College Baseball

Don't like lacrosse? Move to another state In response to the letter of March 2 titled "Lacrosse not worthy of excessive coverage," please advise the writer of a few facts. The "four-state area" is quite interested in lacrosse, as it holds all the college lacrosse championships. With the introduction of lacrosse at the Division I level in many other areas of the United States, hopefully, The Sun will not be the only paper to carry articles about lacrosse. It should be suggested to the writer that he should move to Iowa in wrestling season and Florida or California for the baseball season.

Frankly, I didn't know college baseball was such a hot media commodity, though I did watch the gripping Cal State Fullerton vs. UCLA super-regional playoff game on ESPN2 on Sunday night. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has become so protective of its rights deal that an NCAA official revoked the credential of a Louisville Courier-Journal reporter and ejected him from the press box on Sunday for blogging from the University of Louisville baseball field during a super-regional game.

College baseball Terps sweep, are off to 3rd-best start since '24 Host Maryland swept a doubleheader from Manhattan on Saturday, winning 4-1 and 10-1, and is off to its third-best start since 1924 with an 8-1 record. David Carroll (2-0) pitched a two-hitter in Game 1, and Sander Beck (1-0), Charlie Haslup and Will Bouey held Manhattan (1-6) to one run in the second game. Only twice since 1924 have the Terps had a better start than this season: in 1967 they opened 12-1 and in 1968 they were 10-1.

Varsity softball Liberty's Thompson to compete in showcase Mackenzie Thompson (Liberty) was selected to compete in the Queen of Diamonds Showcase South at Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C., on Sept. 3 and 4. Thompson plays summer ball for Maryland Magic Elite, based in Glen Burnie. Its sister showcase, the Queen of Diamonds North, in its 18th season, is the largest showcase in the nation. Both events have more than 2,000 applicants, from which 264 are selected.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Let's see, there was the $5,000-a-plate dinner to pay off the stadium debt. The kelly-green gloves on St. Patrick's Day. The giveaways that included everything from car batteries to open-heart surgery.It's only fitting that the man who made college baseball such a production is staging a two-act retirement. Ron Fraser always had a sense of theater. Oh yes, he always could coach a little, too.First came the farewell tour during his 30th and final season at Miami, which ended with the Hurricanes falling two victories short of their third national championship last month.

Senate committee criticizes BCS col. football With the system to determine the national title in college football drawing intense criticism, the U.S. Senate is getting off the sideline to examine antitrust issues involving the Bowl Championship Series. The current system "leaves nearly half of all the teams in college football at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the millions of dollars paid out every year," the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights said in a statement Wednesday announcing the hearings.

Center Keith Aucoin signed a two-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals. Aucoin, who helped lead Hershey to the American Hockey League championship last season, leads the AHL in scoring this season with 84 points. Duckpins: The Women's National Duckpin Association's opening event this season, May 28-30 at Turner's Dual Lanes in Hagerstown, will have a $5,000 first prize, making it the highest-paying women's competition in history. The event is expected to draw nearly 100 of the top women's bowlers in the United States, including Baltimore's No. 3-ranked Janet Sauter and No. 4 Andrea Lanahan . Melissa Mahoney of Baltimore will try to defend her title.

Et cetera Spring meet at Pimlico gets out of gate today Live racing returns to Baltimore today with the beginning of the spring meeting at Pimlico Race Course . Considered the marquee meet of the Maryland racing season, it culminates May 19 with the 137th running of the Preakness. The first of 22 stakes races, the $50,000 Shine Again Stakes, will feature nine Maryland-bred fillies and mares vying for their first win in a money-added race Saturday. "There is a special feeling about Pimlico because of the third Saturday in May," Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas said.

AIFA Cipra's last-second kick gives Mariners 39-37 win over Storm The Baltimore Mariners ran their record to 12-0 when J.R. Cipra kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give Baltimore a 39-37 win over the host Erie Storm on Sunday. The kick was Cipra's third field goal of the day. Adam Goloboski also returned a fumble for a score. The Mariners, who already have clinched the Eastern Conference regular-season championship and a bye in the American Indoor Football Association playoffs, will next play when they host the New Jersey Revolution at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1st Mariner Arena.

George Horton ran a college baseball powerhouse at Cal State-Fullerton, the kind of program that had no place for someone like Kurt Suzuki. Horton had never seen or heard of Suzuki before a scout pal mentioned the high schooler in Hawaii. "We didn't know a whole heck of a lot about him," Horton said. "We heard from our network of friends that this little catcher from Maui wanted to come and walk on at Fullerton. " On an island with 160,000 permanent residents, Suzuki played against five or six high schools.