North by Northwest (NxNW) - Lindenwood University

NxNW - Lindenwood University
Location - St. Charles, Missouri 63301
Founded - 1827
Enrollment - Approximately 15,000
Colors - Black & Gold
Nickname - Lions

Lindenwood started its existence as an all-female institution of higher learning until as recently as the 1970's.  It was at that time that the modern adoption of Lindenwood's athletics department began.
Lindenwood spent its entire Athletics history as a member of the NAIA and had tremendous success at that level.  In total, Lindenwood won 10 NAIA National Championships with 9 of those championships coming since 2002-2003.  In addition, Lindenwood has 4 national runner-up finishes at the NAIA level.  Lindenwood boasts 2 athletes that marched with Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  In 2010, Lindenwood applied for membership to the NCAA Division 2 level and that application was accepted later that year.  Lindenwood spent 2 candidacy years before the 2012-2013 season where the Lions are now considered a provisional member this year.  Lindenwood is in the final stages of a 9-million-dollars facilities construction project with a 115,000 square foot student athlete success center.

Lindenwood University sits on 500 acres of land in the community of St. Charless (approximate population of 62,000) which is a western suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.

In 2012, the Lindenwood Lions baseball team finished the year at 30-19 without playing any official MIAA Conference games.  The Lions were a remarkable 13-2 at home, 2-2 at neutral site games, and 15-15 on the road.  Despite not counting as official conference games in 2012, Lindenwood did play against MIAA member Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri (split a 4-game series, 2 games a piece), Southwest Baptist, and Truman State.  The 2012 Lions did not hit for a lot of power (12 total home runs with 1 player having 7 of those home runs) with a .379 slugging percentage, but got on-base at a successful level with a .377 on-base percentage.  The Lions were solid at pitching with a Team ERA of 4.65 (2 lights out pitchers with ERAs in the 1s).  The Lions were average defensively with a .963 fielding percentage, 65 errors in 49 games.

Go Cats!!
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North by Northwest (NxNW) - Lincoln University

North by Northwest (NxNW) - Lincoln University

City/Zip - Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
Founded - 1866 (Land-grant institution)
Enrollment - 3,284
Field - LU Baseball Field (Capacity - 300)
First Year in Baseball - 1971
Overall Record - 528-950-6
Best Record Ever - 31-18 (1999)

Head Coach - Jim Dapkus (Missouri Western '91)
Record at Lincoln University - 120-238
Overall - 317-437

About Lincoln University - Offers 6 degrees in 50 programs, 5 graduate degrees with 16-areas of concentration.

In 2012, Lincoln University had a tough year finishing with an overall record of 8-40 (8-31 MIAA) and was 4-14 at home and 4-26 on the road.  Chris Pfau made the All-MIAA First Team squad as a Utility player after he batted .333, earned 51 hits, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 21 rbis, slugged .418%, 22 walks, 3 hit by pitches, .425 on-base percentage, and stole 7 bases in 12 attempts.  Pfau also pitched for Lincoln and earned a record of 5-7, appeared in 12 games and made 11 starts, earned a 5.17 ERA, had 6 complete games, worked 69.2 innings, allowed 40 earned runs, 35 walks, and 56 strike-outs.  Besides Pfau though, Lincoln did not hit the ball well, field the ball well, or pitch the ball well.

Go Cats!!
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North by Northwest (NxNW) - Fort Hays State

NxNW - The B2R takes a look at the member institutions of the MIAA Athletic Conference.  Today, Fort Hays State is at bat:

Fort Hays State University
City/Zip - Hays, Kansas 67601
Founded - 1902
Enrollment - 11,000
Nickname - Tigers
Colors - Black & Gold
Home Venue - Larks Park (capacity - 1,200)(Constructed in 1940)(Field Turf added Fall 2012)
First year of baseball - 1966
All-time record (at the beginning of the 2012 season) - 1295-822-4
2012 Season - Fort Hays finished in 6th place as the final qualifier for the MIAA Post-Season Tournament, but advanced all the way to the Tournament Championship against Central Missouri.  UCM defeated FHSU by a score 7-1 to finish its year 29-24.

