FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5-5-03

This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics

Monday, May 5
• Golf at NCAA DII Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional (Greensboro, Ga.)

Tuesday, May 6
• Golf at NCAA DII Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional (Greensboro, Ga.)

Wednesday, May 7
• Golf at NCAA DII Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional (Greensboro, Ga.)

Thursday, May 8
• Baseball vs. Lander, 3:00 p.m.
• Softball at NCAA DII South Atlantic Regional (Jacksonville, Fla.)
AASU vs. Longwood, 1:30 p.m.
• Women's Tennis at NCAA DII Women's Tennis Finals (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
AASU vs. BYU-Hawaii, 3:30 p.m.

Friday, May 9
• Baseball vs. Lander, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
• Women's Tennis at NCAA DII Women's Tennis Finals (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
• Softball at NCAA DII South Atlantic Regional (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Saturday, May 10
• Women's Tennis at NCAA DII Women's Tennis Finals (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
• Softball at NCAA DII South Atlantic Regional (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Sunday, May 11
• Women's Tennis at NCAA DII Women's Tennis Finals (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)

Baseball (34-12 Overall, 18-9 Peach Belt Conference, #8 Collegiate Baseball Top 25 Poll)
The Armstrong Atlantic State baseball team maintained a share of the Peach Belt Conference lead by taking two of three games at UNC Pembroke over the weekend.
The Pirates broke out the lumber in Saturday’s doubleheader as AASU pounded out 33 hits and eight home runs in sweeping two from the Braves, 18-3 and 8-4. Brandon McKinnon had two home runs in the first game, while Stacy Bennett cranked two in the nightcap and George Fletcher had one in each contest, including a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning of game two that snapped a 4-all tie and gave the Pirates the victory.
Jeremy Olson hurled a complete game in the first contest, giving up just seven hits and striking out nine to improve to 9-3 on the season. Zach Shelnutt hurled 1 2/3 scoreless innings in game two to pick up the win in relief, improving to 4-0 on the year.
Sunday’s game three saw the Braves’ Ashley Brewer limit the Pirates to just two hits in a 2-0 shutout to salvage a third game in the series.
AASU remains tied with North Florida atop the PBC standings with equal 18-9 records. If the Pirates win two of three from Lander this week, they will earn a share of their first Peach Belt Conference title since 1993. If AASU sweeps the Senators in three games, it will win the title outright.
The Pirates wrap up their regular season with three games against Lander, beginning with a single game on Thursday, May 8, at 3:00 p.m., and concluding with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, May 9, at 1:00 p.m.

Softball (38-11 Overall, 12-6 Peach Belt Conference)
The AASU softball squad received its third NCAA Championships berth on Monday, placing the Pirates in the postseason for the second consecutive year.
AASU will be the No. 4 seed at the South Atlantic Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., at the campus of the University of North Florida. Host UNF is the top seed, followed by GC&SU and Columbus State. AASU’s first-round opponent, Longwood, is the No. 5 seed and Wingate is the No. 6 seed.
Last year, the Pirates finished third in the South Atlantic Regional, advancing to the third day of competition before falling to North Florida in the semifinals.
The Pirates will ride the arm of PBC Pitcher of the Year Katya Eronina into the regionals. Eronina is currently leading the country in strikeouts per seven innings (11.1) and ranks second in ERA (0.34) and victories (23). She can break the AASU record for wins in a season with one victory in the regional.
Play begins on Thursday, May 8, and continues through Saturday, May 11. The winner of the South Atlantic Regional advances to the NCAA DII College Softball World Series in Salem, Ore., on May 15-19.

Men's Tennis (12-12 Overall, 5-3 PBC, #15 Omni Hotels/ITA Division II Top 25 Rankings)
The No. 15-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State men's tennis team advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Regional and defeated No. 16-ranked Lees-McRae, 5-0, in the first round, but fell to host North Florida, 5-0, in the region final on Saturday afternoon.
AASU made its ninth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance this season and finished the year with a 12-12 overall record, with all 12 losses coming against teams ranked in the Top 20 in the latest Omni Hotels/ITA Division II National Rankings.
The Pirates return all but one player from this season’s squad in 2003 – senior Michael Jezt finishes his career after playing two seasons for the Pirates and compiling an 18-22 singles and a 20-18 doubles record.

Women's Tennis (21-6 Overall, 9-1 PBC, #5 Omni Hotels/ITA Division II Top 25 Rankings)
The Armstrong Atlantic State women's tennis team captured the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship over the weekend, earning its ninth consecutive berth in the NCAA DII Women’s Tennis Finals.
The Lady Pirates defeated No. 27-ranked Columbus State on Saturday, 5-1, then blanked No. 9-ranked North Florida, 5-0, on Sunday to capture the region crown.
AASU will now advance to face defending NCAA DII champion BYU-Hawaii in its Thursday, May 8, first round match at 3:30 p.m. The Pirates and the Seasiders have played once this season, with BYU-Hawaii taking a slim 5-4 victory in the White Sands Invitational in Pensacola, Fla., back on April 3.
The finals continue in Altamonte Springs, Fla., through Sunday, May 11. AASU has captured two NCAA National Championships in 1995 and 1996 and advanced to the Championship match on five other occasions, including last season, when the Pirates were defeated by BYU Hawaii, 5-1.

Men’s Golf (#14 GCAA Coaches’ Division II Top 25)
The Armstrong Atlantic State men's golf team competes this week at the NCAA Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional on May 5-7 at the Harbor Club in Eatonton, Ga., hosted by Georgia College & State University.
The Pirates, making their second straight NCAA Regionals appearance in three years after reinstating the golf program in 2001. Sophomore Nick Cowper leads the Pirates into this year’s regional – last year the Kennesaw, Ga., native captured Region medallist honors and advanced to the NCAA Finals as an individual. Joining Cowper this week in competing for the Pirates are junior All-PBC honoree Thomas Whittaker and sophomores Chris Epperson, Jonathan Cox and Ashley Loyd.
The winner of the regional and eight at-large teams, selected from regions across the country, will advance to the NCAA DII Golf Championships in Sun River, Oregon, on May 20-23.

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