Mount Olive College • 2008 DII National Champions

Team Spotlight: Mount Olive College 2008 DII National Champions

Editorial and Photos courtesy of David Shulimson - Mt. Olive Athletics the National Finals. But the Trojans could manage only one run in 18 innings in two losses to eventual regional champion Columbus State. hat’s something you always dream of, but unless you’re The Trojans would graduate five All-Americans, including actually playing for the national championship every Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year Tom Layne. Layne “Tyear, it’s not something you actually imagine happening (Diamondbacks) and outfielder Scott Houin (Brewers) are currently in to you,” said head baseball coach Carl Lancaster. their third year with Major League Baseball organizations. Guess what, coach – it happened. But the Trojans would return Lovett, Hodges and four more starting A season that seemed to start with more questions than answers position players in 2008. Mount Olive would also get back a not only included the first-ever No. 1 national ranking in school histo- pitcher/outfielder who missed 2007 with an injury and a pitcher who ry, a school record for wins and an appearance on an ESPN televi- missed the better part of three full seasons due to Tommy John sur- sion program, but ended with Mount Olive’s first-ever national cham- gery. How the returning players would mesh with a crop of junior col- pionship in any sport. lege transfers, along with a pair of pitchers transferring from four-year Mount Olive finished with an overall record of 58-6 and defeated colleges remained to be seen. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 6-2 in the Championship Game of the 2008 Opening Weekend NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals. Mount Olive was ranked No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Following is a timeline of the Trojans’ march to a national champi- Preseason Poll and No. 6 in the Ping Baseball Preseason Poll, the onship, starting with disappointment from the previous season. Trojans’ first preseason top 10 ranking since 2000. But the Trojans had Unfinished Business a daunting season opener, playing host to Tusculum for a three-game The 2007 season, at the time, was the greatest season in Mount non-conference series. Tusculum was ranked No. 6 in the Collegiate Olive baseball history. The Trojans were ranked No. 1 in the South Baseball Preseason Poll and No. 2 in the Ping Baseball Preseason Atlantic Region and became the first Mount Olive team to host an Poll. NCAA Regional. The Trojans set a school single-season record for It wasn’t necessarily a make-or-break series for Mount Olive, but it wins, the record-setting 49th win coming in spectacular fashion. could mark the difference between pushing towards No. 1 and trying Junior first baseman Erik Lovett was named the Daktronics to make its way back to the top 10. Division II Baseball Player of the Year. Lovett, who would finish his Hodges took the mound in the opener and limited Tusculum to two career as the Trojans’ all-time home run leader, ranked in the top 10 runs on five hits in six innings, but left with the game tied 2-2. The in the nation in 2007 in all three triple-crown categories. Trojans scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh on a What came to be known as “Casey’s Masterpiece,” junior pitcher balk and held on to win 3-2. Todd Jeffreys, who would figure promi- Casey Hodges tossed a one-hit shutout over nationally sixth-ranked nently in the Trojans’ final home game of the season, pitched two Georgia College and State in the third round of the regional. Hodges scoreless innings of relief for the win. allowed only a third-inning bunt single and retired the final 19 batters Game two also had its share of drama as the Trojans had to rally he faced. from a two-run deficit to tie the game 4-4. Junior college transfer and Mount Olive needed only one win on the final day to advance to Mohawk-clad Alex Vertcnik broke the tie with a two-run double and the

Page 48 • Baseball The Magazine • Issue 2 2009 Trojans won 6-4. Ryan Schlecht, a senior The Streak transfer from Division I Charleston Southern, Like most streaks, Mount Olive’s winning streak started inconspicuously enough: a three- pitched four scoreless innings of relief for the game non-conference series sweep and a doubleheader sweep, and the Trojans had a mod- win. Schlecht would not make another relief est six-game winning streak. The streak reached double-digits after taking a pair of double- appearance until NCAA post-season. headers against Shippensburg, a team that would also reach the Division II National Finals. Tusculum avoided the series sweep with a Game two of the first doubleheader against Shippensburg ended in unusual fashion: a 9-5 win in the finale, but the two wins were ninth-inning walk-off balk. The Trojans posted back-to-back shutouts in the second double- good enough to move Mount Olive up in the header. rankings. A non-conference win and back-to-back Conference Carolinas series sweeps extended the winning streak to 17. The streak eclipsed the 20-win mark after a 10-0 win at nationally seventh-ranked Francis Marion and another three-game conference series sweep. Jason Sherrer Mount Olive’s winning streak was at 21 as the Trojans were closing in