About Fort Hays State -
FHSU is the 2nd youngest of the State of Kansas' six universities.  It original faculty consisted of 2 members teaching the 19-course curriculum and greeted 34 students to campus.  Today, the faculty totals approximately 300, support staff of approximately 250, and 11,000 students.  The University sits on approximately 4,160 acres exactly where a frontier military post was located.  About 20,000 people live in the Hays community.

NCAA D2 World Series Appearances - 2000 (2nd place overall - National runner-up);
NCAA Regionals - 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006.
RMAC Championship - 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000 (Regular Season), 2003 (Regular Season & Tournament);
FHSU has owned a .600 winning percentage or better in 13 of 18 seasons since its move to NCAA Division 2;

Notable FHSU Baseball Alumni - Nate Field (Pitcher for the KC Royals, Rockies, Marlins, and Mets)

Notable FHSU Baseball Coaches - Bob Fornelli (yep, the Emporia State Coach) from 1997 to 2003 (See basically all of FHSU's NCAA Post-season success);

Curtis Hammeke - Presently FHSU's Athletics Director (very good for baseball);

Steve Gillispie - Head Coach of NCAA D1 Youngstown State

Go Cats!!
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North by Northwest - NxNW - Emporia State University

NxNW stops in Emporia, Kansas, for a look at Emporia State University Hornets.

Location - Emporia, Kansas
Founded - 1863
Enrollment - 6,258
Colors - Old Gold & Black
Nickname - Hornets

Why the Hornets?

A casual conversation between Vic Trusler and an Emporia Gazette reporter named Cecil Carle led the establishment of the Hornets as Emporia State’s mascot. In the early 1930’s, the Teachers College students were called the Yaps. It is uncertain why the students were called that except popular legend suggests that because they were teachers, they did a lot of “yapping.” In any case, most of the students were not fond of the moniker.

Trusler, a legendary figure on campus in the 1930’s, and coach at Roosevelt High School, and Carle, without design, were instrumental in getting the name changed.

Carle was seeking information on the official name of the Roosevelt High School team. Trusler suggested he call the Roosevelt team the Bluejackets since they wore blue jerseys.

In that momentous conversation, Trusler further commented that the students at the Teacher College really did not like being called the Yaps. Instead he suggested they be called the Yellow Jackets because the men wore yellow sweaters with black stripes on the sleeves. And, like the insect, they had quite a sting to them.

Nothing further was said, but the next Gazette article about the Teachers College referred to the students as Yellow Jackets.

The evolution of the name Yellow Jacket to Hornet is almost anti-climatic. A lack of newspaper space forced the Yellow Jacket to be shortened to Harnet. For a while

the two names were interchanged and used throughout the state.

To further cement the Hornet tradition, the football team received new uniforms in 1936. They were almost entirely black prompting some to suggest that the team be called the Mud Daubers, which are yellowjackets, which are hornets, which gave more sting to the legend.

“Corky” first appeared on the scene in 1934 when Paul Edwards, then a sophomore, made what he thought was a more representative figure of the school mascot than the strereotyped hornet being used. He entered it in a contest and finished second. Not to be discouraged Edwards redrew his hornet and showed it to Ray Maul, then manager of the Memorial Union, who thought he could “use the buzzard.” The Corky figure would soon become popular on campus.

Edwards liked his Corky so much he patented the bug in 1936, which dated its 50th anniversary to 1986. During Homecoming 1987, Edwards dedicated a Corky the Hornet statue he sculpted and is now on display in the Memorial Union Bookstore.

A large number of Corky’s cropped up beginning in 2003 during a Parade of Corkys throughout Emporia and many of them are still on display around campus

and in the community.

