Pilots Unveil 2008 Baseball Schedule
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Pilots Unveil 2008 Baseball Schedule NOVEMBER 16, 2007 Shreveport, La. - LSUS baseball head coach Rocke Musgraves announced the Pilots 2008 schedule Friday. The 55- game regular season slate includes 30 games at Pilot Field, including a non-conference doubleheader versus the NAIA Preseason #18 Texas Wesleyan Rams on Mar. 4. "I am extremely excited about the schedule that we have been able to put together for the 2008 season," said Musgraves. "Our non-conference schedule features NCAA Division-1 Houston Baptist University, NCAA Division-2 perennial power Southern Arkansas and a home-and-away doubleheader with Texas Wesleyan who is ranked #18 in the NAIA." The Pilots open the 2008 season with eight consecutive road games, starting with a three-game conference series Jan. 26-27 against Loyola in New Orleans. The Pilots will then travel to Mobile Feb. 1-2 for three more games against a GCAC opponent, Spring Hill College. "The GCAC will be as tough as ever, which will make for a very challenging opening week for our baseball team," added Musgraves. "It's tough enough to start the season on the road, much less beginning it with two conference opponents on their home turf. It definitely adds excitement to the start of the season, knowing that you are playing for a conference title right out of the gate." Following the two conference series to open the season, the Pilots will face NCAA Division-1 newcomer Houston Baptist University in a doubleheader on Feb. 5. The HBU Huskies, formerly of the NAIA, finished last season 43-21 and advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA World Series. The Pilots open up their 2008 home schedule with a 12 game home stand, beginning with the 2007 GCAC regular season champion Belhaven Blazers on Feb. 8-9. Louisiana College will visit Pilot Field on Feb. 12, while Tougaloo College will come to Shreveport for a three-game conference weekend series versus the Pilots on Feb. 15-16. A non-conference doubleheader with perennial NCAA Division-2 power Southern Arkansas (Feb. 19) and a three-game series with LSU- Alexandria (Feb. 22-23) round out the home stand. Following the home stand, the Pilots will travel to Hattiesburg for three games versus conference rival William Carey University (Feb. 29-Mar. 1). After a brief visit to Pilot Field by the aforementioned Texas Wesleyan Rams, the Pilots will once again hit the road for another GCAC weekend series. The University of Mobile will host the Pilots for one game on Friday and two more games on Saturday, Mar. 8. The Pilots return to Shreveport for a six-game home stand that includes two GCAC rematches versus Loyola on Mar. 15- 16 and Spring Hill on Mar. 21-26, but not before the LSUS Alumni game on Friday, Mar. 14. On Mar. 25, LSUS will travel down I-49 to face LSUA for the fourth and fifth time on the 2008 season, before returning home the next day to play Texas College of the Red River Conference. The Pilots will then begin an eight-game road swing at Belhaven on Mar. 28-29 for what could be a very pivotal GCAC weekend series in determining this year's conference champion. Following the always tough conference series with Belhaven, things don't get any easier for the Pilots on the road as they travel to Fort Worth for a doubleheader versus Texas Wesleyan on Apr. 1. LSUS will conclude the road swing after three games at Tougaloo on Apr. 4-5. LSUS will play host to Wiley College on Apr. 8 and travel to Pineville on Apr. 14 for another game with Louisiana College before returning home to close out the regular season with eight consecutive games at Pilot Field. The Pilots will begin the home stand with another three-game series versus the William Carey Crusaders on Apr. 18-19. Northwood University will visit for a doubleheader on Apr. 22, with the University of Mobile coming in for the final conference series of the season on Apr. 25-26. The 2008 GCAC Tournament is scheduled for Apr. 30-May 3 in Mobile. The 2008 Region XIII Tournament will begin on May 6 at a site to be determined. Pilots Ranked #11 in NAIA Preseason Baseball Poll NOVEMBER 15, 2007 Shreveport, La. - On Wednesday, the NAIA released its 2007-08 NAIA Preseason Baseball Top 25 poll with the LSUS Pilots entering the 2008 season ranked #11. In 2007, LSUS captured the GCAC tournament title and advanced to the Region XIII tournament. The Pilots finished the season with an overall record of 40-15 and were ranked #21 in the final 2007 Top 25 poll. LSUS enters the 2008 season with high expectations as they look to build on the program's success over the last several years. The Pilots will begin the 2008 season on the road in a