Friday, June 7, 2013

First Pitch!

While much of today's issue rightfully focuses on the recent accolades of catcher Joe Jackson, we could be hearing his and pitcher Austin Pritcher's names mentioned as the Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft takes place in New York.  We wish them the very best of luck.

Congratulations are extended to the baseball team for reaching the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament that was held at Fluor Field in Greenville.  A strong contingent of Citadel fans flocked to the facility to cheer on the Bulldogs, and please know how much the team appreciated that.

We tip our caps to wrestler Jordan Wigger, who finished in eighth place in both the FILA Junior Greco and ASICS University Freestyle Nationals in Akron, Ohio.  We also salute senior defensive tackle Derek Douglas, who became the third Bulldog named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list for the 2013 season as he joins quarterback Ben Dupree and B-back Darien Robinson.

As you've come to expect, we have another solid issue full of news and notes, so enjoy and Go Bulldogs!!!

An Important Note from The Citadel Brigadier Foundation Office

The deadline for payments for Priority Points for 2013-14 is June 15. Any payments made after June 15 will count towards your points in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

We will be having a ticket/parking pickup day on June 27 at Johnson Hagood Stadium for all Brigadier Foundation members.

Those Generals Club members and above will be invited to a cocktail reception that begins at 5:30 pm on June 27 to follow the ticket/parking pickup.

Please contact Bryson Young at 843/953-5277 or at byoung5@citadel.edu with any questions or concerns.

Baseball Plays in SoCon Championship Game

In a season and tournament in which Joe Jackson proved to be almost super human, he showed for a brief moment that he was indeed mortal.

Jackson took a Spencer Medick curveball for a called third strike to end the top of the eighth and The Citadel's last real threat of the day, and the Elon left hander went on to strike out the side in the ninth to preserve a 6-5 Phoenix victory in the Southern Conference championship game at Fluor Field in Greenville.

The Bulldogs won their first three tournament games by a total of only four runs but fell short in another thriller in the single elimination championship game format. The Citadel finished with a record of 35-25 and lost in the title contest for only the fourth time in 11 appearances under head coach Fred Jordan.

The Bulldogs appeared poised to complete a comeback from an early 6-1 deficit when they scored twice in the fifth and two more in the seventh to pull within one run. With two out in the eighth, Mason Davis drew a walk and Hughston Armstrong singled sharply through the right side to bring up the red-hot Jackson.

Before his eighth inning turn at the plate, the junior catcher had 10 hits in 12 official times at bat and had reached base in 18 of 19 opportunities. But Medick, one of Elon's weekend starters pitching in relief of starter Tyler Webb on Sunday, snuck a 3-2 pitch past Jackson to leave the tying and lead runs on base.

Jackson was so good during the five-day tournament that he received the rare distinction of being named the Most Outstanding Player despite playing on the runner-up. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Tyler Griffin and Bo Thompson.

In The Citadel's third game of the tournament, Armstrong made a spectacular diving catch on a line drive in the right-center field gap with one out in the ninth, and doubled up a runner at first to close out a thrilling 8-6 win over Appalachian State.

The ASU batter greeted Citadel closer Skylar Hunter with a base hit to open the ninth before the next hitter struck out. Another then smoked a line drive that Armstrong, who was shading him into left center, was able to run down in the other alley and grab at the height of his leap.

Armstrong  had the presence of mind to fire the ball back to the infield, where Johnathan Stokes relayed it to Calvin Orth at first to complete another in a long line of highlight reel plays by the Bulldogs during the tournament. The catch allowed Hunter to garner his 13th save of the season, tied for second in school history and two shy of Link Saunders' record set in 2006.

In a winner's bracket game, Griffin produced the biggest hit of the night with a three-run homer in the sixth, Stokes turned in one of the best defensive plays in Citadel history and Hunter earned a measure of redemption, lifting the Bulldogs to a 12-11 win over the Catamounts.

A 1-0 game after 3½ innings suddenly turned into a slugfest which saw 20 runs scored over the next five half innings, including a six-run Catamount sixth that gave Western a 9-8 lead.

