Category: Apprentice

Trojans, Tigers Advance to Sunday Championship

ETTRICK, VA – Joseph Hastings was absolutely dominant on the mound Saturday afternoon as he allowed just one hit and a walk through seven innings to lead Virginia State to a 3-1 victory over Mid-Atlantic Christian University and a berth to the New South Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday.

Hastings struck out six batters and took a no-hitter bid into the sixth inning before surrendering his first and only hit of the game. At the plate, the Trojans generated just enough offense, especially with Ricky Jones two-RBI single through the left side in the fourth.

The Trojans’ overall record improves to 21-27 and will play in the championship game of the NSAC Tournament at 1 p.m.

The Trojans avoided disaster in the bottom of the seventh to secure their place in the title game. A catcher’s interference call on the Trojans led to the bases being loaded with no outs. Avante Banks recorded the first out by catching a popup foul ball and Virginia State completed a very close double play (shortstop to second to first) to win the game. The Trojans are defending conference champions for a reason and Hastings and the defense showed why in the half-inning.

The four combined runs in this game all came in the fourth inning.

Virginia State led the inning off with four consecutive singles from Norman Jackson, Liam Simpson, Ricky Jones, and Dawsyn Hock. Jones scored Jackson and Simpson with his single and Hock’s hit up the middle brought Jones home.

The lone Mustang run was caused by a lone Trojans’ fielding error in the outfield that resulted in the runner advancing to third base and scoring on the next at-bat.

The Trojans are a win away from earning their second consecutive NSAC Championship.

After a tough loss on Friday evening, Salem had its work cut out in the elimination round. The Tigers faced off with the Builders of the Apprentice School, and picked up a dramatic 5-4 win. That win earned them a contest with the Mustangs of Mid-Atlantic Christian, and Salem ran away with that one with a dominant 17-2 victory.

The two wins today have earned the Tigers a spot in the NSAC Championship and a rematch with the Virginia State Trojans at 1 p.m. Sunday. Should Salem win, tht will force a second and deciding game starting 30 minutes after the close of the first game.

Story content and image courtesy govsutrojans.com and salemtigers.com

Tuesday, May 2Tuesday, May 2

VSU’s Morgan Earns 400th Win in Split with AS

HAMPTON, Va. – Virginia State baseball coach Merrill Morgan earned his 400th career victory when the Trojans downed Apprentice, 14-1, in the first game of today’s doubleheader.

In a topsy-turvy game two, the Builders walked off with a 9-8 win that featured 13 runs scored in extra innings.

In the first game, the Trojans logged 15 hits, including seven extra-base hits, en route to the 14 runs. Markeefe Beckett and Liam Simpson were dominant at the plate, combining for six hits, nine RBIs, and a home run each. Jody Morris was on the mound for VSU and pitched five innings, allowing just one earned run with two strikeouts.

The second game was tied at 2-2 at the end of the seven scheduled innings, but then came the fireworks with the Builders claiming the walk-off win, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Before it became runs galore, Aldrewvonte Jackson was shutting down batters to the tune of four innings pitched with no earned runs (one unearned) and four strikeouts. Logan Mize earned the victory for Apprentice.

Today’s games marked the end of the conference regular season for all NSAC teams with the conference tournament starting Friday at Whaley Colbert Field in Ettrick, Virginia. In the 3:00 pm matchup, 2nd seed Mid-Atlantic Christian will face 3rd seed Apprentice, and 4th seed Virginia State is set to take the field at 5:30 p.m. against top-seeded Salem University.

Story and image courtesy govsutrojans.com

Tuesday, May 2Tuesday, May 2

Hammond, Redman Lead All-NSAC Team

Virginia State’s Tahraun Hammond and Apprentice’s Nick Redman have been selected as the New South Conference Baseball Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, to lead the All-Conference voting.

Hammond, a sophomore shortstop from Tappahannock, Virginia, enters the conference tournament batting .322 with 37 hits, 32 runs, 16 RBIs and 34 BBs. He also pitched 59.2 innings with a 3-2 record and four saves.

