LEADING OFF: The Indians of Arkansas State University play their final non-conference game of the season Tuesday afternoon when the Tribe travels to Murray, Ky., to take on the Thoroughbreds of Murray State. Every ASU Indian baseball game can be heard live on 103.9 Earl FM in Northeast Arkansas. The live audio broadcast can also be accessed through the StateZone portion of the Arkansas State athletics website, ASUIndians.com.
THE TEAMS: The Indians travel to Murray State at 19-31-1 overall on the season. The Indians played to an even .500 tie at Florida Atlantic last weekend, going 1-1-1 in the weekend series with the Owls, and recording the program's first tie in over a quarter-century. Following the Sun Belt weekend series at Boca Raton, Fla., the Indians are 8-16-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Tuesday's game will also be the final non-conference game of the season for Murray State. Before taking on Arkansas State Tuesday afternoon, the Thoroughbreds were scheduled to take on Kentucky Monday in a 6 p.m. game in Paducah, Ky. Heading into the Kentucky game, the ?Breds were 20-26 overall and 11-12 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Prior to Monday's game in Paducah, Murray State was on a four-game win streak, including a three-game sweep of Tennessee-Martin in last weekend's Ohio Valley Conference action.
THE SERIES: Murray State leads the all-time series 50-40-1, but the Indians have won three straight and 18 of the last 21. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, ASU edged the Thoroughbreds 3-2, April 16 in Jonesboro. Three first-inning runs proved to be just enough for the Tribe to get the win.
Six ASU pitchers combined to hold Murray State to seven singles on the night, with senior Pete Pasternak getting the win. Junior Nick Lambert earned his fifth save of the season after closing out the game in the ninth. Lambert had to work after giving up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases, but struck out two of the final three batters to put the game in the books.
WARE WINS SBC PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR SECOND TIME: Arkansas State junior Chase Ware has been named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts on the mound in ASU's 8-2 SBC victory over Florida Atlantic May 9 in Boca Raton, Fla. Monday's announcement by the league office marked the second time this season that Ware has been the recipient of Pitcher of the Week honors.
Ware, a right-hander from Southaven, Miss., held Florida Atlantic to just one run in Friday night's victory over the Owls. Ware struck out seven batters while giving up seven hits ? six of which were singles ? and walked two in eight innings of work. He threw 128 pitches on the night to pick up his fifth win of the season.
“I am extremely pleased that Chase received this award after the outstanding job he did for us against Florida Atlantic Friday night,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger. “Chase has proven to be one of the better pitchers in the league, and he did a very good job against one of the best offensive teams in the conference.”
Ware has consistently ranked among the top pitchers in the Sun Belt Conference this season, and his ERA of 3.64 is the best among Indian starters and in the top three in the league.
Ware's award marked the second consecutive week that an Indian pitcher has captured player of the week honors, and the third time this season. Indian senior Joel Boeschen was the recipient of the award last week for his efforts in a 7-1 win over Florida International, and Ware was the winner of the award following a March 7 complete-game shutout of Louisiana-Lafayette.
ON THE MOUND FOR THE TRIBE: Junior Jett Jones will be making his first start since May 3 when he takes the hill Tuesday against Murray State. Jones has made 18 appearances for the Tribe this season, with eight starts. He stands at 1-8 on the year, with an ERA of 7.24. Jones has given up 48 runs (41 earned) in 51.0 innings of work, with 37 strikeouts and 16 walks.
BAUMGARTNER BACK IN ACTION: Arkansas State freshman Todd Baumgartner returned to action April 25 against New Orleans for the first time since breaking his right index finger during practice March 13 at Tomlinson Stadium.
Although Baumgartner did not get a hit against the Privateers, he did drive in a run.
In the May 2-4 series against FIU, Baumgartner singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored a run.
His production increased again last weekend at Florida Atlantic as he went 5-for-14 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Baumgartner was hit in the finger with the ball during routine drills leading into the Indians' home series with Sun Belt rival Middle Tennessee State.
At the time of the injury, Baumgartner was the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week after leading the Tribe to a victory over then-No. 2 Ole Miss and a series sweep of preseason SBC favorite Louisiana-Lafayette. For the week, Baumgartner went 9-for-20 at the plate with a home run, a double, four RBIs and five runs scored. In addition, he posted a 1.000 fielding percentage, starting all four games in left field and was 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
Through the first 15 games this season, the freshman from Edwardsville, Ill., was second on the team with 18 hits, and second on the team with four doubles. He led the Indians with six multi-hit games, had slugged a team-leading two triples, and his batting average of .290 ranked third on the ASU hitting charts.
