Summer Time

The athletic seasons are over and we are set for a three-month throw-your-feet-up vacation.

Of course that would be great, but to the surprise of many that is not really how it goes around here in the summer time.

Yes, there are some vacations taken, and yes there is more down time, but it is the time of year that we are the most normal as far as working hours. At least hours the rest of the non-athletic world enjoys for most of the year. There is not a lot of weekend work to be done and of course no games to attend, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

There are the media guides for next year, finishing up the schedules for next year, reworking the archives from the past year and adding and updating records. We have a letterman’s golf tournament, the Hall of Fame selection committee meets and there are conventions over the summer as well.

Before you know it you look up and the kids that are leaving this week are back on campus and it is time for the first days of soccer, volleyball and football practice and it all starts again.

I will be the first to admit that I go stir crazy after about the first two or three weeks of the summer. After nine months of seeing as many games as I see, just watching the Rangers on TV is not enough. I am ready to see our teams getting after it and getting ready for another exciting year.

This was a down year for athletic’s at Hardin-Simmons, with only one conference championship. After losing as many great players as we lost last year and the success of the previous two seasons prior to this last one, it was somewhat of a predictable outcome.

The thing that all of the teams had is a strong young nucleus this year that will be back next year and several teams should be the favorites to win league titles this next year.

As many of you know we have taken great pride in our relationship with CSTV now CBS. We were the first Division III school to go with them back in 2002. Our relationship with them is ending and we will be going with a new company. They have been a great solution for us in the past, but they have made it impossible for us to maintain the relationship with a doubling of the rate we have to pay.

What does that mean for you? It means we are going to have a brand new athletic web site. We are targeting a launch date of June 30th. There will be very little updating of archival information or anything like that the we usually do at this time of the year on our current site. We are full steam ahead in the design process of the new site and there is no need to double the work load.

There are some things about the new company Presto Sports that I really like. One, they already do a lot of Division II and Division III schools sites and they understand us more than CSTV did. CSTV was more geared toward to Division I schools with huge staffs.

Next, is they are not just a cookie-cutter site. We have had some initial design discussions and we were able to go from the top down and give ideas that we wanted the site to look like. We are going to have the ability to show video clips and we will still have live stats for our home matches.

I think this will be a good relationship for us in getting the word out about our school to you.

Don’t forget to get your registration in for the Letterman’s Golf Tournament on Friday, June 27. Come back to Abilene, enjoy a round of golf and lunch and help support the HSU Athletic Department. We want to see you there.

Well here it is, we are headed down the home stretch for the athletic season and all of the teams have either qualified for or are still in contention for a playoff spot.

The tennis teams continue on their amazing streak of American Southwest Conference victories and they will put those streaks on the line this weekend at UT-Tyler in the ASC Championships. The Cowgirls are looking for their eighth straight title and the Cowboys are looking for their seventh. The Cowgirls have a 74-match ASC winning streak and the men have won 68 matches in a row.

This year will mark the first time that either team will face another ranked team as UT-Tyler is ranked in both men and women. The finals are slated for Sunday. Both teams have first round byes and would need to win a semifinal match on Saturday.

The golf teams will play the ASC Championship next week in Anna, Texas. Freshman Ashley Luecke is one of the favorites for the individual title on the women’s side and the Cowgirls should be one of the contenders for the league crown. The Cowboys will be one of about six teams that could win the tournament.

Softball has their backs against the wall and need to come up with wins at Howard Payne and the final series of the year against Mary Hardin-Baylor, which wall mark senior day for Lydia Bradley and Sadye Hill. Only the top three teams in the ASC West make the tournament and currently the Cowgirls are in fourth place, two games behind Howard Payne for the third slot.

The Cowboy baseball team is hot and has won nine straight games heading into this weekend’s three-game set at Texas Lutheran. The Cowboys can finish anywhere from second to fifth in the ASC West. The Cowboys need one win to secure a playoff berth. There are several scenarios for the Cowboys this weekend. Those games can be heard on the Internet at www.hsuathletics.com.

