Short baseball note

July 27, 2007

By Drew Champlin

Nolan Chestnut, a pitcher for Troy the past two seasons, has signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers, per an email from Marcia Chestnut.

Nolan, a LHP, pitched just 1.2 innings last year with a 32.40 ERA. I saw him pitch once in a scrimmage where he was dominant - throwing 88-89, but he never could get the consistency he needed to help the Trojans in games. Chestnut had a year of eligibility left after getting a medical redshirt in 2006.

Future schedules

By Drew Champlin

So I finally sit down and look at the Troy media guide (why didn’t I do this Monday night in New Orleans?)

The future schedules for 2008-2010 are listed and there’s some games to look at. I’ll type this in as follows.
REMEMBER: The Ball State game for 2008 WILL NOT HAPPEN as reported earlier.

2008
Aug. 30 at Middle Tennessee (what?)
Sept. 6 at LSU
Sept. 13 BALL STATE (will be replaced)
Sept. 20 at Ohio State
Sept. 27 at Oklahoma State
Oct. 4 ARKANSAS STATE
Oct. 11 at Florida Atlantic
Oct. 18 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Oct. 25 at North Texas
Nov. 1 at UL-Monroe
Nov. 8 WESTERN KENTUCKY
Nov. 22 UL-LAFAYETTE

2009
Sept. 3 BOWLING GREEN ST (or does it not have the State? I wonder if that’s a Thursday)
Sept. 12 at Florida
Sept. 19 UAB
Oct. 3 at Arkansas
Oct. 10 FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Oct. 17 at Florida International
Oct. 24 NORTH TEXAS
Oct. 31 UL MONROE
also Oct. 31 has a game listed at Arkansas State
Nov. 7 at Western Kentucky
Nov. 21 MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Nov. 28 UL-LAFAYETTE

2010
Sept. 4 at South Carolina
Sept. 11 at Oklahoma State
Sept. 18 at UAB
Oct. 2 ARKANSAS STATE
Oct. 9 at Florida Atlantic
Oct. 16 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Oct. 23 at North Texas
Oct. 30 at UL-Monroe
Nov. 6 WESTERN KENTUCKY
NOv. 13 at Bowling Green State
Nov. 20 at Middle TEnessee
Nov. 27 UL LAFAYETTE

That’s copied, verbatim, from the Troy media guide.
I think the 2009 game will be AT ULL, not home, because they won’t play them at home three straight years.
What’s weird is seeing MTSU to OPEN next season. I had heard rumblings of that but I guess this is now confirmed, as is UAB. That’s a good thing now because UAB has new administration and a new head coach and they wanted to play Troy.

I’d look at 2008 as pretty lethal (as in possible 1-6 start), but 2010 could be special. Just my two cents.

Troy football practice info/dates

July 26, 2007

By Drew Champlin

Players report July 31. Picture day is Aug. 1 and the first practice is Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. Aug 3-6 follows the same schedule
Two-a-days are Aug. 7 and 9 at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and the first scrimmage is Saturday Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. The one-a-days between then are at 6 p.m.
Troy opens the fall semester Wed. Aug. 15, and will practice in the afternoons leading up to the season opener.
It’s almost here.

Practice is open to the public.

I know you’re thinking about football, but here’s some baseball news

July 25, 2007

By Drew Champlin

Ran into head coach Bobby Pierce today at a baseball camp in Dothan and have spoken with assistant Mark Smartt on the phone. Here’s some little tidbits that will be in a story tomorrow.

There’s a chance, if Troy can get some financial backing from the athletic department (in the range of 10-20,000), that the Trojans will travel in a three-game series to Arizona State. That came open when North Texas decided it wouldn’t start its program in 2008. The problem was, all the Sun Belt teams had the games with North Texas on their schedules, so they had to scramble to find an opponent. Troy will either go to Arizona State or Bethune Cookman, an NCAA regional participant last year. Basically, a trip to ASU would cost enough that it would put Troy’s baseball program over its planned budget. However, the North Texas decision was unexpected.

Some new players:
Daryl Otwell, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound corner infielder from Calhoun Community College. A big-time power-hitter, Otwell hit .400 with 10 home runs. He’ll be a sophomore.
Charley Williams, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound outfielder from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi. He also put up some big numbers and was drafted in the 19th round by Florida. He’s scheduled to be with the program, but technically could sign by Aug. 15.
Travis Burge, a LHP transfer from Florida State I’ve touched on in the past.
Blake Dunaway, a RHP sophomore transfer from Faulkner University. From Enterprise, he was 6-0 last year with a 4.22 ERA.
Shane Ikner, a RHP from Pensacola, Fla., a freshman who will pitch next year.

Basically, if all pans out well, you’re looking at guys like Williams and Otwell as big-time players. If they pan out.

Look for a couple of others to be on board, probably a pitcher or two, and a shortstop, pending the receiving of scholarship papers and passing of classes.

RHP Nate Duhe and SS Charlie Calamia are leaving. Pitchers JJ Whetsel, Steven Morelock, Andrew York and Jeff Green are coming off arm surgery, but Green had his surgery later than the others and may redshirt in 2008.

Wednesday links

By Drew Champlin

Here’s a Q and A with Troy linebacker Marcus Richardson, and a little something on the two new head coaches in the Sun Belt. Tomorrow I’ll have some stuff from Wright Waters, but today we were short on space.

From other papers in the Sun Belt

Arkansas State is depending on its strong defensive line, from the Jonesboro Sun.

There’s three articles from the Daily News Journal in that link.

The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette has a little something on Bill Curry, the guest speaker at the event.

From the News Star in Monroe, Sun Belt teams bulk up the non-conference schedule.

From the Fort Worth Star Telegram, North Texas has a defense, too.

From the Palm Beach Post (I love south Florida), the Sun Belt coaches’ wages are low.