C-LeB28
Moderator
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3185041
'SWAC champs' says it all for TSU
Winning fever carries over from '04 upset of Rice
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The TSU baseball program understood that two weeks of success last June wasn't going to convince many in college baseball that the Tigers were beginning a new era. Decades of losing were impossible to erase with a few postseason victories ? albeit a few big ones.
The Tigers returned to the field this year ready to prove that their success wouldn't be fleeting. Their opponents in the Southwestern Athletic Conference know better than to describe TSU as a fluke.
The defending SWAC Champions performed all season as if they deserved such a title. They finished the conference season with a 17-7 record, tying Southern for the best record in the SWAC Western Division.
The Tigers will be one of the favorites when they begin defense of their title at the SWAC Championships on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala.
"That's all you want," TSU pitcher Isaac Daniels said of the SWAC Championship. "When you win that championship, that's what you fight for the next year. When you haven't won it, you don't know how good it is to win it. So it would almost hurt your heart if you didn't win it the next year."
So much has changed in one year for the Tigers. Last year, TSU finished 15-13 in the SWAC (.536), edging Prairie View A&M (17-15, .531) by percentage points to qualify for the tournament. The Tigers put that and their 1-16 start behind them, however, to win their first SWAC title.
A sparkling debut
In their first trip to the NCAA Regional, they were paired with 2003 College World Series champion Rice. To cap off TSU's improbable postseason run, the Tigers upset the Owls 4-3.
TSU was later eliminated with losses to Texas A&M and in a Rice rematch, but that hardly put a damper on their success. Nine players graduated, but the Tigers did not lose their winning mentality.
"Winning is contagious," TSU coach Candy Robinson said. "We've got this winning attitude that we developed last year. It's been ongoing through the season."
After losing much of its offense from last year, TSU entered this season hoping its pitching could carry the team. Juniors Brandon Stricklen and Issac Daniels didn't disappoint. They finished the season as two of the league's top pitchers, demonstrating poise, confidence and leadership.
"We came in knowing we had to be the leaders of the team," Stricklen said. "To see the success we had last year, a lot of the younger guys they look up on that. They want to have that success too. They look up to us like we look up to (pitching coach) Sonny (Garcia)."
Daniels (5-6) finished the season ranked third in the SWAC in both strikeouts (70) and opponents' batting average (.235). He finished second with six complete games and threw a league-high two shutouts. He finished with an ERA of 3.48 ? fourth-best in the SWAC.
Stricklen (7-3) finished second in strikeouts (72).
Stricklen will start in the first game of the tournament against Alcorn State. Daniels will start the second game.
"You know every time they go out on the mound you're going to get a quality start and at least six or seven innings out of them," said junior J.D. Stewart, who leads the team with a .382 batting average and a team-high 42 RBIs. "They've been our horses all year. They've carried us this far."
The Tigers plan to go even farther. They want to become the SWAC's newest baseball powerhouse.
'SWAC champs' says it all for TSU
Winning fever carries over from '04 upset of Rice
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The TSU baseball program understood that two weeks of success last June wasn't going to convince many in college baseball that the Tigers were beginning a new era. Decades of losing were impossible to erase with a few postseason victories ? albeit a few big ones.
The Tigers returned to the field this year ready to prove that their success wouldn't be fleeting. Their opponents in the Southwestern Athletic Conference know better than to describe TSU as a fluke.
The defending SWAC Champions performed all season as if they deserved such a title. They finished the conference season with a 17-7 record, tying Southern for the best record in the SWAC Western Division.
The Tigers will be one of the favorites when they begin defense of their title at the SWAC Championships on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala.
"That's all you want," TSU pitcher Isaac Daniels said of the SWAC Championship. "When you win that championship, that's what you fight for the next year. When you haven't won it, you don't know how good it is to win it. So it would almost hurt your heart if you didn't win it the next year."
So much has changed in one year for the Tigers. Last year, TSU finished 15-13 in the SWAC (.536), edging Prairie View A&M (17-15, .531) by percentage points to qualify for the tournament. The Tigers put that and their 1-16 start behind them, however, to win their first SWAC title.
A sparkling debut
In their first trip to the NCAA Regional, they were paired with 2003 College World Series champion Rice. To cap off TSU's improbable postseason run, the Tigers upset the Owls 4-3.
TSU was later eliminated with losses to Texas A&M and in a Rice rematch, but that hardly put a damper on their success. Nine players graduated, but the Tigers did not lose their winning mentality.
"Winning is contagious," TSU coach Candy Robinson said. "We've got this winning attitude that we developed last year. It's been ongoing through the season."
After losing much of its offense from last year, TSU entered this season hoping its pitching could carry the team. Juniors Brandon Stricklen and Issac Daniels didn't disappoint. They finished the season as two of the league's top pitchers, demonstrating poise, confidence and leadership.
"We came in knowing we had to be the leaders of the team," Stricklen said. "To see the success we had last year, a lot of the younger guys they look up on that. They want to have that success too. They look up to us like we look up to (pitching coach) Sonny (Garcia)."
Daniels (5-6) finished the season ranked third in the SWAC in both strikeouts (70) and opponents' batting average (.235). He finished second with six complete games and threw a league-high two shutouts. He finished with an ERA of 3.48 ? fourth-best in the SWAC.
Stricklen (7-3) finished second in strikeouts (72).
Stricklen will start in the first game of the tournament against Alcorn State. Daniels will start the second game.
"You know every time they go out on the mound you're going to get a quality start and at least six or seven innings out of them," said junior J.D. Stewart, who leads the team with a .382 batting average and a team-high 42 RBIs. "They've been our horses all year. They've carried us this far."
The Tigers plan to go even farther. They want to become the SWAC's newest baseball powerhouse.
