2014Guide.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WELCOME A Message from the Coach Welcome to JMU baseball. We have three goals here at JMU that we strive for year in and year out. 1. To get a great degree from a great university. The academics at JMU are nationally ranked and a degree from JMU is priceless. 2. To win championships. JMU baseball has a storied tradition and has the highest win- ning percentage in the state of Virginia. Most recently in 2008 and 2011, the Dukes won the CAA championship and played well in the NCAA regionals. We have won many regular season championships and have attended several NCAA tournaments, including 1983 when the Diamond Dukes advanced to the College World Series. JMU was the first university in Virginia to reach Omaha.t 3. To play at the next level. JMU leads the state and the CAA in number of players who have had the opportunity to play professional baseball. JMU has produced 87 players in its 44-year existence who have gone on to play professionally, with 12 of those reaching the Major Leagues. In 2010, we moved into brand- new Veterans Memorial Park. The new state-of-the-art facility houses the entire program and all of its needs, includ- ing locker rooms, training rooms, weight room, team room, study hall area, coaches offices, and indoor workout space. The facility is a tremendous step in the growth of our program. It’s an exciting time for JMU baseball as we continue to take great strides to build our program. Go Dukes! Coach Mac 2014 Schedule FEBRUARY APRIL Fri. 14 at East Carolina ...............Greenville, N.C. .......3 p.m. Tues. 1 at Virginia Tech ...............Blacksburg, Va. ....5:30 p.m. Sat. 15 at East Carolina ...............Greenville, N.C. .......2 p.m. Fri. 4 *at Hofstra ...................Hempstead, N.Y. ......3 p.m. Sun. 16 at East Carolina ...............Greenville, N.C. .......1 p.m. Sat. 5 *at Hofstra ...................Hempstead, N.Y. ......1 p.m. Tues. 18 LONGWOOD ..................HOME ...............4 p.m. Sun. 6 *at Hofstra ...................Hempstead, N.Y. ......1 p.m. Fri. 21 BINGHAMTON ................HOME ...............4 p.m. Tues. 8 VIRGINIA ....................HOME ...............5 p.m. Sat. 22 BINGHAMTON (DH) ...........HOME ................Noon Wed. 9 at Radford ....................Radford, Va. ..........6 p.m. Sun. 23 BINGHAMTON ................HOME ...............1 p.m. Fri. 11 *WILLIAM AND MARY .........HOME .............6:30 p.m. Tues. 25 MARYLAND ..................HOME ...............4 p.m. Sat. 12 *WILLIAM AND MARY .........HOME .............6:30 p.m. Caravelle Resort Tournament (TicketReturn.com Field) Sun. 13 *WILLIAM AND MARY .........HOME ...............2 p.m. Tues. 15 at Liberty .....................Lynchburg, Va. .......6 p.m. Fri. 28 vs. Marshall ..................Myrtle Beach, S.C. .10:30 a.m. Fri. 18 *at Charleston ................Charleston, S.C. ......6 p.m. MARCH Sat. 19 *at Charleston ................Charleston, S.C. ......3 p.m. Sat. 1 vs. Rhode Island ..............Myrtle Beach, S.C. ....5 p.m. Sun. 20 *at Charleston ................Charleston, S.C. ......1 p.m. Sun. 2 vs. West Virginia ..............Myrtle Beach, S.C. ..1:30 p.m. Tues. 22 VMI .........................HOME .............6:30 p.m. Wed. 5 at VMI .......................Lexington, Va. ........4 p.m. Fri. 25 *at Towson ...................Towson, Md. .........2 p.m. Fri. 7 SETON HALL .................HOME ...............4 p.m. Sat. 26 *at Towson ...................Towson, Md. .........2 p.m. Sat. 8 SETON HALL .................HOME ...............1 p.m. Sun. 27 *at Towson ...................Towson, Md. .........1 p.m. Sun. 9 SETON HALL .................HOME ...............1 p.m. Tues. 29 at Maryland ..................College Park, Md. .....4 p.m. Tues. 11 at Virginia ....................Charlottesville, Va. ....4 p.m. M AY Sat. 15 CORNELL (DH) ................HOME ................Noon Fri. 2 at Clemson ...................Clemson, S.C. ........7 p.m. Sun. 16 CORNELL .....................HOME ...............1 p.m. Sat. 3 at Clemson ...................Clemson, S.C. .........Noon Tues. 18 LIBERTY .....................HOME ...............4 p.m. Sat. 3 vs. UNLV .....................Clemson, S.C. ........4 p.m. Fri. 21 at St. John’s ..................Queens, N.Y. .........3 p.m. Fri. 9 *NORTHEASTERN .............HOME .............6:30 p.m. Sat. 22 at St. John’s ..................Queens, N.Y. .........1 p.m. Sat. 10 *NORTHEASTERN .............HOME .............6:30 p.m. Sun. 23 at St. John’s ..................Queens, N.Y. .........1 p.m. Sun. 11 *NORTHEASTERN .............HOME ...............2 p.m. Tues. 25 RADFORD ....................HOME ...............4 p.m. Tues. 13 at Longwood .................Farmville, Va. .........4 p.m. Fri. 28 *UNCW ......................HOME .............6:30 p.m. Thur. 15 *at Delaware .................Newark, Del. .........3 p.m. Sat. 29 *UNCW ......................HOME .............6:30 p.m. Fri. 16 *at Delaware .................Newark, Del. .........3 p.m. Sun. 30 *UNCW ......................HOME ...............2 p.m. Sat. 17 *at Delaware .................Newark, Del. .........1 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 21-24 CAA Tournament (Top 6 teams) . Wilmington, N.C. .......TBA 20132014 JMU JMU Baseball Baseball - 1- 1 THIS IS JMU BASEbaLL This is JMU Baseball Past, Present, and Future James Madison University’s baseball program has been in existence for 37 seasons at the NCAA Division I level. In that short amount of time, the program under the direction of first head coach Brad Babcock, head coaches Ray Heatwole and Kevin Anderson, and current head coach Joe “Spanky” McFarland has been a player in the Colonial Athletic Association, regionally and on the national level. With two CAA tournament championships, seven conference regular season championships, nine NCAA regional appearances and a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, the program truly is stacked with winning tradition. Being hidden away in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of western Virginia hasn’t kept professional baseball scouts from discovering the wealth of quality athletes in the JMU baseball program. More than 87 players have had the oppor- tunity to play at the next level, with 12 players reaching Major League Baseball. Teamwork is a staple at JMU, yet there have been several baseball players who have won individual awards along the way. JMU has produced 17 All- Americans, 11 freshmen All-Americans, and 58 All-East Region players. Both Eddie Kim and Kellen Kulbacki were two-time CAA Player of the Year honorees along with 2011 winner Jake Lowery. Kulbacki was tabbed the National Division I Player of the Year after his amazing 2006 season while Lowery was named National Hitter of the Year and the Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation’s top catcher. With the CAA celebrating its 25th year in 2010, Kulbacki, Kim, Greg Miller, and Dana Allison were named to the league’s 25th anniversary team. Academically, JMU has grown from a small regional college to a national university that is highly rated by all of the publications whose job it is to rank the various aspects of higher education. Going into the 2014 season, 20 of 32 players return from a squad that finished top four in the nation in scoring and batting average. The Dukes return four field starters, expected to reside in the first four spots in the lineup. On the mound, a junior- and sophomore-dominated squad returns three starting pitchers and features at least a handful of pitchers capable of firing 90 miles per hour or more. The fall season was tremendously successful, on the field, in the classroom, and in the weight room, as the present team as a group got after it and worked extremely hard. It’s not easy to be a member of the JMU baseball program. There are 6 a.m. work- outs, challenging academics, and long, hard practices that will test even the most committed. The lessons learned are invaluable and will carry you through life. The future of the JMU baseball program is bright. This year will be the fifth for a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park. The coaches’ offices, locker room, team room, weight room, training room and indoor practice facil- ity are located in Memorial Hall, which is located about 100 yards from the stadium. This facility offers everything James Madison University needs to take a leap forward in the national rankings in baseball. I invite you to learn more about our program by visiting our web page at JMUSports.com or by attending one of our outstanding summer or winter camps. My staff and I look forward to spending time with you as you make your academic and athletic choices in the near future. Sincerely, Coach Mac Joe “Spanky” McFarland, Head Coach 20142013 JMU JMU Baseball Baseball - 2 - 2 THIS IS JMU BASEbaLL 20132014 JMU JMU Baseball Baseball - 3- 3 VETER ANS MEMORIAL PARK • In the early spring of 2010, JMU completed con- struction on a $9.5 million baseball and softball complex located next to Memorial Hall. • Project included a $1 million interior renova- tion to Memorial Hall that covered new offices for coaches, locker rooms, team rooms, areas for strength and conditioning as well as sports medicine, indoor practice space, and batting cages. • Stadium includes lights, press box, sunken dug- outs, chair-back seating, and a state-of-the-art sound system. • Playing surface consists entirely of Field turf with the exception of pitching mound and home plate. • Built on the same site as the old Veterans Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1949. The stadium name endured in order to honor all veterans of foreign wars from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. • Facility entrance includes a monument to war veterans. The monument was dedicated on Veterans Day weekend in the Fall of 2009. • The playing surface was dedicated as Eagle Field on April 10, 2010 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The field is named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Eagle, former mayor of Harrisonburg. “Our new facility is one of the top facilities in the CAA and the entire Mid-Atlantic region.