Brunswick Academy - Viking Yearbook (Lawrenceville, VA)

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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

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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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Left; Wliile first baseman Mike Wright holds a Kenston runner close, second baseman Kevin Blackwell and centerfielder Carroll Moseley wait for the pitch. Above: Muscles straining for maximum power, Ricky Cheely takes a rip at a good pitch. Below: Varied expressions on the Viking bench indicates the anxiety of the team’s last at bat. Competition Baseball 13