But the Bulldogs responded right away to take the lead for good in their half of the inning. Armstrong reached on a bunt single and took second on a wild pitch. Joe Jackson lined a double down the left field line to plate Armstrong and tie the game at 9.

Bo Thompson singled to put runners at the corners. After fouling off the first pitch, Griffin launched a mammoth home run against the condominium behind the left center field wall to give The Citadel a 12-9 lead that it managed to hold on to the rest of the way. Zach Sherrill returned some order to the mound with a 1-2-3 seventh including two strikeouts.

In the opening-round game, Jackson produced one of the biggest hits of the season when he launched an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left center to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 win over Appalachian State.

The home run was Jackson's 13th of the season and was the first time he got a good pitch to see after walking his previous three trips to the plate following a double in the first. He reached base all five trips to the plate

For several innings it appeared that the Bulldogs would not need late heroics. SoCon Pitcher of the Year Austin Pritcher was lifted with a 4-3 lead and two outs in the fifth after throwing 117 pitches, but The Citadel bullpen was unhittable over the next 3 2/3 innings.

Ross White relieved Pritcher with a runner at second and got a grounder back to the mound. White then struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 sixth, and Sherrill and David Rivera also worked a perfect inning each. The trio combined to retire all 10 batters they faced.

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

Joe Jackson Earns Third Team All-America Honors from Collegiate Baseball

Catcher Joe Jackson added to his growing list of postseason accolades when he was named a third team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Jackson is the first Bulldog to earn All-America honors since pitcher Asher Wojciechowski in 2010 and first position player since catcher Richard Jones was selected in 2009. Earlier, Jackson was chosen first team All-Southern Conference and the MVP of the SoCon tournament.

Outstanding Performance in May Earns Joe Jackson SoCon Baseball Player of the Month Award

After hitting safely in more than half of his official at bats in 15 games, culminating in a 10-for-13 performance at the Southern Conference tournament, Joe Jackson was named the SoCon Player of the Month for May.

The Bulldog catcher batted .538 with eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 26 runs scored and 26 RBI during the month. He had at least two hits 11 times and scored at least one run in each of the last 14 games of the season.

In addition to batting .769 in the tournament, Jackson had three doubles, a triple and a walk-off home run in the opening round win over Appalachian State. He scored eight times and drove in five runs and became the first player from a team that did not win the tournament to earn Most Outstanding Player accolades.

During the course of the tournament, Jackson reached the 200-hit plateau for his career, finishing the season with a total of 203.

He had five games in the month with three hits, including a contest against Davidson on May 3 when he tied his career high with five RBI. The following day he hit two home runs before capping the series with another three-hit game and his third home run of the weekend.

Against UNCG on May 16, Jackson hit a homer and two doubles and drove in four runs. He notched at least one RBI in each of his final eight games of the season and finished second in the SoCon in that category with 67 on the year.

He also finished second in the conference in batting average (.386) and runs scored (66), led the league in on-base percentage (.495) and finished third in slugging percentage (.658), hits (88), doubles (19) and walks (43).

In all, Jackson placed in the top 10 in 10 statistical categories and was the all-conference first team catcher. He was chosen to the Louisville Slugger All-America third team as selected by Collegiate Baseball and is in line to be a high selection in this week's major league baseball draft.

Wigger Earns All-America Status at FILA Junior Greco and ASICS University Freestyle Nationals

Redshirt freshman Jordan Wigger competed against top competition and finished in eighth place in both the FILA Junior Greco and ASICS University Freestyle Nationals in Akron, Ohio.  For his efforts, he collected All-America honors and qualified for the FILA Junior World Team trials.

A 2012 graduate of Summerville High, Wigger is now a nine-time Freestyle and Greco National All-American and will attempt to earn a spot on the FILA Junior World Team when he heads to Stillwater, Okla., on June 21.

In the ASICS University Nationals, Wigger collected two wins in the championship bracket of the 55kg division before falling to eventual champion Nico Megaludis.

Wigger earned a win over Desmond Moore in the wrestlebacks before dropping his next bout to Dylan Peters. The defeat placed Wigger in a seventh-place contest against Britain Longmire, where he lost by fall at 4:09 to earn eighth place.

