ‘68

2003 – Julian Frasier ‘59 

Cook and Couch Named Coleman Lew Leadership Award Winners

Tennis player Josh Cook and soccer player Shanna Couch have been selected as recipients of the 6th Annual Coleman Lew Leadership Award as announced by Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc., an international executive search firm, and the Southern Conference. 

The award recognizes 25 student-athletes annually from each of the league's 12 member institutions.  Coaches, faculty athletic representatives and senior woman administrators nominate prospective candidates based on leadership, academic excellence and athletic achievement in both the college environment and the community. Athletics directors and representatives from Coleman Lew & Associates conducted one-on-one interviews with the finalists before determining the award winners.

Cook, a rising senior, currently holds a 3.94 cumulative grade point average as a civil engineering major.  For his efforts in the classroom, the 2011 team captain earned Spring Semester Academic All-Conference honors in 2010 and is projected to do so this season. The Youngstown, Ohio native joined his teammates in their annual “Bulldogs in the Community” service project.  This season the team visited the MUSC Children's Hospital and delivered gifts to the children from their wish list and participated in arts and crafts projects.

Couch, also a rising senior, completed the 2010-11 academic year with a 4.0 cumulative GPA as a health, exercise and sport science major. The Kansas City, Kan., native aided the soccer team in their most successful season since its inception in 2001 as the team finished with a 12-8-1 overall record and 7-4 in the SoCon, where they finished third overall and made their first appearance in postseason action.  Couch, a midfielder, has also been selected to the 2010 NSCAA Scholar All-South Region honorable mention team, the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District women's third team for District 3 and the 2010 SoCon Fall Semester Academic All-Conference team.

They were recognized at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner on Wednesday, June 1 at the Charleston Marriott.

Atlanta Braves Draft Matt Talley

Matt Talley was selected by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday with the 866^th overall pick in the 28th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. 

After being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 25^th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Talley elected to return to school for his senior season and complete his civil engineering degree.  He leaves The Citadel ranked fifth all-time in career innings pitched with 300.0 and in career starts with 48. 

The southpaw was named the preseason Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2011 after earning All-Region honors at the NCAA Regional in Columbia in 2010 when he picked up the win over No. 16 Virginia Tech as he allowed just two runs in 7.0 innings of work in the upset of the Hokies.  Talley collected 21 career victories in 62 appearances with the Bulldogs that included 235 career strikeouts, four complete games and a pair of shutouts.

Talley becomes the 27^th draft pick selected during Fred Jordan's 20-year tenure and is the 17^th pitcher drafted in that span.

Talley becomes the fifth player selected by the Braves from The Citadel and the first since Matt Crim was taken in the 21st round of the 2009 draft by Atlanta. 

Buddy Wellman Joins Administrative Staff

Buddy Wellman has joined the Athletic Department as the new compliance coordinator. 

Since 2006 Wellman has served for seven years as the Coordinator of Student Services at the University of Florida, where he performed several compliance and student-athlete eligibility responsibilities, including serving as UF’s liaison to the NCAA Eligibility Center, evaluating prospect’s initial-eligibility, maintaining athletic scholarship information and squad lists.  He also assisted with student-athlete academic and financial aid matters.

Wellman also has previous experience as the football recruiting assistant at SMU, a compliance intern at UC-Riverside and worked for four years as a staff accountant.  He is a native Southern Californian who played football and baseball while at the University of Redlands and later earned his master’s degree at Azusa Pacific.  Buddy’s wife, Ashley, will also be joining The Citadel as an Assistant Professor of Criminology this fall. 

Raleigh Jackson Returns to Coach Tight Ends

Coach Kevin Higgins has announced that former player Raleigh Jackson '07 will return to his alma mater as the new tight ends coach.  In addition, Bill Mottola of Miami (Ohio) University has been selected as the new slot back coach as Higgins promoted offensive line coach Bob Bodine to offensive coordinator. 

Jackson, who played linebacker for The Citadel from 2003-06, started all 11 games as a senior and helped lead the Bulldogs to their first Southern Conference winning record in 15 years, as the Cadets went 4-3 in 2006.  Originally from Orangeburg, Jackson spent the last three seasons at Missouri Southern State, where he guided the linebackers and defensive line.  

Jackson previously worked at Goose Creek High, where he coached under former Baylor coach Chuck Reedy.  Jackson served as the defensive ends coach and assisted with special teams.

Assistant coach Nathaniel Hogge, who previously coached the tight ends, will now coach the wide receivers.  Mottola, who will be coaching the slot backs, replaces former offensive coordinator Tommy Laurendine, who accepted a head coaching position at University of the South (Sewanee) in the spring.

