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Post by bigbaseball on May 27, 2018 12:49:44 GMT -5
I know this has been a tough season for everyone, but I'm proud of the guys! They didn't give up and played their butts off in the tournament!
Praying for a speedy recovery for my man Spencer Holcomb. You were a rock, brother!
Good luck to the seniors as they move to the next phase of their lives. You're great players and more important, great people.
Go Cats!!!!
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Post by The Cats on May 27, 2018 15:18:30 GMT -5
Posted on facebook by Daniel Hooker..... So... we checked into the hotel Monday night only knowing we had one game left - a single-elimination game on Tuesday morning. No great expectations from a season that went anything but by script; nobody giving us a real fighting chance to play more than three -- but this team rewrote its own screenplay over the last week... and here it is, Sunday - and we're just now checking out. Hate that we're not headed to a doubleheader for a ring this afternoon, but could not be more proud of this group of 27 young men -- very few that are healthy, all exhausted after pouring their hearts into one final run for their coaches, their parents, their school, but most importantly, for each other. Grit, heart, gutsy, and determination are just a few of the words that bubble to the top when talking about the way this team finished. So many times this season would it have been easy to quit, walk away, cash-in their chips... but they showed what it means to be a Catamount and made a Catamount Nation proud. Here's to the men of the 2018 Western Carolina Catamount baseball team and one final "tip of the cap" to a fun week in Greenville, S.C. It was a fun being along for the ride, trying my damnedest to capture each second in both spoken and written word. Love this team -- and already looking ahead to the 2018-19 athletic year for my Catamounts . . . For now, off-season hits and there is no game to call . . . "Mom, come get me -- I'm done!" #ClawsOut #ProudCatamount |
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Post by SCCat66 on May 27, 2018 18:20:11 GMT -5
Posted on facebook by Daniel Hooker..... So... we checked into the hotel Monday night only knowing we had one game left - a single-elimination game on Tuesday morning. No great expectations from a season that went anything but by script; nobody giving us a real fighting chance to play more than three -- but this team rewrote its own screenplay over the last week... and here it is, Sunday - and we're just now checking out. Hate that we're not headed to a doubleheader for a ring this afternoon, but could not be more proud of this group of 27 young men -- very few that are healthy, all exhausted after pouring their hearts into one final run for their coaches, their parents, their school, but most importantly, for each other. Grit, heart, gutsy, and determination are just a few of the words that bubble to the top when talking about the way this team finished. So many times this season would it have been easy to quit, walk away, cash-in their chips... but they showed what it means to be a Catamount and made a Catamount Nation proud. Here's to the men of the 2018 Western Carolina Catamount baseball team and one final "tip of the cap" to a fun week in Greenville, S.C. It was a fun being along for the ride, trying my damnedest to capture each second in both spoken and written word. Love this team -- and already looking ahead to the 2018-19 athletic year for my Catamounts . . . For now, off-season hits and there is no game to call . . . "Mom, come get me -- I'm done!" #ClawsOut #ProudCatamount Good summary from Hook. Horrible season. I guess I am blessed that I was pretty much confined and unable to attend any games in person. The lack of SOCON digital network coverage was also a blessing, I guess. (I did not have an opportunity to throw anything at my computer screen.) Very proud of the tournament effort, especially the 2nd Greensboro game. To eliminate them like we did was really sweet. UNCG Coach Link Jarrett was playing SS for Florida State and made a play in the 1992 South II Regional played in Tallahassee that kept us from going to Omaha. One unbelievable play that kept us from scoring a certain walkoff run to win the Regional. Get Steve White to describe it to you. He was there. But it was sweet to take down UNCG like we did. Chase Walter's gutsy pitching performance reminded me of B.J. Nobles' gutsy pitching in the 2016 Championship game to beat Mercer for the second time on Sunday. I wish someone could explain to me what happened this year. I would say with certainty there were some "team chemistry" problems this year but have no details. At this point, it is water over the dam but they must be corrected before school starts back. Hopefully, the showing in the tournament has been part of that process. We will see. We've got to get back to Catamount Baseball next year! Starting from Game 1... not at tournament time... |
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Post by The Cats on May 27, 2018 19:54:19 GMT -5
Greenville, S.C. - Ninth-seeded Western Carolina landed three players on the 2018 Southern Conference Baseball Championship All-Tournament team following its incredible run that landed the Catamounts one game shy of advancing to the championship round. Senior shortstop Cameron Blaquiere, redshirt sophomore first baseman Justin Sparks, and redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Taylor Purus were each named to the all-tournament team. The SoCon All-Tournament team, voted on by media members in attendance during the six-day postseason event, was unveiled following Sunday afternoon's championship game.  |
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Post by The Cats on May 28, 2018 12:40:06 GMT -5
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Post by Old Catamount on May 28, 2018 18:14:28 GMT -5
Well said Hook. Went through a couple of those kind of seasons, but nothing like what you endured during the past regular season. Your positive enthusiasm gave us hope despite the disheartening losses. I hope that the rejuvenating run in the tournament will help turn our fortunes around next season. No one can say Coach Mo tried to pad his record with the schedule The Cats played....as difficult as I can remember and that goes back over 50 seasons. Add a couple sticks and arms and get the injured guys back on the field and we will see a huge turnaround.
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