MIAA Championships - 6

1993, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

NCAA Regional Appearances - 9
1993, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

NCAA World Series Appearances - 2
2006 & 2009

NCAA World Series Runner-up - 2009

Notable Coaches

Brian Embery - 1987-2003 - 458-320 - 5-time MIAA Coach of the Year (now coaches Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington;)

Dave Bingham - 1973-1987 - He helped Emporia State to the NAIA World Series twice.  He played in the Washington Senators' farm system.  He coached Emporia State and had a record of 557-223.  Bingham went on to be the Head Coach of the University of Kansas from 1988-1995.  With the University of Kansas, he participated in the 1993 NCAA College World Series.  He also spent time as an assistant coach for the University of New Mexico and Nebraska-Lincoln.  Finally, he was an assistant coach for the USA Olympic baseball team in 1984 and 1988.

Current Coach - Bob Fornelli - 2004-Present

Coach Fornelli will enter his 10th season as Emporia State's Head Coach in 2013.  Except for 2012, Fornelli took his Emporia State Hornets to the NCAA play-offs every year since he hs been coach.

Fornelli took his Emporia State squad of 2009 to the farthest the school has even been with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division 2.  Fornelli's first head coaching experience appears to have been at another MIAA school (Fort Hays State) before entering the head coach position at Emporia State.  In 7 years, Coach Fornelli earned 306-113 at Fort Hays State when they were a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletics Conference.

Coach Fornelli recruits 25 players from the State of Kansas (16 came from another school via transfer); 2 kids from the State of Texas, 3 kids from the State of Missouri, 4 from Oklahoma, among others.

Go Cats!!
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North by Northwest (NxNW) - University of Central Oklahoma

North by Northwest - A preview of the other schools of the MIAA Conference - University of Central Oklahoma

Location - Edmond, Oklahoma
Founded - 1890
Enrollment - 17,101
Colors - Bronze and Blue
Nickname - Bronchos

Why the Bronchos?

Bronchos was selected for UCO in 1922 by Mrs. Wantland, wife of long-time UCO football coach C.W. Wantland.  The name was chosen from several suggestions for UCO football which was adopted for all varsity athletic teams at the university.  Mrs. Wantland was named an honorary member of UCO's Letterman's Club for her selection of the school's mascot and nickname being the first female selected to the distinquished organization.

First season of baseball at UCO - 1896
Conference/Division Championships - 14 - 1929, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006.
NCAA Regional Appearances - 7 - 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006.

Head Coach - Dax Leone (3rd Season)(68-79 overall record - 31-17 record though in 2012).  Leone is in his first head coaching job having spent 2 years as an Assistant Coach for Oklahoma State and 3 years as an Assistant Coach at Louisiana-Monroe.  As a player, Leone spent two years at Seminole State College and two years at Texas.

With that note aside, Leone had a break-out year at UCO in 2012 and finished with an overall record of 31-17.  I didn't see a Conference Tournament referenced in the school's website, or a NCAA Regional for that matter, but a 31-17 record is a remarkable season.  Leone is a fiery competitor.  I attended the 2012 season opener where NWMSU played at UCO.  With UCO down late in the game and Northwest's closer on the mound, Leone stormed onto the field and went nuts over non-called balks by the Bearcat pitcher.  Leone got tossed, and with a performance worthy of an Emmy, the Bronchos got fired-up, rallied and won the game, then swept the series.  Another note from the 2012 series - Kretzer went deep on a UCO pitcher which went foul.  Kretzer was then hit in the head in the same at-bat.  The UCO pitcher was pulled immediately thereafter.  Leone was a remarkable 19-5 in Edmond and a stellar 12-12 on the road.

Leone's recruits his roster heavy in the State of Oklahoma with 25 of 32 players on the 2013 roster from OK.  Of the 7 other players - 2 are from outside the country, 2 are from Arizona, 2 are from Texas, and 1 is from California.

Go Cats!!
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North by Northwest (NxNW) - University of Central Missouri

The B2R presents a series it will call "North by Northwest" where we will take a look at the MIAA Baseball programs on a school-by-school basis.  First stop - Warrensburg and the University of Central Missouri.

