Brian Quick Drafted 33rd Overall By the St. Louis Rams

Brian Quick - From GoASU.com

On Friday evening, Brian Quick became the highest NFL Draft selection in Appalachian State history as the St. Louis Rams picked Brian with the 1st pick of the 2nd round (33rd overall). Coming into the draft, Brian was predicted to go anywhere from early 2nd round to middle of the 3rd. Fortunately for Quick and all of the Appalachian fans anxious to hear his name called, the wait on day two of the draft was brief as Rams legends Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce announced Brian as the first player off the board in round two.


Quick left ASU as the all-time leader in receptions (202), yards (3,418) and receiving touchdowns (31) in spite of playing just one year of prep football at Ridge View High in Columbia, SC. Brian focused on basketball his first three years in high school and those skills translated smoothly to the gridiron, becoming part of what had scouts salivating over his potential. At 6 foot 4 and 220 pounds with 4.5 speed and a 36-inch vertical leap, Quick has the size to be a match-up nightmare even at the highest level.


According to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, it was a private workout at the indoor practice facility in Boone last Friday that shot him up Jeff Fisher's list. The Rams just missed on Justin Blackmon in the first round and were so impressed with Quick that they would have considered taking him at 33rd even if Blackmon was already on board. With the offseason departure of Brandon Lloyd, Brian will have the opportunity to start right away in St. Louis if he can pick up the offense this summer. His athletic ability is off the charts and with an experienced coaching staff in place with the recent hiring of Jeff Fisher along with a good young quarterback in Sam Bradford, the sky is the limit for Brian.


There is a significant amount of pressure for Quick to perform and contribute almost immediately, as he is filling a position of serious need for Coach Fisher and the Rams. Nobody has ever questions Brian's work ethic and if he is able to stay humble, keep his focus and adjust to the speed and complexity of the pro game, we should have the pleasure of watching him on Sundays for years to come.

ASU Dominates Furman in 3-Game Sweep, Tewell Earns SoCon POW

Tyler Tewell - From GoASU.com

After a rough stretch that saw the Mountaineers (28-9, 13-5 SoCon) drop 4 of 5 including a tough loss in the rubber match in Statesboro, Appalachian bounced back in dominating fashion. In a series that spanned just over 24 hours and was seemingly over before it began, ASU outscored Furman (18-23, 7-14 SoCon) 34-7 in three games at Smith Stadium that came just days after the Paladins defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Due to impending weather, the series concluded with a double header beginning at noon on Saturday.


Daniel Kassouf led the way in the 14-2 game one romp, going 4-for-5 with 4 runs, 3 RBI and 2 HR. After the completion of the series, Kassouf now sports a .387 average (4th in the SoCon) with 15 HR (2nd), 45 RBI (T-1st) and is still very much alive in his quest for the conference's triple crown. Ryan Arrowood turned in another solid outing in the opening game as well, going 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 5 with no walks. Ryan improved to a perfect 7-0 on the year and remains in a 4-way tie for the conference lead in wins.


Offensively, Saturday's twin bill was all about Tyler Tewell. After a 1-for-3 performance in the opener, Tyler went 3-for-4, scoring two runs and driving the final dagger in the Paladins to conclude a back and forth contest with a walk-off, bases loaded single off of Jacques de Gruy in the 9th to lift ASU to a 6-5 victory. Nathan Hyatt pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his first victory of the season.


Tyler's bat did not cool off at all for the nightcap, as he turned in a 2-for-5 performance with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. Tewell drove in 4 of those runs with one swing in the 7th inning, as he belted his first career grand slam off of Elliott Warford to break the game wide open and extend the ASU lead to 12-0 after Warford hit two consecutive Mountaineer hitters. Behind all the offensive fireworks, Rob Marcello pitched 6 scoreless innings, notching 3 strikeouts with no walks as Appalachian cruised to a 14-2 victory.


Today, Tyler Tewell was announced as the Southern Conference Player of the Week on the heels of his 6-for-12 weekend with 6 RBI and 6 runs scored. Tyler's hot weekend has moved him just past teammate Daniel Kassouf and into 2nd in the SoCon with a .393 batting average. The award was the first of Tewell's ASU career.


Up Next:


The Mountaineers will put their 3-game winning streak on the line Tuesday night, as the High Point Panthers (23-20, 8-7 Big South) make the trip up the mountain for a single game. First pitch is set for 6:00 PM and while the pitching match-up has not been officially announced, I would expect to see freshman right hander Jamie Nunn (3-0, 1.61 ERA) take the ball for Coach Pollard and the Apps. The Panthers are expected to counter with junior righty Jared Avidon (1-3, 8.68 ERA). Despite his unimpressive statistics, Avidon was able to go 7 strong innings, giving up only 1 earned run in a home victory over East Carolina on March 21.