on the school record of 25 wins in a row. Mount Olive played host to Northeast Region power Bryant for a three-game series. The Trojans won the first game of the series 12-4, but would need last-inning drama in game two. The Trojans trailed Bryant 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh in the scheduled seven-inning game. The first three batters all reached base and Lovett’s bases-loaded single pulled Mount Olive within a run. Jason Sherrer lined a double to left as the Trojans extended their winning streak to 23 with a 5-4 victory. Nobody knew it at the time, but Sherrer’s last-inning two-run double would be a preview of the opening game of the National Finals. Like all good things, winning streaks come to an end and Bryant put an end to Mount Olive’s streak with a 5- 4 win over the Trojans in the final game of the series. We’re Number One! Mount Olive steadily climbed up the rankings during its winning streak. The Trojans were ranked No. 2 in both polls for two straight weeks in late February, surpassing their previous highest ranking of No. 3 in 1999. Mount Olive swept a three- game conference series at St. Andrews, reaching double figures in all three games and outscoring the Knights 35-5. Defending national champion and Ryan Schlecht top-ranked Tampa suffered its first two losses of the season, opening the door for Mount Olive to move up to No. 1 in both the Collegiate Baseball and Ping Baseball Polls. The ranking marked the first time that a Mount Olive team in any sport has been ranked No. 1. Ouachita Baptist, Mount Olive’s opponent in the National Championship Game, was ranked No. 2 in both polls. So the pollsters had already correctly predicted the outcome of the 2008 National Championship. The Trojans spent three weeks at Josh Harrison No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll and four weeks atop the Ping Baseball Poll. After a brief drop to No. 2, Mount Olive returned to the top spot in both polls and the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) Top 30 in early April and stayed on top the rest of the season. Historic Day March 1, 2008, was an historic day for Mount Olive College athletics. Thanks to a rainout earlier in the week, Mount Olive had to wait four extra days before playing its first game as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Trojans played host to Anderson for a three-game conference series. History was also being made 45 minutes up the road in Wilson, N.C. The Trojan men’s

www.baseballthemag.com•www.batwars.com • Page 49 Mount Olive College 2008 DII National Champions basketball team was playing Barton in a game being televised live nationally on CBS College Sports. The game marked the first time a Mount Olive athletics team played in a live nationally televised game. It would be the first of two live nationally televised games for Trojan sports teams in 2008. Uncle Weston Mount Olive won the Conference Carolinas regular season title and was the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The Trojans defeated Coker 11-0 in the first round, but the story of the game was if Weston Curles would throw the first perfect game in school history. Curles retired the first 16 batters he faced before a Coker batter reached on a fielding error with one out in the sixth. A one-out bunt single in the seventh broke up the no-hitter. The fact that Curles was pitching in the conference tournament was nothing short of miraculous. An all-tournament selection in the 2004 conference tournament, Curles missed the entire 2005 and 2006 seasons, and saw limited action in 2007 due to Tommy John sur- gery. Curles received a medical redshirt for one year and was granted a waiver by the NCAA after it was determined that a misdiagnosis cost him a season. Curles earned a B.S. degree in business in 2006 and won the prestigious Mount Olive College Thomas R. Morris Award for Academic Excellence. (All Mount Olive College seniors are eligible for the award, not just student-athletes.) Curles could have moved on, but opted to pursue a second undergraduate degree and complete his athletics eligibility at Mount Olive. A CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selection in 2008, Curles finished with a cumulative 3.82 grade point average. “I’m definitely happy I stayed,” said Curles, affectionately nicknamed “Uncle Weston” for being the oldest player on the team. “I’m glad I could be a part of this year’s success.” We Know Drama Mount Olive’s 21-1 conference record left little suspense who would win the regular season conference title. And the Trojans outscored their first two conference tournament oppo- nents 30-4. But the remainder of the tournament would turn into a nail-biting three-game series against No. 3 seed Belmont Abbey. David Cooper The two teams needed extra innings in the winner’s bracket final. Belmont Abbey took a 4-3 lead on a leadoff home run in the top of the 10th and had a runner on first with one out. But Jeffreys came out of the bullpen for Mount Olive and got an inning ending 6-4-3 double play. Josh Harrison’s one-out RBI-triple tied the game and back-to- back hit batsmen loaded the bases. Anthony Williams singled down the right field line and the Trojans remained unbeaten in the Rich Rocobaldo tournament with a 5-4 victory. Mount Olive, which had gone unbeaten