Eagles Set to Host Brevard at Smokies Park on Sunday
April 1, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman baseball team has several special events scheduled for its three-game series with South Atlantic Conference foe Brevard this weekend.
Baseball historian and author Doug Williams will kick off the weekend with a lecture on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Thomas Recital Hall on the C-N campus.
On Saturday, which will be Parents' Day, the Eagles and Tornados will square off in a doubleheader beginning at noon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex. The series will conclude on Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m. at Smokies Park in Kodak, Tenn. Smokies Park is home to the Tennessee Smokies, the double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
"We are fortunate," Eagles coach Tom Griffin said. "It's a big weekend for our program. It starts Friday with the chance to hear Doug Williams speak, and then it will be a great atmosphere for both teams to be able to play at a nice venue like Smokies Park on Sunday."
Williams' lecture will be about his book "So Many Summer Fields," which focuses on baseball and its history from the 1920s-1960s. Williams will also have on display several items from his memorabilia collection, which has been featured in Sports Collectors Digest. His complete collection is valued at more than $1 million.
"He's a huge baseball fan and has a huge collection of memorabilia," Griffin said. "He's written several books. For anybody that is a baseball fan, this is a great opportunity to come see someone on campus for a night on the history of baseball."
Admission is $10 and open to the public. Friday night's ticket can also be used to get into Sunday's game at Smokies Park. To purchase tickets in advance, call the C-N Baseball Office at (865) 471-3465.
This weekend's series is an important one for the Eagles as they try to remain in contention for one of the six spots available in the 2009 Food Lion SAC tournament. The Eagles (17-16, 3-10 SAC) are currently eighth in the standings with nine conference games remaining, while Brevard (8-22, 2-13) is in ninth.
"Right now us and Brevard are trying to work our way back up into that top six," Griffin said. "For both of us, it's a big series to get some wins to at least give us a chance to get in the top six. I know it's very important to them, as it is to us just to get some conference wins right now."
C-N earned its first conference win in its last six tries on Sunday as it won the second game of a doubleheader against then-No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne, 8-5, but the Eagles will be entering the weekend on a low after losing 8-1 at Limestone on Tuesday. C-N collected just five hits for the game.
Brevard has just one win in its last 10 outings. The Tornados split with Mars Hill on Tuesday to pick up their second SAC win of the season. Despite the Tornados' struggles, Griffin said his team better be ready to face a scrappy Brevard squad.
"They've got some pitchers that have competed and played well in some conference games early on," he said. "We are both in the same position right now. We are trying to leap frog each other. I know they will be in here to compete."
