Brandon Belt goes 2-for-8

The former Hudson Hornet also had three walks in the longest game in NCAA history, a 3-2, 25-inning win over Boston College, according to Texas Sports.

Craig Whitaker pitches hitless inning

The former Panther gave up one walk in San Jose's 10-2 win over Visalia, according to The Raw Feed.

Pitch hits Brandon Belt in the head

The former Hudson Hornet was taken to the hospital during the game against Texas State, according to Bevo Beat.

Jays place Robert Ray on DL

The former Panther is on the 15-day disabled list, according to AP.

Brandon Belt prepares for Texas State

The former Hudson Hornet isn't looking past the Bobcats, according to News8 Austin:

"We've got to assume they are really good," Horns first baseman Brandon Belt says. "We've got to go out there and play our best game. We definitely can't let down now. It's a brand new season and we've got to get off to a great start."

Kevin Thomas piggybacks

The former Central Bulldog pitched 3.2 innings, allowing two unearned runs and two hits in Quad Cities' 8-0 loss to West Michigan.

Steven Hill criticizes offense

The former Dragon told the Springfield News-Leader that the offense isn't providing enough offense for pitcher Ryan Kulik:

"We just haven't given him any run support," catcher Steven Hill said. "He's really coming into his own here and has been throwing well for us."

Athlon names Dez Bryant as pre-season all-American

The former Panther is on the first team, according to OKState.com.

Steven Hill homers

The former Dragon also had an RBI single in Springfield's 11-4 win over Tulsa, according to Our Sports Central.

Craig Whitaker pitches scoreless inning

The former Panther gave up just a walk in San Jose's 9-5 win over Modesto, according to Our Sports Central.

Kevin Thomas takes loss

The former Central Bulldog gave up three runs in Quad Cities' 6-3 loss to Fort Wayne, according to Our Sports Central:

Kevin Thomas (2-1) suffered the loss for Quad Cities. Making his first appearance in two weeks due to a back injury, Thomas was roughed up for three runs on four hits and three walks.

Clint Dempsey on U.S. roster

The former Dragon is on the 24-man roster, according to a story posted on StAugustine.com.

Jays send Robert Ray to minors

The former Panther was sent to Las Vegas, according to City News.

Robert Ray takes loss

The former Panther pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four earned runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four in Toronto's 5-1 loss to Boston, according to The Globe and Mail:

Ray, who told Blue Jays broadcaster Jerry Howarth before the game that he was always called Bobby, and indicated he preferred that to Robert - he was 1-1, 3.60 earned-run average as Robert - scattered three hits over eight innings in beating the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. But that was as Robert Ray, and these Red Sox are sox of a different colour.

In Ray's defence, however, there was little he could do about Bay's two-run home run, which highlighted a three-run first inning. That homer was all on right fielder Rios, who completely missed Bay's liner as it bounced off the top of the wall in right field.

Tanner Hines goes 3-for-5

The former Hudson Hornet had three singles in SFA's season-ending 7-4 loss to UT-Arlington, according to The Daily Sentinel.

Brandon Belt homers

The former Hudson Hornet was 2-for-4 with three RBI, according to Texas Sports.

Craig Whitaker doesn't allow hit

The former Panther pitched 2.2 innings, giving up a walk and striking out three in San Jose's 8-4 loss to Inland Empire, according to Our Sports Central:

Craig Whitaker relieved Mixon with the bases loaded and one out and did induce Gonzalez to bounce into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to prevent further damage.

Steven Hill strikes out three times

Pretty funny stuff on the former Dragon on the Springfield News-Leader:

The catcher/designated hitter struck out three times Wednesday for a hat trick. And, as punishment, he had to wear a green and silver leprechaun hat during stretches this afternoon.

Wes Musick avoids elimination

The former Hudson Hornet and two other pitchers combined to give up just one run in Houston's 4-1 win over Marshall, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Brandon Belt goes 4-for-6

The former Hudson Hornet had three RBI in Texas' 14-9 loss to Baylor, according to TDT.

Bobby Ray?

I guess the former Panther is going by Bobby Ray now. This from CBC Sports:

Peering at the lush green grass at the fabled Fenway Park and sporting a wide grin, the rookie Blue Jays pitcher uttered: "I've always wanted to pitch here. But I'm kind of glad that I'm not pitching the first game."

The right-hander formerly known as Robert Ray might have gladly taken that assignment had he known Toronto would lose the first two games of a three-game series.