in the conference tournament in each of the previous two years, was one victory away from a third consecutive championship. The Trojans would face Belmont Abbey again and the game would go 10 innings again. But this time, it would be Belmont Abbey scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 10th and forcing the “if” game. The loss ended Mount Olive’s 11-game conference tournament winning streak. The championship game was all Belmont Abbey in the early going as the Crusaders jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings. Mount Olive, likely needing to win the conference tournament championship to keep its No. 1 regional ranking and secure its chances of hosting the NCAA II regional, still trailed 8-3 going into the bottom of the sixth. The Trojans had put together enough come-from-behind wins during the season to be dubbed the “Comeback Kids” by the local newspaper. But the Trojans hadn’t overcome a five-run deficit…until today. Ann RBI-single by David Cooper and a sacrifice fly by Williams pulled the Trojans within 8-5. With two runners on base, Vertcnik represented the tying run at the plate. One swing of the bat – a three-run homer over the right field fence – and the game was tied 8-8. Belmont Abbey went back on top with a run in the top of the seventh. Mount Olive had a chance to tie or take the lead in the bottom of the seventh, but the Trojans left the bases loaded. The bottom of the eighth would be a different story. Harrison’s one-out RBI-single tied the game 9-9. The Trojans had two runners on base with career home run leader Lovett at the plate. The play-by-play call on the web-cast was brief and to the point: “It’s high, it’s deep, it’s gone!” Lovett’s three-run blast capped a 5-for-5 game and put Mount Olive ahead to stay. The Trojans tacked on another run for a 13-9 victory and a third consecutive Conference Carolinas champi-

Page 50 • Baseball The Magazine • Issue 2 2009 onship. Mount Olive claimed its third straight NCAA Tournament bid and likely solidified its Friendly Confines chances of hosting the South Atlantic Mount Olive received the No. 1 seed and Regional. the Trojans’ home park, Scarborough Field, NCAA on Campus would be the site of the 2008 NCAA II South One of the reasons sports information Atlantic Regional, marking the first time in directors post all kinds of notes and statistics, school history an NCAA championship has ranging from the significant to the downright taken place on the Mount Olive College cam- useless, is you never know who’s going to see pus. The Trojans hosted the 2007 regional at the information. Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C. Grainger A note on the Internet that every batter in Stadium is the home ballpark for the Kinston the Trojan starting lineup was nationally Indians, Advanced Class A affiliate of the ranked in at least one statistical category Cleveland Indians. caught the eye of the producer of the ESPN The Trojans jumped out to an 11-1 lead TV show NCAA on Campus. The producer after five innings against No. 6 seed Erskine arranged a visit to the Mount Olive College in the first round and won 11-3. Hodges campus for late April, just three days after the started, but was pulled after six innings in conclusion of the conference tournament. case he would be needed later in the tourna- To promote the visit by the TV show, a ment. He would be called upon again. cryptic message was posted on the Mount Schlecht entered the regional tied for first Olive athletics website and e-mailed to the in the nation in wins with a 12-0 record. campus community: “Major Announcement Schlecht dropped to second place after the Coming Friday.” first day of the regional, but a complete Naturally, rumors spread around campus game four-hitter in the Trojans’ 6-2 win over and around the community. So a “top 10” list No. 4 seed North Georgia put Schlecht back was posted to help dispel the rumors: into a first place tie. Two years earlier, Mount Olive was elimi- Top 10 Wrong Guesses about Friday’s nated by USC Aiken in the South Atlantic Announcement Regional. No. 3 seed USC Aiken would once again prove to be a nemesis as the Pacers 10. No, Mount Olive College is not changing sent the Trojans to the loser’s bracket with a Casey Hodges its name to Springfield University in an 6-5 loss. To make it to Championship attempt to host the premier of The Simpsons Sunday, Mount Olive would have to beat the Movie Sequel. team that ended its 2007 season – 9. No, Mount Olive College is not reclassify- Columbus State. Alex Vertcnik ing to Division I, Division III, Division V, “Uncle Weston” took the mound for Mount Division VII, NAIA, USCAA, NCCAA, NJCAA or Olive and survived a wild first inning that saw AARP. No. 2 seed Columbus State score only one 8. No, Southern Bank Auditorium will not be run despite having four batters reach base. A one of the stops for the New Kids on the runner was thrown out at third and Curles Block Reunion Tour. picked a runner off first. 