For More Information Contact: Scott Musa 540.665.5417

Baseball

Head Coach: Justin Cronk

Overall Record: 1-1 Dixie Conference Record: 0-0

The baseball team opened its 2001 season this past week with a win, a loss and a loss to Mother Nature. On Tuesday, SU made up its contest with Juniata College that was scheduled for February 17; the Hornets fell by a score of 12-8. SU jumped on Juniata for five runs in the first three innings, as returning NCAA Division III batting champion Jeremy Schutt (Annandale, Va./Prince George's CC) drove in two runs in his first two at-bats with a single to leftfield in the first and a home run to left in the third. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Jake Fiedler (Fairfax, Va./Chantilly) was mowing the Eagles down; he allowed just one hit through the first three innings while striking out one batter in each frame. The wheels came off for Fiedler in the fourth however, as Juniata (1-0) scored four runs on two hits to bring themselves back into the contest. The Eagles also benefited from two hit batsmen, one of which came around to score. Another hit batter and a fielding error by shortstop John Cowell (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) played a part in Juniata's four run sixth; the Eagles scored two unearned runs to take the lead for good at 8-7. Cowell, Schutt, Fiedler and senior Tony Canterna (Baltimore, Md./Anne Arundel) all had two hits for the Hornets, with Fiedler also driving in a run. Head Coach Justin Cronk's squad rebounded 24 hours later to get both their first win of the season and the first win of the Cronk era, defeating Virginia Wesleyan 8-2. Shenandoah used a complete game performance from Chris Kees (Gore, Va./James Wood) and a 2-5, 2 RBI day from Schutt to even its record at 1-1 on the year. Kees scattered nine hits, two runs (one earned) with no walks and six strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season and the 15^th of his career. Kees is now the winningest pitcher in SU history; he broke the record of 14 that he previously shared with Bill Hinson '98. After falling behind 1-0 on a Virginia Wesleyan) run in the bottom of the fourth, the Hornets rebounded with three runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and three more in the seventh to seize control of the contest. Shenandoah took the lead for good in the fifth when Schutt plated Canterna and John Cowell with a two out double to left centerfield. Cowell walked with one out and had advanced to third on Canterna's single to center. Shenandoah was then scheduled to complete the week's play with a non-league game at Salisbury State on Sunday but the game was postponed due to Thursday's snowstorm. This week, the Hornets have six games, five on the road. SU hosts Eastern Mennonite on Tuesday before beginning their trek to Florida on Thursday for Spring Break. Cronk's team will play Division II Georgia College on Thursday before opening play at the Gene Cusic Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. on Friday evening with Gwynedd Mercy (Pa.). SU will play Rose Hulman (Ind.) and Wabash (Ind.) on Saturday and Assumpton (Mass.) on Sunday.

Men’s Basketball

Head Coach: Rob Harris

Overall Record: 9-17 Dixie Conference Record: 2-10 (6^th)

The men's basketball team completed its season this past week with a win and a loss at the Dixie Conference Tournament. SU opened the tournament on Thursday by surviving a 10 hour bus ride and then defeating No. 3 seed NC Wesleyan 75-66 in the quarterfinals. The 3.5 hour trip to Newport News stretched into a 10 hour odyssey when the team became stranded on I-95 during Thursday's snowstorm, causing the squad to not reach CNU until just before 9:00 p.m. Their scheduled 6:00 game was pushed back to 9:30, with the 8:00 game between Greensboro and Methodist starting 30 minutes early in an attempt to get the evening over as quickly as possible. With less than a half hour to warm-up, Coach Rob Harris' squad reached its first semi-final since the 1997 tournament on the strength of 27 points and 16 rebounds from junior Ronald Merriwether (Frankfurt, Germany/Giessen American). Merriwether helped SU back from a 30-16 first half deficit with eight of the Hornets 15 points in a 15-0 run that gave the Hornets their first lead of the game at 31-30 with 5:16 to play in the first. Down 38-33 at the break, Shenandoah shot a sizzling 13 for 23 (56.5 percent) in the second half to secure its first win over the Bishops this season. In addition to Merriwether's 27 points, junior Craig Shelton (Charlottesville, Va./Charlottesville) and sophomore Michael Atkins (Winchester, Va./Sherando) both chipped in with 12. The Hornets then faced No. 2 seed Averett in Friday's first semi-final. For the third time this season, SU held the halftime lead over the Cougars but was unable to hold on in the final 20 minutes, losing 77-71. Merriwether led SU with 25 points while Atkins had 13 points and a career high 16 boards.

Women’s Basketball

Head Coach: Kathy Orsini

Overall Record: 9-16 Dixie Conference Record: 3-9 (6^th)

The women's basketball team was unable to defend its Dixie Conference Tournament championship this past week, falling 68-65 to 3^rd seeded Ferrum College in quarterfinal round action Thursday evening. Shenandoah took a 37-31 lead into the halftime lockerroom after shooting 51.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of play but turned cold in the second half, making just 7 of its 33 second half attempts (21.2 percent). After the two teams traded the lead on five different occasions, Ferrum finally grabbed the advantage for good with 2:06 to play with a 3-pointer to give them a 64-62 lead. Sophomore Adina Trammel (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) led the hosts with 18 points and 15 rebounds while Wendy Legge (Stephens City, Va./Sherando) added 15 points.

Golf

Head Coach: Rob Kulton

The golf team opened its 2001 spring season this past week by placing seventh of nine teams at the NC Wesleyan/Don Scalf Invitational with a 351-346--697 total at the two day event. Shenandoah shot a 351 on the first day of the 36 hole tournament, held at the par 72, 7122 yard Northgreen Country Club in Rocky Mount, N.C. Freshman Chris Fraser (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg) was the Hornets medalist with an 88-83--171 the placed him 27^th overall. Classmate Kevin Richards (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls) was right behind Fraser with an 88-84--172 that earned him a 30^th place finish. The team is now off until after they return from a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. The squad's next tournament is the Ferrum Tournament on March 12 and 13.

Shenandoah University offers 16 intercollegiate sports, eight for men and eight for women. For further information, please contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 540-665-5417 or visit our web site at http://www.su.edu/athletics. For Dixie Conference Information, please visit the Dixie Conference home page: http://www.dixieconference.com.

Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level V private university with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students in five schools: School of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Nursing, Respiratory Care, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant). The University offers more than 60 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels