Troy University Athletics
A Weekend for the Record Books
3/2/2009 6:00:00 AM | Baseball
Monday, March 2, 2009
*added photo album at 12:30p.m.- forgot the first time around!
Baby, it's cold outside! This is extremely evident in the cover photo and photo album I put together for this edition of Tale of the Tape. Yesterday, we had basketball practice, as usual, at 2:30 on Sunday, which means I have to be there at 1:30. Practice on a Sunday afternoon warrants fast-food for lunch after church since I miss out on my mother-in-law's wonderful home cooking. As I pulled up in the parking lot of my favorite Asian cuisine establishment in Troy - China Town - the snow was beginning to flurry around. And it was only the beginning...
I laughed rather loudly to myself as I watched the beautiful snow because I could vaguely remember joking with some people (who know who they are but will remain nameless) after Saturday night's basketball game about the possibility of snow for the baseball game. I think I remember saying something like "Snow for the baseball game tomorrow, HA!" We've had 'Chances of Snow' in the forecast for the last few weekends and hadn't seen a flake yet. I didn't imagine we would make up for all those missed opportunities in one day!
So as I quickly tune to 94.7, I hear the broadcast crew with the pre-game interview with Coach Pierce and the starting line-ups for Game 3 vs. Memphis, which would be starting momentarily. I HAD to see this! In addition to witnessing a first in TROY baseball history, I had some crow to eat!
As you can tell by the pictures, the snow really began to fly after Memphis took the plate at the top of the first inning. By the time three Trojan outs were recorded at the bottom of the first, the umpires decided to give it a break and see if the snow would let up. The tarp came out and the picture taking began. The winds picked up and the snow progressively fell harder and harder. When the umpires and coaches made the decision to postpone the game, the real playing began! Both teams took the field to slide through the bases and outfield and make snow angels. It was like watching a bunch of kids!
March 1, 2009, will go down as a historical day in Trojan baseball. I can imagine you will see some photos from the monumental occasion in the 'Season In Review' section of next years' media guide.
Not only did it SNOW in March, in Troy, but a lot more crazy things happened this weekend around campus. Mainly, the Men of Troy beat South Alabama for the second time this season and the first time at Trojan Arena since being in the SunBelt. Senior Night is always full of emotions and I could only hope that they would be to our benefit and not our detriment.
We had beaten South handily in January to start the 10-game winning streak, and I honestly didn't think they would give us the opportunity to do it again. It was a nail-biter to say the least, as I'd imagined it would be. The Seniors took care of business and we ended the season with 19 regular season wins and 15 wins in the SBC. Crazy, I know. Even crazier to think that we are only 5 points away from a 21-win season with a one point loss to FIU and a two point loss to ULaLa (yes, I know that makes three....but that would only tie those games, so I put us up by one in each case!).
I hadn't realized it - only because Coach Maestri said it in the bus on the way home from Lafayette and because I don't really keep track - but we've beaten every team in the Sunbelt this season and two of those teams have fallen to the Trojans twice. I'm hoping there are a few more wins in our near future as we begin to prepare for the Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
With the first round bye, we get to sit back and watch South and New Orleans fight it out on Wednesday. The winner of that game will be our opponent Sunday night in Round 2 of the SunBelt Conference Tournament. Personally, I don't want to have to play a team for a third time this season right off the bat, but we'll just have to wait to see. Only nine more wins to the National Championship! If ten in a row is doable, surely that's not out of the realm of possibilities...
We'll practice all week in preparation for the weekend game, with Monday off as usual. The bus will pull out Friday morning for the long haul to Little Rock, where we'll take a left and go the remaining hour or so into the resort area of Hot Springs. I'm fully hoping to celebrate a few wins (and my birthday) in a spa.
I'm thinking the tournament should be renamed something like "Alyson's Birthday Celebration with a few simultaneously played basketball games." That has a ring to it, doesn't it? I hope to blog along the way and share the March Madness with the fans that can't make the trip!
Until then, I'll be counting down the days left of year #32 - My how time flies when you're having fun -
GO TROJANS!
ASteed
