The Roost

CCU baseball series adjusted

Coastal Carolina's baseball series with VMI this week has been pushed back a day.

Instead of playing Thursday, the Chanticleers and Keydets will play Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) at Watson Stadium in an effort to avoid the forecasted rain.

Chants still expecting LSU game despite Convocation Center delay

If you missed it this morning, here's the story we had about Coastal Carolina's new Student Recreation and Convocation Center not being ready in time for next basketball season:

http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/04/27/2123684/ccu-arena-opening-on-hold.html

Also, I didn't have space to fit this in the story, but CCU athletic director Hunter Yurachek mentioned (and reiterated in the university's news release today) that he has had preliminary discussions with the Big South about having the Nov. 15 home game with LSU considered for inclusion in ESPN’s 24-hour-long "College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon."

"We’ll see if we’re selected what that time slot would be and is it advantageous for our fans," Yurachek said. "I’m not interested in that 4 a.m. or 6 a.m. time slot. If we’re going to play LSU on this campus ... I want it to be advantageous for our fans to enjoy that experience as well."

The LSU game, of course, was supposed to be the first game in the new Convocation Center, but Yurachek is still planning on hosting the SEC foes on campus -- at Kimbel Arena.

"Coach [Cliff] Ellis will be in contact with their coach, but we have a contract with them to play on Nov. 15. It does not specify the venue," Yurachek said. "They’re coming to participate in the same tournament in Charleston that we played in [last November], so they’re coming up on Nov. 14 [and] we’re anticipating that we’re going to play that game at Kimbel Arena on Nov. 15."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Ellis rounds out CCU recruiting class with JuCo guard Charles Ashford

The Coastal Carolina men's basketball program received a signed national letter of intent from junior college transfer Charles Ashford on Monday, rounding out its 2011 recruiting class.

Ashford, a 6-foot-1 guard from Vincennes University in Indiana, was named a NJCAA honorable-mention all-American last season after averaging 12.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds while leading his team to an 18-13 record.

"What we like about him is he's got the ability to distribute the ball, and he's got a good assist-to-turnover ratio, but he shoots the ball really well," CCU coach Cliff Ellis said. "... I feel like he'll make an immediate impact, and [we're] just very excited about having him."

Ashford started his college basketball career at Southeastern Illinois College -- where he was a teammate of fellow CCU signee William Kirksey -- but he opted to move to Vincennes after one season to follow former Southeastern Illinois coach Todd Franklin.

Franklin said the move probably didn't help Ashford's recruiting stock as the guard had made quite a splash on the national scene after a strong postseason run as a freshman and might have built on that more had he stayed with Southeastern Illinois.

"I think Coastal is getting a really good player and is benefitting from that somewhat," Franklin said.

Franklin describes Ashford as an "old-school" pass-first guard with a decent shot, a good pull-up game and deceptive athleticism.

"He has really good vision," Franklin said. "He's played a ton of minutes. He's played very high level junior college basketball. I think he's probably prepared to step right in and play. He's seen and done a lot."

Ashford also visited Missouri State during the recruiting process, while Northern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville were a couple other schools looking at him, according to Franklin.

CCU assistant coaches Richie Riley and Don Hogan had both been monitoring Ashford since last year, Ellis said. As Franklin recounted, Ashford had emerged as a promising recruit after a strong end-of-season run at Southeastern Illinois in which he had just seven turnovers through seven postseason games against strong competition.

"They're both extremely high on him," Ellis said of Riley and Hogan. "I remember them talking about him last year, just how they really liked him and felt he [would be] a great addition to us because he's not only a good player, but he's a good kid."

Ashford joins Kirksey (forward/center) and incoming freshmen Tyler Poole (forward) and Warren Gillis (guard) in rounding out the Chants' 2011 recruiting class, and Ellis said he would be the final addition to the 2011-12 roster.

Ashford's addition and experience as a ball-handler also provides the Chants with depth at a key spot if injured point guard Kierre Greenwood (torn ACL in February) isn't recovered in time to play next season.