Appalachian is 10-5 against the Panthers since 2000 and leads the all-time series 27-23, although HPU swept both games last season. The clubs originally had a game scheduled for March 20 in High Point that was postponed due to rain. To date, no make-up date has been scheduled. The Panthers are winding down a six game road trip and declined to turn Tuesday's contest into a double-header. Although I would love to see the game made up, I cannot fault them for turning down the offer. They are coming of a brutal stretch of road contests at UNC, Elon and Coastal Carolina (3), posting a 1-4 record.

Series Preview: Paladins Visit Boone for SoCon Weekend Tilt

Saturday starter Seth Grant. Photo from GoASU.com.

After having a mid-week series with Eastern Kentucky wiped out by rain, the Mountaineers (25-9, 10-5 SoCon) will take the field for the first time since Sunday's heartbreaking loss to Georgia Southern against another long-time conference rival as Furman visits Smith Stadium for the weekend. The Paladins enter the series with an overall record of 18-20 and a 7-11 mark in conference. In spite of having a losing record overall and in SoCon play, Furman is a dangerous team who has taken 3-game series from Elon and Georgia Southern. In their last game on Tuesday, the Paladins traveled to Athens and took down traditional SEC power Georgia by a 5-4 final. 


The Apps hope to build on their late offensive surge displayed in Statesboro last weekend and statistically speaking, their is no better conference match-up to revive the Appalachian bats than Furman. The Paladins' pitching staff currently ranks last in the conference in ERA (5.53), runs per game (6.3) and opponent batting average (.286). Given the season long struggles of the FU pitching staff and the offensive power of the Mountaineer line-up, particularly at home, this series provides an opportunity for ASU to bounce back from a rough week on the road.


The Apps will send their regular weekend rotation of Ryan Arrowood (6-0, 4.18), Seth Grant (6-2, 2.98) and Rob Marcello (4-3, 4.59) to face the Paladins. While Arrowood looks to build on a gutsy effort in last Friday's win in Statesboro (7 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 5 BB), Grant and Marcello will look to bounce back from being roughed up by the Eagles. Both young men struggled with location last weekend, as Grant (4.2 IP, 1 K, 3 BB, 6 ER) and Marcello (5.0 IP, 2 K, 3 BB, 4 ER) took consecutive losses for the first time this season.


Furman will counter Arrowood on Friday with senior righty Bobby Lyne (5-3, 3.78 ERA). On Saturday, junior left hander Nate Smith (3-4, 6.39 ERA) with face off with Seth Grant. For the finale, sophomore righty Tyler Wood (3-5, 6.08 ERA) will take the hill for the Paladins against Rob Marcello. Lyne is the most experienced starter of the bunch and is clearly the ace of the Furman staff. In 52.1 innings pitched this season, Lyne has struck out 36 batters while issuing only 11 walks. Despite taking the loss in the first of a 3-game sweep in Cullowhee last weekend, Lyne pitched 7 strong innings, surrendering 3 earned runs and striking out five men. It will be crucial for the Mountaineers to set the tone for the weekend tonight and if ASU can manage to get past the lone consistent Paladin starter, they should have a great shot to get back to their winning ways and build on their 17-1 home mark.


Offensively, Furman is paced by leadoff man Will Owens. The senior left fielder leads the team with a .353 batting average, .444 on-base percentage and 35 runs scored. The run production in the middle of the Paladin order is provided primarily by senior center fielder Will Miller (.310, 8 HR, 31 RBI) and junior catcher Paul Nitto (.284, 2 HR, 36 RBI). Junior second baseman Will Muzika is also a player to watch on the base paths as he leads the team with 13 stolen bases and is also batting a healthy .291 with 24 runs scored.


The Mountaineers find themselves at a bit of a crossroads, sitting in a 4-way tie atop the Southern Conferences standings at the exact midpoint of a 30-game conference season. Having already played two co-leaders Elon and College of Charleston, it is vital that the Apps take care of business in the following weeks against Furman, Wofford and UNC Greensboro, 3 of the bottom 4 teams in the conference. Having no shortage of rest or motivation, the Mountaineers should be primed to protect their home field this weekend against the rival Paladins. Appalachian leads the all-time series 54-42 and has won 7 of their last 10 against Furman. A series win or possible sweep would put the Mountaineers back on track as they vie for a favorable seed in the SoCon tournament and polish their resume for potential at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals if they cannot lock down the auto bid.