One key date for former Cowboy and Cowgirl athletes is the Lettermen’s Golf Tournament on Friday, June 27. It will be played at Fairway Oaks and it is a great opportunity to catch up with old teammates and also support the HSU Athletic’s Department. You should be getting an invitation in the mail in the next few days, if you do no please contact us and we will make sure you are invited.

There was a reunion of sorts last weekend as former Division III Player of the Year Kendra Anderson got married in Abilene. Several former teammates were in town for the event and I got the chance to see former Cowboy baseballer John Schlaffer and his new son at the baseball game on Saturday. John was handling baby duty very well. Schlaffer is married to former Cowgirl basketballer Terri Robinson (the 6,000-point scorer out of Ira) and they live in the Metroplex. Both are physical therapists.

Make The Big Time Where You Are

Coach Keeling is known for his crazy sayings and quirks. One of the first things you notice on his desk is a “Make The Big Time Where You Are” plaque. Those are the words of former Pacific Lutheran coach Frosty Westering and the title of one of his books. Those words were ringing home as I realized yesterday how great it is to be at Hardin-Simmons.

Anybody that really knows me knows that I am a die-hard Oklahoma State fan. I earned a bachelor’s from there (albeit with a gentleman’s D in Spanish), spent four years there (after two years at junior college), met my wife there, worked four years in the sports information office there. I totally enjoyed my time there and love the place.

However, today I am ashamed by the fact that is my school. They fired (don’t buy the resigned line) a legend’s son after two years with a winning record. No one in the history of Division I men’s basketball has been fired after two years with a 10 game over .500 record.

There are many reasons flying around about the reason for the dismissal. From everything I gather it had to do with a conflict between the athletic director and Eddie Sutton. Even if there are some long term grudges it makes little sense to take it out on Sean.

I could ramble on forever, but it just made me realize is the glamour of Division I what it is all about. If firing a coach because he did not make the NCAA Tournament with a roster that included only one senior that played and two juniors makes it the big time then no thank you.

I am blessed to work every day with hard-working coaches that could make a lot more money at “the Big Time” that make a lot of sacrifices to be at Hardin-Simmons.

I feel pretty confident in saying that you will not be fired at Hardin-Simmons if you have a winning record for two consecutive seasons for your job performance.
One of many things that makes Hardin-Simmons a great place, is that it is not all about winning, but winning is nice, too.

Around The Campus

Make sure to make it out to the baseball and softball fields as the two teams are fighting hard for postseason berths. Both teams are having solid seasons, but as I say in this blog a lot the league just keeps getting better and better.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams are through the rugged non-conference section of their schedule and now return to ASC play. Golf is winding down its season as well.

There is a chance for the second straight year all 12 HSU teams will qualify for some sort of postseason play. HSU became the first school in the conference for that to happen to last year.

Spring Is Here

Spring has officially sprung and it is one of the busiest times of the year for our sports teams at HSU.

Coach Rita Jordan’s young softball team, that features 12 newcomers, is off to a 6-4 start against a very challenging schedule. The Cowgirls open league play this weekend at Schreiner. After that they will be home for a series Wednesday and Thursday against Sul Ross State.

It has been an amazing start to the senior year of All-American first baseman Sadye Hill. She is hitting .556 in the early going with two home runs and 11 RBIs. She has not struck out and has an on-base percentage of .625. She is also nearing the conference record for career hits, is the current leader in batting average and with five more home runs and 24 more RBIs will hold those records as well. She also is closing in on the walks record.

The key to the Cowgirls’ season will be how quickly the pitching staff develops. With three freshmen in the current rotation, all of whom have shown flashes of brilliance, this team will continue to get better as the season goes along.
The baseball team snapped a brief three-game losing streak with a come-from-behind win against UT-Tyler on Tuesday. Ryan Stepp and Wayne Pimpton hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth for the win. Kyle Barton continues to be unscored upon for the Cowboys this season in 19.2 innings of work.