"We feel strongly that Kierre can come back, but it's one of those things where we're not going to know about Kierre until the fall," Ellis said. "With the type of injury that he has, we felt like we needed somebody like Charles because of Kierre's situation."

**Thanks to Bret Swanson at Swannys Roundball Review and www.jucojunction.com for the tip on this signing.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Warren Gillis signs with CCU basketball

The Coastal Carolina basketball program added a third player to its 2011 incoming recruiting class as Warren Gillis -- a 6-foot 3, 200-pound guard from Philadelphia -- signed a national letter of intent to join the Chanticleers, it was announced Thursday.

Gillis averaged 24.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists during a prep school season at Philadelphia's Rise Academy after previously spending four years at Academy of the New Church High School. In the end, he chose CCU over offers from Southern Mississippi and Xavier (among others) and hopes to compete for a starting role at the two-guard position in his first collegiate season.

"I liked basically everything," Gillis said of taking an official visit to CCU at the end of March. "I feel I fit well with the team, coming in as a two-guard. It's a team on the rise [that] won the past two conference championships in the regular season and just needs a final push for the tournament."

Gillis made a big push of his own over the last year, noting that he went from averaging nine points a game as a high school senior to more than doubling that at Rise Academy. Among his highlights last season, he scored 31 points against national power Findlay Prep, 29 against Brehm Prep and 27 against Brewster Academy. He said his strength is his mid-range game.

Rise Academy coach Vin Sparacio, meanwhile, talked about Gillis' court presence, his ability to elevate the players around him and other such intangibles.

"What I've been telling everybody about Warren as a player, he's almost like a [college] sophomore already, maturity-wise, discipline-wise," Sparacio said over the phone. "He's very self-motivated. Honestly, I can go on and on about him ...

"He's very focused on what he's trying to do with basketball."

Gillis said he didn't know much about Coastal Carolina until Chants assistant coach Gus Hauser started recruiting him in March.

"We heard about him through some scouting services that we work with," Hauser said. "I went down to an event in Sarasota, Florida, in early March and saw him play and really, really loved the way he played. I just loved the way he played, loved how unselfish he was, loved how strong he was. We think he'll be a great player in our league and a guy that we're really excited about having here for four years."

Hauser described Gillis as a left-handed versatile scorer who can knock down the outside shot and who will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact.

"He has a really, really high basketball IQ, which will pay off big for him as a freshman because he'll jump into our system and [CCU coach Cliff Ellis'] teaching and there's a lot to absorb early on," Hauser said. "I think he'll be prepared to jump into what coach expects him to do."

Said Sparacio: "They basically said that he'll be able to play early, he'll be able to play through his mistakes early and he has a bright future there."

Gillis also made a point to mention that he was impressed by the accounting program at Coastal and plans to pursue that path academically. And after keeping his options open all year, he's happy to have a final decision on his basketball future.

"It's a big relief," Gillis said. "It's been on my mind for a while. Now I have to focus on getting ready for next year."

Gillis will join fellow incoming freshman Tyler Poole (Hickory, N.C.) and junior college transfer William Kirksey (Southwestern Illinois College) as new additions to the roster next season. The Chants lose senior forward Chad Gray and junior guard Desmond Holloway (who announced last month he was leaving to pursue a professional career) in addition to senior forward Mike Holmes (who left the program in January) from a team that finished 28-6 last season and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament.

"I think it's really tough to find a guy like Warren this late, and we were really blessed to get involved with him and really blessed he's coming to our program," Hauser said. 

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Birmingham to start Sunday for CCU

Senior left-hander Jim Birmingham is expected to get the nod Sunday for Coastal Carolina in the series finale at Presbyterian.