Redman, a freshman leftie from New Kent, Virginia, has a sparkling 8-1 record in 13 appearances with 64.2 innings on the mound. Nick has given up only 16 earned runs for an ERA of 2.23 and 84 strikeouts (11.69 per game).

Congratulations to Tahraun, Nick, and all the members of the 2023 NSAC All-Conference Team!

First Team

Tahraun Hammond, SS, Virginia State — Player of the Year
Nick Redman, LHP, Apprentice — Pitcher of the Year
Alex Miller, OF, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Hunter Johnson, INF, Apprentice
Caleb Whitley, OF, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Ricky Jones, OF, Virginia State
Nathan Kuhn, OF, Salem
Jalyn Lee, INF, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Riggs Ellis, INF, Apprentice
Colin Langley, P/C, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Sam Schmitt, LHP, Salem

Second Team

Luis Angarita, 2B, Salem
Joe Hastings, P, Virginia State
Jaryd Lund, LHP, Salem
Bryce Post, RHP, Apprentice
Liam Simpson, LF, Virginia State
Travis Snell, OF, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Anthony Torres, MIF, Mid-Atlantic Christian
Camden Weston, SS, Apprentice
Nate Yeary, CF, Apprentice
Kaiden Zacharias, 1B/OF, Salem

Monday, May 1Thursday, May 4

NSAC Honors 2023 Baseball All-Academics

Each season, the New South Conference is proud to recognize its student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and the field. The following young men have all achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4-point scale while also displaying excellence on the diamond.

“This is my favorite award,” said NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “Athletic achievement is hard enough, but it’s compounded when combined with the rigors of academics. I’m proud to say that our member schools do not sacrifice one for the other.”

The 2023 New South Athletic Conference Baseball All-Academic Team:

The Apprentice School

Jack Daszkowski
Thomas Ellis
Logan Mize
Matthew Phoebus
Bryce Post
Jake Sanchez-Tiller
Braxton Wallace
Kyle Whitlock
Tyler Winegrad

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Titus Bleckley
Bobby Brown
Josiah Collado
Drew Copeland
Trey Dail
Riane Franklin
Aidan Guise
Sean Henry
Giovanny Mendez
Landen Miller
Ryan Mitchell
Jamel Moss
Anthony Torres
Syler White

Salem University

Max Atkinson
Jacob Barcikowski
Evan Bell
Liam Conway
Tommy Downey
Brett Her
Memphis Elliott
Chase George
Frankie Gulko
Tyler Gump
Alex Harper
Gavin Hissam
Trey Hissam
Ryan Hopping
Jackson Hutchison
Zach Kendall
Nathan Kuhn
Travis Lavendier
Jaxon Lehr
Hayes Lightsey
Jose Lojo
Jordan Mosley
Adlai Muench
Haidyn Norman
Keegan Oliver
Gabe Ross
Tyler Sammons
Sam Schmitt
Ben Sitarenios
Tyler Shinn
Keith Wallace
Kaiden Zacharias

Virginia State University

Rahzel Atkinson
Avante Banks
Thomas Chandler
Justis Crawley
Alexander Dayle
Tahraun Hammond
Joseph Hastings
Dawsyn Hock
Aldrewvonte Jackson
Norman Jackson
Ricky Jones
David Johnson
Gene Ligon
Ryan Messer
Jody Morris

Tuesday, April 25

Redman Fans Nine as Builders Knock Off MACU 5-4

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Nick Redman threw eight innings and struck out nine as the Apprentice School baseball team took down Mid-Atlantic Christian 5-4 Tuesday afternoon.

The Builders got on the board in the first inning, scoring two runs on a Caleb Russell single up the middle. After the Mustangs scored in the bottom half of the first to cut the lead to 2-1, Apprentice scored two more in the second on a pair of MACU errors.

The Mustangs again cut the lead to one in the fourth on a Travis Snell two-run blast over the left field fence, but the Builders answered in the top of the fifth, scoring on another MACU error to extend the lead to 5-3. The Mustangs pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough as Apprentice handed MACU its first New South Athletic Conference loss of the season.

