Yellow Jackets take ODAC Championship Jordan Walton earns MVP honors after tying NCAA doubles record Contributed report For the second time in four years, Randolph-Macon Baseball captured the ODAC Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday afternoon Lynchburg, the Yellow Jackets downed Bridgewater College 6-2 to cap a historic weekend. The championship marks the first time that R-MC has picked up four ODAC titles in the same year; swimming, man’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball. R-MC first baseman and Lee-Davis alum Jordan Walton was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and tied the NCAA single season doubles record with his 27th double. Walton was joined
Photo courtesy of ODAC
The Randolph-Macon baseball team captured the 2011 ODAC Tournament championship in both dramatic and record-setting fashion.
on the first team by DH Cory Jackson (Patrick Henry), second baseman Greg Mitro and pitcher Dale Langford. R-MC’s tournament run began in dramatic, record-setting fashion with a 1-0, inning win over Washington and Lee.
It was the longest game in the 35-year history of the ODAC Tournament. With two out in the top of the 14th, Jackson led off with a single to left and Dustin Baellow took his place on the bag as a pinch-runner. With two outs,
WILSON Continued from pg. 40 b
team. Therefore Proffitt decided to give Wilson a shot. “At that point we just said, ‘You know what, let’s get her some innings’,” he said. Making her first appearance against a ranked team, Wilson was stunning. In four innings pitched the freshman gave up three hits, one run and six strikeouts and did not walk a batter. “She completely shut them down,” Proffitt said. “They hadn’t made a bunch of substitutions, so it wasn’t like they had a different lineup in the game. It was the same lineup that scored seven runs in the first three innings. It really kind of turned our heads a little and we were like, ‘Wow!’ “It was really kind of a breakthrough game,” he said. From that point on, Wilson became a regular part of the
Charlie Leffler/The Local
Though the R-MC offense stalled at season’s end, head coach Kevin Proffitt, above, could not be more pleased from the unexpected production of freshman pitcher Brandi Wilson.
rotation, going from reliever to starting four games. “She’s ended up getting a few more starts than honestly we probably would have anticipated,” Proffitt said. “She’s just throwing well. She’s got good movement on the ball. She’s got nice velocity.
She’s got just enough difference between her fastball and her offspeed pitches.” But it’s Wilson’s mentality that impressed Proffitt the most. “The big thing about her is her composure,” he said. “She doesn’t seem to get flustered
Brian Jordan (Goochland) singled to center to drive in Baellow for the win. Starting on the mound, Kyle Hicks (Goochland) scattered five hits over eight scoreless innings. Langford earned the win throwing six innings in relief. at anything…That’s one of the things that kind of jumps out to us as a coaching staff. She’s just real even keel. Nothing seems to bother her. She doesn’t get too excited when she does something extremely well and she certainly doesn’t show any signs of frustration or getting flustered if something’s not going her way.” Wilson learned to stay composed playing against high-level competition night-in and nightout on her summer travel teams. “I played travel ball since I was 10 so I’m kind of used to the level of intensity,” she said. “I was playing 18 and under since I was 15 so I got used to it really quick. “Here you’ve got a very high level of intensity with the teams and stuff that you put a battle on,” she said. “You try to stay ahead every inning but the intensity level for me is not really that big of a change.”
Facing Lynchburg in their second round contest, Walton led R-MC to a 9-5 win, going 3-for-4 with two RBI to compliment his three doubles. Walton broke the ODAC single season record for doubles which was set in 2002. Peter Culver also finished 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. Jackson plated two with a double and a single while Jake Fletcher chipped in with three hits including a double. In the tournament semifinals, R-MC reliever Dale Langford got out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Yellow Jackets’ 6-5 win over Bridgewater College and earn a berth in the championship game. Mitro paced R-MC at the plate going 3-for-5 with two RBI. Jay Lichter also totaled three hits and drove in a run. Walton went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a stolen base. Jeb Weymouth see ODAC, pg. 43 `
It is clear that Wilson has found a home away from home in Ashland, showing the same enthusiasm for school as softball. “I like it down here,” she said. “The school is really nice. Everywhere you walk to you say hi to somebody and they say hi back.” Whether it’s academics or softball, Proffitt could not be more pleased with what he has seen from Wilson in her first season. “I think the sky’s the limit,” he said. “She has a really good work ethic. She’s not the kind of kid that’s going to take the success and treat it kind of stale. She’s going to keep working. “As a person in general, she just seems hungry and always wants to do the very best she can,” Proffitt said. And why not if you’re enjoying yourself? “I love it,” Wilson said. “The team’s great. The coaches are great.”
County players honored on AllODAC teams
JEB WEYMOUTH
Contributed report Randolph-Macon second baseman Greg Mitro and center fielder Jeb Weymouth (Hanover) were named First Team All-ODAC Baseball last week. Mitro, a Second Team AllODAC choice in 2009, hit .315 with a homerun, 12 doubles and 23 RBI. The senior righty started at second base in all 34 of the Yellow Jackets’ games this season. Weymouth, who was selected Second Team All-ODAC as a freshman last season, earned a spot on the 2011 First Team after batting .343 with a homerun, a triple, 11 doubles and 26 RBI. The sophomore boasts a .442 on base percentage while also swiping five bases. First baseman Jordan Walton (Lee-Davis) earned a Second Team nod after leading R-MC and ranking second in the ODAC with a .438 batting average. Walton led the league in three offensive categories with 63 hits, 21 doubles and 47 RBI. Brian Jordan (Goochland) and Cory Jackson (Patrick Henry) joined Walton as second teamers. Jordan batted .341 with two homeruns, two triples, seven doubles and 20 RBI. Jackson posted a .333 average and also knocked two homeruns, two triples, 11 doubles and 26 RBI.
The Mechanicsville Local
see WEYMOUTH, pg. 43 `
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