I like the Mountaineers to get back in the win column tonight and take 2 of 3 from the Paladins. Considering the struggles of the back end of Furman's weekend rotation, a sweep is not out of the question, as Grant and Marcello could very well bounce back strong from a disappointing series. However, anything less than a series win at home would be crippling at this key point in the season.


First pitch is set for 6:00 PM Friday, 3:00 PM Saturday and noon on Sunday.

ASU Set to Host Eastern Kentucky for a Mid-Week Set

After dropping the final two games in Statesboro and 4 of their last 5 contests, Appalachian (25-9, 10-5 SoCon) will send true freshman right hander Jamie Nunn to the hill as they look to recover from their first extended struggles of the 2012 season. Nunn has appeared in 10 games with 4 starts and has made the most of his playing time, posting a perfect 3-0 record and an impressive 1.67 ERA. In 27 innings pitched, he has notched 25 strikeouts to only 10 walks. Although he is a relatively inexperienced young pitcher, Jamie has proven to be reliable thus far and has the makings of a future weekend starter.

The Colonels (16-17, 8-4 OVC) will counter with junior RHP Chase Greene, who will be making his 4th start of the 2012 season in the opener of the 2 game mid-week series. In 15.2 innings pitched, Greene holds an 0-2 record, 10.54 ERA and a concerning ratio of 14 strikeouts to 12 walks. While the strikeout per inning figure is solid, he has struggled to keep men off base as batters are hitting .394 against him to go with the high walk total.

As a team, Eastern Kentucky's overall record is a bit misleading, as the Colonels enter Tuesday's match-up having won 9 of their last 11 ball games. Their wins have come against a light schedule of Jacksonville State (RPI #217), Marshall (202), SIU Edwardsville (148), Southeast Missouri State (232) and Eastern Illinois (190), but the Apps should fully expect a confident team to show up at Smith Stadium this evening.

In spite of the fact that the two clubs are currently trending in opposite directions, I like the Mountaineers to rebound and get back into the win column. ASU sports a 17-1 record at home this season and are 44-7 against non-conference competition since Smith Stadium opened in 2007. With the sting of a gut-wrenching loss to rival Georgia Southern fresh on their minds and an opposing pitcher who has struggled with his command, I expect the Mountaineers' offense to get back on track and provide Jamie Nunn with sufficient run support to remain perfect on the season and pick up his fourth career win.

Tonight's game has been moved forward 45 minutes in anticipation of rain hitting the High Country. First pitch will be at 5:15PM, with audio and video available here.

*Photo from GoASU.com

Mountaineers' Comeback Bid Falls Short as GSU Holds On Late

After Georgia Southern jumped out to an early 3-0 lead Sunday on a shot to dead center off the bat of catcher Chase Griffin, Appalachian continued their season long 2-out heroics in the top half of the 4th. After Will Calloway singled with the bases clear, Daniel Kassouf and Tyler Tewell strung together RBI doubles to pull the Mountaineers back to within 3-2.


However, the Eagles had a response. After tacking on a single run in the 6th, GSU responded with a 2-out rally of their own to seemingly put the game away. A pair of singles from T.D. Davis and Stryker Brown were followed up by a back-breaking double from Tyler Avera off ASU closer Nathan Hyatt to stretch the Eagles' lead to 7-2.


Despite trailing by 5 runs late in the game, the Apps had one more rally in store. Hector Crespo led off the 8th inning with a single and following a Tyler Zupcic strikeout, Will Calloway reached on an error by shortstop Eric Phillips. As he has seemingly done in clutch situations all season, Daniel Kassouf came through with a towering 3-run shot to left field to cut the deficit to 7-5 and breathe some life into the Mountaineers.


With the bases empty and 2 outs in the 9th, Coach Pollard decided to send Preston Troutman to the plate in place of Noah Holmes. The move paid off, as Troutman legged out an infield hit and turned the line-up over to Crespo, who hit a sharp single up the middle. A double to left field by Tyler Zupcic chased home Troutman but was played cleanly by Michael Burruss, who held the speedy Crespo at 3rd, preserving a 7-6 GSU lead. The seemingly safe lead was in great jeopardy as Will Calloway stepped to the plate with the tying run at 3rd and the go-ahead run in scoring position as well. Calloway hit a sinking line drive to center field and Scooter Williams made a shoestring catch to save the day for Georgia Southern and send Appalachian home with stinging series loss.


