6/13/2011

‘Hounds Complete Remarkable Season Full Of Honors, Achievements And Awards

The Fort Scott Community College Baseball team finished the year with the second most wins in school history (42) and the most players of any school in the region earning all-conference honors, but the story of success is not limited to the field. The team also finished the year with a 3.39 team GPA, which based on past data should place the team in the top 5 in the nation out of over 340 junior college baseball programs. Those results won't be known until the beginning of July. If the team does finish in the top 5, it will be for the second straight year and the 3rd year in a row that the team has finished in the top 6 in the nation in team GPA. The team also finished the year with an average of over 30 hours of community service per player totaling over 900 hours of community service this past year.

Additionally, all 12 of this year's sophomores have received baseball scholarship offers at 4 year schools with 8 of those 12 receiving academicscholarships to assist with their costs.

Those were the team achievements. There were also numerous individualachievements earned by the players on the baseball team. Four members earned Academic All American honors with 3 of those earning Distinguished Academic All American. Players eligible for Academic All American honors are sophomores who finish their career with a cumulative GPA of 3.60-3.79. Players eligible for Distinguished Academic All American honors are sophomores who finish their career with a cumulative GPA of 3.80-4.00.

Individual Academic Honors: 4 Academic All Americans & 3 Distinguished Academic All Americans

Dylan Banach -SO - Denver, CO -Distinguished Academic All American

Jesse Hart -SO - Hays, KS -Distinguished Academic All American

Josh Samuelson- SO - Omaha, NE -Distinguished Academic All American

Jordan Stull -SO - Lake Ozark, MO -Academic All American

Individual Athletic Honors: 11 players earning All Conference Honors and 2 players earning All Region Honors

Jesse Hart -SO - Hays, KS - RHP -1st Team All Conference

Stuart Jeck -FR - Pittsburg, KS - SS -1st Team All Conference & 2nd Team All Region

Corey Stringer -FR - Omaha, NE - C -1st Team All Conference & 2nd Team All Region

Joey Parrack -FR - Overland Park, KS - LHP -2nd Team All Conference

Jake Parsons -SO - Broken Arrow, OK - OF -2nd Team All Conference

Gavin Stark -SO - Lee's Summit, MO - 3B -2nd Team All Conference

Brett Swain -FR - Omaha, NE - RHP -2nd Team All Conference

Dylan Banach -SO - Denver, CO - OF -Honorable Mention All Conference

Chris Mullins -FR - Oklahoma City, OK - LHP -Honorable Mention All Conference

Josh Samuelson - SO - Omaha, NE - 1B -Honorable Mention All Conference

Austin Williams -SO - Gardner, KS - 2B -Honorable Mention All Conference

Sophomore commitments:

Michael Armstrong -Owasso, OK - RHP Lindenwood University (MO)

Dylan Banach -Denver, CO -OF Northern Colorado University

Jesse Hart -Hays, KS -RHP Fort Hays State University

Stuart Jeck -Pittsburg, KS -SS West Virginia University

William Kilpatrick -Claremore, OK - RHP University of Central Oklahoma

Elijah Ming -Kansas City, KS -RHP Wayne State College (NE)

Jake Parsons -Broken Arrow, OK - OF Universityof Central Oklahoma

Connor Peterson -Owasso, OK - RHP Saint Mary's College (KS)

Josh Samuelson -Omaha, NE - 1B/3B/RHP Rockhurst University (MO)

Gavin Stark -Lee's Summit, MO - 3B/1B Universityof Missouri

Jordan Stull -Lake Ozark, MO - OF Rockhurst University (MO)

Austin Williams -Gardner, KS -2B Eastern Michigan University

When asked about the season's success, Head Baseball Coach, John Hill III, says, "As with any great season, the players deserve all the credit.The coaching staff didn't throw any pitches, get any base hits, or score any runs. We didn't go to class or take tests or study for class. The players did all that. The players worked hard from the first day and were committed to being a part of a complete program that isn't limited to on the field success. We talk every day about being a complete person and being successful in the classroom and on the field while providing community support. From the results, I would say we accomplished our goals. No one likes going to study hall three to five days a week all year or lifting three nights a week all year, but when you look at the results, you understand why we do it. When you look at our season win total and our all conference awards, it’s a statement of the consistent work ethic the players put in on the field and in the weight room. When you look at our academic honors as a team, its a testament to our focus and commitment our players had in the classroom and at study hall. The community has been very supportive of our program over the years and our community service is just a way that we can return that support. I am so very proud of the team and know that they have built a foundation for their lives that will carry far beyond their athletic careers."