7. No, a Mount Olive College student-athlete Mount Olive led 5-2 after two innings and will not be revealed as a Super Delegate. a six-run fifth inning sealed the deal as the 6. No, the Mount Olive College outdoor sports Trojans returned the favor and eliminated facilities will not become domed stadiums. Columbus State 12-2. After giving up six hits 5. No, Mount Olive College will not be leaving in the first two innings, Curles went the dis- Conference Carolinas to join Conference tance and allowed only two more hits the Dakotas. rest of the way. 4. No, Mount Olive College will not be chang- Along Came Jones ing its nickname from Trojans to (make up Mount Olive made it to Championship your own nickname). Sunday, but the Trojans would have to beat 3. No, a Mount Olive College coach will not USC Aiken just for the chance to play USC be taking a sabbatical to be a contestant on Aiken again later in the day for the regional Dancing with the Stars. championship and a trip to the National 2. No, Kornegay Arena will not be the site of Finals. Wrestlemania XXV. The Trojans had gone through their start- 1. No, Mount Olive College will not be adding ing rotation, so the Mount Olive coaching football, rugby, lacrosse, gymnastics, field staff would have to tap one of its bullpen hockey, ice hockey, air hockey, water polo, pitchers for the start. Pitching Coach Aaron land polo, rodeo, swimming, diving, Akin told Kyle Jones two hours before game wrestling, fencing, bowling or curling. time that Jones would be the starting pitcher. During the regular season, Jones made The day of the visit, the producer and host eight appearances and threw 18 innings – all spent virtually the entire day on campus and in relief. Now he was getting his first colle- the episode would originate from the Mount giate start in what was at the point the most Olive College campus. The scheduled airdate important game for Mount Olive in 2008. was May 23, two days after the conclusion of “We just hoped Kyle could get us to the the NCAA II South Atlantic Regional. fourth or fifth inning,” said Akin, a former first The question, of course, would Mount Olive round draft choice by the Florida Marlins. still be playing when the episode debuted? Jones did a tad more than get the Trojans

www.baseballthemag.com•www.batwars.com • Page 51 Mount Olive College 2008 DII National Champions to the fourth or fifth inning. He took a perfect game into the the post-game press confer- fifth inning. Jones retired the first 13 batters he faced and ence: “Where’s my brownies?!” went all nine innings, finishing with a four-hitter. The offense Those Magical Gold Jerseys scored early and often as the Trojans won 13-2 to force a Mount Olive’s school colors winner-takes-all championship game. are green and white. The “I was very surprised when Coach Akin told me I was Trojans normally wore white jer- starting since I hadn’t started a game this year,” said Jones. seys or green jerseys during “It kind of hit me in the fourth inning that I had a perfect the season. But after the loss to game going, but I just tried to stay focused on one pitch at a USC Aiken, the Trojans broke time. I’m just thrilled that I could help the team.” out the gold jerseys from years Tune In Tomorrow gone past. The gold jerseys Mount Olive trailed USC Aiken 2-1 through four innings resulted in three straight wins to and the Trojans were without All-Region Gold Glove second finish the regional. Needless to baseman Anthony Williams, who injured his elbow on a div- say, gold jerseys would be the ing catch in the second inning. Jesse Lancaster moved from color of choice at the National left field to second base and Joseph Westbrook entered the Finals. game at left field. Westbrook would play a key role in a Once Again, Tune In Tomorrow Trojan comeback. Mount Olive faced South With two outs in the top of the fifth, Westbrook singled up Regional champion Ouachita the middle. Leadoff batter and shortstop David Cooper fol- Baptist in the first round of the lowed with an opposite field double to left to drive in National Finals. Ouachita Westbrook with the tying run. Cooper came home with the Baptist defeated co-national No. go-ahead run on a single by Rich Racobaldo as the Trojans 1 Delta State in the regional took a 3-2 lead. championship. Racobaldo keyed another two-out rally with a single in Mount Olive reached the the seventh and came home on Vertcnik’s double to extend NAIA National Finals in 1992, the lead to 4-2. but the Trojans were making Lovett led off the top of the eighth with a single and their first appearance in the advanced to second on a wild pitch. And then lightning NCAA Division II National struck. Literally. Finals. Mount Olive reclassified Lightning and heavy rain forced the game to be suspend- to Division II in 1995-96 and ed and resumed the following morning. after waiting 12 years to reach The Trojan coaches would have to make another substi- the Division II National Finals, tution decision when play resumed. Westbrook would not be the Trojans would have to wait available due to a funeral in his family. three more hours due to rain. A groundout moved Lovett to third base and USC Aiken Mount Olive took an early 2- brought the infield in to prevent the run. Jesse Lancaster 0 lead and Hodges recorded took advantage and singled through the right side of the eight strikeouts in five innings. drawn-in infield and brought Lovett home. But his pitch count, along with Back-to-back doubles by Racobaldo and Vertcnik ignited the weather, forced a series of a three-run ninth inning and the Trojans extended their lead pitching changes. Kyle Jones pitching in