Along with Wigger, NCAA qualifier Matt Frisch, assistant coach Tucker Lane, redshirt freshman Marshall Haas and redshirt sophomore Steven Cox, also competed.

Lane earned two wins in the championship bracket of the 96kg division before getting tripped up by Taylor Meeks. Another two victories in the wrestleback division placed Lane in a match to earn All-America status, but Timmy McCall was able to edge the Bulldogs' heavyweight coach by a score of 4-2.  Haas and Frisch each collected a win in their respective divisions, while Cox dropped his opening two bouts of the 60kg bracket.

Wigger, who found success when competing in the FILA Junior Nationals back in April in Las Vegas, Nev., finished his redshirt freshman campaign with a 13-8 record, wrestling unattached.

Derek Douglas Selected for College Football Performance Awards Preseason Watch List

Senior defensive tackle Derek Douglas has become the third Bulldog named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list for the 2013 season, joining quarterback Ben Dupree and B-back Darien Robinson. 

Douglas is one of 38 defensive linemen at the FCS level named to the list. He is coming off an injury-shortened 2012 campaign in which he still ranked second on the team with eight tackles for loss and third with five sacks. Douglas missed the first four games and most of a fifth after suffering a knee injury during spring practice.

In his first start of 2012, he had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage including a sack against Chattanooga. He added sacks against Samford and Elon before turning in his top effort of the season in a win over VMI.

In that contest against the Keydets, Douglas had four tackles including a pair of sacks. He also recovered a fumble that was forced by a Mark Thomas sack and raced 21 yards for his first career touchdown. Douglas was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week and the CFPA National Defensive Performer of the Week after the 27-24 victory.

As a sophomore in 2011, Douglas ranked fifth in the SoCon with 14.5 tackles for loss and had 3.5 sacks, earning first team all-conference honors as well as the team's MVP award. He has a career total of 30 tackles for loss and 12 sacks entering his final collegiate season.

Summer Sports Camps at The Citadel

Are you looking for something for your children/grandchildren to do this summer?  Consider attending a sports camp that is offered by our coaches:

Baseball                      June 24-27                Day Camp

                                    June 28-June 30       Father/Son Camp

Basketball                   June 17-21               Day Camp

                                    June 21-23               Team Camp

Wrestling                    July 5-12                    Multiple

Soccer                         June 10-13                Day Camp 1

                                    June 17-20               Day Camp 2

                                    June 24-27               Day Camp 3

Football                       June 10-14               Youth Camp

                                    June 14-15              Skill/Lineman Camp

                                    June 19-21              Team option Camp

4^th Annual CFA Lady Bulldogs Football 101 Set for July 26

Just in time for the perfect Mother's Day gift, The Citadel Football Association has opened registration for the 4th Annual Lady Bulldogs Football 101 clinic, which will be held on Friday, July 26 on campus.

A portion of the clinic is tax deductible as proceeds directly benefit The Citadel Football Association's Scholarship fund.

The activities begin with a reception in Seignious Hall at 4:30 hosted by wives of The Citadel football coaches and include tours of the training and equipment rooms. The coaching staff will discuss the basics of offensive and defensive football and there will be a weight room demonstration.

Then it's time to hit the field as all attendees travel to Johnson Hagood Stadium. From 7:15-8:00, the group will show off their passing and catching skills and take off on the "fun run to the end zone" to showcase their individual touchdown dances.

After the on-field practice, Kay Higgins - wife of coach Kevin Higgins - will host a catered meal at the Pearson Lounge on the fourth floor of the stadium. Door prizes will be presented and an optional tour of the stadium suites and press box will follow the dinner.

Keep Up With Citadel Athletics

For the latest on all athletic events and giveaways, visit the official Facebook and Twitter accounts of The Citadel Athletics at www.facebook.com/citadelbulldogs and at www.twitter.com/citadelsports.  Also, the baseball and football teams now have their own Twitter accounts at www.twitter.com/citadelbaseball and www.twitter.com/citadelfootball.  Follow them today!