Redman improved to 8-1 on the season, while Logan Mize picked up his seventh save of the year. Jeremy Harmon led the Builders at the plate, going 3-for-4, while Nate Yeary and Riggs Ellis each had a pair of hits.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Tuesday, April 25Tuesday, April 25

Johnson Hits His Way into Record Book, POW Honors

Hunter Johnson went 4-for-5 at the plate with six RBI’s, tying him for sixth in the Apprentice record book for RBI in a single game, as the Builders pounded out a 21-6 win over Paul D. Camp last Wednesday. Hunter’s individual performance earned him the NSAC Player of the Week honor.

Hunter also crossed the plate three times in the win.

Congrats to Hunter Johnson, our NSAC Player of the Week!

Image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Tuesday, April 4

Three NSAC Teams in National Rankings

New South Athletic Conference baseball squads are getting recognized nationally for their work on the diamond.

Defending Small College World Series champion Apprentice School is ranked third in the first USCAA baseball poll of the season, behind only Miami-Hamilton and Bucks County. Mid-Atlantic Christian rounds out the poll at number 15, with Salem bubbling just under the radar.

Virginia State is currently ranked fifth in the Black College Nines’ Top 10 Poll.

Tuesday, March 21Tuesday, March 21

MACU Takes First NSAC Game of Season 3-2 over Apprentice

HAMPTON, Va. — There is a famous idiom that says, “There is a first time for everything.” For the Mid-Atlantic Christian baseball program, there have been a lot of firsts since the program started in 2020. However, one opponent had always alluded the Mustangs and that was conference rival Apprentice. Over the past three campaigns, the Builders had the Mustangs number, winning all six contests, but that changed on Tuesday afternoon as MACU defeated the reigning USCAA national champions 3-2 at War Memorial Stadium.

The Builders (21-6 overall, 0-1 NSAC) were the first to score, plating a run off a Camden Weston RBI double. MACU (13-18, 1-0) found it’s time to strike in the top of the fifth inning. Back-to-back walks from Apprentice pitching led to Jack Valachovic sacrificing the runners to second and third base with one out on the board. Josiah Collado grounded out to third base but during the play, scored Travis Snell from third. Anthony Torres stepped up to the plate and knocked in the second run of the inning as he sent a single to center field that brought in Elijah Ollman to push the Mustangs ahead 2-1.

Apprentice got back on the board in the seventh as Justin Bradshaw legged it out to first to avoid a double play and plate the tying run, but the Mustangs dug deep and scratched across a run in the top of the eighth as Giovanny Mendez sent a hard RBI single to right field to register the winning run for MACU.

The Builders had chances in the eighth and ninth with runners on second and third in both frames, but MACU answered the call and worked out of each inning unscathed to earn the win.

Story courtesy gomacumustangs.com and gobuilders.com. Image courtesy MACU Athletics

Tuesday, March 21Monday, March 20

First NSAC Baseball Matchup of Season to Feature Top Pitchers

HAMPTON, Va. – Defending Small College World Series Champion Apprentice will open conference play this afternoon as it hosts Mid-Atlantic Christian and features two of the top pitchers in the USCAA.

The homestanding Builders (21-5 overall, 0-0 NSAC) will start true freshman Nick Redman, who through 29 innings is 5-0 with an ERA of 0.63, averaging 12.87 strikeouts a game. Additionally, he has allowed only six walks and two earned runs in his appearances so far this season.

The Mustangs (12-16, 0-0) will counter with junior Caleb Whitley, whose 48 strikeouts is second only to Redman’s 50.

The Builders reach the halfway point of the season as the hottest team in the New South with a sparkling 21-5 record, including a 4-game sweep of St. Vincent over the weekend.

The Mustangs are glad to leave Florida where they struggled at 1-5.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia.

Tuesday, March 7Tuesday, March 7

Builders’ Redman, MACU’s Snell Honored

Apprentice lefty Nick Redman and Mid-Atlantic Christian outfielder Travis Snell garnered the NSAC honors for Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.

Redman, a true freshman from New Kent, Virginia, has been throwing heat thus far this season for the Builders. In 29 innings, Redman is 5-0 with an ERA of 0.63, averaging 12.87 strikeouts a game, only 6 walks, and has given up only 2 earned runs.