the regional to 8-2. Ouachita Baptist tied the against USC Aiken. (His first collegiate Mount Olive had gone through four pitchers when the game 2-2 and had the bases start, pitched a complete game four-hitter game was suspended the night before. Hodges, the fourth loaded with nobody out in the after having thrown only 18 innings Trojan pitcher, likely would have finished if the game hadn’t top of the seventh. Jones, the in 8 relief appearances the entire been halted. Trojans’ fourth pitcher, entered regular season.) That set the stage for Schlecht to make his first relief the game and retired the next appearance since the opening weekend. Schlecht pitched a two batters on a strikeout and a scoreless eighth and overcame a leadoff home run in the foul out. Jones was three pitches into the next batter when play was halted due ninth to retire the final three batters. When strike three was to rain. called for the final out, the Trojans poured out of the dugout After a near two-hour delay, Curles took over on the mound and inherited a in celebration. 2-1 count. A walk brought in a run and a wild pitch gave Ouachita Baptist a Jeffreys, who was the winning pitcher in the Trojans’ two-run lead. home opener, got the win in Mount Olive’s home finale. There was one out in the bottom of the seventh when rain halted play for the Schlecht earned his first save of the season. night. Mount Olive would play in its second straight suspended game. Where’s My Brownies?! Ouachita Baptist starting pitcher Steve Smith had eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 Rich Racobaldo was in the press box when a Mount innings and held Mount Olive scoreless since the second inning. Smith came Olive student brought home-baked brownies to an athletics back after the first rain delay, but would not be on the mound the following day. staff member. Racobaldo was denied when he asked for a When play resumed the following day, Ouachita Baptist tacked on another brownie. But he was told that he could have a brownie if he run in the top of the eighth to extend the lead to 5-2. Patrick Ball, the seventh was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional. Trojan pitcher, came in with one out and got out of the inning on a pair of “And the Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 South groundouts. Ball retired the side in order in the top of the ninth, giving Mount Atlantic Regional…from Mount Olive College, Rich Olive a chance for a miracle comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Racobaldo!” A single, a force out, a hit batsman and a walk brought Jason Sherrer to the Racobaldo batted .536 (14-for-26) at the regional, includ- plate with one out and the bases loaded. In a near repeat of his walk-off two- ing a 4-for-5 performance in the championship game. Along run double against Bryant during the regular season, Sherrer drove in two runs with putting Mount Olive ahead to stay with his fifth-inning with a drive off the left field wall to pull the Trojans within 5-4. RBI-single, he also threw a runner out at the plate in the With first base open, Lovett was intentionally walked to load the bases. second inning. Racobaldo drew a walk to bring in the tying run. Harrison then drove a 1-0 Racobaldo’s first words when arriving in the press box for pitch past the first baseman down the right field line and pinch-runner Mike

Page 52 • Baseball The Magazine • Issue 2 2009 Kicia came home with the win- the Trojans boarded the metro for Busch Stadium to see the Cardinals ning run as Mount Olive scored take on the Houston Astros. The Cardinals won 6-1. four runs in the bottom of the Most of the Trojans were rooting for the home team. The one excep- ninth for a 6-5 victory. tion was Alex Vertcnik, who was rooting for his own home team. The day became even more “Go Brew Crew!” chanted the Waukesha, Wis., native. special for Harrison, who pro- Three Down, One to Go posed to his girlfriend later that Mount Olive faced Central Missouri in the semifinal round. Central day. Missouri was no stranger to the National Finals, having won prior nation- The difference between win- al championships. ning and losing: a loss would Racobaldo’s two-run single capped a three-run second inning and have meant the Trojans would Mount Olive built a 5-2 lead. In his second collegiate start, both in NCAA need to win four games in four post-season play, he limited Central Missouri to two runs on five hits in days just to reach the champi- seven innings pitched. onship game. Interestingly, Central Missouri drew a run closer in the eighth, but Michael Williams Ouachita Baptist would do just took over with one out and ended the rally on a strikeout and a foul out that to get to the title game. as left fielder Jesse Lancaster made a long running catch over the With the win, Mount Olive mound in the Central Missouri bullpen. needed just two more wins to Williams, who played in the National Finals with Francis Marion two reach the championship game. years earlier before transferring to Mount Olive, retired the first two bat- Useless Stat of the Night ters in the top of the ninth. But a hit batsman and a walk brought the win- Mount Olive advanced to the ning run to the plate. second round against Ashland, Patrick Ball made his second relief appearance of the National Finals a surprise