Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday
March 29,
2006
Braves win three of four against Valdosta State
By Nicholas Kirby
Sports Editor
nk irbv 1 @ my. westga.ed u
The softball team
began conference play
with a bang over spring
break as they went down to
Valdosta and defeated the
Valdosta State Blazers in
three of four games.
Before the team took
the trip South, they played a
home game with Kentucky
State on March 16. The
Braves won the game 7-0.
The first of two
games against the Blazers
on Wednesday did not
begin well for the Braves.
Valdosta State managed
to push across three runs
in the first three innings.
West Georgia would
cut the lead to one in their
half of the fourth only
to see the Blazers push
it back to three in the
bottom of the inning.
The Braves were
still down by two when
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Photo by Vanessa Wade
Opinion
Who's afraid of
the big , M Mete ?
By Nicholas Kirby
Sports Editor
nkirbyl @ my.westga.edu
Their roster looks
like it could be that of
an All-Star team. Tom
Glavine, Pedro Martinez,
Carlos Delgado, Cliff
Floyd, Billy Wagner and
the list goes on. But will
the New York Mets be
able to end Atlanta’s 14-
year reign on top of the
NL East?
Not likely.
It’s become an
annual rite of spring.
Every year, the Braves’
demise is predicted, and
every year, the Braves
still manage to win their
division. You would think
people would learn not
to bet against Atlanta,
but once again, many
baseball writers, analysts,
and commentators are all
predicting that the Braves
will falter.
On paper, the Mets
are an excellent team.
However, they have not
been able to do something
Sports
they came to bat in the
seventh. The inning began
innocently enough with
Celia Petty reaching on
an error and Mary Carlisle
being hit by a pitch to put
runners on first and second
with no outs.
Kim Weaver then
stepped to the plate and
delivered a go-ahead three
run homer to center field.
Braves’ starter Kacie Crider
held the Blazers at bay in
the bottom of the seventh
and the Braves won the
opening game 6-4.
It was the Blazers turn
to supply the offense in the
second game. Valdosta State
turned a pair of homers and
10 hits into seven runs,
while the Blazers’ starter
held the Braves to three
runs on eight hits in the 7-3
Valdosta win.
The bats returned for
the Braves on Thursday.
Carlisle began the opener
with a solo shot to left
to put the Braves up one
the Braves have done so
well for the past 14 years.
They simply cannot turn
outstanding players into
an outstanding team.
The Braves have been
able to do so, and it has
transpired into more than
a decade of domination in
the division. All the credit
in the world for this must
be given to their manager,
Bobby Cox.
Somehow, Cox has
been able to seemingly
work miracles every year
to turn 25 guys into a good
team. Pitching Coach Leo
Mazzone will not be by
his side this year, but the
Braves will probably win
90-95 games this year,
because there is no better
skipper in baseball.
So what if the Braves
spring training record is
terrible? When did spring
training ever matter
anyway? When October
rolls around this year,
there will be one team
and only one team on top
of the NL East, and it is
not going to be the Mets.
early. West Georgia would
score four runs in both
the third and sixth inning
to give them more than
enough run support for
Crider. Crider held the
Blazers to only four runs
on eight hits to pick up her
10th win of the year. The
Braves won the opening
game 9-4.
Jessie Wise and
Adrienne Clay both had
three RBl’s in the game.
Weaver hit her team
leading eighth homerun
in the second game in a
fifth inning that saw the
Braves strike for seven
of their nine runs. West
Georgia got plenty of help
from a Blazers’ defense
that committed five errors
in the game, leading to
three unearned runs.
The Braves also won the
nightcap 9-4.
West Georgia now
improves to 17-14 on the
year and 3-1 in Gulf South
Conference play.
Basketball stars Ellis, Ford
named to All-American team
By Nicholas Kirby
Sports Editor
nkirbyl @ my.westga.edu
Seniors Michael
Ford and Tai Ellis have
both been recognized for
their outstanding play for
their respective teams in
the 2005-06 basketball
season. Now, both can add
the All-American award
to their seemingly endless
list of honors.
Michael Ford
Ford was named as a
third team All-American.
He averaged 24.6 points
per-game for the men’s
basketball team this year,
which was the highest
average in the Gulf South
Conference and third best
in the nation.
He led the team with
90 assists and was almost
automatic from the free
throw line, as he hit nearly
85 percent of his attempts.
In January, Ford put
up 49 points against North
Alabama and tied a school
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Photo by Daniel Brown
(Above) Freshman Kim Weaver scores in the seventh inning against Kentucky State.
(Bottom left) Adrienne Clay slides safely into second as Kentucky State's Mary Driver
loses sight of the ball. (Bottom right) Freshman Kacie Crider delivers a pitch in the
same game. Crider tossed a complete game shutout and allowed only three hits.
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Photo h\ Daniel Brown
record in the process. The
49 points was also the
most ever scored in a game
between two GSC teams.
During the season.
: :
Tai Ellis
Ford received GSC
East player of the week
honors three times. Ford
was also named to the
All-Conference and All-
Region teams for his
performance last year.
He becomes the
15th All-American in the
West Georgia basketball
program's history. The
last time a West Georgia
UWG Softball
@Oil Park Field
Thurs. 3 p.m. vs. West Alabama (DH)
men’s basketball player
was named as an All-
American was 1999, w hen
Curtis Pass received the
honor.
Michael Ford
photos courtesy of uwghraves.com
Tai Ellis
Ellis earned a spot as
an All-American second
team member. Her scoring
average of 21.6 points
per-game was best in
conference and the South
region. It also ranked as
eighth best in the country.
She became the
first women’s basketball
player in 15 years to score
more than 600 points in
a season, and her career
total of 1,513 points puts
her at seventh on the all
time West Georgia list for
career points.
Aside from the All-
American honor, Ellis has
also been named to the
All-Conference and All-
Region teams. She was
selected as player of the
year in both the Gulf South
and the South Region.
Ellis also received GSC
East player of the week
honors four times last
season.
Ellis is the seventh
women’s basketball
player in West Georgia
history to be named an
All-American. The last
time someone from the
women’s program was
named as an All-American
was Rozetha Burrow in
1994.
The award is voted
on by Sports Information
Directors at Division
II schools across the
country.