When asked about the parting sophomores and returning freshmen, Coach Hill says, "If you look at our sophomores, those guys are saving thousands of dollars toward their future school costs because of their academic excellence and all will be continuing their athletic careers. Those are very special attributes and a testament to the quality of kids that they are. The sophomores set a high standard of achievement and will be dearly missed. If you look at our freshmen, I see a group of talented, first-class kids who are poised to continue the high level of achievement that this year's team earned. I am excited to see them mature and develop as young men, students, and athletes. The future is bright for FSCC Baseball - because of our kids."

4/19/2011

FSCC Baseball Announces The 5 Corners Mini-Mart Of Fort Scott Youth Baseball Clinic

5 Corners Mini–Mart of Fort Scott is sponsoring a Youth Baseball Clinic to be held Tuesday, May 3rd from 5:00pm to 6:30pm. The clinic will be ran by the coaches and players of the Fort Scott Community College Baseball team and will be held at Lyons Field on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Fundamentals of hitting, throwing, infield, outfield, and baserunning will all be covered during the camp. The clinic is open to kids ages 4-14. Each kid will receive a camp t-shirt and have the opportunity after the camp to receive autographs from the Greyhound players. Cost for the clinic is $10 and registration begins at 4:30 at the field. In the case of rain, the camp will still occur, but will be moved indoors in the “Barn” which is adjacent to the Dave Regan Clubhouse next to the baseball field. Additional information is available on the baseball webpage under the “Tournaments, Showcases, Camps” link. The web address is: http://www.fortscott.edu/athletics/baseball/tournaments.aspx

3/16/2011

Greyhound Baseball Starts New Season With New Wall And New Look

The Fort Scott Community College baseball team is looking good with their 14-5 record, but that isn’t the only thing about the program that looks good. Lions Field received a new right field stone wall which created a new, updated look on the field. The first thing the new coaching staff did in the fall of 2008 was build a new right field wall because the old one was crumbling. At the time, they estimated a 3-5 year life span for the fence. After the last couple of extreme winters and last summer’s consistently hot temperatures, it became apparent that they overestimated the life of the fence. After meeting Don Pemberton, the owner of Bandera Stone, and discussing different ideas with him, FSCC Baseball had a better vision of what could be. Head Baseball Coach John Hill III reports, “His ideas lead us to a decision to build a fence that would not only look first class, but stand the test of time through all weather.”

However, as with so many different projects that take place with facility development, the baseball program found out there was a lot more to the equation than first expected. “Thank goodness we have great people at the college and in the community who helped educate me on the entire process. I contacted Chris Sterrett who is in charge of our construction trades program and he was extremely supportive. I met with him and his faculty in charge of concrete, Kim Coates, and masonry, Nacoma Oehme. They walked the field and listened to our ideas and offered their expertise and assistance. This project could not have occurred without the support of and great work done by Fort Scott Community College’s Construction Trades faculty and students,” said Coach Hill.

Once the school’s construction trades program was committed to helping make the project a reality, Pemberton advised Coach Hill to arrange for excavation and concrete footings to be poured. After a long search, Basalite Concrete Products based out of Denver, CO offered their support by providing the stone blocks that would be laid by the construction trades students. In late October, the project began. The construction trades masonry students, lead by instructor Nacoma Oehme, finished the project in a little over 2 weeks. Don Pemberton and Bandera Stone then provided the veneer stone that is on the top and inside of the wall facing the playing field. Don himself cut and placed the stone on the wall which was completed on December 23rd.

According to Coach Hill, “The completed wall project could not have happened without the help of so many people. Our players worked hard in their fundraising and we received hundreds of donations that went into this project to help pay for the excavation, footings, and materials. We are very proud that we used zero tax based monies from our budget for this project. The Construction Trades program and their students did a fantastic job. Chris Sterrett, Kim Coates, and Nacoma Oehme were a lot of fun to work with and did a great job of educating me on the process. Basalite Concrete Products helped a tremendous amount with materials. Of course, Don Pemberton and his company, Bandera Stone were the kick-starters on this project. Without Don spear-heading this project, it would never have been completed.”

There are future plans to make another stone wall down the left field line that is exactly like the right field wall at Lions Field. This project will continue to require support and materials from multiple groups. Coach Hill says, “We have big ideas and plans for future projects at our field. All of them will require the combined efforts of many groups like this project did. After seeing the finished product, we are even more excited for the future development of our field. Our players and coaching staff will continue to work hard to make our supporters proud of what we do in the community, classroom, and on the field.”