They are home for a key three-game set with Mary Hardin-Baylor this weekend and then will play at ACU on Tuesday. Prior to that game on Tuesday, there will be a ceremony honoring Brad Coleman of HSU and Alec Sowards of ACU for their Rawlings Gold Glove Awards they won last season.

The tennis teams are set to embark on their Spring Break journey to California to get in some quality competition. The teams have extended their ASC winning streaks to 69 and 63 straight matches for the women and men respectively.

The men’s golf team will open its season on Monday and Tuesday at Texas Lutheran and the women just returned from a tournament in California, where they placed fourth. Ashley Luecke placed eighth for the Cowgirls.

It's Tourney Time

In case you haven’t noticed by the 80-degree temperatures outside that it has turned to Spring and as the basketball teams hit postseason play the spring sport teams are getting their seasons in high gear as well.

The basketball teams will play in their conference tournaments this weekend. I anticipate a pair of highly-competitive events. Both teams seem to be playing at a high-level going into the tournament and both have legitimate shots at the titles.
Anytime you don’t return a starter, a back slide is expected. That is not been the case with the Cowgirls, who once again have won 20 games. It marks the 10th straight year the Cowgirls have won 20 games, which is tied for the fourth longest streak in the nation. The young Cowgirls have continued to progress as the season has gone along.

If they play as well as they can there is no reason they won’t be cutting down the nets on Sunday. It is a tough road to get there. HSU has to play Mississippi College in the first round and the Choctaws have improved greatly since the first meeting. A date with Howard Payne is likely in the semifinals. There is no doubt that HPU is a great team, but HSU is not that far away. A well played 40 minutes could get the Cowgirls to the Championship, where a crosstown showdown would not be out of the question.

There are a lot of unknowns for several Cowgirls how they will play in their first ASC Tournament. The talent is there. Best of luck to Shanna Briggs and the ladies in their quest for a seventh ASC Tournament title.

The men’s tournament on paper looks as competitive as ever. A first round loss or a championship is not out of the question for any of the eight teams. The Cowboys have several players with experience of playing in the tournament and that should help their prospects.

HSU has won at least one game the two previous times in the tournament and last year went to the finals. A win would be a nice reward for the Jean brothers in their senior year. Mardochee has had one of the best careers ever by an ASC player and it would be nice to see him play in the NCAA Tournament.

If the Cowboys continue to hit shots, I expect them to be in need of a pair of scissors on Sunday as well. To do that they will have to beat a very tough UT-Tyler team, then probably Mary Hardin-Baylor on their home court. They have beaten both teams this season, so it is not like they go in as a underdog, but it won’t be easy either.

The baseball, tennis and softball teams are all on the road this weekend as well against quality opponents. Coach Steve Coleman’s Cowboys are off to a 6-2 start. The softball team swept a doubleheader last week and is 2-0 on the year and the tennis teams play at arch-rival Trinity and open league play at Texas Lutheran.

A Tip of the Hat To Four Seniors

Senior day is always one of those memorable events on campus in every sport. It truly is amazing the amount of work and dedication that our student-athletes put into their sports. We had the privilege of recognizing four seniors on Saturday at the Mabee Complex.

For the women Shelby Hodges and Rachel Cisneroz have been great ambassadors for the
the Final Four banquet. She has been a leader of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and is a great spokesperson for the school.

Rachel has one of the best voices I have ever heard. She does a great rendition of the national anthem. She has on a few occasions stepped in on no notice and belted out the anthem at events on campus.

I say all of that to say they are two of my favorite all-time Cowgirls since I have been here. Throughout their career they have been perfect role models and because of that I have also had them spend time with my daughter as not only a babysitter but just at games and to be honest I hope my daughter turns outs to be just like them. Not as an athlete, but as a person. I can tell you that my little girl looks up to those two like no one else and I am proud she does.

Now for the Jean brothers. I don’t think I have seen two players grow more in their time at Hardin-Simmons than those two. Mardochee and Dan came in as shy projects as freshmen and they are leaving HSU as mature men that are going to be productive members of society.

