Category: News

Apprentice Sweeps Championship Saturday to Claim First NSAC Baseball Title

WILSON, N.C. – After being shut out by Lighthouse Christian in the opening round, The Apprentice School came back with a vengeance on Saturday to win both games against the Makos and claim its first New South Conference baseball title.

A deeper bullpen proved the difference with both games being decided by the 10-run rule, 19-9 in the first and 15-3 in the second.

Apprentice (39-8) came into the tournament ranked eighth in the final USCAA regular season baseball poll and now awaits to see its opponent in next week’s Small College World Series.

Lighthouse (5-29) stunned the Builders 5-0 on Thursday, holding Apprentice scoreless for the first time this season. The Makos then followed that with an 11-9 win over Virginia State on Friday, only the fifth win for the first-year baseball program from Pensacola, Florida. The Builders advanced to the championship round by downing VSU 11-1 in Friday’s elimination game.

But the magical run was to end there as the Builders, already touting the best record in school history, pulled away from the Makos in both games on Saturday.

Lighthouse Bolts into Championship Game with Win over VSU

WILSON, N.C. – Lighthouse Christian pushed across eight runs between the fifth and seventh innings to down Virginia State 11-9 and advance to Saturday’s championship at Historic Fleming Stadium.

It was the Makos’ second tournament win and only the fifth win of the season for the first-year program with a lineup of all freshmen.

The Trojans drop into the losers bracket and take on Apprentice in an elimination game at 4:00 pm today.

Winslow Leads Builders over Mustangs in Elimination Game

WILSON, N.C. – Apprentice infielder Jett Winslow had the big bat for the Builders Thursday night with a homer in the third inning and a walk-off RBI in the ninth to lift top-seed Apprentice to a 3-2 win over second-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian at Historic Fleming Stadium.

The win keeps the Builders’ (36-8) hopes for their first NSAC baseball championship alive after falling to Lighthouse 5-0 in the tourney opener. Meanwhile the Mustangs (23-22) have to wait until Tuesday to see if they will receive a bid to the USCAA Small College World Series. Only eight teams are invited, and MACU is ranked 8th in the final regular season USCAA poll released before Thursday’s two losses.

The Builders will face the loser of Friday’s noon contest between Lighthouse and Virginia State, both upset winners on Thursday. That elimination game is set for first pitch at 4:00 pm Eastern time.

Trojans Down Mustangs 5-2 to Advance

WILSON, N.C. – Gavin Stevens threw a complete-game 5-hitter and third-seed Virginia State held off second-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian 5-2 in the NSAC Baseball Tournament Thursday afternoon at Historic Fleming Stadium.

The freshman rightie kept the Mustangs (23-21) off the board until the ninth inning.

VSU (15-31) advances to face Lighthouse, which stunned top-seed Apprentice 5-0, in the noon game on Friday. MACU and Apprentice meet in an elimination game tonight at 6:30 pm.

Lighthouse Shocks Apprentice 5-0 in NSAC Opener

WILSON, N.C. – Eli Lowery pitched 5-hit ball in a complete game as fourth-seed Lighthouse Christian shocked top-seeded Apprentice 5-0 in the opening game of the 2024 NSAC Baseball Tournament on Thursday.

The win advances the Makos (4-27) to Friday’s second round to face the winner of the Mid-Atlantic Christian-Virginia State game.

The loss is the first shutout of the year for the Builders (35-8), who drop into an elimination game at 6:30 tonight against the MACU-VSU loser.

Redman, Lee Head 2024 All-Conference Selections

Nick Redman of Apprentice and Jalyn Lee of Mid-Atlantic Christian lead a stellar group of 19 players which have been selected by the league coaches as the 2024 NSAC All-Conference Team.

Redman, the Pitcher of the Year, led the Builder pitching staff with a sparkling 2.39 ERA with eight wins against no losses on the season. In 49 innings pitched, the sophomore lefty from New Kent, Virginia gave up only 36 hits and 13 earned runs.

Lee was named Player of the Year by virtue of a team-leading .391 batting average with 40 RBI. The 6-2 senior from Smithfield, North Carolina finished the regular season with seven homers and a .461 OBP.

Congratulations to Redman, Lee, and all the members of the 2024 NSAC All-Conference Team!

The Apprentice School

  • Nolan Edwards, INF
  • Jeremy Harmon, C
  • Isaac McAllister, P
  • Caleb Russell, C
  • Nick Redman, P
  • Camden Weston, IF
  • Nate Yeary, OF

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

  • Dakota Jacobsen, P
  • Colin Langley, P
  • Jalyn Lee, 1B
  • Adam Schell, INF
  • Travis Snell, OF

Virginia State University

  • Joe Hastings, P
  • Chris Henderson, 3B
  • Norman Jackson, 2B
  • Victor Johnson, OF
  • TJ McGowan, 1B
  • Jamari Pooler, SS
  • Jimmyll Williams, UTIL

Images courtesy Apprentice Athletics and MACU Athletics

Builders’ Jones Named Coach of the Year

After leading Apprentice to the most wins in program history, the Builders’ Ben Jones has been named the New South Athletic Conference Baseball Coach of the Year.

Jones, in his third season at the helm, guided the Builders to a 35-7 record in just the regular season, surpassing the 34-14 mark set by the 2018 team which finished second in the USCAA.

