May 8, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Pioneers Set to Defend 2006 Region Title
NJCAA Region X Tournament Starts Wednesday in Asheboro, NC

SPARTANBURG, SC –  The Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers baseball team returns to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region X Tournament in Asheboro, NC, this week to defend their 2006 regional championship.

The Pioneers (44-12, 23-9) open the tournament against Florence-Darlington (24-28, 8-16) on Wednesday, a team that the SMC players swept 4-0 early in the 2007 season.

The Pioneers go into the tournament ranked first in the league in runs scored, runs allowed, team hits, team ERA, and team strikeouts.

Head coach Tim Wallace says he is confident that the SMC team can hold on to its title as regional champs.

“I think we have a really good shot. You always like your chances going in, but you never know  Our pitching has been solid all season and we have shown that we can play very solidly on the offensive side also,” says Wallace.

The Pioneers go into the tournament with three of their pitchers -- Trey Delk, a Sophomore from Lugoff-Elgin, Freshman Allen Caldwell, of Sumter, and Freshman Jeff Dulaney, of Glenelg, MD -- ranked in the Top 5 of the NJCAA.

Caldwell’s .415 batting average has him ranked third in the league. He is ranked first in RBIs and fourth in homeruns for the season.

“We knew Alan was going to be good – but he has been worlds better than we thought this season,” says Wallace.

Dulaney leads the league with a 2.58 ERA. He also leads in least amount of runs allowed, hits, homeruns, and strikeouts. Dulaney and Delk are also in the Top 5 win leaders.

Delk and Sophomore Tim Rau, of Mauldin, are also ranked in the Top 5 ERA leaders. Delk also is ranked along with Sophomore David Walters, of River Hill, MD, in the Top 7 strikeout leaders for the league.

Two other Pioneers, Phillip Morgan, of Inman, and Keon Graves, of Dillon, are also ranked in the Top 10 in homeruns. Morgan is also ranked in the Top 10 for RBIs.

Sophomore Brooks Robinson, of Greenbriar, GA, leads the league with 55 runs scored. Caldwell and fellow Pioneer Ryan Wilkins, a Sophomore from Spartanburg, are also in the Top 10 for runs scored.

With 10 days off since their last game, the Pioneers have gotten some rest, says Wallace, but at the same time they have been hitting the practice field hard in the last few days.

“If you look at the numbers, we have had an impressive season. We’ve played hard. We’ve lost some games that we should have won and there were even a few games we won that we probably shouldn’t have. But we’ve had a strong season and look forward to a strong performance at the tournament,” says Wallace.

For more information, please contact coach Tim Wallace at (864) 266-2667.

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