Mottola, a 1989 graduate of Springfield College (Mass.), has coached every offensive position during his career.  His coaching resume includes stops at Maine Maritime Academy, Vanderbilt, University of the South, West Point, Western Kentucky and Kent State.  He most recently coached the offensive line at Miami University.

In 1995, Mottola took his coaching career to the United States Military Academy in West Point, where he coached tight ends for three seasons and the offensive line for two.

Kevin Hammack Joins Basketball Staff

Former standout guard Kevin Hammack has been hired as the graduate assistant for the 2011-12 basketball season.  He replaces Justin Argenal, who in April accepted a similar position at Louisiana Tech University.

During his playing days at The Citadel (2002-07), Hammack earned the starting nod in 107 of 118 contests, converted 133 3-point field goals, grabbed 457 rebounds, dished out 432 assists and scored 1,237 points.  He still holds the program record for career steals (223) and is responsible for more assists (134) than any other Citadel freshman since the 1972-73 season, when the NCAA unilaterally granted freshmen eligibility.

Hammack joins the Bulldogs after spending the last season at Mount Olive College.  While there he served as assistant coach and junior varsity head coach, focusing on academic success as well as the recruiting of Northern Virginia and Maryland.  The Trojans were 14-13 and extended their string of consecutive winning seasons to nine by virtue of winning four of their final six contests. 

The graduate assistant position at The Citadel allows Hammack to focus on the creation of The Citadel Basketball Players Association, travel plans and other game operation responsibilities for the 2011-12 season.  He will also coordinate upcoming Chuck Driesell Basketball Camps. 

A native of Baltimore, Md., Hammack earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from The Citadel in 2007 and is currently seeking a master of arts in teaching. 

Seven Players Participate in Summer Baseball Leagues

Seven members of The Citadel baseball team began playing recently in various summer leagues across the state.

Austin Pritcher, the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Month in February and Joe Jackson, who was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team, will be playing together with the Columbia Blowfish of the Coastal Plains League.  

After seeing his first action with the Bulldogs in May, Ryan Hines will play for the Spartanburg Spartans in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.  In the same league, Logan Cribb will be playing for the Carolina Stingers near home in Fort Mill.

A trio of Bulldogs who just completed their freshman year will be playing together on the North Charleston Dixie Majors as Bryce Hines, Ryan Kilgallen and Hughston Armstrong team to play together.

Baseball Inks Seven Players

Coach Fred Jordan announced seven additional players to the 2011-12 season, bringing the total number of incoming student-athletes in the fall to 13.

The new additions feature three infielders, an outfielder, a catcher and two pitchers.  They join Kevin Connell, James Reeves, Bailey Rush, Bo Thompson, Brett Tompkins and Connor Walsh, who were announced in January.

Michael Cetta is a right-handed pitcher from Miami, Fla. (Miami Palmetto High).  He is a four-year letterman who had a 10-2 record with a 2.10 ERA, 130 strikeouts in 98.0 career innings.  Was named to the ‘11 Florida Coaches Association All-Star team and was a preseason ‘11 Under Armour All-American.

Mason Davis is an infielder from Conyers, Ga. (Redan High) who was a four-year letterman who batted .340 with 21 steals.  He received a Gold Glove Award at a Rockies Summer Camp and was selected to the Georgia High School All-Star Game.

Hayden Hendry is an outfielder from Clover (Clover High) who also was a four-year letterman.  He holds the Clover High record for most career hits and extra base hits and is also a four-year all-region selection.  He batted .376 with seven home runs for his career.

Zach Sherrill, an outfielder from Sumter’s Wilson Hall Academy, who was a four-year letterman that attained all-region and all-state honors in ‘11.  The team won the 3A SCISA State Championship and Sherrill had a batting average of .467 with nine home runs and 42 RBI for the season.  He was a member of the team that won the 2010 American Legion State Championship and was selected to the SCISA All-Star Game.

Corey Smith is a catcher from Concord, N.C. (Concord High) who earned all-conference honors as three-year letterman.  He is a switch-hitter with a career average of .350, six homers, two grand slams, 19 doubles and 40 RBI.

Jonathan Stokes is an infielder from Cheraw (Cheraw High) where he earned all-region honors all four years and was selected to the all-state team three times.  He is a two-time team MVP and a gold glove recipient who possesses a career batting average of .450 with 23 home runs and 80 RBI.  Stokes was selected to play in North/South Senior All-Star Game.

Ross White is a left-handed pitcher from Marion (Marion High) who was also a four-year letterman that was named to all-region and all-state teams in ’10.  He participated on the region and district championship teams in 2009 and recorded a 17-8 mark while being selected to play in North/South Senior All-Star Game.

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSports.com

Rifle Team Releases Schedule

The rifle team released their schedule for the 2011-12 season, and the Bulldogs will host 10 matches at the Inouye Marksmanship Center, including two Southeastern Air Rifle Conference (SEARC) matches and the SEARC Championships.

The Bulldogs, which won their first SEARC Championship in more than a decade this past season, will look to start conference competition strong on the road in Dahlonega, Ga., where they will compete in the first of seven conference matchups on Oct. 1. 

SEARC competition consists of the same 10 teams: Augusta State, Birmingham-Southern, Clemson, Georgia Military College, Georgia Tech, Mercer, NC State, North Georgia College, The Citadel and Wofford.

The schedule also features NCAA open matches that consist of three teams from the eight that qualify for the NCAA Rifle Championships including University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Texas Christian University and Jacksonville State.  The Bulldogs also face Nevada-Reno and the Air Force Academy.

The Bulldogs will face teams that combine for 11 NCAA National Championships over the last 30 years, with the most recent coming in 2010 when TCU took the national title.

For more information, please refer to www.CitadelSports.com. 

Have Your Battalion Salute You

You may or may not have been the most popular cadet in your battalion during your years at The Citadel, but now you can be while having your entire battalion salute you.  To get your battalion behind you through a personalized print, all one has to do is join (or re-join) The Citadel Brigadier Foundation before June 30.  Have your company salute you on the quad with your name and class year by calling us at 843/953-5277.  

Want to Keep Up With Citadel Athletics?

Fans have the opportunity to follow all the action of The Citadel Bulldogs by joining Twitter and Facebook for your round-the-clock news on Citadel athletics.

To join other loyal fans on Twitter, visit: http://twitter.com/CitadelSports and to become a devotee of the Bulldogs on Facebook, visit: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Citadel-Sports/108617202526805?ref=ts.  And, as always, we’re updated on www.CitadelSports.com. 

Bulldog Business Partners

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation has started the “Bulldog Business Partners” for the 2010-11 academic year and the first to sign up are:

• Charleston Comfort Inn
• Charleston Crab House/Palmetto Ale House
• Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub
• Hawthorne Suites
• Lutheran Hospice
• Piggly Wiggly
• Kevin Shealy, Allstate Insurance
• Sleep-Inn / Mt. Pleasant
• South Carolina Federal Credit Union 

We encourage you to please stop by and thank our supporters.  If you want more information on how your business can partner with The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, please call us at 843/953-5277.

May/June Birthdays

June 19            Josh Conklin                           Football

June 27            Rob Hjerling                           Wrestling 

They Said It:

"We both were disappointed with the outcome, but he did the best he could.  It was raining, 56 degrees with windy conditions, just not great for any of the runners. … Brunson is just a sophomore and we plan to come back two more times. It was a good experience for him and it gives us something to build on for the future.”

• Veteran track and field coach Jody Huddleston, on sophomore Brunson Miller’s participation in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Regional in Indianapolis, IN.

"I am disappointed.  It was my goal to make it through this round, but it just wasn't my day.  All I can do is build motivation for next year.  Next year, my junior season, is the year to start doing better things."

• Brunson Miller, after participating the in NCAA East Regionals.

“Well, being at The Citadel has taught me how to be disciplined; how to have character and integrity.  (It) just taught me a lot of discipline and just being respectful.  It has taught me a lot, (like) how to deal with certain situations, how to persevere, how to deal with adversity and just being there has made me a better person and a better man.”

• Former defensive back Cortez Allen, recently drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, in an interview with NFL Mocks.

"I am very excited to get drafted by the Atlanta Braves. Growing up in South Carolina and in Braves territory, it's hard not to watch what is going on over there and all the success they have had.  The process was certainly nerve racking, but it will be nice to be playing close to family and friends and to have a former teammate in Matt Crim already in the Braves system.  Last summer was a tough decision, but I didn't want to waste the work I had put into my degree at The Citadel.  It's such an accomplishment to get a degree from here and it certainly is nice to leave with a conference championship."

• Pitcher Matt Talley, on being drafted by the Atlanta Braves.

Upcoming Events

June 16                        TCBF Coaches Night: Summerville

June 23                        Breakaway Twilight Series @Maybank Triplets Facility

July 7                           Breakaway Twilight Series @Maybank Triplets Facility

Aug. 20                       “Meet the Bulldogs (Football)” @Maybank Triplets Facility

William Wilson 5K Walk/Run @Columbia

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

Layout…………………Jeremy Helms