CLUTCH HITTING: Juniors Brandon Eller and Derrick Coleman are currently tied for second on Arkansas State's RBI chart this season, with both players driving 32 runs on the year. Eighteen of Eller's RBIs and 16 of Coleman's have come with two outs on the board. Coleman and Eller are also 1-2 on the ASU hit chart for the season, with Coleman notching 63 hits on the year and Eller picking up 59. The pair also lead the Tribe in multiple-hit games on the season, with Eller logging 18 and Coleman close behind with 17.
FIRST HOME RUN FOR WATTS: Freshman designated hitter Murray Watts hit his first career home run April 23 against Ole Miss. Watts' two-run shot in the seventh inning bounced hard off the batter's eye in center field at Tomlinson Stadium - a 400-plus foot hit. Watts hit his second home run May 10 at Florida Atlantic, a mammoth shot over the right field wall that carried approximately 450 feet.
FOUR “K's” IN ONE INNING FOR BULLINGTON: Junior reliever Chris Bullington had to put in extra work to get out of the seventh inning during ASU's 7-4 victory at Memphis March 26. Bullington struck out four Tigers in the inning, but it wasn't enough. Bullington struck out Tiger center fielder K.K. Chalmers for the third out of the inning, but Chalmers reached on a dropped third strike and eventually scored on a single from shortstop Chad Zurcher to cut the Arkansas State lead to 6-3. Bullington then struck out right fielder Trey Weidman for his fourth strikeout of the inning, but again the third strike was a wild pitch, and got past ASU catcher Lawson Hipps. Zurcher came home and cut the Indian lead to 6-4 before Bullington got left fielder Robby Graham to fly out in the next at-bat.
LAMBERT EARNS FIRST SAVE: After setting the record for appearances and relief appearances in a single season a year ago, junior right-hander Nick Lambert earned his first career save against Ole Miss March 5. Lambert pitched the final inning against the Rebels, did not allow a baserunner, and struck out one batter. Lambert made 32 relief appearances for the Indians in 2007 and has a team-high 19 appearances in 2008. He now has a team-high six saves on the season. Lambert needs one save in the final seven games to tie the single-season saves record set by Randy Walker in 1981.
SAVES ADDING UP: After recording just six saves as a team during the 2007 season, the Tribe has 10 to its credit in 2008. Juniors Chris Bullington and Nick Lambert have earned all of ASU's saves, with Lambert notching six and Bullington four.
OUTTA HERE: The Indians have hit 32 home runs thus far in 2008, and 17 of the Tribe's homers have come from newcomers. Of the newcomers, freshman Drew Benes and junior transfer Derrick Coleman lead the way with six each, while freshman Murray Watts has two and junior transfer Lawson Hipps has one. Freshmen Todd Baumgartner and Joey Hoffman have one each, while seniors Ryan Hudgins and A.J. Prickel, along with juniors Guy Brown, Brandon Eller and Jett Jones are the veterans who have notched home runs. Hudgins has put a team-high eight out of the park, while Eller has three and Brown, Jones and Prickel have each hit one out. Hipps and Hoffman hit back-to-back home runs March 25 at Tennessee-Martin, the only time this season that the Tribe has logged consecutive home runs.
HUDGINS HOMERS: Senior shortstop Ryan Hudgins came up big for the Tribe during the FIU series May 2-4 and became the team's home run leader on the year in the process, bringing his total to eight on the season. Hudgins hit .417 (5-for-12) during the series, with two home runs and two doubles to lead the Indians to a 2-1 series victory over Florida International. Hudgins scored three runs, drove in four runs and had 13 total bases in the weekend series. Additionally, he posted a slugging percentage of 1.083, an on-base percentage of .417, and started all three games at shortstop, where he helped the Tribe turn four double plays on the weekend and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
BOESCHEN WINS SBC PITCHER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Arkansas State pitcher Joel Boeschen was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week May 5 for his performance on the mound in ASU's 7-1 victory over Florida International May 4.
In Boeschen's first complete game of his career, the senior from Okawville, Ill., held Florida International to one run on just four hits. Boeschen limited FIU to just six baserunners on the day, and two of his four hits surrendered came with two outs in the ninth inning. Boeschen struck out six FIU batters while walking just one as he threw 122 pitches on the day and held the Golden Panthers to a .129 batting average.
“I am extremely proud of Joel for his effort on the mound Sunday afternoon, and for being named as the league's pitcher of the week,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger. “He came through with a strong performance at a critical time for our team and helped us earn the series victory over FIU.”
WARE WINS SBC PITCHER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Arkansas State junior Chase Ware was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week March 10 for his performance in game one of the Indians' three-game sweep of preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite Louisiana-Lafayette March 8 & 9. The series sweep was the Indians' first-ever against the Ragin' Cajuns.