A native of Lawrenceville, VA, Jones graduated as an outside machinist apprentice and played baseball for The Apprentice School from 2003 to 2006. During Jones’ career, he was named a three-time USCAA All-American. He is the winningest pitcher in the modern era of Apprentice School baseball with 39 wins and a Virginia College Division record of 501 strikeouts. Jones was selected to the 2006 USCAA National All-Academic Team and the CoSIDA Academic All-District. He was also selected VaSID All-State Division II-III in 2004 and 2006 and was honored as Apprentice School Athlete of the Year in 2006 when he went 13-3 with 166 strikeouts.

Jones led the Builders to the USCAA Small College World Series title in 2022, the year he won the inaugural NSAC Coach of the Year award.

Congratulations, Ben!

Image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

NSAC Honors 41 All-Academics in 2024 Baseball

The New South Athletic Conference is pleased to recognize the 41 baseball players who have achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) this year and have been named to the NSAC All-Academic Team.

“This is my favorite award each season,” said conference commissioner Mike Davis. “It recognizes the dedication and tenacity of each of these student-athletes to achieve a bright future for themselves and their families. Congratulations to each and every one.”

APPRENTICE SCHOOL

  • Jaeden Anderson
  • Justin Bradshaw
  • Riggs Ellis
  • Jeremy Harmon
  • Aiden Henry
  • Hunter Johnson
  • Matt Phoebus
  • Bryce Post
  • Jackson Stratton
  • Kyle Whitlock

LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

  • Clay Allen
  • Carlos Brown
  • Robert Gates
  • Trent Knighten
  • Josh Landis
  • Andry Mendez
  • Gavin Neade
  • Quenton Renfroe
  • Jean Quezada Sosa

MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

  • Dalon Arrington
  • Titus Bleckley
  • Bobby Brown
  • Josiah Collado
  • Trey Dail
  • Sean Henry
  • Landen Miller
  • Travis Snell
  • Connor Wong

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY

  • Decarlos Nora
  • Josh Mahan
  • Thomas Moore
  • Jimmyll Williams
  • Dawysn Hock
  • Alex Dayle
  • Joseph Hastings
  • Avante Banks
  • Justis Crawley
  • Daniel Smith
  • Bryce Wilmoth
  • Coron Wallace

Photo by Raghav Modi on Unsplash

MACU Picks Up Conference Road Win at VSU

ETTRICK, Va. – Virginia State dropped a nine-inning affair to Mid Atlantic Christian on Thursday 13-2. 

MACU managed to load the bases with back-to-back singles and an error by the third baseman. A fielder’s choice would bring one run across, but the Trojans starter Gavin Stevens managed to get out of the jam. The Trojans would get that run back in the second inning after Jaquan Tucker was hit by the pitch and advanced to second on a sac bunt. Matthew May was hit by the pitch and then Avante Banks hit a two-out double to bring across Tucker. 

The Mustangs would add another run in the fourth and then put up five runs in the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, Banks hit into a fielder’s choice to bring across Thomas Chandler to score VSU’s second run. However, MACU would score seven more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to make the final score 13-2. 

Jimmyll Williams and TJ McGowan were the only Trojans with multiple hits, and Stevens now drops to 2-5 on the year. As a team, VSU now sits at 11-24 while MACU improved to 21-18.

Story and image courtesy VSU Athletics

Wilson Tobs Set to Host NSAC Baseball Tourney

The schedule is set for the New South Athletic Conference 2024 Baseball Tournament to be held at Historic Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina May 2-4.

“We’re excited to be partnering with the Wilson Tobs as our host for this year’s tournament,” said NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “Historic Fleming Stadium is just that: a piece of sports history. Growing up in nearby Knightdale, I revered Fleming for years and look forward to a great tournament in this quaint setting.”

DateGameAwayHomeTime
Thursday May 21Seed #4Seed #111:00 AM
Historic Fleming Stadium2Seed #3Seed #23:00 PM
3Loser Game 1Loser Game 26:30 PM
     
Date AwayHomeTime
Friday May 34Winner Game 2Winner Game 112:00 PM
Historic Fleming Stadium5Winner Game 3Loser Game 44:00 PM
     
     
Date AwayHomeTime
Saturday May 4ChampionshipWinner Game 5Winner Game 412:00 PM
Historic Fleming StadiumChampionshipIf NecessaryIf Necessary3:30 PM

The seedings will finalized on Sunday, April 28.

From wilsontobs.com:

“Built in 1939 for the Wilson Tobs of the original Coastal Plain ‘D’ League, Historic Fleming Stadium has always served as a stepping stone for some of our country’s greatest ballplayers, entertainers, and politicians.

“From Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle to Elvis Presley, Kevin Costner, and New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, Historic Fleming Stadium’s (85)-year history is lined with the heroes of our national pastime and the cultural leaders of our society.

“Used primarily today as the home of the modern-era Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plain League, North Carolina Baseball Museum, and Year-Round Baseball Events, Fleming is still vibrantly hosting our national pastime’s past, current and future stars. Fleming’s importance in the baseball community has continued to grow with age by hosting over 150 days of baseball annually and operating from February to November. Historic Fleming Stadium is also host to the Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship, NCISA’s Spring Single A Baseball Championships, as well as the CPL All-Star game in 2005 and 2012.“