Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408080019
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite the many merits of the place, Pullen's will toward it tended to be ill, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
Perhaps he'd heard the Old Dominion was the mother of presidents, a great place to be in love and the latest address of Oliver North.
No matter.
Virginia is the location of Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech, you see, broke Pullen's heart.
Pullen played college baseball for Southern Mississippi, and the Golden Eagles were all but on the bus to the NCAA regional tournament this spring. That was until the Hokies came out of nowhere and sent favored Southern Miss to an early exit from the Metro Conference tournament. Tech went on to win a berth in the regionals. The freshly plucked Golden Eagles checked into Heartbreak Hotel.
"I really wanted to go to the regionals," said Pullen, an outfielder who had done his part by batting .363 with 12 home runs and 53 runs batted in. "But they beat us, they went to the regionals, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Little did he know that in a shade more than a month, he'd be moving to Virginia. But that's what happened after the Philadelphia Phillies made him their 22nd choice in the June free-agent draft. Pullen signed quickly (he was a senior, so his options included signing or shedding soft tears as his last chance at pro ball receded into the mist) and was sent north.
His destination was the Appalachian League outpost at Martinsville.
If his new relative proximity to Virginia Tech and its corresponding sour memories has troubled him, it has not been apparent. Pullen, 21, has been tearing it up to the tune of a .341 batting average with a team-leading 47 hits, a homer and 24 RBI. The batting average leads the team and is third in the league.
"Everybody's nervous when they get here," he said with a deep-in-the-heart-of-Dixie accent. "I've been surprised with the success I've had. You know how it goes when you get hot, though. Things just get rolling.
"I'm taking things one pitch at a time."
He's doing so at a tough spot in the order. Until cleanup man Aaron Royster sprained an ankle motoring into first base late last month, Pullen was batting third. Now he's inherited Royster's slot until further notice.
"It doesn't really matter where you bat," Pullen said. "Although I probably do get a few more better pitches to hit batting cleanup."
Pullen's abilities and low-key manner have earned him the admiration of his manager, Ramon Henderson.
"Shane knows how to play the game," Henderson said. "He has a chance to move up."
Deployed around the outfield this summer, Pullen has landed most often in left. He has an average big-league arm and an above-average head for the game.
Pullen is above average in one other respect.
"Even though he's a left-handed hitter, left-handed pitchers don't seem to bother him," Henderson said.
Pullen confirmed that, then offered an explanation.
"A lot of coaches in college won't leave left-handed batters in against left-handed pitchers," he said. "My coach let me play every game in college, and we saw a lot of left-handed pitching this spring."
Pullen says he grew up in central Mississippi, where his boyhood passions were hunting, fishing, and sports.
And what did you say the name of your hometown was?
"Kosciusko," he said. "It's named for some Polish guy. I think he fought in a war somewhere. It's not a very big town."
It may be left up to Pullen to put it on the map.
SALEM'S PERFECT CONNECTION: Almost overlooked in the recent uproar over the Texas Rangers' Kenny Rogers becoming the first left-hander ever to pitch a perfect game in the American League was the fact that Rogers spent the 1986 season as a member of the Salem Redbirds, who went 45-93.
Rogers was said to have an excellent arm even then, but what may have been his most memorable deed here had nothing to do with throwing. Inserted into one game as a pinch runner, he stole home.
SHORT HOPS: Maryland Baseball Limited Partnership Inc., the ownership group of the Carolina League's Frederick Keys, and the Class AA Bowie Baysox, are entering into a speculative venture involving state and local money to build a new ballpark in Salisbury on the Maryland Eastern Shore. It is believed the group is going to apply for a South Atlantic League expansion franchise. ... When Michael Jordan hit his acclaimed first professional home run recently, the issuer of the fateful pitch was Kevin Rychel of the Carolina Mudcats, a Salem Buccaneers alumnus. The ball Jordan hit reportedly was a sinker that didn't sink.
by CNB