Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 17, 1995 TAG: 9505170081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Winthrop earned the title and the conference's berth in an NCAA Tournament play-in round with a 3-0 victory over Maryland-Baltimore County.
Radford pitchers walked 13 and the Tigers pounded out 12 hits in a game that was postponed Sunday because of rain.
Bill Brennan provided most of the offense for the Highlanders (30-24 overall, 17-7 conference), going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Towson State finished 24-28, 10-14.
In other baseball:
Virginia Tech's Chuck Hartman was named the Metro Conference's coach of the year and three of his Hokies were named to the All-Metro first team selected by coaches, sports information directors and the media.
Hartman, who has a 619-308-3 record at Tech and a 1,102-533-3 mark overall, was named coach of the year for the first time in the Metro. He guided Tech to a share of first place in the conference and the top seed in the Metro tournament, which begins today in Charlotte, N.C.
Senior third baseman Bo Durkac was joined on the All-Metro first team by a pair of Hokies sophomores, second baseman Mike Terhune and outfielder Kevin Barker. Tech's Josh Herman, a junior catcher from William Byrd High School, made the second team along with sophomore closer Charlie Gillian.
North Carolina-Charlotte pitcher Tim Collie was named the conference's most valuable player, and South Florida first baseman Ross Gload was the newcomer of the year.
Washington and Lee's Graig Fantuzzi and Ferrum's Chad Maddox were named to the GTE Academic All-District III team for the college division, which includes NCAA Division II and III and NAIA schools in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Fantuzzzi, a junior outfielder, batted .326 while leading the Generals with 11 stolen bases. He is ranked first in his class at W&L.
Maddox, a senior second baseman, batted .379 with nine home runs - including four grand slams - and 60 RBI. He has a 3.24 grade-point average with a double major in accounting and finance.
Kitts signs with Arena league team
Jim Kitts, a Ferrum football standout from 1990-93, has signed a contract with the Albany (N.Y.) Firebirds of the Arena Football League. Kitts, who will play inside linebacker and fullback, has appeared in two preseason games and one regular-season game for the Firebirds.
``It's a totally new experience for me playing arena football,'' Kitts said. ``The game is very different, but it 's also very exciting. I'm learning how to pass-block, which is something totally different for me. I also carry the ball now and then, and it's different being the one getting hit as opposed to doing the hitting.''
by CNB