The loss dropped ASU to 25-9 overall and a 10-5 mark in Southern Conference play. Dropping the finale in such dramatic fashion is a real punch to the gut, taking away a potential series win in Statesboro that could have been a springboard for the Apps. ASU is now in a virtual tie atop the SoCon with Charleston (14-7), Elon (12-6) and Western Carolina (10-5). The Mountaineers will play 10 of their next 13 in the friendly confines of Smith Stadium, where they are 17-1 on the season. ASU will host Furman (17-20, 7-11) for a weekend series beginning Friday and will travel to Wofford (14-22, 3-12) for a 3-game set next weekend. After tough series with Elon, Charleston and Georgia Southern, the pressure is now on ASU to come away with wins over the teams in the bottom half of the conference. A strong showing over the next two weeks could place the Mountaineers in a very favorable position for the stretch run, while continuing their current slide could remove them from title contention.


Up Next:
ASU will host Eastern Kentucky for a 2-game set beginning tomorrow, April 17 at 6:00PM. Appalachian will conclude their series with the Colonels at 2:00PM on Wednesday. The match-ups have not been officially announced, but I would expect to see Jamie Nunn and Jeffrey Springs get the nod for ASU. EKU comes in with an unimpressive overall record of 16-17 but have won 9 of their last 11 ballgames, while Appalachian has dropped 4 of their last 5.


Both games are available at GoASU.com, with a free audio stream and live video for all Premium members.

Eagles Ride Big Inning to Tie the Series, Rubber Match Set for Sunday

Appalachian State and Georgia Southern played a close baseball game for 4 1/2 innings on Saturday, as ASU limited the damage of 5 hits and 2 errors to climb to within 2 runs. With the Eagles leading 4-2 going into the bottom of the 5th, the wheels fell off for the Mountaineers.


The Apps surrendered 5 hits, 3 of which did not leave the infield and committed a costly 2-run error as Georgia Southern sent 11 men to the plate and scored 7 runs in the frame. Following a leadoff double by Eric Phillips, Will Calloway looked Phillips back to the bag for a second too long on a ground ball by Chase Griffin and Griffin reached 1st base safely. After a misplayed sacrifice bunt, a 2-run single by Hunter Thomas, a 2-run error by Jamie Nunn and a 2-run infield hit by Eric Phillips, the game was out of reach at 11-2. GSU cruised to a 13-3 victory as Appalachian never threatened again. With the loss, ASU drops to 25-8 overall with a 10-4 mark in SoCon play. GSU improves to 21-16 overall, 9-8 in conference.


As is sometimes the case in baseball, ASU had seemingly everything possible go wrong in the course of a frustrating half inning. However, despite the letdown in game 2, the Mountaineers can still accomplish their goal and come away with a series win on Sunday. Along with claiming the regular season series with the Eagles, a win would strengthen the Mountaineers' hold on 1st place in the Southern Conference, as the College of Charleston lost to Samford today and dropped to 13-7 in conference play. Junior Rob Marcello (4-2, 4.30 ERA) will square off against Georgia Southern sophomore Will Middour (1-2, 4.61 ERA) in the rubber match at 1:30 PM.

Mountaineers Take Game 1 in Statesboro

After dropping the series finale in convincing fashion to SoCon rival College of Charleston last weekend and giving up a late lead to fall 6-3 Tuesday evening at Gardner-Webb, Appalachian had lost consecutive games for the first time in 2012. While the series win over the Cougars was a positive, the typically high-powered ASU offense managed only 6 total runs in consecutive losses, well below their season average of 7.8 runs per game. With the uncharacteristic struggles of the offense and the team riding their first losing streak of the season, it was fair to question how the Apps would respond to their first real taste of adversity.


There would be no time to dwell on the brief losing streak as another test was on the horizon with a weekend series in Statesboro against long-time rival Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers were up to the challenge on Friday as they topped GSU 5-1, snapping a 2-game ASU skid and also putting an end to the Eagles' 7-game winning streak. While GSU has dominated the overall series with a commanding 52-16 lead, Appalachian has now won 5 of the last 6 over the Eagles. The win moved Appalachian to 25-7 overall and 10-3 in the SoCon, while senior Ryan Arrowood improved to a perfect 6-0 on the season. Georgia Southern fell to 20-16 overall with an even 8-8 mark in conference. GSU ace and likely first-round draft pick Chris Beck's record dropped to 4-3, as he was unable to overcome a rough 1st inning.


The Mountaineers touched up Beck early, as they loaded the bases with one out after singles by Tyler Zupcic and Will Calloway were followed by a walk to Daniel Kassouf. After Beck got Tyler Tewell swinging for the second out, Jeremy Dowdy drew a bases loaded walk to plate the game's first run. The ASU 2-out magic continued as a Trey Holmes single up the middle plated two more runs and staked the Apps to an early 3-0 lead.


