University of Arkansas Monticello - Boll Weevil Yearbook (Monticello, AR)

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BASEBALL : UAM BASEBALLERS REBOUND WITH 12-14 SEASON § UAM’s baseball program underwent a drastic turnaround in 1980, thanks to an infusion of talented freshmen. Coming off a dismal 4-19 season in 1979, the Weevils rebounded to a 14-12 record in 1980. Coach John Rollins started as many as five freshmen at a time, and the rookies responded with outstanding play. “I knew at the start of the season we’d bea lot better,”’ said Rollins. “‘I felt like we had the material to win the AIC (Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference). I knew we were young, and that was what eventual- ly kept us from being a contender. We Jerry Owen and Coach Rollins exhibit their elaborate system of hand signals. made some mistakes, but they can be eliminated with experience. What we did was establish a solid foundation for the future.” The five freshmen who broke into the starting lineup were second baseman Bil- ly Allen of Crossett, third baseman Jay Crowley of Booneville, centerfielder Jer- ry Owen of Pine Bluff, right fielder Chris Roan of Crossett, and first baseman James Turner of Houston, Tex. They were joined by sophomore catch- i er Charlie Gray of Pine Bluff, sophomore shortstop Darrell Rhodes of White Hall, Cary Qualls, a senior left fielder from Woodlawn and designated hitter Mitchell Goldman, a senior from Pine Bluff. Robert Chambers, a junior from Dallas, Tex.; Steve Strahan, a senior from Pine Bluff; Lamar Gandy, a junior from Stark- | ville, Miss.; and Clavin Rowe, a sopho- more from Lake Village, made up the starting pitching rotation. | Gandy and Chambers each pitched no- hitters during the season. Gandy threw a no-hitter at Louisiana State University at Alexandria, while Chambers became the first UAM pitcher in 16 years to hurl a no- hitter at home, a 1-0 victory over College of the Ozarks. During the season, Rhodes and Owen | established themselves as the most dan- gerous base stealers in the AIC. Rhodes . James Turner puts his body into a swing that produced a base hit. stole 19 bases in 22 tries while Owen | swiped 18 of 20. Based on the average 236 Athletics

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The Warriors rolled into Monticello with an 11-1 season record, a 4-1 confer- ence slate, and a number nine ranking in the NAIA division one basketball poll. The student body, Monticello, and southeast Arkansas got caught up in the excitement as the biggest crowd in over a decade squeezed into The Pit. Represen- tatives from two state newspapers, anda Little Rock television station were on hand to add to the hoopla. What they saw was a superb perfor- mance by a well-prepared team. UAM led from the early moments and blew to a 44- 32 advantage at the half, thanks to bal- anced scoring from Bealer, Smith and Johnson. The Weevils threatened ‘to make it a runaway when Rhodes nailed a long jumper for a 61-44 lead with just over ten minutes to play. It was then that Austin Sullivan, the Warriors 5-8 sharpshooter, began a shooting barrage that almost brought Hendrix back. With 7:04 left, UAM’s lead had been cut to 63-54, but the Warriors could get no closer than seven points down the stretch as the Weevils held on for the win. Now they were 12-2 for the season and 6- 0 in the AIC. That was the high point. The next day in practice, Smith sprained an ankle when he went for a rebound, and had to miss the next seven games. With his replace- ment Richard Chapple ill and playing at half speed, the Weevils suffered through a five-game losing streak before whipping Harding 92-70. The rest of the season was like a roller- coaster ride, up and down. The Weevils fell by six at Ozarks, came back with one of their best performances of the year in a 70-68 win at Hendrix, then dropped games to Arkansas Tech and Arkansas College. The Weevils concluded the regular sea- son by overcoming a 19-point deficit to beat Central Arkansas. They stunned pre-tournament favorite Arkansas Col- lege 75-74 in double overtime in the first round of the NAIA District Playoffs be- fore losing to UAPB. “I think we’ve proved in the past year, with the fan interest and our record, that we’ve turned the program around,” said Barnes. ‘“‘We are and will continue to be competitive in the AIC. I guess it’s espe- cially gratifying to me since so many peo- ple said it couldn’t be done. And it’s grati- fying for players like Theodis and Larry who’ve been here four years and stayed with it. And to the kids we’ve got now, Jeff and Darrell and the others, who took a chance on coming here when the pro- gram was down. “We won with a group of young men who some people said couldn’t play in the AIC. It was good that they came back and beat those people. That gave me a great deal of satisfaction.” faa

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Counterclockwise from above: Catcher Charlie Gray outs a LSUA player at home plate. James Turner rounds second base. Onlookers busy themselves with toe watching between innings. An easy out for first baseman Turn- er. Center: Rollins retreats from third base coaching duties after three outs. Athletics 237