Brunswick Academy - Viking Yearbook (Lawrenceville, VA)

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“We Almost Put It Together” “Uh-oli,” says Mike Wright as he stretches for the play at first, only to discover that the ball has been wildly thrown. pitching of the opposition, and untimely errors were committed. BA produced just one hit, a single by Tex Whitley, while scoring once. The Vikings sought revenge the second game, adjusted their hitting, and got runs early. The guys came pretty close to blowing the game on errors, but J. B. Reid held on for the win. Playing at home against Amelia, the Vikings played a pretty well-balanced game, with several outstanding catches by the outfield, as BA came through, 5-3. The rematch with Kenston did not produce a victory, but the game was much closer and better played. Kenston scored its unearned runs early, and BA could not manage to cross home even once. This was the only shutout BA suf- fered the entire season. Wlren the Wolverines of Prince Edward came to town, they must have brought ice for BA bats as did Kenston, for the Vikings only scored once. Viking defense and pitching were good, but their oppo- nent’s must have been better. The final season game was a must win for the team. Playing Amelia saw the boys hand the Patriots a 2-0 defeat. All- around good play, with spectacular out- field grabs, heads-up hitting and base run- ning boosted BA spirits for the district eliminations. They ended the season with a much improved record over ’73, 6-8. BA’s opponent in the contest for fourth place in the West was Rock Hill. Said the players, “It was the best game we played all year.” Rock Hill exploded with six runs the first two innings, and faces began to show anxiety. Neverthe- less, the team played with poise, and held Rock Hill scoreless the rest of the way. Playing catch-up was now familiar to the boys, but this time it didn’t faze them a bit, as they put on the heat, scoring seven runs in the last five innings for a come- from-behind victory. Fourth place Brunswick had to play Eastern champion Isle of Wight in the tournament playdowns. By this time, in- juries had taken their toll of Viking play- ers; however, the players said this was “no excuse for losing— they just out- played us”. Isle of Wight scored early, and as hard as the team tried, they couldn’t catch th e Chargers. The loss eliminated BA from the tourney and ended their season. Above; Waiting for the pitch, Kevin Blackwell de- cides whether to bunt or put all his power into the swing. Left: Scooping up the ball, Rick Cheely prepares to flip the ball to second for the force- out. Competition - Baseball - 1 1

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$K Kv m •f 5K »Jc»‘iW v5? • ■, T ' ' ■ ; «5f ' J-T K ■♦ Y M MW v ? ? V¥ ' . ?vr ’ • A. = - Below: J. B. Reid’s curve appears to be high, but, as usual, his “out pitcli” will break at the last moment, following both batter and umpire. Above: Dean Adams takes a good pitch from an opposing Kenston pitcher. BA 3 ...Huguenot 9 BA 1 Prince Edward 5 BA 1 Kens est 11 BA % Mecklenburg 5 BA 3 Meclclenbiffg 5 If BA 3 Huguenot 13 k ■ BA 1 Ro kJ 4 ' h..- ■ W ' BA 4 Ro3 fW .. . 2 ■ ' BA 5 Amelia 3 BA I Ston Fore 3 BA| Prince Edward 4 V B Amelia 0 Eliminations BA 7 Rock Hill 6 Playdo ’s BA 2 Isle of Wight 5 Overall Record: 7 wins, 9 losses Baseball ’74 — Despite small turnout of players, fans, BA makes impressive bid for tournament. To many, the 1974 baseball season does not appear to be an impressive one. But a winning record, though it means a lot, is not everything. The Vikings played a tough schedule, and to top things off, many games there were few or no players on the bench for replacements when in- juries occured. Neither, said the players, was it easy to give their best to empty bleachers. These and many other predica- ments hurt the team all season. Neverthe- less, they played relentlessly, with the drive of a team with all the breaks. Pre-season action brought encourage- ment to the gutsy few, as they over- powered Surry and Nansemond-Suffolk. The season opener with Huguenot, however, proved to be disappointing as the powerhouse Rebels slapped BA with its first loss. Pitcher J. B. Reid held them relatively close, but the Vikings just couldn’t get the big hits. At Prince Edward, the Vikings played well, but their offense was again lacking, as the team evened their record at 2-2. Things were getting pretty discourag- ing, and Kenston Forest didn’t help the situation. Viking pitchers didn’t have it. and were mercilessly knocked off the mound by the Kavalier bats. The offense, stymied by their strong pitching and de- fense, scored only one run. Mecklenburg proved to be a relatively even match to BA. In the first game of the doubleheader, the Vikings had every- thing going for them, as they held on for a one run victory to break a 3-game losing streak. In the second game, however, the odds were against BA, for there were no fresh players, as everyone had played the first game. Mecklenburg took advantage of this and the exorbitance of BA errors, and pulled out a 5-3 win. Traveling to Huguenot saw the boys play well the first few innings, but then develop butterfingers, as the home team rallied for nine runs the last two innings. The long trip to Charlottesville was worth a split with Rock Hill. In the first game, the timing of Viking batters was thrown off considerably by the slow 10 C ' ompetition Ba.seball

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Fundamentals, Attitudes Show In Record Of 7-9 Every game was a team effort, but there were a few plusses: J. B. Reid did a good job on the mound, and played fine defensive centerfield; Shortstop Ricky Cheely, a leading hitter and baserunner, was voted the team’s MVP; Pitcher-cen- terfielder Carroll Moseley was voted the Most Improved Player, and all-conference pitcher in the Western Division of the VAAC; and Clint Clary, also a player of versatility, had a good season pitching and playing third. Because of the team’s definite im- provement, there is promise in the ’75 team as there will be more experience, and hopefully more members on the team to provide more depth. The boys really gave 1 00% the whole year; whether they won or lost, played super fantastic or super crummy, every player could say that all those hard days of practice were not in vain. Through the coaching of Mr. Shirley Sweet, the team learned fundamental baseball, including how to take the losses with the wins. Front Row: Clint Clary, Carroll Moseley, J. B. Reid, Mike Wright, Dean Adams. Back Row: Hank Harrell, Tex Whitley, Kevin Blackwell, Hampton Hite, Manager Chris Barker, Ricky Cheely, Coach Shirley Sweet. Below: Coaching first base is just as important as third, with seldom a spare moment. Tex Whitley looks to third for his next sign. Bot- tom Left: Intently gazing towards home. Second Baseman Kevin Blackwell gets into his “get ready” position. Bottom Right: Coach Sweet seems to have fallen into a determined gaze while coaching third. 12 (’ompetition Baseball