After Ryan Arrowood induced a bases loaded double play from Tyler Avera to get out of the 2nd inning unscathed, a 3rd inning laser shot off the left field foul pole from Daniel Kassouf stretched the Mountaineers' lead to 4-0 and swung momentum clearly on the side of the black and gold. The Eagles got the single run back in the bottom half of the 3rd, as they took advantage of two walks to score their lone run of the evening on an RBI bunt single off the bat of Eric Phillips. Arrowood clamped down from there, posting two consecutive strikeouts to escape the inning with a 4-1 lead.


While neither pitcher was particularly sharp (each had five walks on the day), Ryan was able to get timely strikeouts to limit the damage and also benefited from error-free defense behind him. The Eagles committed two errors on the day. Beck did settle in after the 3rd inning but the early damage proved to be too much as Arrowood's "bend but don't break" performance lasted seven strong innings, with a final line of 7 IP, 5 BB, 7K and 1 ER.


The Apps tacked on a late run in the 9th as a Will Calloway single drove home Hector Crespo on a controversial call at the plate. Home plate umpire Brian Simmons ruled that Hector slid around the tag of Chase Griffin and Eagles manager Rodney Hennon was ejected for arguing call. Due to his ejection, Hennon will not be able to manage game two this afternoon.


First pitch for game two of the series is at 6:00 PM tonight at Clements Stadium. Seth Grant (6-1, 2.22 ERA) will face off against GSU junior Justin Hess (1-1, 5.67 ERA). Free audio is available through the official Georgia Southern athletics site. You can also purchase a live video stream for this weekend's series for $7.95. To take advantage of either option, click here.


*Photo from GoASU.com

Grant, Kassouf Reel in SoCon Awards as the Apps Prepare for Showdown With Charleston

On Tuesday, Appalachian State took home the Southern Conference Player of the Month and Pitcher of the Month awards as Daniel Kassouf and Seth Grant were honored by the league for their play during a month that saw the Mountaineers go 16-3. Grant posted a perfect 5-0 record in March with an impressive 2.18 ERA to go with 20 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Seth ends the month riding a streak of 14.1 scoreless innings, including a complete game shutout at Elon on March 24. His performance against the Phoenix allowed Appalachian to avoid the sweep and keep their hold on first place in the conference standings.


Player of the Month Daniel Kassouf terrorized opposing pitching to the tune of a .458 batting average. In 19 games, Kassouf racked up 8 HR, 7 doubles, 26 RBI and 25 runs scored. Daniel hit safely in all but one game and crossed the plate in 15 of 19 contests in March. His incredible month has put him in position to have a legitimate shot at the Southern Conference triple crown as he currently sits 2nd in batting average, 3rd in RBI and 2nd in HR. He is the only SoCon player in the top 3 of all major hitting categories.


During my first visit to Smith Stadium this season for the Rider series, I knew I was going to like Daniel for a few reasons. First, he came to the plate to "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, which deserves applause in itself. Second, it was a windy 30 degree day in Boone with snow flurries and he played the entire game in short sleeves. Fresh off of the LSU series that included Kassouf's game winning HR in game two, he proceeded to tally 7 hits over the 4 game series to lay the groundwork for his Player of the Month campaign en route to a dominating 4-game sweep. With Kassouf anchoring the offense along with Tyler Tewell and Will Calloway (each of whom are top 10 in the SoCon in batting average and RBI), the speed of Hector Crespo at the top and timely hitting throughout the line-up, this Mountaineer team is worth the price of admission.


The fan support will be needed this weekend as the Mountaineers prepare for their biggest home series in several years when they play host to the College of Charleston Cougars. Currently, Appalachian (22-5, 7-2) sits in first place in the conference by percentage points over C of C (21-9, 11-4). A series win would likely allow ASU to maintain their position at the top of the standings and place the Mountaineers in an enviable position as they prepare for the stretch run. The Cougars come into the series having lost 3 of their last 4 ballgames, the most recent being a 7-0 home loss to South Carolina after dropping 2 of 3 at Georgia Southern last weekend. The Apps must take advantage of this opportunity to distance themselves from the field and build on their perfect 15-0 mark at home. If you are in the High Country this weekend, stop on by Smith Stadium and lend your support during this crucial conference tilt as Ryan Arrowood, Seth Grant and Rob Marcello will take the ball for the Mountaineers. First pitch is at 6:00 Friday, 3:00 Saturday and 1:00 Sunday.


*Picture from GoASU.com