Ware threw a complete-game shutout against the Ragin' Cajuns, giving up just three hits as he led the Tribe to a 3-0 victory in game one. Striking out six batters while walking two, Ware improved to 2-0 in three appearances on the season. Ware held the Cajuns to a .100 batting average while surrendering just two singles and a double in the game. He now has 30 strikeouts in five appearances this season (34.1 innings) and has compiled a 2.62 ERA.
“I am extremely pleased that both Chase and Todd Baumgartner won the player and pitcher of the week awards,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger. “Chase was at his best against the Ragin' Cajuns in a dominating performance that got our weekend off to a great start.”
BAUMGARTNER WINS SBC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD: Arkansas State freshman Todd Baumgartner was named as the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week March 10 for his performance in the Indians' four games in the week ending March 9. Baumgartner led Arkansas State at the plate during the week, batting .450 as the Tribe handed previously undefeated and No. 2-ranked Ole Miss a 7-5 defeat in Oxford, Miss., to open the week's play, then traveled to Lafayette, La., where they swept three games from the preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. The series sweep was the Indians' first-ever against the Cajuns.
Against Ole Miss, Baumgartner doubled, drove in a run and scored a run, and in game two of the ULL series, he went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. In game three against the Cajuns, Baumgartner went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. For the week, Baumgartner went 9-for-20 with a home run, a double, four RBI and five runs scored. In addition, he posted a 1.000 fielding percentage, starting all four games in left field and was 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
“I am extremely pleased that both Todd and Chase Ware won the player and pitcher of the week awards,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger. “Todd is a very talented player who really had a break-out week in helping us to our 4-0 record on the road this past week.”
FAST START IN SBC PLAY: When Arkansas State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette three games to none on the opening weekend of conference play, the Indians opened league play with a three-game sweep for the first time since 2003 - and their 8-4 overall record was their best through 12 games since a 10-2 start in 2005.
FIRST SWEEP OF CAJUNS: ASU's three-game sweep of ULL March 8 & 9 was the first time that the Indians have earned a series sweep against the Cajuns. The last ASU three-game series win against ULL came during the 2001 season when ASU dropped the first game of the series before bouncing back to win the final two. The Tribe also won the series with ULL during the 2004 season, but ASU won the series 2-0 when game three was rained out.
RARE SWEEP AT LAFAYETTE: With their three-game sweep of ULL March 7-9, ASU became the first Sun Belt Conference team to sweep Louisiana-Lafayette in a three-game series on the Ragin' Cajuns home field since the 2000 season.
KESSINGER VS. RANKED TEAMS: Following the March 5 win over #2 Ole Miss, the Indians have now knocked off seven ranked teams in five-plus seasons under Head Coach Keith Kessinger. In 2003, Kessinger's first season at ASU, the Indians defeated #25 South Alabama twice. In 2004, the Indians defeated #10 Ole Miss 10-7, and later in the season after the Rebels had risen to #6 in the polls, ASU handed Ole Miss a second loss, posting a 7-6 win over Kessinger's alma-mater. In 2005, the Tribe defeated ULL 6-2 and Ole Miss fell victim to ASU again in 2006 when the Indians won 14-9. With this year's win over Ole Miss, the Indians have now defeated the highest ranked team they have played with Keith Kessinger as head coach.
MORE RENOVATIONS AT TOMLINSON STADIUM: As part of an ongoing effort to improve the game-day experience for Indian baseball fans, 206 field-level seats have been added at Tomlinson Stadium and Kell Field. Included in the expansion is the addition of 26 handicap-accessible seats, with ramps for wheelchair access.
The addition of the field-level seats at Tomlinson Stadium will bring fans over 20 feet closer to home plate than in the past. Front-row seating at the venue is now just 37 feet behind home plate. The chair-back seats are 21 inches wide with 41 inches between rows, providing ample legroom for fans.
In addition to the new seating area, party boxes have been added to the stadium to accommodate groups or corporate events, and plans are in place for future expansion that will include private suites.
Fans throughout the stadium also have an improved view of the game with the addition of a new Dyneema backstop net. Dyneema backstop netting is used in most Major League parks throughout the nation and gives the most unobstructed view while providing maximum protection.
The renovation marks the second major seating area improvement at Tomlinson Stadium in as many years. Last year, the Barton's Baseball Deck was added. The deck, located down the right field line, features picnic tables and barbeque grills for use by fans before and during ASU's home games.
Other recent improvements at the stadium include the addition of brick columns under the grandstand and the replacement of the infield turf following last season.
WOLVES ON THE WAY: March 13, at 11 a.m. on the east side of the Student Union, a roll-out ceremony for Arkansas State University's newly adopted mascot, the Red Wolves, revealed the new face of ASU athletics.
