THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605120013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEVIN DOEPP, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
The back of Dundalk Junior College's black T-shirts had a map of the state of Tennessee and a baseball on the city of Millington, the home of the Junior College World Series.
Some of the opposition thought that it was a cocky thing to do. But, a 31-11 record and a regional championship speaks volumes for the team's confidence.
Located in Baltimore, Md., Dundalk will be heading to Millington, Tenn., for the Junior College World Series May 18-24 for the first time in the school's history.
Four area high school players, Jason Howell, who thought of the T-shirt idea, (Western Branch); Tim Piland (Alliance Christian); Chad Lee (Green Run); and Fontaine Barber (Princess Anne) will be part of the festivities.
``If we get good pitching I think that we'll have a good chance to win,'' Howell said. ``I'm really glad to be going to Nationals and am looking forward to playing.''
Piland is the team's leading hitter in every category. Not bad for a guy that took four years off from baseball.
The leadoff hitter has eight home runs, 36 RBI's, a .430 batting average and a slugging percentage of .831.
Howell recruited Piland to play for Elliott Oppenheim at Dundalk.
``I gotta give Jason all the credit,'' Piland said. ``He brought me to this school. I spent a lot of time (out of school) playing softball. Luckily, I have been successful.''
Howell, who bats second, is hitting .340 and has stolen 23 of 25 bases.
The sophomore has had offers to play for Middle Tennessee and Elon College.
Barber has served as the team's designated hitter and the utility player. He is hitting .322 with two home runs and 12 stolen bases.
``I think that we have enough talent on this team to take us all the way through the tournament,'' Barber said. ``It will be a little disappointing if we don't go all the way.''
Lee, a left-handed pitcher, has posted a 5-1 record this season. He suffered a stress fracture in his push-off leg early in the season.
Oppenheim says that Lee will be his number one reliever and a possible fourth starter.
``Going to Nationals has been our goal since the first day of practice,'' Lee said. ``Of course we want to win. If we pitch well, I think we'll have a good shot at it.''
Dundalk will open May 18 at noon against a to be determined team from Iowa. A confident Oppenheim spoke about his team's chances.
``We have as good a chance at winning as anyone,'' Oppenheim said. ``No doubt we're capable.''
OLD DOMINION REPORT: Lady lacrosse defender Tskiyah Gettys was selected to the first team All-CAA. Dana Kuchta, Carrie Wightman, and Anne Windover were named to the second team. Windover completed her Lady Monarch career with 199 career points, tying her with Cathy Large (1988)....Men's tennis coach Darryl Cummings was named co-CAA Men's Tennis Coach of the Year for the third time in five years. He was named Women's Coach of the Year twice. Diego Valor and Miguel Rosa were named first team All-CAA. Cummings and swimming coach Carol Withus are the only two coaches in the CAA to have been named coach of the year for both men's and women's teams....The 21st annual 1996 Spivey Rentals/ODU Scholarship Golf Classic will be June 7-9 at Sleepy Hole Golf Club. Florida best ball and Chapman best ball will be the format. Entry donation is $150 per team. Call 683-3359 for information.
HAMPTON U. SOFTBALL: The Lady Pirates headed to Thibodaux, La., for the NCAA Division I softball tournament this weekend to take on Nicholls State in best two out of three series. The Lady Pirates are the first team in the school's history to receive a bid to the NCAA's. This is the first year the school is competing in Division I. Two local gals Donna Self, a freshman, (Booker T. Washington) and Laura Boltze, a senior, (Booker T. Washington) are on the team. Boltze, the starting catcher for the Lady Pirates, hit .257 and drove in 15 runs during the regular season. Self, a pitcher, went 11-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 73 K's. She also batted .255 and drove in 25 runs.
CNU REPORT: Softball catcher Cathy Riddick (Churchland) racked up two postseason awards to go with her already deep collection. Riddick, a senior, was named to the All-Atlantic Region second team and was a first team All-Dixie selection. She is a three-time first team All-Dixie selection and a two-time All-Atlantic Region selection. Riddick batted .356 for the Lady Captains who finished at 31-13. She finished her career 18th on the all-time Division III list in hits with 189. Riddick also holds 10 school records. Dee Schultz (Bayside), a freshman third baseman, finished the season at .365. She led the team with 28 RBI's and set a school record with eight triples. She drove in the winning run in the Lady Captains' third place Dixie conference tournament 3-2 win over Averett....Baseball pitcher Whitney Craun (Nansemond River) finished the season 2-3 with a 4.59 ERA and 38 strikeouts. He also batted .310 for the Captains, who went 12-27. Gary Denett (Churchland), a freshman outfielder batted .310 for the Captains.
ALUMNI REPORT: Rob Neff (Norfolk Academy), a senior defenseman for the number one ranked Princeton Tigers lacrosse team, was named first-team All-Ivy league. Neff, a high school All-American, has been a three-year starter for the Tigers. He joins fellow Norfolk Academy standout John Wynne, an attackman for the Tigers...Karla Roberson (Great Bridge), a sophomore on the Longwood women's golf team, has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II & III women's golf championships May 14-17 at the Meadows Golf Club in Allendale, Mich. Roberson, who carries a 80.4 stroke average for the year, is the first seed among participants from the East. ...
Sophomore first baseman Derek Lindsay (Princess Anne) is batting .317 for the Western Michigan baseball team in 47 games. He has three home runs and a team leading 29 RBI's....Shane Shapiro (Norfolk Academy), a senior pitcher at Brown University is 2-0 and has two saves. His wins came against Columbia and the College of Charleston. ...
Towson State gymnast Liane Williams (Bayside) was named the Female Rookie of the Year at the 1996 Towson State Sports Award Banquet. Williams was the co-winnner of the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Rookie of the Year award and was the EAGL co-champion on the balance beam.... Jamie Booth (First Colonial) is 4-4 as a freshman pitcher for Radford. He tossed a six hitter against Old Dominion in a 5-1 win. by CNB