Recap: Memorial Day Tourney

Recap-Memorial Day Tournament By: Austin Alexander-May 26-28, 2007   Perfect weather gave DP the opportunity to lock in on some quality players during Memorial Day weekend, we’ll break down a few players that we saw… Dominique Anderson-2009 grad, Hillcrest HS, OF: Anderson is built like a stick of dynamite and has plenty of juice in his ba… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well. Username Password Remember Me     Forgot Password

Coaches Corner: Tom Fleenor

In January of this year, Fire Ants Head Coach Tom Fleenor (right) took on the task of building a brand new program at USC Sumter. No stranger to building programs, Fleenor spent the last seven years taking USC Upstate from a perennial cellar dweller in the Peach Belt Conference to three straight 30 plus win seasons as the school’s recruiting coordinator. His classes included two Peach Belt Freshmen of the Year, an All-American, a Peach Belt batting champion and three players that signed professional contracts. One of those players is currently in Double-A with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. All told, Fleenor has coached over 50 players that have gone on to professional careers.      DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? I have been coaching for fourteen years. The main reason I coach is because I don’t want a real job! I realized my senior year in college that I could not imagine myself doing anything else, but baseball.   DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach?  Making a difference in a kid’s life. I truly love that part of my job. It does not even have to be something baseball related. If I can somehow get, or keep, a kid pointed in the right direction in life, that makes my job totally worth it.    DP-What does the term “coach” mean to you?  Mentor, father figure and even a friend. Some coaches do not think you can be all three, but I emphatically believe you can as long as you can decipher which situation requires what role.   DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession?  That it’s not as glamorous as some would think. Most coaches don’t make much money and they spend a lot of time away from their families. I’m lucky enough to have a wife that has stuck by me through thick and thin, but a lot coaches are not so fortunate.    DP-We all know there is very little money in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why do you do it?  It’s kind of like finding the right woman. You don’t really know why it is that you can’t be without her, even though she might drive you crazy sometimes, but you keep coming back. A person just knows that it’s what God intended for them to do.    DP-You are highly regarded as a recruiter in the profession, what makes you good at what you do?  I just try to be myself and it seems to work. I am basically just a kid at heart and I am passionate about what I do. The kids tend to pick up on it. They are smarter than we sometimes give them credit for when it comes to judging a person. I truly enjoy coaching the kids and I think it shows in the way I recruit them as well.   DP-When you hear the expression “old school baseball”, what does that phrase mean to you?  No batting gloves, playing the short game, hustling at all times and simply playing the game the way it was meant to be played. The “old school” game was not the gorilla ball that kids see on Sportscenter every night. Today’s game is all about who can throw 90 and who can hit the ball into the trees. The object of the game is to score more than the other team and putting the team ahead of your own individual goals, plain and simple.    DP-What is the definition of a “student-athlete”?  There is a commercial for the NCAA that says it all: Most of them will be going professional in something other than sports. A college education provides an individual the opportunity to have a good life. I tell almost every recruit I talk to that college is about the next 50 years, not the next four. Let’s look at it this way–there is a reason why they are not referred to as “athlete-student”. The “student” must always come first. I bet you didn’t know I could be that deep!   DP-What MLB feat in history do you wish you’d been inside the stadium to witness and why?  Hank Aaron breaking the homerun record at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. I think Aaron is a great human being that took a lot of flack in his day as he approached the record just because he was black. You have to be a class act to not respond to racist idiots.   DP-What is your most memorable experience as a baseball coach?  Watching my 17 month-old, Bradley, throw out the first pitch at one of my Northwoods League games back in 2001. He stood about six feet away from home plate and threw a perfect strike to his daddy with 1000 people in the stands.    DP-Who has made the greatest impression on you as a baseball coach and why?  Mike Policastro (currently the head coach at Cleveland State Community College), my college coach and Phil King, my best friend’s father. Coach Poly was a so-called players’ coach, but he had a real New Jersey/Italian mean streak as well. He was a great guy to play for and he remains a good friend to this day. I think I got most of my coaching style from him as far as how I deal with the players. Phil King was not my baseball coach, but he was more of my life coach. He was a tremendous player in his day (football and baseball at Furman) and an even better man. I am changing my number this year to 23 (Mr. King’s high school number at Clinton) in memory of him.    DP-Who are the best three players you have ever coached against?  It’s hard to name just three as I coached against the best of the best when I was at Ole Miss. The ones that stick out are David Eckstein (Florida), Brad …