winner over two-time defending national champion and needed only one pitch to end the jam, getting a ground ball to third Tampa. The Trojans trailed 7-5 after 3 1/2 innings when Lovett for an unassisted force out and a 5-3 Trojan victory. belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to put Mount The win moved Mount Olive to the national championship game. Olive ahead to stay. Westbrook’s three-run homer ignited a It’s Showtime! seven-run fifth inning and the Trojans scored 13 unanswered Almost three months to the day after the Mount Olive College men’s runs for an 18-7 victory. basketball team became the first Trojan athletics team to play in a live nationally televised game, the Trojan baseball team made its national television debut, also on CBS College Sports. The 2007 Division II Baseball telecast was also made available in the Mount Olive area on National Player of the Year the local cable access channel, allowing everybody back home Erik Lovett signing the back a chance to watch the game. of a child’s shirt during the The championship game would be a rematch of the first celebration. round game between Mount Olive and Ouachita Baptist. Ouachita Baptist was trying to write its own Cinderella story, rallying from seven runs down to eliminate two-time defending champion Tampa and winning four games in four days to reach the title game. Mount Olive was the visiting team and the Trojans had runners on first and second with two outs when a ground ball to third appeared to end the inning. But the throw to second pulled the second baseman off the bag and Mount Olive had new life with the bases loaded. Josh Harrison, who delivered the walk-off bases loaded RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth in the first meeting against Ouachita Baptist, again proved to be a thorn in the side of the Tigers, especially with the bases loaded. Harrison sent the first pitch up the middle for a two-run single to give Mount Olive a 2-0 lead. But the Trojans weren’t done. A walk loaded the bases again and Dylan Holton drove a ball to the warning track to right-center field to clear the bases with a three-run double. Mount Olive had a 5-0 lead and Trojan The game started shortly after 9 p.m. due to the weather and starting pitcher Casey Hodges hadn’t even thrown his first pitch. did not end until after midnight, making it the Trojans’ third con- “Having a five-run lead in the first is a pitcher’s best friend,” said secutive game to end the day after it began. Hodges after the game. “That definitely calms the nerves.” Nothing Short Of A Miracle Hodges retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced before Ouachita Junior left-hander Paul Novicki took over on the mound for Baptist threatened in the fourth with runners on first and second with one starter Schlecht in the fourth inning. Novicki pitched 5 1/3 score- out. That’s when another “pitcher’s best friend” came along to end the less innings for the win. inning, although not in conventional fashion. Harrison caught a fly ball to The fact that Novicki even got to play college baseball was center and threw to shortstop David Cooper, who relayed the ball to third nothing short of a miracle. When he was 14, Novicki suffered a to double up the Ouachita Baptist runner trying to tag up. serious eye injury that left him blind for a full year. A transplant Another double play ball quickly extinguished a threat in the bottom of restored his eyesight. the fifth after a leadoff single. Third baseman Rich Racobaldo fielded a “I’m not even supposed to be here,” said Novicki. “So every line drive and threw to first baseman Erik Lovett for the double play. time I get to pitch, it’s special.” “Those two double plays were huge,” said Coach Lancaster. “This A Trip to Busch team came back from seven runs down against Tampa, so we know they What does a college baseball team do on its day off? Go to a were going to keep battling.” baseball game, of course. Mount Olive had added a run in the top half of the fifth when Harrison Sauget, Ill., is located roughly 30 minutes from St. Louis, so led off with a double and eventually came home on Joseph Westbrook’s

www.baseballthemag.com•www.batwars.com • Page 53 Mount Olive College 2008 DII National Champions RBI-single to extend the Trojans’ lead to 6-0. Head coach Carl Lancaster Hodges, who didn’t make it to the sixth inning in his first start against (wearing cap) and son Ouachita Baptist, took a shutout into the eighth inning in the championship Jesse Lancaster on the top game. A six-run lead with only six outs left normally seems comfortable, but of a fire truck ladder with not in the national championship game and not against a team that already the team’s national has a seven-run comeback to its credit in the National Finals. championship banner Ouachita Baptist made it clear in the eighth inning that it wasn’t going attached. down without a fight. By the same token, neither was Hodges. Two doubles sandwiched around an infield error put two runs on the board and a runner on second with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Mount Olive bullpen, which saw a few warm-up pitches earlier, was now fully active. The Trojan coaches opted not to make a change and Hodges responded with an infield pop out and a groundout. Hodges closed out the inning