Robert Ray starting tonight

The former Panther will take on Boston tonight, according to NESN.

Brandon Belt gets Big 12 honors

The former Hudson Hornet was named to the honorable mention all Big 12 team, according to KansasCity.com.

Clint Dempsey gets yellow card

A referee gave the former Dragon a yellow card, according to MLSnet.com.

Fulham fans vote Clint Dempsey "monster player of the month"

The former Dragon received the honor for April, according to Soccer Times:

The designation falls somewhere between most valuable and most popular.

Steven Hill back in lineup

The former Dragon starts today against Arkansas, according to The Springfield News-Leader:

Slugger Steven Hill is back in the lineup, starting at catcher, for the first time since being hit by a foul ball last week. He said his bruised right hand felt better yesterday, but the team continued to keep him out to give him another day to rest.

Adam Sellers named to SWAC first team

The former Panther is named as DH of the first team, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Craig Whitaker gives up three runs

The former Panther pitched two innings, giving up three runs, two hits and three walks while striking out one in San Jose's 8-6 loss to Modesto, according to Our Sports Central.

Damion James hasn't signed with agent

Rick Barnes said Andrew Miller is advising the former Dragon, which is allowed under NCAA rules, according to ESPN:

"He's allowed to advise -- he hasn't signed anything,'' Barnes said. "Andy Miller has done everything right with us.''


Miller said he is helping James gather information for workouts. James is scheduled to go to the Chicago pre-draft combine next week.


"It will all come down to how he does in the workouts,'' Barnes said.

Steven Hill listed as day-to-day

The former Dragon is expected to recover, according to News-Leader:

Hill hurt his right hand Saturday and left the game. Pierson said Hill is day-to-day with a bruised hand. Hill, Baseball America's No. 25 Cardinals prospect, missed a month last season with a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in June.

Steven Hill suffers injury

The former Dragon left the game with a hand injury in Springfield's 8-5 loss to Northwest Arkansas, according to Our Sports Central.

Brandon Belt drives in three

The former Hudson Hornet had three RBI in Texas' 5-1 win over Alabama A&M, according to The Austin American-Statesman:

"I felt pretty good at the plate," Belt said. "I think the entire team really stayed focused all day today. We had good at-bats and swung at good pitches all day."

Raymond Harris finishes second at Big 12 meet

The former Dragon lost on a tiebreaker for first place, according to a story posted on Statesman.com.

DeMeeka Jones places eighth

The former Lady Panther qualified for the final in the 100-meter hurdles, according to CUBuffs.com.

Robert Ray records first ML win

The former Panther gave up just three hits through eight innings, walking one and striking out three, according to MLB.com:

Shortly after his brief meeting with Gaston, Ray couldn't stop smiling.

"Best feeling yet," Ray said. "It's awesome to get called up here for the feeling that you did make it up here. Then, your first strikeout. But that's the one -- the win -- that's the one you really want. It means the most for me, for sure."

Tanner Hines ties Steven Hill record

The former Hudson Hornet has an 18-game hitting streak, tying the former Dragon's SFA record, after SFA's 11-7 win over Lamar, according to The Daily Sentinel:

Priest led the Lumberjacks at the plate with three hits and four RBI. Ferguson, Zach Gardner and Tanner Hines each picked up two hits. Hines extended his hitting streak to 18 games, tying the school record set by Steven Hill in 2007.

Hines broke the record Saturday in SFA's 16-4 loss to Lamar Saturday, according to the Daily Sentinel.

Anna Whiddon nearly carries team to super-regional

For the former Lady Devil, it started with a one-hitter Friday in a 1-0 win over Florida State, according to OKState.com:

Cowgirl pitcher Anna Whiddon threw a one-hit shutout as Oklahoma State upset No. 16 national seed Florida State 1-0 here Friday night before 472 fans at JoAnn Graf Field. The OSU hurler struck out nine Seminole batters, including two to end the seventh inning after the Cowgirls had taken the lead.

Then Saturday, she took over in relief, pitching 3.1 innings and giving up no runs, one hit and one walk while striking out four in Oklahoma State's 2-0 loss to California, according to OKState.com:

Cowgirl ace Anna Whiddon relieved Odom with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth. She forced Leomiti to ground out, and struck out four while allowing just one hit over the final 3-1/3 innings.

