February 1, 2008 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Pioneers Baseball Opens 2008 Season Saturday At Home
Coach Wallace Says Goal Is Same This Year: Region, District, Then JUCO

SPARTANBURG, SC – The Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers baseball team will hit the field Saturday for their 2008 spring season opener against Truett-McConnell – the team’s first regular season game since their 3rd place finish in the 2007 National Junior College World Series. 

The Saturday doubleheader starts at 1 pm at the Mooneyham Baseball Field at SMC. The Pioneers then travel to Truett-McConnell on Sunday for another 1 pm doubleheader. 

The Pioneers open their 2008 season following a record previous season. The team finished 2007 with a school record for single season wins – 54-14.  

This year’s team is ranked 10th in PerfectGame’s preseason Junior College poll. The NJCAA preseason poll has not been released yet. 

“They’re ready to get on out there and play. They’re tired of practicing. It’s always better to play at home and it’s even better to open the season on your home field,” says head coach Tim Wallace. 

Sophomore pitcher Phillip Brannon, a Broome High School graduate, will be first on the mound for game one, followed by freshman pitcher Josh Salay, from Rock Hill, for game two. 

Wallace says sophomore outfielder  Allen Caldwell (2007 NJCAA All-American), from Sumter, SC, and sophomore Jacob Wallace – the coach’s son – are expected to play well offensively. Justin Brewer should also hit in the middle of the order for the Pioneers. 

“Our hitting gives us the potential to score runs this Spring.  Caldwell, Wallace, and Brewer will have big years if the top of the order can get on base,” Coach Wallace says. 

Specifically, Wallace cites freshman Arturo Mogrezutt, an Easley High School graduate, and Jon Lewis Floyd, a Broome High School graduate, as two of those “guys up front” that the team will be counting on to set the table. 

“But our key is going to be in pitching, which seems to be pretty solid,” adds Wallace. 

He says Truett-McConnell is a competitive opponent to open against. 

“They’re always a good club, with a couple of quality starting pitchers returning. Of course you don’t really know what kind of freshman they picked up but they have a pretty good nucleus returning,” he says. 

The Pioneers open their 2008 regular season following a series of successful fall scrimmages. 

“We played well in the fall and have worked hard in January. Our guys are tired of facing each other and are ready to play someone in a different color uniform,” says Wallace. 

He says the players are eager to get the season off to a good start and return to the National Junior College World Series. 

 “Our goal is the same this year as it always is. Win 40 games; win the region and the district; and go on to JUCO. It’s definitely doable this year. We have the talent to do it again and it will be fun watching this team develop,” states Wallace. 

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

The College is in its 97th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

For more information, contact head coach Tim Wallace at (864) 587-4267. 

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