ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
One way or another, Caleb Hurd figures to do a lot of squatting during his Virginia Tech athletic career.
Hurd, the holder for high school All-America kicker and Tech signee Shayne Graham at Pulaski County, has been invited to join the Hokies' football team as a walk-on.
Hurd, a .352 hitter for the Cougars' baseball team, also hopes to play baseball at Tech. As a pitcher, he led Pulaski County in strikeouts, but some have projected him as a catcher in college. It's a position that requires some of the same skills as a holder in football.
``I was very surprised when [then-Tech assistant] Todd Grantham gave me a call,'' Hurd said. ``You usually don't think of a holder as a recruited player. They told me that, down the road, I might be able to earn a scholarship.''
The Hokies actually contacted Hurd before Graham committed to Tech in late December.
``I wouldn't say he pushed it,'' said Hurd, who is Graham's second cousin, ``but I think he was glad to hear I was coming.''
Hurd played tight end for the freshman and junior varsity teams at Pulaski County until he became a holder exclusively in his last two seasons.
``They've worked with Mr. [Kenneth] Dobson [the Cougars' kicking coach] and that's all they've done,'' said Joel Hicks, Pulaski County's head coach. ``Can you imagine how many repetitions that is? Probably in the thousands.
``He's [Hurd] been under fire and he's made some great saves. He's a real student of the game.''
RECRUITING: Another of Tech's invited walk-ons from the New River Valley is All-Timesland defensive back Steven Hunt from Blacksburg High School. Dave Crist, Blacksburg's coach, compares Hunt to former Hokies walk-on William Yarborough, a starter in the Sugar Bowl.
All-Timesland offensive lineman Dan Baker from Salem has accepted a grant-in-aid from Tusculum, an NAIA program in Greeneville, Tenn. Baker was rated the No.85 prospect in the state by The Roanoke Times.
Pulaski County tight end Russell Shockley, rated 93rd by The Roanoke Times, is headed to VMI as an ``invited'' walk-on. ... Blacksburg High School wide receiver Steven Crist hopes to play at Bridgewater.
UNHERALDED MARTIN: VMI baseball player Franco Martin, a junior from Martinsville, finished second on the team in batting (.312), second in home runs (nine) and third in runs batted in (27). He also led the Keydets in on-base percentage (.424), thanks in large part to a team-high 26 walks.
VMI will miss senior outfielder Louie Napoleon, who set four career batting records, but welcomes back juniors Martin and Nate Shepperson, who batted 0-12 start to finish 17-29.
David Dixon, a freshman outfielder from Alleghany High School, started 27 games and batted .241 for the Keydets. Only seven players started more games than Dixon, who tied for third on the team in home runs, with four.
GRAND FINALE: Virginia Tech baseball signee Todd Zirkle capped a sensational career at Powell Valley High School by tossing a no-hitter as the Vikings defeated Northampton 8-0 in the Group A championship game. Zirkle, who had beaten Grayson County earlier in the week, struck out 12 in the final.
DRAFT FOLLOW-UP: Junior shortstops Adam Robinson of Virginia and Kevin Kurilla of Virginia Tech were selected in the 52nd round of the baseball free-agent draft, Robinson by Minnesota and Kurilla by Florida.
Kurilla, a fine defensive player who batted .254, is expected to return to school. Robinson, who batted .336 and hit 10 home runs, was planning to forgo his final season of eligibility, but was not drafted as high as some had anticipated.
Virginia right fielder Symmion Willis, a former Cavaliers quarterback, signed a free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays shortly after the season. Willis, who hit .285 with six homers and 35 RBI, is working out at the Jays' minor-league camp in Dunedin, Fla. He is expected to be assigned to Medicine Hat of the Pioneer League or St.Catharines of the New York-Penn League.
The Chicago Cubs have dangled more than $500,000 in front of second-round pick Quincy Carter, a Georgia Tech football signee who was rated one of the nation's top quarterback prospects. Maryland football recruit Dermal Brown, a highly regarded running back, was taken by the Kansas City Royals with the No.14 pick in the first round.
HORTON HEADED SOUTH: Steve Horton, who has served as Virginia Tech's compliance coordinator for the past eight years, will be leaving the staff June 28 with hopes of landing a job in administration closer to his home in Florida.
Horton, who previously worked for the NCAA and frequently is contacted by the media for rules interpretations, is one of three assistant athletic directors on Tech's staff. However, there was little room for upward mobility with the promotion of Sharon McCloskey to senior associate athletic director.
YELLOW JACKETS HEADED NORTH: Any Georgia Tech football players requiring summer school will enroll at North Georgia College in Dahlonega, also the site of Yellow Jackets' preseason camp. Tech's campus will be vacated this summer to make room for Olympic events and housing.
ABOUT CONFERENCES: Conference USA members recently voted 11-1 to embrace football, with Louisville the only dissenter, and now there are reports the Cardinals are trying to block the addition of East Carolina as a football-only member. East Carolina must have the approval of all six football-playing schools before it can join the conference.
The first Southern Conference men's basketball tournament to be held at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum lost $301,000 this year. That was more than three times the projected loss, a shortfall attributed mostly to the total attendance of 20,777 for the four-day event.
LENGTH: Long : 106 linesby CNB