LSC Roundup (2-3)

ACU baseball team eyes big things this year
High expectations are nothing new for the Abilene Christian University baseball team.

So when the Wildcats were tabbed as the favorites to win the Lone Star Conference this year, even with only a handful of returning players, ACU coach Britt Bonneau didn't bat an eye.

"We're used to having that bull's-eye on our chest every year," he said. "It's a motivating thing for me. If we don't go into every ballgame expecting the other team's best, That's when teams are going to be able to sneak up on us and have a chance to beat us. I try to get our guys used that every year, as far as being a high-ranked team.

"They also realize it's not about what the preseason polls say. It's about where they are at the end of the year, playing for a conference championship. That's our goal."

ACU returns four position players and five pitchers, only one a starter, from a 44-17 team a year ago. The Wildcats won the LSC regular-season title with a 35-7 record and finished second at the LSC postseason tournament for the third straight season. Texas A&M-Kingsville, seeded No. 6, won the tournament title, denying ACU its first LSC tournament title since 2002.

Rams experience the Monday blues
There were no come-from-behind heroics for the Angelo State University baseball team on Monday.

A day after the Rams rallied for a walk-off win in Game 2 of their season opening doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist, ASU fell behind early and never caught up in the series finale at Foster Field, falling to the Tigers 7-4.

The Rams ended up taking just one from the defending regional champion and national runner-up Tigers in the two-day, three-game set.

"We saw how much better we have to get, and I think we have a chance to do that," ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. "We have to buy into what we have done here for four years and transfer it from practice to the games and just get after it and work hard."

Recruiting Stories
Blinn kicker joins Tech class
turned down offers from Angelo State and Abilene Christian to walk on at Texas Tech

Signing day approaches for gridders
NMHU receiving several Amarillo area commitments - center Toni Cognasi (WT offered), OL Alex Dunnam, WR Daniel Somers, DB Chris Somers, LB David Mosely. Adams State is expected to sign OL Nathan Studer and LB Danny Litchfield.

Grandview QB headed to Southeastern Oklahoma State
“Even after I committee to UMHB, the coach at Southeastern Oklahoma kept calling me,” Golson said. “He’s a nice guy and this gives me the chance to play Division II football. If I had transferred from UMHB to a bigger school, I would have had to sit out a year. It was important to me to play on a good team.”

Quick Hits
New Mexico’s Gatorade Player of the Year for 2008, Rio Rancho tailback Troy Harris, will sign a letter of intent to attend Eastern New Mexico later this week.Harris, who was also a first-team all-state tailback in Class 5A, and the all-metro team most valuable player, gained 2,063 yards in 12 games for the Rams last season. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Harris scored 26 (21 rushing, five receiving) touchdowns rushing and receiving for Rio Rancho. Another Ram, first-team all-state linebacker Carlo Li Rosi, also will sign Wednesday with the Greyhounds.

Signing day nears for seniors

Area seniors signing football national letters of intent Wednesday end their college football recruiting process. That's not the case, however, for coaches. Longview head football coach John King said that National Signing Day marks the end of the process for some seniors, but not all.