Birmingham was pulled from his start last Saturday after walking the first four batters he faced, but he pitched well in relief at Clemson on Tuesday and will return to the mound with a 2-2 record and 4.04 ERA as the Chanticleers look for their second-straight Big South series sweep.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Rein to start Saturday for Coastal

Junior ace Anthony Meo was sharp again Friday at Presbyterian, pitching a season-high 8 1/3 innings in leading Coastal Carolina to a 7-1 win over the Blue Hose.

With the bullpen well rested after the series opener, senior left-hander Matt Rein will now get the start on the mound Saturday for the Chanticleers.

Rein's last appearance came last Saturday against Liberty when he pitched six scoreless innings of relief in the Chants' come-from-behind 5-4 win. He has a 3-1 record and 1.98 ERA for the season, including two previous starts.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU baseball news and notes heading into weekend series

As CCU baseball coach Gary Gilmore stood outside the dugout at Watson Stadium before practice Thursday, he was talking about injuries and more potential lineup changes and so on as he tried to put the first half of this season in perspective.

"I haven't coached a team here since we turned this program around where I've had to maneuver so many people, change so many lineups, so many different pitching roles," he said. "Game to game, guys' complete role changes, you know. That part's been frustrating.

"We started last season, we knew outside of potentially exactly what to do with [versatile pitcher Austin] Fleet ... but outside of that, piece of cake. Say your prayers at night, hope they stayed healthy and it wasn't a whole lot of rocket science."

As Gilmore prepared to take his Chanticleers to Presbyterian this weekend for a three-game series in Clinton, he had two of his starting infielders dealing with back pain, his starting left fielder still shaken up after knocking his head on a play on Tuesday and a weekend rotation yet to figure out.

"I think I've had a migraine for like two months," Gilmore said. "... None of it's come easy."

But at the same time, he said, the Chants are close. Close to having an entirely different record if not for seven one-run losses. And close to going on a nice run if their big bats continue to come around.

With that, here's a run through some news and notes as the Chants open play against the Blue Hose.

Bowman on a tear

The most encouraging sign that the CCU offense might be coming around is the recent play of junior right fielder Daniel Bowman.

The best pure power source on the team, Bowman has turned it on over the last week, picking up seven extra-base hits in the last four games. That includes two home runs, four doubles and a triple. He's now second on the squad to junior Tommy La Stella in homers (five) and RBIs (21).

"He's made some adjustments. He's been a guy that's been tough to get to buy into some things, but I think some of the things we're doing right now are helping him," Gilmore said. "I'm just happy to see it because we so desperately need he and [Taylor] Motter and [Rich] Witten and those guys to get it going and keep it going for us to be good."

Gilmore was particularly encouraged that Bowman's two doubles Tuesday at Clemson went to center field and the opposite way to right field.

"He looks very comfortable in the box, and I think the key for him is being able to use the whole field," Gilmore said. "He's never hit balls, very seldom, to right-center. And the ball he hit in the right field corner the other night, if he starts doing those things he's got a chance to be really good before it's over with."

Hardwick settling in

Junior first baseman/designated hitter Keith Hardwick has hits in all four games since moving into the starting lineup and has a five-game hitting streak overall since emerging from the bench. That stretch includes his first two career home runs.

I highlighted Hardwick in the newspaper today: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/04/08/2088226/hardwick-finally-getting-payoff.html

Witten ready to return to lineup

Junior first baseman Rich Witten sat out the Chants' 5-4 loss at Clemson on Tuesday night with lower back pain, but after receiving a cortisone shot this week, he expects to be back in the lineup tonight for the start of the Presbyterian series.

"It's doing a lot better," Witten said. "I tweaked it a little bit in Sunday's game. I wasn't going to be 100 percent on Tuesday, and we've got enough depth on our team that if somebody's not going to be 100 percent, you've got to kind of put your pride aside and know the next guy's going to get it done."

La Stella has also been dealing with back pain, but his is a nerve issue -- not muscular. He too received a shot intended to address the matter, and Gilmore was hopeful it would provide the slugging second baseman immediate relief.

