Bluefield State thinking spring sports

BLUEFIELD — Temperatures are expected to plummet to the single digits over the weekend, but they’re thinking spring at Bluefield State.

The Blues hosted its spring sports media day on Thursday, with hopes high for success in golf, tennis, baseball and softball in the upcoming seasons.

Perhaps the most successful programs currently at Bluefield State are the golf and tennis teams.

Both have gone where those programs have never gone in the past, and they expect that success to continue.

The Bluefield State golf team has already clinched a berth in the NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Regional in May after winning the West Virginia Conference title in the fall.

Led by juniors Nick Dent, T.J. Knight and Chandler Beavers and sophomore T.J. Browning, the Blues will open the spring season on March 18 in the Concord Invitational.

The pressure is off the Blues, which clinched the regional berth with the school’s first WVIAC title, and can now focus on getting better as the season winds toward the end.

“It is a relief. We are still going to try to play our best in the next four of five tournaments leading up to the super-regional, but it is a relief to already be in the super-regional,” said Dent, who is Bluefield State’s top-seeded player, and called by new teammate Jeff McGraw ‘the top player in the conference’. “It is a relief to make it three years in a row, and it is a lot less stressful now that we have made it in the fall semester versus (the last two years) when we were borderline getting there so it is a big relief.”

Bluefield State will make its third straight trip to the super-regionals, and hope to advance to the nationals for the first time.

“It was a great accomplishment,” Knight said. “We want to compete, be up there around the top and making it into the super-regionals and doing well in there and getting in that top five and moving on to nationals. That is the goal.”

Bluefield State tennis has had much the same success, led by coach Louie Belt and a collection of talented players, including two from India, and one apiece from Portugal, Poland, Sweden and Florida.

The goal ahead is winning the WVIAC title for the first time. The Blues finished second the last two seasons, but they’re looking for more this season. There is reason for hope, with three players returning from last year’s club that reached the Division II Atlantic Regional finals.

Bluefield State is starting the spring season already ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Region. The Blues have just six players, but do have former Blues’ tennis performer Marcin Majchrzak helping Belt as an assistant coach.

“We have six competitive players, and everybody can win at every position,” Majchrzak said. “It’s not like we have just (a number) one.

“We have a number five that can any time be number two so they are really even. It is good. It is a good team and we are ready for the season.”

Shikar Kapur closed last season as the top-ranked singles play in the region. He will be joined by returnees Vlad Catlan and Sreeram Guatam, and newcomers Piotr Kruk — a transfer from Liberty — Niklass Sparr and lone American Conner Pickering.

The spring season will begin for the Blues this weekend at the University of Charleston.

“That is our goal this season,” said Catlan, of winning the WVIAC for the first time. “We have great additions ... so it is definitely our goal. We are going to do our best to do it. We are the favorites right now.”

Preparing for spring sports can be a challenge in Bluefield, where the weather is less than cooperative early in the winter.

However, they have gotten a break with milder weather so far in 2012, and the baseball and softball teams are hoping that continues as their seasons approach. The baseball team will begin play on Saturday at Guilford College in North Carolina, while the Lady Blues will open their softball slate on Feb. 19 at Fayetteville State.

Bluefield State’s baseball team, led by head coach Geoff Hunter, posted a deceiving 9-29 mark last season. Playing in the ultra-competitive WVIAC South Division, the Blues lost 10 games by one run, and 17 games by four runs or less.

Learning to win those close ones will be a focus for the Big Blues, according to fifth-year assistant coach Matt Blevins.

“We just have to go out and play the games,” Blevins said. “We have to continue to work hard every day in practice and hopefully we will come through with increased experience in our young guys and some of the leadership that we have in the younger guys that are returning players.

“Hopefully we can learn how to win those close games.”

Among the returnees are pitchers Chris Rabe and Tazewell’s Trevor Sargent, along with outfielder Travis Thompson and and healthy Ed Smith. Incoming freshmen include Princeton standout Sean Williams and Graham’s Taylor Gearhart, along with transfers that include Jon Neuberger (Mississippi Valley State) and Kyle Blocker (Savannah State).

“They lost (10) one-run games last year,” said Williams, who led Princeton to the Class AAA final four in 2010. “We are going to compete this year and I think we will win a lot more games this year.”

Few programs have struggled like the Lady Blues’ softball team, which finished 2-20 last season. They struggled on the mound (7.46 ERA) and did the same at the plate, batting just .183 as a club.

Tazewell head coach Scott Chaffin, whose daughter, Kari Chaffin, is one of two seniors on the team, expects improvement from the Lady Blues.

“We are going to be better than last year,” Chaffin said. “For one reason we have got more experience this year. We have had a year under our belt, our pitchers are working hard and everybody is doing what they are supposed to be doing. We are practicing hard.”

Pitching is crucial in softball, and the Blues will be led at that position by Loren Whited, Shandi Myles and Whited’s freshman sister, Lindsey. Kari Chaffin will move from pitcher to infield, while classmate Cari Neal — a Bland County product — expects to roam in the outfield.

Bluefield State has recorded just 10 wins over the last three seasons. The Lady Blues are looking to improve, and that senior duo is hoping to help build something that will only continue to get better in the future.

“I think most of the team looks up to us and they respect us as the players that we are,” Neal said. “We have been through some tough years at Bluefield State, but I think for the most part we will come out pretty well this year.”

Note: Much more on all four Bluefield State spring sports teams — along with Concord and Bluefield College — in the coming weeks.

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com

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