conference match-up with Loyola-New Orleans on January 26. A complete 2008 season schedule and 2008 team roster will be released later this week. LSUS Baseball Mourns the Loss of Dr. Robert Boston OCTOBER 16, 2007 Shreveport, La. - Dr. Robert "Doc" Boston, a mentor and consultant for the LSUS baseball team, passed away late Monday evening due to respiratory failure. Doc was a beloved member of the LSUS baseball program who sacrificed many hours per day to spend time with what he called "his boys." Doc spoke words of encouragment and advice to the LSUS baseball team before every practice and every game. "Doc Boston touched our baseball family in so many ways," commented LSUS Head Baseball Coach Rocke Musgraves. "His love for young athletes and our entire baseball team was completely unselfish. To put it simply, he made us all better people." A memorial service to honor and remember Doc's life and the impact he made in so many athletes' lives will take place at 2:00 P.M on Monday, October 22. The service will be held at Springs of Grace Baptist Church in Shreveport. Doc Boston was 81 years old. Summer Roundup: Baseball AUGUST 10, 2007 Over the past six years, the LSUS baseball team has averaged over 40 wins a season. During that period, the Pilot program has seen its teams advance to a College World Series, win a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title, and have 23 players selected as a GCAC All-Conference performer. The recent success on the baseball diamond for the Pilots is a direct reflection of all the hard work and time each LSUS player and coach puts in during the off-season. If this summer is any indication of things to come at LSUS, expect more championships! The following stories are just a few updates on what several current and former Pilots have been doing this summer: Summer Baseball a Success for Several Pilot Players – In case you didn’t know, baseball is a year-round sport! For members of the LSUS Pilot baseball team, it all begins in the fall at LSUS, and then it ends somewhere late in the summer. That somewhere for several Pilot players includes: Wichita, Kansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Minden, Louisiana; and even Alberta, Canada. Pilot first baseman Quenton Shamsabady competed this summer for the Wichita Wheat Kings of the Walter Johnson League. Shamsabady had a very productive summer at the plate, leading the league in batting average (.368). Shamsabady was also selected as an All-league performer by the coaches. Current Pilots Josh Todd and Jacob Watkins played their summer ball for the Gametime Rockies. The Gametime Rockies were a first-year summer team that competed in the Cotton States Collegiate League, and they were coached by former Captain Shreve Head Coach Ronnie Coker. The Rockies won the regular season league championship, and advanced to the championship game of the regional tournament. Todd and Watkins were also joined on the team by two members of the Pilots’ 2008 signing class, Craig Barnes (University of Louisiana - Monroe) and Joey Ford (Northeast Texas CC). The Pilot baseball team was also represented this summer outside of the United States. Pilot first baseman Brian Stebbings played for the Okotoks Dawgs of the Western Major Baseball League in Alberta, Canada. Stebbings, a native of Canada, made the trek to Alberta this summer to play in a highly competitive baseball league with hopes that it will pay off for him in the fall. Pilots in Professional Baseball – May 9, 2007 marked the end of several former LSUS Pilots collegiate baseball careers. However, due in large part to their success in a Pilot uniform, four members of the 2007 LSUS baseball team have continued their playing careers by signing professional contracts. Former Pilot third baseman Bryan Cooksey signed with the Shreveport Sports of the American Association of Independent Baseball League shortly after the Pilots were eliminated from the Region XIII baseball tournament. Joining Cooksey as members of the local professional baseball club were former Pilot pitchers Matt Clayman and Daniel Welch. Although they are just rookies, Clayman and Welch are both considered to be two of the best pitchers on the Sports’ staff. On June 15, former Pilot center fielder Chris Frye signed a professional contract with the Houston Astros. Frye, a 2007 All-Conference performer at LSUS, is currently playing for the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy, New York. Frye is hitting over .280 in his last ten games for the Class A Houston Astros affiliate. Other former Pilots in professional baseball are Derek Cunningham (’05) and Dusty Maddox (’06). Both are also on the Shreveport Sports roster for the 2007 season.