with his sixth strikeout of the game. Normally not one to show a lot of emotion on the mound, Hodges gave the “Tiger Woods fist pump” as he ran to the dugout. “You were right, partner, keep Hodges in there,” remarked the CBS College Sports play-by-play announcer. Mount Olive did make a pitching change when Ouachita Baptist came up in the bottom of the ninth. Ryan Schlecht, who earned the save in the championship game of the South Atlantic Regional just five days ago, took over on the mound. Schlecht was 13-0 overall in 2008 and 1-0 with a save in two relief appearances. Schlecht would face the 7-8-9 batters in the lineup. “I was a little nervous at first, but once I threw that first pitch, I felt good,” said Schlecht. The first pitch from Schlecht was a strike, the next pitch a ground ball to short. One out. The next batter was almost a carbon copy, a first-pitch strike and a ground ball to short. But this one was deep in the hole and Lovett had to stretch and twist out of the way of the batter to field the long Head coach Carl Lancaster throw from Cooper. being interviewed by a Raleigh, Two outs. N.C. TV station upon the team’s After retiring the first two batters on two pitches each, Schlecht arrival at Raleigh-Durham would need three pitches for the final out. The call on the Mount International Airport. Olive College audio webcast: “Two outs, bottom of the ninth…Mount Olive one out away from a national championship…the 1-1 pitch…ground ball to short…this could be it…throw for live coverage during the evening news. to first…MOUNT OLIVE IS THE 2008 DIVISION II BASEBALL NATIONAL CHAMPI- Many of the youngsters in attendance – and some ONS!” of the young at heart – considered the helicopter the Mike Kicia, who scored the winning run in the first round game, led the charge most exciting part of the night! out of the dugout and a dog pile ensued in the middle of the infield. Harrison had A local high school band led the Trojan baseball such a long running start from center field; he actually dove over the entire dog pile. team in a march into the ballpark. Coach Lancaster The Trojans eventually unpiled and posed with the national championship trophy. and other college and community dignitaries Five Trojans – David Cooper, Casey Hodges, Jesse Lancaster, Rich Racobaldo addressed the crowd, estimated at over a thousand. and Alex Vertcnik – were named to the All-Tournament Team. Ouachita Baptist pitch- Not bad for a college with a campus enrollment of 700 er Steve Smith, who was 1-0 with one save and who held Mount Olive to two runs in located in a town with a population less than 5,000. six-plus innings in the opening round, was named Most Outstanding Player. Then, each player was introduced; each accompa- The championship, of course, was special to everyone on the team, but perhaps nied by the theme music each player used during the most special to Jesse Lancaster. No, it isn’t a coincidence that his last name is the season. Perhaps the most familiar lyrics were “40 same as that of the head coach. miles to Canada,” the opening line of David Cooper’s “This is something I’ve always dreamed of,” said Lancaster. “Growing up, I’ve theme “Alberta Bound.” A native of Edmonton, Alberta, seen so many of my dad’s teams come so close. To be part of his first national Cooper was the Trojans’ leadoff batter for three years championship game is very special.” and usually came up to bat at least five times every Welcome Home! game. Recognition for the national championship began as early as the flight home as Post-Season Awards the pilot made an announcement to the passengers: Mount Olive coaches and players garnered a num- “On board today, we have the Mount Olive College baseball team, who won the ber of post-season awards. Senior catcher Jason 2008 NCAA Division II National Championship. Congratulations to the Trojans!” Sherrer captured a number of the most prestigious The plane reached the gate at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and passen- individual awards. gers in the gate area broke into spontaneous applause as the players entered. Sherrer not only was named 2008 Conference As the team went down the escalator to the baggage area, camera crews from Carolinas Baseball Player of the Year, but was also area television stations were awaiting the Trojans. But wait, there’s more. named 2007-08 Conference Carolinas Male Athlete of The team bus would be accompanied by a police escort, courtesy of the Town of the Year. (A Trojan women’s volleyball/track and field Mount Olive Police Department. student-athlete was named 2007-08 Conference Look, Up In the Sky! Carolinas Female Athlete of the Year as Mount Olive The evening after the team returned, a celebration was planned at the Trojans’ swept both athlete of the year awards.) home baseball park, Scarborough Field. All of the local television stations covered He was named All-America by three different the event and one Raleigh TV station even had its “Sky Cam” helicopter at the event organizations, capturing two second team awards and one third team. But his most impressive awards may

Page 54 • Baseball The Magazine • Issue 2 2009 have been a product of his classroom accomplishments. believe them. Winning a national championship last week and now Sherrer was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine getting drafted, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better week.” Academic All-America first team. He was also named the 2007- Michael Williams and David Cooper were both picked in the 44th 08 CCA Division II Southeast Region Male Scholar Athlete of round, Williams by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cooper by the Arizona the Year, as selected by the Division II Conference Diamondbacks. Commissioners Association. Sherrer graduated with a cumula- Trojan fans got excited during the first round when “David Cooper” tive 3.82 grade point average majoring in sports management. was announced as the 17th player selected in the draft. But that David Cooper, Weston Curles and Jesse Lancaster also David Cooper was a first baseman for University of California. earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District hon- “I was aware of the ‘other’ David Cooper a month ago when I saw ors. his name in a draft preview,” said Cooper. “I was just hoping there Joining Sherrer on All-America Teams were Casey Hodges, was room in the draft for another David Cooper.” Ryan Schlecht and Alex Vertcnik. Schlecht earned first team More Celebrations, More Recognition honors. One week after the celebration at Scarborough Field, the North Head coach Carl Lancaster was named Division II Baseball Carolina General Assembly passed a joint resolution honoring the National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Mount Olive baseball team for winning the national championship. Association. Lancaster was quick to share the award with his The official ring ceremony took place during the 43rd Annual assistants Aaron Akin and Rob Watt. Pickle Classic, Mount Olive’s season opening men’s basketball tour- “I’m very humbled,” said Lancaster. “It’s quite an honor the boys got nament. A video montage of the national championship game was for me. But it’s more than one person. I can’t say enough about the played during the ceremony. Erik Lovett became the first Trojan base- job Coach Akin and Coach Watt do. They’ve allowed me to simply be ball player to have his number retired during the ceremony. a manager. This is their award, too.” Carl Lancaster was invited to speaking engagements throughout Draft Day Eastern North Carolina and also traveled to San Diego, Calif., to The national championship marked the end of the college season accept his National Coach of the Year Award at the ABCA for all of the players and the end of competitive baseball for some of Convention. the players. But for some team members, the championship meant a The final recognition ceremony occurred at another basketball segue to the next chapter in their baseball careers. tournament. The Trojans were honored during halftime of the first Just six days after winning the national championship, a record five round game between eventual national champion North Carolina and Trojan players were selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball Radford in the Greensboro Regional of the 2009 NCAA Division I Draft. Men’s Basketball Championship. The Trojans arrived through a walk- Casey Hodges was the first to be picked, selected in the 23rd way where they got to see Tyler Hansbrough and other Tar Heel play- round by the Atlanta Braves. Hodges joked that battle lines were ers stretching. Oh yeah, the team also got to watch the basketball immediately drawn in his family. His father, Ron Hodges, spent 12 game. years with the New York Mets. A Repeat In 2009? Uh…No “I’ve already got a feud going with my family of Mets fans,” said Losing three pitchers who combined for 30 wins, along with three Hodges. “The Braves had been talking to me and I’m just glad to have starting infielders and a starting catcher, repeating as national cham- the opportunity to keep on playing.” pions would be quite a feat, even though the Trojans were ranked No. Ryan Schlecht was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 34th 1 in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Preseason National Poll. round and Erik Lovett was picked in the 39th round by the New York Mount Olive posted a record of 28-18 in 2009 and finished second Yankees. Lovett thought he would be selected in the 2007 Draft after in the Conference Carolinas regular season standings with a 12-6 winning National Player of the Year honors. The previous year’s disap- mark. But the Trojans’ quest for a fourth consecutive Conference pointment was long erased. Carolinas Tournament title and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA “I was bummed last year when I wasn’t drafted, but everyone kept Tournament came up short. telling me that everything happens for a reason,” said Lovett. “Now I The Trojans did keep their conference player of the year streak intact as Rich Racobaldo was named 2009 Conference Carolinas Co-Player of the Year. But Mount Olive College will always Fans at the celebration at Mount Olive’s have that National home park after the team returned from the Championship in national championship. 2008. And much more. “Winning the national championship, winning the trophy is special,” said Coach Lancaster. “The guys don’t realize it now, but what’s more important are the memories and the friendships they’ll take from this week and this whole season. This has been a special year.”