Saturday seeing the joy they brought to their entire family, and what a big family it is, when they would do something good on the court was something special. Getting to work with these type of people every day is what makes my job at HSU so special.

Mardochee has turned into one of the most well-spoken players on the team. I used to be worried when a reporter would ask to speak to him, but now I know he is going to give great answers to questions. He leads by example and has become an intense competitor every night. He will go down as one of the best, if not the best big men ever to play in the ASC. He has taken a team that had little experience and four starters to replace back to the playoffs and you never know, maybe they can get to the NCAA Tournament in a wide-open ASC race this season.

Dan came in as a freshman and he was a very raw basketball player. He had great athletic ability and came on down the stretch to make the travel squad. He transferred to McMurry as a sophomore in search of more playing time, but saw the light and came back to HSU for his final two seasons. There are certain teams that him and Mardochee together are an unstoppable combination.

Dan is a player that has to be challenged to bring out his best. He and I have had a good relationship. We like to talk smack to each other in a good way. During the preseason I walked in on the team in open gym and I saw Dan working on his 3-point shot. Let me tell you it needs some work. He got to the point in open gym that he thought he was a guard he was shooting so many 3-pointers. I challenged him to a 3-point shooting contest with one stipulation. If I beat him, he could not take 3-pointers for the rest of the year (because it is not like Coach Howard was going to let him shot any in the games any way). Well of course I beat him and now he just stays on the block and dunks on people.

I am so proud of the progress all four have made not only on the court, but off it as well. They are all four on course to graduate. It is amazing how fast four years go by.

News and Notes
I would like to welcome new track and cross country coach Rodney Smith to the campus. Track is something that has been discussed for years, but is finally a reality again.
Softball will finally get to open its season this weekend after weather caused delays last week. Baseball is back in action this week and tennis will finally play a dual that counts this week.

Where Are They Now
I heard from one of my all-time favorite Cowboys Ryan Smrkovsky this past week and he and his wife are expecting their first child any day now. He is living and working in Ozona. Smurf was an all-around good guy and unfortunately lost his senior year to a knee injury in a game at Menlo.

Seasons Change

Sometimes it amazes me how fast time flies once we get into a season. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were starting basketball season and now we have two weeks left. It was a good start to the baseball seasons this weekend as well...


Saturday I saw or heard a few examples of what I think is the most important deciding factor if teams win or lose or if players have individual success – confidence.

In the women’s game, Howard Payne All-American Meia Daniels played her final career game at the Mabee Complex. She is a great player, and It wasn’t her best all-around game on Saturday, but as HSU made a run at the undefeated Lady Jackets she buried a pair of back-breaking 3-pointers. You could tell leaving her hand she wanted the ball in crunch time and knew they were going down.

In the men’s basketball game, junior forward Charlie Pannell has struggled of late with his shooting. Seeing him every day in practice and in games he is a great shooter, but he seemed to have lost some confidence in his shot. His teammates and coaches have done a good job of encouraging him to keep shooting and on Saturday he came out and hit his first three 3-pointers and had his best game this semester. It’s amazing the difference after you make a shot or two how easy it is to get it going.

The third example, I heard was talking to coach Coleman and Holcomb after the games on Saturday and they were discussing they saw the turning point in starting shortstop Brian Weeks was when they told him he had won the starting job and the job was his. Weeks, a freshman, had a solid opening weekend offensively and defensively and looks to have answered some of the Cowboys concerns defensively at shortstop.

It is so easy for the kids to go the other way on the confidence spectrum. What I saw this weekend reminds of how the good things that can be accomplished when you believe.

Former Student-Athlete
I got a chance to catch up with former Cowboy quarterback Jordan Neal on Saturday. He is in his new position as the offensive coordinator at Howard Payne. After playing professionally in Sweden this past summer and fall Neal took over at Howard Payne in December. He was taking in the games between HSU and HPU and then caught some of the Cowboys baseball game Saturday night.