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Recap: Sand Gnats at Upstate Carolina

Recap-Palmetto Sand Gnats at Upstate Carolina Mavericks By: DP Staff Writer-May 23, 2007   Game 1: Upstate Carolina Mavericks–4, Sand Gnats 18’s–3 The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Scott Wingo (right) walked, moved to second on a sacrifice by David Christy. Arturo Mogrezutt hit a seeing-eye single movi… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

A Champion’s Tribute: Bishop England

2007 Season-in-review: Bishop England By: Mike Darnell-May 24, 2007   Pre-season: No Game Experience Entering the 2007 season, we seemed to have enough pitching to be a good team, but our hitting and defense were going to be a mystery. The only position players we had returning with playing experience were outfielders Brantley Meier and Bo… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

A Champion’s Tribute: Landrum

2007 SEASON SUMMARY: Landrum Cardinals By: Travis Henson-May 11, 2007 Ø      ANOTHER REMARKABLE SEASON OF SUCCESS. Ø      RECORD SETTING SEASON … Ø      WON 29 GAMES (SINGLE-SEASON RECORD FOR LANDRUM HIGH SCHOOL) Ø      WON REGION TITLE GOING … The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Recap: Augusta Christian at Ben Lippen

Recap-Augusta Christian Lions at Ben Lippen Falcons By: DP Staff Writer-May 14, 2007 Diamond Prospects was at Ben Lippen School on Tuesday night to see the SCISA AAA State Championship between the home team Ben Lippen Falcons and the visitors Augusta Christian Lions. The Lions came into the series as the two-time defending state champions looking… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Diamond Awards: 2007

-2007 Diamond Awards- Diamond Kings: 4A Rank Pitcher High School Rank Position Player High School 1 Patrick Mincey Hartsville 1 Cole Rakar Wando 2 Marty Gantt North Augusta 2 John Long TL Hanna 3 CJ Curry White Knoll 3 Daniel Aldrich Wando Overall: Marty Gantt-North Augusta Diamond Kings: 3A Rank Pitcher High School Rank Posi… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

A Champion’s Tribute: Hartsville

AAAA State Champs! By: Corey Lewis-May 15, 2007 2007 Class AAAA State Champs! What sweet music to the ears of Red Fox players, coaches and supporters. It seems as if tryouts were just yesterday. As the season approached, optimism surrounded our team. We returned six players who saw significant playing time the previous year. Because of this soli… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

All-DP Team: 4A

-2007 All-DP Team- AAAA Position Name High School Year INF Scott Wingo Mauldin Senior INF John Long TL Hanna Junior INF Taylor Roberts Fort Dorchester Senior INF Tyler Boyd Laurens Junior INF Daniel Aldrich Wando Sophomore INF Nick Aranas Lexington Senior OF Konstantine Diamaduros Spartanburg Junior OF Bennett Jordan York Senior… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

All-DP Team: 3A

-2007 All-DP Team- AAA Position Name High School Year INF *John Gump Carolina Forest Junior INF John Bolding Pickens Senior INF *Brett Thomas AC Flora Senior INF Sean Sullivan AC Flora Senior INF Jake Koenig Greenville Junior INF Larry Perry Fairfield-Central Senior OF David Donald JL Mann Freshman OF Shon Carson Lake City Ei… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.