University of Central Missouri (UCM)
Located - Warrensburg, Missouri
Founded - 1871
Enrollment - 11,000
Colors - Cardinal & Black
Nickname - Men (Mules) Women (Jennies)

Why the Mules?

The Mules affiliation with Central Missouri originates in the early 1920s when school officials felt the "Normals" and "Teachers" were no long appropriate names for its athletics teams.  So a committee was formed and suggestions sought.  The winning suggestion was offered a free 3-year subscription to the school newspaper.  The Mules were selected over the likes of the skunks, bobcats, and hippopotamus.

Notable UCM Baseball Head Coaches -

Dave Van Horn - 1994 (took Nebraska Cornhuskers and Arkansas Razorback to NCAA D1 College World Series and won a D2 National Championship in his only season at UCM);
Brad Hill 1995-2003 - (Head Coach of Kansas State);
Darin Hendrickson - 2004-2007 - SLU Baseball Head Coach;

Baseball success -

22 MIAA Baseball Titles
16 NCAA Regional Titles
2 National Championships

Current Head Coach - Tom Myers

Tom Myers was hired as UCM's 13th Baseball Coach in 2007 and has a record of 192-53.  In his 5 seasons at UCM, he has taken the Mules to the College World Series 3 times.  He has been an Assistant Coach at UCM, an Assistant Coach at K-State, and a Head Coach at Pitt State prior to being appointed as the Head Coach at UCM.

Tom Myers recruits strongly in Central Missouri with several Mules coming from the KC-area, Columbia/Jeff City, and St. Louis.  Of the 2012 roster, 18 of 39 players transferred in from another school.  Missouri State was listed as previous school 2 times, Longview CC listed 3 times, SLU listed 1 time, and K-State listed 1 time.

Go Cats!!
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B2R exceeds 31,000 "Base" hits (or make that website hits)

The B2R salutes its fans for breaking the 31,000 site hits in November 2012.  The Bearcats are the best.  Here are some fun facts about the B2R based on Blogger statistics:

Page Views as of December 2, 2012 - 31,123;
Most page views in a single month - 2702 in August 2010;
Top 3 referring websites to the B2R - 1) Google, 2) Facebook, and 3) Yahoo;
#1 Keyword search used to find the B2R - "bearcat b2r baseball"
Page views by Country - USA, Russia, England, Germany, Canada, France, Ukraine, Romania, Latvia, Turkey, China, India, Venezuela, Malaysia, Poland, Brazil, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Djibouti, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico, Belgium, Ireland, Slovakia, Indonesia, Sweden, Singapore, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Paraguay, Vietnam, South Korea, and the Philippines;

It is official - the B2R is a domestic and international sensation.

Based on the B2R's research team findings, or the lack thereof, the B2R is the only fan website devoted primarily to baseball in the MIAA.

B2R's chowline is a fan supported program whereby the Bearcat Baseball team enjoys sub sandwiches, chips, and water during every double-header during the regular season.  An informal study conducted by the B2R (aka - looking over to the other dugout), the Bearcats eat together while the other team scatter off to fend for themselves.

B2R fans pooled money to support a "Salute to the US Military" day at a home double-header in 2012 including special camoflauge jerseys.  No other MIAA baseball program held a special US Military Salute based on a review of each school's official athletics website.

Finally, a great big thank you to everyone that took time to read the B2R, to attend a Bearcat Baseball game, to follow the team via internet radio, or donated a few dollars to help out the guys.  In total, the B2R is convinced you will not find a better collection of blue-collared kids from hard working families than on the Bearcats Baseball team, all of whom sincerely appreciate the attention and support of Bearcat fans, and that is what makes rooting for this team so worth it.

Go Cats!!
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Cool Baseball Video from Youtube

It is a little over 2 minutes long.  Succinctly illustrates a fundamental principle for success in baseball - hard work in the off-season means success in the post-season.

Go Cats!!
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