Conway may see time in LF

With freshman left fielder Jacob May still waiting for clearance to play after banging his head late in the loss at Clemson, Gilmore wasn't sure when the rookie would be back on the field again. And with May struggling at the plate this season (.162 batting average), the coach thought it might be a good time to sit him down for a bit anyway.

"I don't know if he can play the next day or two because of that thing," Gilmore said. "He's struggling with the bat too. Honestly, he's a guy that in my mind has got to play by the end of the year. Just right now, that knock on the head might do him good just to give him a reason to sit for a couple games and just try to clear the cobwebs out of his head. ...

"He's a gamer and a good kid, and he needs to figure it out for us to be good because he gives us a dynamic, athletic piece that we definitely need."

So Gilmore is considering giving sophomore Josh Conway and freshman K.J. McAllister a look in left. Conway began the season as a third baseman/relief pitcher before emerging as a standout starting pitcher, and Gilmore thinks left field is a way to get his bat into the lineup while not straining his arm as much as he would at third where he'd be taking 30-40 practice throws a game.

As for Conway the pitcher (4-0, 2.23 ERA), Gilmore still isn't sure how he'll use the sophomore this weekend. After intending to move him to a closer role last weekend, Conway wasn't needed out of the bullpen and instead drew the start on Sunday. Now Gilmore is again thinking of just letting junior Anthony Meo and Conway form a potent one-two punch atop the weekend rotation for the Chants and figuring out the rest as they go.

"We'll see how we do Friday," Gilmore said.

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Football news and notes roundup

For those that didn't see these in print over the last week, here are a couple injury/eligibility updates we've had in the paper this week. I'll start posting these kind of items consistently to the blog as they appear in the newspaper because otherwise they can be hard to find on the web site sometimes.

Cheatwood to have surgery on ankle

Returning left tackle Jamey Cheatwood was to undergo surgery this week after suffering an unstable high ankle sprain in a previous spring scrimmage.

CCU football coach David Bennett said the surgery is to tighten up ligaments around the ankle and likened it to a procedure that former CCU running back Eric O’Neal had performed on his troublesome ankle.

"Got to tighten that thing up, or he’ll have a bad ankle for the rest of his life. So we’ve got to get that procedure done," Bennett said.

Cheatwood was a second-team all-Big South selection last year as a redshirt-freshman. Bennett expects the left tackle will be able to return to workouts the first of July.

Davis, Kelley granted extra year of eligibility

Coastal Carolina revealed Tuesday that defensive end Quinton Davis and reserve defensive tackle A.J. Kelley had each been granted a medical hardship and extra year of eligibility after sustaing injuries early last season.
 
Davis was a preseason all-Big South selection entering his redshirt-sophomore season before going down with an ankle injury in the third game last year. He will be a fourth-year sophomore next season. Kelley appeared in four games last year before sustaining a knee injury and will also retain sophomore status.
 
"Anytime you get that extra year ... look at Dominique Davenport," Bennett of the Chants' 2010 all-Big South safety. "He might not even be looked at [by pro scouts] if he hadn't got that extra year. Look at [Quinton] Teal. Look at Tyler Thigpen. If he hadn't had that fifth year, he would not be where he is. So that extra year is huge for all these guys."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

Baseball/softball stadium project moves forward for now

Coastal Carolina athletic director Hunter Yurachek revealed that the university has received state approval to move forward with phase one of a process that could bring much-anticipated upgrades to the school's baseball and softball facilities.

This stage of approval basically allows the university to begin seeking bids from architects on a projected cost and outline for the project. Nothing is guaranteed yet, as this is only one of the initial steps in the process.

"I think the best-case scenario for us is to start construction on both of those at the conclusion of the 2012 season," Yurachek said.

That would mean the CCU baseball and softball teams would be displaced from their stadiums during the 2013 season and open in the renovated and upgraded ballparks in 2014, if all goes as hoped.

