August 26, 2012
Lineup Card
Lineup Card is a feature highlighting notes from around
college baseball.
August 20-26, 2012
 Texas
A&M has hired Austin Knight (left) to be its volunteer
assistant. He will primarily work with the infielders. Knight
was a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Dallas Baptist, for
the past two seasons. He was a four-year starter for the
Patriots from 2007-10. Knight earned a Bachelor of Arts in
Biblical Studies from DBU in 2010 and a Master of Education from
DBU this past May.
Blake Kangas has joined the staff at Kansas
State. He has been hitting coach at Feather River College for
the past four seasons. Kangas, 29, also coached for three
seasons at Milwaukee, his alma mater. He played two seasons at
Madison Area Technical College before spending his final two
years with the Panthers. Kangas has a bachelor’s degree in
education from UWM and is working on his master’s in coaching
and athletic administration.
Valparaiso will hold its annual
Parents/Alumni/Friends Day on Sept. 29, including golf in the
afternoon and bowling in the evening. A cookout and awards
ceremony will follow the golf outing.
Southern Illinois will hold walk-on tryouts on
Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. at Abe Martin Field. Attendees must bring a
current physical, tryout waiver and proof of insurance.
Texas A&M held its seventh annual Paint-a-Thon on
Aug. 25 at the home of Rod Merchant in College Station. The
Aggies painted the exterior of the house and did minor repairs.
They also created a flower bed in the front yard.
 Dallas
Baptist will join the Missouri Valley Conference as an affiliate
member for baseball for the 2014 season. This past season, the
Patriots had a scheduling agreement with the league, playing
three-game series against seven of the eight Valley teams. The
conference finished the 2012 campaign ranked No. 6 in the RPI,
including five teams in the top 85. Two programs earned NCAA
tourney at-large bids, as did DBU. The Patriots, under head
coach Dan Heefner (left), were 41-19 this past season and went
14-7 against MVC opponents. For the 2013 season, DBU will
compete in the WAC for baseball.
Former Terrapin Matt Swope has been hired as
director of operations at Maryland. He batted .368 as a senior
in 2002 with 64 runs and 55 RBI. Swope was picked in the 24th
round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos. Swope
replaces Bernie Walter, who held the position for the past three
seasons. Walter will remain at Maryland as special assistant to
the head coach. Eric Milton will remain on staff as volunteer
assistant.
Maine officially dedicated the Paul J. Mitchell
Batting Pavilion on Aug. 21. Construction began in May and was
recently completed. The indoor facility will be used by the
Maine baseball team, softball team and by the community.
click here for photos of dedication
Rich Billings has been added to the staff at
Florida Atlantic. He will work with the outfielders, first
basemen and hitters. Billings was head coach at Lake-Sumter
Community College for five seasons. He was an assistant there
for two seasons after graduating from East Tennessee State in
2005 with a degree in history.
Sammy Esposito has been named recruiting
coordinator and Brian Buscher will be the volunteer assistant at
South Carolina under head coach Chad Holbrook. Esposito has
worked with the Gamecocks for the past five seasons, coaching
the hitters and catchers. Buscher played third base at South
Carolina and helped the Gamecocks reach the College World Series
in 2002 and 2003. He was a third round pick of the San Francisco
Giants in 2003 and spent three seasons in their system before
going to the Minnesota Twins. Buscher made his Major League
debut on July 27, 2007, and played three seasons with the Twins.
Chuck Ristano was promoted to assistant coach at
Notre Dame. He was a volunteer assistant for the past two
seasons and will continue to serve as pitching coach. Ristano
spent four seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator
at Monmouth. He also coached at Temple and at his alma mater,
Sacred Heart.
Mississippi State will hold its Baseball Alumni
Weekend on Oct. 12-13. A golf tournament will be held on Friday
afternoon followed by a baseball alumni cookout that evening,
hosted by head coach John Cohen and his wife, Nelle. An alumni/intrasquad
scrimmage will be held at noon on Saturday prior to the football
game against Tennessee.
Former Kentucky left-hander Chris Rusin allowed
one hit and one run in five innings in his Major League debut
for the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 21 against the Milwaukee Brewers at
Miller Park in Milwaukee. Rusin retired the first nine hitters
he faced. He walked two and struck out four in his five innings.
Rusin also tripled in his first plate appearance.
 Former
Auburn outfielder Gabe Gross (left) has been named the volunteer
assistant for the Tigers after serving as a student assistant
coach this past season. Gross was a three-year starter from
1999-2001, hitting .375 during his career. He batted .430 in
2000 and was named an All-American. Gross was a first round pick
of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2001 MLB Draft and spent seven
years in the major leagues.
Gerald Cassard and Brett Stewart have been added
to the staff at Nicholls. Cassard will be the director of
operations. Cassard worked for the past five years at Loyola in
New Orleans. He is a Nicholls graduate and spent seven seasons
as an assistant at Nicholls in the late 90’s. Stewart will be a
volunteer assistant. He was an assistant for the Rockville
Express of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Summer League this past
summer. Stewart graduated from Appalachian State.
Former VMI catcher Michael Roberts will be the
volunteer assistant for the Keydets this season. Roberts returns
to Lexington after playing professionally following being
drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. He was a student
assistant coach in the fall of both 2010 and 2011 while
completing his degree.
(photos courtesy of TAMU, DBU & Auburn Media Relations Offices) |