And Saturday night, she pitched 12 innings of shutout ball before beating Florida State, 1-0, according to OKState.com:

The wild pitch put an end to an amazing pitcher's duel between Cowgirl starter Anna Whiddon and the FSU duo of Terese Gober and Hamilton. Whiddon (21-13) threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out nine and walking just one. She threw 152 total pitches, including 108 strikes. So far this weekend, she has thrown 22-1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

Claire McGee has two hits

The former Central Lady Bulldog had two hits in Houston-Victoria's 4-0 to Saint Xavier, according to The Victoria Advocate.

NBA Combine invites Damion James

The former Dragon is among 52 invited, according to The New York Daily News.

Tanner Hines has two hits

The former Hudson Hornet was the only Lumberjack with multiple hits, according to The Daily Sentinel.

Robert Ray gets Saturday start

The former Panther will stay on the big league roster, according to National Post:

Ray is scheduled to start against the White Sox tomorrow. He has averaged six innings in his two outings, and for the most part has not looked out of place. But his ERA is 6.00 and he appears closest to a demotion at the moment.

Craig Whitaker pitches perfect baseball

This, from Our Sports Central, on the former Panther:

Craig Whitaker (2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) entered the game with a runner at second base and one out and quickly finished the contest by inducing Cowgill to ground out before Easley struck out swinging.

San Jose beat Visalia, 8-4.

Anna Whiddon comments on offensive catalyst

The former Huntington Lady Devil had good things to say to The Stillwater News-Press about Mariah Gearhart:

“She’s a big part of our team obviously,” Whiddon said. “She’s done a great job for us this year, whether it’s being hit by a pitch — she has a lot of those — whether it’s hitting the ball to the outfield or whether whatever.

“She just does her job and is really a team leader in her actions. She tries to get everyone fired up but is like, ‘I’ve got to get on base, that way everyone’s going to be fired up and I’m going to score.’ She just does an excellent job at just being herself pretty much in getting the team behind her and everything.”

Trumaine Johnson visits Iowa State

The former Diboll Lumberjack visited Iowa State as a possible transfer site, according to The Daily Iowan.

Steven Hill homers

The former Dragon hit his club-best ninth home run in Springfield's 9-8 win over Northwest Arkansas, according to NWA Online.

Jeremy Tamez takes loss

The former Panther gave up six runs on seven hits and four walks with no strikeouts over 2.2 innings in SFA's 12-2 loss to Baylor, according to KWTX.

Don Muhlbach strutting his mutt

The former Panther will take part in the Mutt Strutt at Ford Field, according to Freep.com.

Rex Hadnot holding football camp again

The former Panther will hold his camp June 24 at Abe Martin Stadium, according to The Diboll Free Press:

"We are doing the camp different this year" stated Coach Earley. "This year we are having both age groups at the same time, but at different locations. The youngest group, 7-12, will check in at 8:25 AM at the football stadium and the 13-18 year old group will check in at 8:25 AM at the soccer field. Both camps will run simultaneously from 9:00 AM till Noon. This will give us time to focus on the players and the things we want to teach them."

Ty Thomas places third

The former Dragon and his 4x100-meter team ran a 40.82 at the SLC championships, according to The Daily Sentinel.

Steven Hill homers

The former Dragon also scored the game-winning run in Springfield's 10-9 win over Arkansas, according to The Raw Feed.

Brandon Belt walks

The former Hudson Hornet was 0-for-3 in Texas' 5-4 win over Texas A&M, according to Texas Sports.

Steven Hill homers

The former Dragon's home run was the difference in Springfield's 10-9 win over North Little Rock, according to Our Sports Central.

Brandon Belt learned respect from mom

From Texas Sports:

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOUR MOM HAS EVER GIVEN YOU?
Brandon Belt: She gives me a lot of advice, but I think the best one is to be respectful. I’ve really taken that to heart. It helps out when you’re respectful to your coaches, and, especially in sports, everybody is looking for a little respect. When you’re respectful to people, they’re respectful back.

McClendon 0-for-2

The former Panther scored a run in Kentucky's 6-3 win over Auburn, according to UKAthletics.com.

Wes Musick takes loss

The former Hudson Hornet gave up eight hits and four runs while striking out one over two innings in Houston's 12-2 loss to ECU, according to ECUPirates.com.

