Lost In Translation
by Cheval John
In today’s environment with the popularity of college football and basketball, most student athletes who play those sports do not get their college degree because they leave early for the NFL or the NBA.
Worst of all, their grades are not on par with the rest of the student body on campus.
But at some universities, student-athletes are performing equally or better than the rest of the student body in the classroom.
One university that comes to mind is Sam Houston State University.
More than 400 student-athletes participates in 15 sports for SHSU at the NCAA Division I level in the Southland Conference (with the exception of bowling).
During the 2011-12 school year, the majority of the athletic teams made it to post-season tournaments at the Southland Conference and the NCAA .
These same student-athletes achieved success in the classroom as well.
In the fall of 2011, they had a combined GPA of 2.90.
The following semester, they did even better with a combined 3.00 GPA, the highest of any semester at SHSU.
Leading the charge was the volleyball team with a combined G.P.A. of 3.36.
They gained recognition regionally and nationally as they earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association team academic award last week.
The award is given to any team at the high school and/or collegiate level who earns a 3.30 G.P.A or above during the school year.
The volleyball team were among the 102 schools at the NCAA Division I level that received the award.
Individually, four Bearkats received the Southland Conference “Student-Athlete of the Year” award for their success in the classroom as well as on the field.
They are Travis Watson (football), James Glenn (men’s golf), Jake Arrington (baseball) and Morgan Davis (Women’s Indoor Track).
“It was very exciting,” Davis said. “I had no idea that I was in the running for it.”
“When I found out about it, I instantly burst into tears.”
“It was the best news that I could have heard.”
The most important achievement of it all is that 90% of the student-athletes at SHSU receives a college degree after they complete their eligibility.
Many of these athletes go on to be professionals in their chosen fields outside of sports.
Don’t believe me, just ask Ms. Davis.
She is going to dental school to fulfill her dream of becoming a dentist.
“I knew that it was going to be even harder doing those classes along with athletics,” Davis said.
“I was willing to take on that challenge and I think I did a pretty good job with it.”
No.3 Bearkats Advances To Championship Round Of Houston Regional
by Cheval John
Houston, Texas- No.3 Sam Houston State Bearkat baseball team eliminated the No.1 Rice Owls by the score of 4-1 to advance to the championship round of the NCAA Baseball Championship Houston Regional.
It was the biggest win of the year for first-year head coach David Pierce, who spent 9 years as an assistant to Rice head coach Wayne Graham, out coached his teacher and have taken the Bearkat baseball program to another level.
The Owls, who was favored to win the regional and make a run at the College World Series, scored a total of five runs in three games.
They could not overcome a strong pitching performance by starting pitcher Michael Oros and key defensive plays by the Bearkats.
They were looking to pounce on the Bearkats in the top of the first inning when Christian Stringer walked and J.T. Chargois reached on a error by third baseman Kevin Miller.
With two outs, Michael Fuda issued a walk to load the bases.
But Oros got Michael Ratterree to fly out to center fielder Colt Atwood to end the threat.
The Bearkats capitalized and scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning that made it 1-0.
Corey Toups started the inning with a single and stole second base to put himself in scoring position.
He advanced to third on a ground out to first base by Atwood and scored the first run on an error by second baseman Stringer that allowed Luke Plucheck to reach first.
Plucheck was credited with the RBI.
The Bearkats increased their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a RBI single by Atwood.
The Owls made things interesting in the top of the fifth inning as they cut the lead to 2-1.
With two runners on, Jeremy Rathjen hit a drive to left field that went off the glove of Plucheck at the wall.
Stringer scored easily from second base, but Chargois was thrown out at home as he tried to score the tying run.
They tried again in the top of the seventh inning when Stringer hit a one out single up the middle.
He advanced to second on a error by O’Hearn that allowed Chargois to reach first on a fielder’s choice.
Oros settled down and got the final out to end the Owl threat.
They had something going in the top of the eighth inning when Ratterree led off with a single to left field.
The Bearkats got two quick outs as Hale thrown out Ratterree and struck out Lewis.
Geoff Perrott followed with a two out double to keep the Owls rally alive.
But, Oros got Shane Hoelscher to fly out to Atwood and snuffed out the rally.
That turned out to be important as Anthony Azar’s two out, two-run single gave the Bearkats a 4-1 and put the game out of reach for the Owls.
Oros pitched eight strong innings and got the win. He struck out five batters and gave up a run.
Michael Burchett got his 10th save of the season.
The Bearkats (40-21), who earned an at-large bid in the tournament, will face the Arkansas Razorbacks in the championship round tonight at 6 p.m.
If they beat Arkansas, then they will play again tomorrow at 6 p.m., but if Arkansas wins, then they will move on to the NCAA Super Regional.
Bearkats Loses First Game In NCAA Baseball Championships Houston Regional
by Cheval John
Houston, Texas- After striking for four runs in the top of the fifth inning to gain their first lead in the contest, it seemed as if the # 3 seeded Sam Houston State Bearkat baseball team was on their way to getting their first win in the NCAA Baseball Championships Houston Regional.
However, the # 2 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks had different ideas as they rebounded in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored three runs to regain the lead and eventually defeated the Kats by the score of 5-4.
Starting pitcher Caleb Smith threw 117 total pitches in 7 2/3 innings and held the Razorbacks at bay for most of the game.
But it wasn’t enough as Arkansas got key hits when it counted.
The trouble began in the bottom of the fourth inning when Matt Reynolds led off the inning with a double.
They added two more base runners on consecutive walks to Brian Anderson and Bo Bingham to load the bases.
A pair of sacrifice flies scored both Reynolds and Bingham to give the Razorbacks a 2-0.
It didn’t take long for the Bearkats to answer as they scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to lead it by the score of 4-2.
Luke Plucheck drove in their first run on a bases-clearing ground out to cut the lead to 2-1.
Anthony Azar followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 2.
Then, Jake Arrington followed with a two-run triple to complete the four run rally.
For two innings, Smith kept the Razorbacks at bay as he retired six batters in a row.
Then the lead evaporated in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Razorbacks scored three runs on a two-run single by Tim Carver and an RBI ground out by Reynolds to take back the lead and win by the score of 5-4.
The Bearkats will try to avoid elimination tomorrow as they face Prarie View A&M Panthers at 1 p.m.
The Panthers lost a nail biter to regional host Rice in the nightcap by the score of 3-2.