Yurachek spoke at length about the potential renovations during a January interview with The Sun News. In that story (no link available), about his first year on the job and his plans for the future, he said he would like to expand Watson Stadium from 850 seats to around 2,500 permanent seats with the potential to expand further to 3,000-3,500. He suggested then that the ballpark could have the capacity to fit as many as 5,000-6,000 fans (perhaps with a berm around the outfield) for events like an NCAA super regional series.

Yurachek also noted that the CCU softball facilities fall short on a gender-equity level and need to be upgraded to offer comparable amenities to the baseball stadium. He said in that interview the plan was to expand the softball stadium to 500-750 seats so as to be able to host an NCAA postseason series.

At the time, he estimated a combined cost for both facilities in the $7-10 million range. A more precise figure should be available in a few months after all the bids are received and reviewed.

Meanwhile, the new $1.2 million hitting facility for Coastal’s baseball and softball teams was all but finished as of Thursday afternoon, and the Chants were just waiting for final clearance to be able to start making use of it.

“If we didn’t have the weather this week, we would have gotten the sidewalks poured,” Yurachek said. “The interior is completely done, [they’re] just putting the plugs in for the bases. And they’ll come back next week and pour the sidewalks up to the facility. But yeah, it’s done. We anticipate getting the certificate of occupancy sometime next week.”

Leading a tour Thursday, Yurachek noted that the artificial turf field inside the hitting facility has regulation-length base paths and is just missing a few feet of depth at shortstop and second base. But it gives the baseball and softball teams the opportunity to take infield practice under cover on rainy days, and the netting system can divide the space into 10 separate batting cage spaces.

The project, located behind the outfield fence of Watson Stadium, finished a little behind schedule due to a delay with the roof.

“They sent the wrong colored roof, and we were concerned that the color roof they sent would be reflected to hitters in the batting box during a game,” Yurachek said. “And that was manufactured overseas, so we had to send it back overseas and have the correct color sent over.”

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com

CCU inks deal with Russell Athletic

Coastal Carolina announced Thursday that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement to have Russell Athletic become the designated apparel outfitter for Chanticleer athletics.

The announcement was made in a room full of CCU coaches, and Coastal's athletic teams will wear Russell Athletic uniforms, apparel and accessories beginning in August 2011.

"I think it really sets our athletic department apart to have an all-school apparel agreement with someone the magnitude of Russell Athletic," CCU athletic director Hunter Yurachek said after making the announcement. 

One of the chief benefits of the partnership, Yurachek highlighted, is that it will bring a consistent look to the various Coastal teams.

"We'll have a consistent brand from an athletic department standpoint. We'll have a consistent look and feel of our uniforms and our sideline wear and our headwear and things of that nature," he said. "... The teal will be the same color, which is the one issue we've had where based on who our sports were going to, the teal was a different shade. So we'll have that consistent look and feel to everything that our teams wear."

Yurachek said he informally solicited bids from other apparel providers before moving forward on the contract.

Russell Athletic has similar partnerships with 63 Division I programs, according to the company's senior director of marketing Skip Nickle. At the FCS level, the company is a provider for several Southern Conference schools and has conference-wide contracts with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference. 

As for linking up with Coastal ...

"It's a growing school with a winning tradition. They're young, they are  growing in enrollment as well as the athletic department's growing," Nickle said. "We just saw it as an opportunity to get on board with them at this stage and enjoy it to the next level."

As part of the five-year partnership, Russell Athletic will also provide the funding to create a Russell team shop in the new university bookstore planned for the Student Recreation and Convocation Center -- the future home of CCU basketball and volleyball.

"I think what you're seeing here today is really the next step in Coastal Carolina University athletics," CCU president David DeCenzo said. "When you have a brand, when you have something that is in the demand of the public, it not only says this university, but this athletic program is on the move."

The partnership with Russell Athletic could also help put more CCU apparel in the local marketplace. DeCenzo noted that the university received about $54,000 in overall royalties last year.

"Before I came over, I had my staff take a look at what our first royalty check was shortly after we became an independent institution," he continued. "We got a whopping $73.14. I think that says it all. We've come a long way."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com