Anna Whiddon rocked out of tournament

The former Huntington Lady Devil pitched five shutout innings against Texas Tech in the Big XII tournament opener, but got shelled against Missouri, according to the Stillwater Newspress:

Anna Whiddon kicked off the hurling for O-State but didn’t record a single out before being relieved by Sarah Odom. Whiddon walked first batter Rhea Taylor, hit Gina Schneider with a pitch and allowed Lindsey Ubrun a three-run homer to put MU up 3-0. Whiddon hit a second batter, which credited the OSU pitcher with another run when she later scored.

Brandon Belt talks about hatred for A&M

The Houston Chronicle has a fine article on the former Hudson Hornet, who talks about how he's always hated Texas A&M, despite living closer to there than UT:

“I’ve always been a Longhorns fan,” said Belt, who has earned the nickname “Jethro” from Texas assistant Tommy Harmon thanks to his East Texas roots. “I’ve always hated the Aggies, and I always wanted to come to Texas.”

Robert Ray suffers first loss

The former Panther gave up 10 hits through 6.1 innings pitched, according to The Star:

“Basically, if I could have four pitches back,” Ray said. “Experience-wise, I feel I’ve done well. There are some positives, but I have to learn to keep my mistakes down.”

Craig Whitaker gets lit up

The former Panther gave up two hits, three runs and two walks while striking out four through 2.2 innings, according Our Sports Central.

Steven Hill hits two homers in doubleheader

The former Dragon had two home runs in a doubleheader, according to Springfield News-Leader.

Kevin Thomas loses 0.00 ERA

The former Central Bulldog gave up three runs in Quad Cities' 8-3 loss to Great Lakes, according to Our Sports Central.

Brandon Belt drives in two

The former Hudson Hornet also had two hits in Texas' 7-3 win over Texas Southern, according to College Baseball Insider.

Robert Ray gets start tonight

The former Panther will take on Anaheim on 80s Night, according to Halos Heaven.

The Blue Jays' Web site has a good story on Ray and his reactions to comments made by his GM that he isn't ready for the big leagues:

"Honestly, I just want to take care of my job," Ray said. "I just want to go out and give us a chance to win and focus more on that. You know, maybe he's right. Maybe we weren't quite ready, or it wasn't the perfect time to bring us up. The fact is we're here now and we have to do what we can to help the team."

Getting to know Clint Dempsey

The former Dragon has a Q&A with Goal.com:

Strengths: My creativity and my competitiveness.

Weaknesses: I would say that I don’t know and you’ll have to ask my coaches.

Brandon Belt explains what he's thinking

Texas Sports has an excellent story about what a few of the Texas hitters are thinking when they face a pitcher. The former Hudson Hornet joined the discussion:

You try to think as little as possible in the batter's box because thinking just makes your body slow down. Sometimes, if the count is in your favor you might be kind of guessing what is coming, but that is only about one out of 10 pitches.

Robert Ray completes comeback from shoulder surgery

The Blue Jays Web site has an excellent article on the former Panther's journey through the minor leagues, including surgery on his shoulder:

Even that first month, I thought, 'I don't know if this going to work out,'" Ray said at Rogers Centre on Tuesday before the Blue Jays wrapped up their homestand against the Indians. "Your whole life wanting to be here, to do this, you come to the realization it might not happen."

The shoulder problem began in 2006 in Dunedin in what was supposed to be Ray's first full professional season.

"I did it really early on, right out of Spring Training," he said, "and we kept thinking it was just tendinitis. We'd do a throwing program and we'd come back, and within two weeks, it would come back again. We did that twice and finally did the MRI [exam] and they found it."

The Blue Jay's GM told the Globe and Mail Ray has handled the promotion well:

"In fairness … they're just not ready to be here," Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "We're kind of force-feeding them and they're handling it well so far."

Kevin Thomas named pitcher of the week

The Midwest League named the former Central Bulldog the pitcher of the week, according to Our Sports Central:

Thomas, 22, boasts a 2-0 record with a save and a spotless 0.00 ERA through 18.1 innings this year. He has 13 strikeouts with just three walks and seven hits allowed. On April 15 against Beloit, the Texas native tossed two hitless innings to close out game one of a doubleheader, combining with Hector Cardenas to throw the first Quad Cities no-hitter since 2001.

Wes Musick gives up six runs

The former Hudson Hornet gave up nine hits, six runs and three walks, with six strikeouts in Houston's 6-5 loss to Rice, according to The Houston Chronicle:

“The long ball was the name of the day today,” Noble said. “We couldn’t keep the ball in the ballpark. I thought Wes pitched admirably.”