The decision to bid farewell to ASU's Indians and Indian Family was not an easy one, but it was a collaborative decision at every level. The decision-making process was begun about a year ago in response to NCAA sanctions.
At the urging of administrators, notably ASU Chancellor Dr. Robert L. Potts, a Mascot Selection Steering Committee was appointed and charged with gathering ideas for a mascot change from an extremely broad-based constituency that included current students, alumni, representatives from student athletics, athletic administration representation, and members of the community. Jim Pickens, emeritus trustee, was appointed committee chair to oversee the process and keep it representative of all constituencies.
Pickens remarked, “It was a pleasure playing a small role in the future of our university, and all concerned played a significant part in helping our institution move forward. On behalf of the Mascot Selection Committee, we wish to thank the administration, Board of Trustees, and various constituencies for the trust, confidence, and support we received as we went about this historic process of selecting a new mascot and mark for our university. I commend the Mascot Selection Committee for their dedication, professionalism, and hard work as we attempted to select a new mascot that is in keeping with the highest standards of our great university. Hopefully, the new mascot and imagery will serve to broaden and unify our base as together we strive for continued excellence in all aspects of our students' experience at Arkansas State University. I'm thankful for the opportunity to participate in what I hope is a great new beginning for A-State."
As Chancellor Potts noted at the historic Friday, March 7 ASU Board of Trustees meeting, “on Jan. 30, the Mascot Selection Steering Committee concluded its work by recommending that ASU adopt Wolves or a variation thereof, such as Red Wolves, as the new mascot and nickname for our athletic team.” After ascertaining that the nickname “Red Wolves” was unique among four-year universities, Potts brought it before the trustees, who ratified his selection. Potts remarked, “The Red Wolf is a noble species of wolf that once inhabited Arkansas and still exists in small numbers in other states. They are vicious and very aggressive, and they run in packs. I believe that Red Wolves is the best choice...”
ASU Board of Trustees chair Mike Gibson addressed the Mascot Selection Steering Committee's work at the historic board meeting marking the ratification of the adoption of Red Wolves as the new mascot. Gibson noted of the committee's recommendation to the chancellor, “It was done with class; it was done well, it was a tough job done well. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank Jim Pickens, who agreed to serve as chairman of this committee and did a wonderful job, Dr. Robert L. Potts, chancellor of the Jonesboro campus who worked so hard to bring us to this point and to those committee members who were there and offered their input...they all loved ASU...everybody wanted the best, and I feel like...you have come up with the best selection that anybody could find.” Shortly after these comments, and as the meeting broke up, Gibson led the assembled company of ASU administrators and their legal counsel, board members, and members of the media, in a rousing wolf howl, in a satisfactory conclusion of the laborious process.
Gibson and the assembled company weren't the only ones howling with joy. Kim Wheeler, executive director of the Red Wolf Coalition, a nonprofit conservation group based in eastern North Carolina, wrote the following message to Chancellor Potts.
Wheeler wrote, “The Red Wolf Coalition, Inc., and the many supporters of red wolf conservation are thrilled and send their “howling” congratulations to ASU on your choice of the red wolf as your mascot. I have passed along your mascot announcement to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Red Wolf Recovery Program and to the captive management facilities across the United States with great enthusiasm. We consider our red wolf supporters and captive management facilities to be one big family, and we welcome the students, staff, and alumni of Arkansas State University to the family.”
Wheeler “can't wait” to see the imagery, either, but she won't have to wait much longer. The team from ASU's Publications and creative Services department is ready to roll out the imagery that they created in-house for the new visage of ASU.
According to Ron Looney, director, Department of Publications and Creative Services, all four of the department's staff artists collaborated in the creation of the Red Wolves imagery. Initial sketches of the wolf mascot were created by art director Mark Reeves and designer Mary Williams. Graphic designer Heath Kelly developed a unique lettering style, and staff artist Michael Johnson assisted with conceptual suggestions and digital manipulation of the art forms. The staff then combined their efforts to create the versions necessary for production of various types of university media. The Publications and Creative Services team look upon the project as entirely collaborative, and as a great experience for them all.
ASU will promote that ASU-generated Red Wolves imagery, according to Gleen Hart, assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions, in many ways. Hart says, “We will try to be as visible as possible with the new imagery being displayed via billboards, the student body, print material, commercials, newspaper ads, and merchandising. The new imagery will be a vital part of the new student group. We will continue to provide prizes, promotions, and incentives to increase student involvement in athletic-related activities.”
Doug Doggett, associate athletic director for external operations and Indian Club director, says that the name change, even for his own organization, “obviously represents a significant impact on the athletic program and the university. We will continue to give thorough consideration to the switch from Indian names and imagery to Red Wolves throughout the process.”
ASU's athletic teams will begin competing as Red Wolves next fall at the beginning of the academic year.
