BCSP Notes . . .
Weeks' hitting, leadership hit stride
Former Southern and Southwestern Athletic Conference
star infielder Rickie Weeks is finally putting up the numbers and justifying
his high draft status in this his seventh year with Major League
Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers.
Weeks, a second baseman selected with the second overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft after sweeping collegiate awards in his final year at Southern, has battled injuries and consistency during his major league tenure but is having the kind of career year in 2010 forecasted for him when he broke into the league that same year.
Monday he clubbed his second homer in as many days, his 21st on the season, in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati boosting the Brewers' record to 48-53. The Brewers are currently third in the National League Central Division, eight games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals and Weeks' production is one of the reasons the Brewers are still in the race.
His only hit in four plate appearances Monday has his batting average to a respectable .274, but he is hitting .294 since June 1 with four stolen bases while batting leadoff for the Brewers.
But it's in the power categories and his production numbers that Weeks is really showing his mettle and quietly becoming one of the top fantasy players in the majors this season.
The 21 homers is a career high and is currently tied for eighth in the National League with San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez behind Joey Vatto of Cincinnati's 28.
Weeks has also driven in a career-high 66 runs that ranks him sixth in the NL behind Ryan Howard of Philadelphia's 78.
He has also set a career high in hits with 112 that ties him for fifth in the NL with Chicago's Marlon Byrd and he has scored 69 runs that places him third in the league behind Martin Prado of Atlanta's 71. He's on pace to break his career high of 89 runs scored set in 2008.
Though he has struck out 112 times, fourth highest in all of the majors, Weeks production numbers from the leadoff position for the Brewers is a welcome sight.
Brewers' manager Ken Macha called Weeks' toughness "off the charts" after Weeks returned to a game last week and led a game-winning rally after being beaned. His teammates also praise his toughness.
"Rickie's the toughest guy I've ever played with in my life," said left fielder Ryan Braun after the beaning. "Nothing seems to faze him. He's unbelievable."
With former Florida A&M and MLB standout Andre Dawson being inducted Sunday into the Hall of Fame, Macha was asked to reflect on his playing days with "The Hawk" in Montreal. Macha drew several comparisons between Dawson and Weeks.
"Dawson didn't say a lot, and Rickie doesn't say a lot," said Macha. "Dawson was extremely intense and serious about what's going on out there. That's Rickie. He played the game hard all the time. That's Rickie.
"I'm just happy to sit here and watch Rickie play. You don't have to be a vocal guy to be a leader. You just go out there and play the game the way it should be played. Be prepared every day, play hard and have the respect of your teammates. That's leadership."
New Voorhees basketball coach
Denmark, S.C. -- Voorhees College Athletics Director
Willie Jefferson has named Michael
Cheaney as the new head men's basketball coach. Cheaney brings more than 10
years of coaching experience to Voorhees.
Cheaney crosses the border from North Carolina where he was an assistant men's basketball coach at Livingstone College. He also previously served as head men's basketball coach at Wilberforce University in Ohio.
"I feel that Mr. Cheaney's coaching experience and wealth of knowledge in the coaching arena will be a great asset to our men's basketball program at Voorhees," Jefferson said.
Cheaney graduated from Indiana State University with a Master of Science degree in sports management and from Kentucky Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice.
He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Black Coaches Association.
Tennessee State gets new softball coach
Tennessee State has hired Jeff
Dabney as the new head softball coach. Dabney will be the fourth softball coach for the Tiger softball program.
Dabney comes to Tennessee State after serving two years as assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State where he served as the team's pitching and catching coach and worked with the slap hitters. He also served as the team's recruiting coordinator as well as directed the conditioning program.
Prior to his position at Southeast Missouri State, Dabney served as the head coach at North Florida Community College and was an assistant coach at the University of Florida.
During his time at Florida, the team went 42-23, which was good enough to finish third in the Southeastern Conference and finished with a ranking of 16th nationally.
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