Allison McClain drives in run

The former Diboll Ladyjack had an RBI in Centenary's 8-4 win over North Dakota State, according to NewOrleans.com.

Chris McClendon 2-for-3

The former Panther had a double, single and RBI, according to WKYT.

Claire McGee has two hits in championship win

The former Lady Panther also had a squeeze bunt RBI as Houston-Victoria won the AII title over California State-San Marcos, 9-4, according to the Victoria Advocate:

"There was pressure but we all stayed relaxed and played the game like we were taught," said the Galveston College transfer. "That's how it was for us the entire tournament. We were just having fun."

Kevin Thomas hitless again

The former Central Bulldog pitched five innings of perfect baseball, according to Our Sports Central:

Thomas, who twirled the last two innings of the first Quad Cities no-hitter since 2001 on April 15, retired all 15 batters he faced on Saturday night. He allowed only three balls to leave the infield and recorded eight outs on the ground while fanning two. The 22-year-old Texan needed just 56 pitches to cruise through his start before leaving after the five frames allotted to the first pitcher in the River Bandits' tandem starting rotation.

Tanner Hines scores lone run

The former Hudson Hornet also had a single, according to The Daily Sentinel.

Craig Whitaker pitches scoreless baseball

The former Panther gave up one hit and one walk while striking out four in San Jose's 6-2 loss to Modesto, according to Our Sports Central.

Dominique Edison must adjust to new playbook

The Tennesseean has a good story on the challenge the former San Augustine Wolf faces with learning a new playbook:

"It's going to take a lot of studying and focusing," Edison said Friday after his first rookie minicamp, his first opportunity to test his limited knowledge of formations and plays.

Anna Whiddon gets win

The former Huntington Lady Devil gave up no runs, three hits and one walk while striking out two in Oklahoma State's 8-0 win over Texas Tech, according to OKState.com.

Belt has three RBI

The former Hudson Hornet drove in three runs in Texas' 19-11 win over Baylor, according to College Baseball Insider.

Robert Ray solid in debut

The former Panther gave up three runs, four hits and four walks through 5.2 innings in Toronto's 5-4 win over Baltimore, according to CBC Sports:

Ray left the field to a loud ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd and received plenty of congratulations from his teammates.

"He did a great job. He looked comfortable and he was really pounding the strike zone." Hill said.

"I look forward to his next start."

Allison McClain drives in run

The former Diboll Ladyjack had an RBI, according to GoCentenary.com.

Tanner Hines' defense contributes to win

This from The Daily Sentinel:

With Sam Houston's Nick Zaleski on first base with two outs in the top of the ninth, Hines flagged down Jon Reed's hard-hit grounder, just to the left of second base.

Hines threw the ball with his backhand to second baseman Jeffrey Kello to get the force on Zaleski.

SFA beat Sam Houston, 3-2.

Steven Hill player of the month

The former Dragon was named the Cardinals' organization the minor league player of the month, according to OurSportsCentral.com.

Robert Ray called up to big leagues

The former Panther will make his first major-league appearance Saturday, starting against Baltimore, according to Blue Bird Banter:

Ray is 25 and had a very good year for New Hampshire and Dunedin last season, going 13-9 over the two levels, with a 3.61 ERA and a 132/45 K/BB ratio over 167 innings. As you can see, his K numbers are nothing special, but he has done a nice job limiting the walks, typically keeping them to less than 3 per 9 innings. Ray has just made two starts this season but did a decent job in his most recent start for AAA Las Vegas, pitching 4 /13 scoreless innings and both striking out and walking 3 batters. Ray also pitched for the Jays in spring training this season, pitching 6 innings and giving up 2 runs with a 3/3 KBB ratio.

Anna Whiddon pays for mistake

The former Huntington Lady Devil cruised for 6.2 innings, but gave up a grand slam to suffer a 6-0 loss to Oklahoma, according to Stillwater Newspress. She said the loss really hurt:

“That’s the No. 1 team in the conference that I hate losing to,” said Anna Whiddon, who took the loss on the mound for OSU. “I would rather lose to whoever’s bottom of the Big 12 than them. You just feel the hatred, I guess.”

Her coach told The Daily Oklahoman that she pitched well:

“I thought (starting pitcher) Anna (Whiddon) threw really well,” OSU coach Rich Wieligman said. “Unfortunately, she gave up some walks and the one big hit, and we couldn't get key hits. It seems like we just never could get some offense going.”