1/27/2011

Greyhound Baseball Continues Academic Achievement

For the fifth academic semester in a row, the Greyhound Baseball Team has earned a grade point average surpassing a 3.0. Of the 33 baseball student-athletes on the team, one student-athlete earned a 4.0, 7 earned a 3.50 to 3.99, and 17 earned a 3.0 to 3.49. This spring the team will strive to acheive the program's goal of a team gpa national championship. The team has finished 6th and 3rd in the nation the last 2 years in team GPA among over 340 NJCAA baseball programs that are eligible for the award. The Greyhounds will open their season on Saturday, February 5th at 1:00pm at Lions Field in Fort Scott versus Bethany College.

11/2/2010

FSCC Baseball wraps up its busy fall season on a High Note

The 2010-11 edition of the Fort Scott Community College Greyhound Baseball team wrapped up its fall with its annual Maroon-Grey World Series. The World Series was a best of 3 game series with each game being 9innings. Team Maroon won game 1 on a wild pitch with a full count and 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored sophomore, Gavin Stark, from 3^rd base to win the game by a score of 4-3. Game 2 was less dramatic as Team Grey easily put away Team Maroon 8-1. In the 3^rd and deciding game of the series, Team Maroon overcame an early 8-1 deficit in the 2^nd inning by scoring the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8^th inning to take the lead 9-8. Sophomore, Josh Samuelson, pitched a perfect 9^thinning to hold on for the victory. Head Coach, John Hill III had these comments on the World Series and the fall season as a whole, “the coaching staff was very pleased with the effort and intensity that we finished the fall with. The weather was tremendous this fall, which allowed for a lot of practice and development to occur. The players were pretty worn down by the end, but the way they approached the World Series created some excitement that we can hopefully carry into our off season conditioning and 1 on 1 work. It was a nice way to finish the fall season. However, our work is not done as we still have 6 weeks of time to continue to develop our players and team as a whole.”

The FSCC Baseball team also participated in its first of many community service events last weekend. Players dressed up in costume and helped with parking and passing out candy at the local Community Christian Church’s Trunk R Treat which serves to create a safe environment for local children to Trick R Treat in the church’s parking lot. Other upcoming community service events include: organizing and administering the parking for the Luke Bryan beneficiary concert coming up on Saturday, November 13^th (The proceeds from the concert go toward improving youth activities in the Fort Scott community) weekly reading to students at Eugene-Ware elementary school,trash pick ups on 69 north and south, and participating in FSCC’s Adopt a Child at Christmas program.

Another highlight of the fall included the induction of former FSCC Baseball player, Adam LaRoche. LaRoche was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 9^th. LaRoche, an FSCC Baseball player in 97-98, had another highly productive year with the Arizona Diamondbacks where he hit .261 with 25 home runs and a career high 100 RBI. Former Head Baseball Coach at FSCC and Major League Baseball player, Dave LaRoche,was the honorary introductory speaker for his son, Adam. “Adam, Dave, and the entire LaRoche family has been a big part of the FSCC Baseball program over the last 15 years. It is a great honor to have Adam become a member of our Hall of Fame here at Fort Scott Community College,” says Hill.

7/6/2010

‘Hounds Baseball Team is Third Best Academic Team in the Nation

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Office released the team’s names for the 2009-2010 Spring All-Academic Teams. Over 340 teams qualified for the award and the Fort Scott Community College Baseball Team was ranked third on this year’s list. The team received this honor by having a team GPA of 3.43. The ‘Hounds had a great season on the field this year and with this award have shown they were just as successful in the classroom.

“This is a wonderful accomplishment for our program and the college,” ‘Hounds head coach John Hill said. “This was a team effort between our players, coaches, faculty, and staff of the college. Without help from all these entities, none of the students at Fort Scott Community College would find success. Our goal every year is to win a national championship in team GPA. Of course, we want to win a lot of baseball games and help our student athletes’ move on to the next level. However, if we can strive for this one goal annually, all of our players will be on a good academic start to finish their college education and have something that will last for the rest of their lives – a college degree.”

“Assistant coach, Eric Peterson, is the team’s academic coordinator and has done a fantastic job for the second straight year with our student athletes,” continued coach Hill. “We finished sixth in the nation in team GPA last year, and followed that up with a third place finish this year. We are excited for this year’s academic success, but hope to achieve our goal next year and win the GPA national championship.”