August 21, 2011

Lineup Card

Lineup Card is a feature highlighting notes from around college baseball.

August 15-21, 2011

Travis Beazley has been named pitching coach at VMI. This past year, Beazley was an assistant at his alma mater, Randolph-Macon. He was an All-American for the Yellow Jackets, graduating in 2006. Beazley was picked in the 38th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox and spent three years in their organization.

Wally Crancer will be the volunteer assistant this season at Georgia Tech. The former Yellow Jacket will work primarily with the outfielders and will assist with the hitters. Crancer spent four seasons in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, retiring in May of 2010. He batted .345 as a two-year starter at Georgia Tech from 2006-07 with 22 doubles, 14 homers and 82 RBI in 90 starts after transferring from Riverside (Calif.) Community College.

Texas A&M will hold walk-on tryouts beginning on Sept. 15. There is a mandatory meeting on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. Students will need proof of a sports physical done in the past six months as well as results from a sickle cell blood test.

Former UC Davis head coach Rex Peters has been named an assistant coach at UCLA. He will serve as hitting and outfield coach. Peters led UC Davis for nine years, taking the program from Division II to Division I. The Aggies reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008, their first year as a member of Division I and the Big West Conference. Prior to his arrival at UC Davis, Peters was head coach at Chapman University for nine seasons. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal State Fullerton in 1989 after helping the Titans reach the College World Series in 1988. Peters has a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in physical education, from Azusa Pacific.

Kansas State will launch K-StateHD.TV on August 30, a high-definition digital network for athletic and university programming. All home baseball games are expected to be broadcast through the subscription service.

Michael Williams, a catcher at Kentucky, will return for his senior season. Williams was taken in the 37th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He batted .264 this past season with seven home runs and 23 RBI.

Elon pitcher John Brebbia, the 2011 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year in voting by the media, has signed with the New York Yankees. Brebbia was 7-1 with three saves and a 1.76 ERA in 27 relief appearances this past season. He walked eight and fanned 35 in 41 innings.

Cincinnati signee Jackson Laumann has signed with the Atlanta Braves. A first baseman and pitcher from Boone County High School, Laumann was pitched in the 31st round of the 2011 MLB Draft.