Jimmy Hodgskin Blog: IT'S REGIONAL TIME

IT'S REGIONAL TIME
Jimmy Hodgskin
May 31, 2011
10:04 PM

As everybody in Troy should know, we are going to Nashville tomorrow morning for a regional. The series of events leading up to this day were pretty unpredictable. We faced a lot of adversity as a team involving many things, but at the end of the day, we finished out on top and posted 42 wins to this point.

Riding back on the bus Saturday, not playing in the conference championship, left everybody questioning and hoping. We were in a situation that for some reason it was a question if we could or would get in. With the season we had there should have been no doubt, but there was.

The Trojans all gathered on the 4th floor of the stadium tower on Monday morning awaiting the news. Predictions all over the internet and TV had us going to such places as FSU and the ATL, some even had us at Rice. Then there were some predictions that didn't have us in at all. The bottom line is your Troy Trojans popped up on ESPN around 11:45 am and were placed in the Nashville, TN regional.

Being that we are in one of the toughest regionals out there, everybody is ready to bring their best games. Three wins and we move on.

The bottom line is we have to take it one pitch at a time and not get caught up in any other stuff. We play our best game, we will beat them.

We play Oklahoma State Friday at 2pm as Tyler Ray looks to get us rolling on the right tracks. Come out and support you don't want to miss a pitch. 5 more wins...and your Trojans are going to OMAHA!!

2011 Sun Belt Conference Champions

What a finish to an unbelievable 2011 regular season in Mobile. The Trojans found a way to seal the regular season conference championship on the last day of the season with an improbable 10-7 win on the road. Tyson Workman stole the show with an incredible pitching effort that included his longest outing of his career with the highest pitch count of his career. He was exhausted in the heat of the day and the intensity of the game but kept competing until the last out was secured in deep center field by freshman Ali Knowles. That set off a celebration by a group of players that earned our first conference title since 2006.

This group of players has continued to show a steady resolve that has led them to this moment and allowed them to secure the championship they so desperately coveted from the first day of fall practice. For seniors Adam Bryant, Drew Hull and Daniel Peterson, all four year players in our program, their look of accomplishment after the game yesterday was something a coach will always remember. In particular, we were all proud that Drew was in Mobile as he was not active due to his surgery but was such a HUGE part of our team and our success this season. He will forever be known as a champion along with all of the 2011 Trojans. It's hard to truly quantify what Adam Bryant means to me personally and to this team. He will go down as one of the best players to ever wear the Trojan uniform and for him to lead our team to the championship on his 22nd birthday will be a cherished memory for many years to come.

Each player on the roster had their bright moments throughout the season in the 40-win season and the championship. Tyler Ray started the year as the Friday night starter and his work led us to win the first game of each series for 13 weeks in a row, which has never been done before here at Troy. His regular season will long be remembered by all who follow the Trojans. The starting pitching was dominant early in the season as the bullpen and offense tried to find their groove. Down the stretch, the offense began to produce more consistently and the bullpen, led by Nate Hill and Workman, settled into their roles and carried the team.

As a former Trojan, it gives me great pride to see our players celebrate their achievements because I see their hard work and commitment each and every day. They earned this championship starting in the fall, fought off one of the best teams in the country playing their best baseball of the season in FIU to secure the title and deserve to be called CHAMPIONS! It's hard to explain how fortunate I am to be involved with the program I played for, work for such a quality person in Coach Pierce and be around the type of players we have here in Troy. It is with tremendous pride that we always say GO TROJANS!

Kanorris Davis on ESPN.com

For those of you who don't have a subscription to the INsiders portion of ESPN.com, here is what Bruce Feldman had to say about Kanorris Davis.

5. Kanorris Davis, LB, Troy Trojans

The Trojans have a couple of guys who could've made the Freaks list Top 10. Defensive end Brandon Boudreaux is under 240 pounds and has repped 225 on the bench almost 50 times. But it's the 5-9, 203-pound junior linebacker who really gets Troy strength coach Richard Shaughnessy gushing. Yeah, Davis -- who has forced five fumbles in the past two seasons -- can run a 4.40; however, it's jumping ability that turns heads. Want proof? Check out this video of Davis, whose vertical has been measured at 42 inches, vaulting clear over 6-foot Troy punter Will Goggans (of Santa Claus beard fame) in the weight room. The Trojans' strength coach also points out that Davis even looks like a freak. "The guy needs to be modeling for Calvin Klein," says Shaughnessy, who predicts that Davis can make it to the NFL on his special-teams prowess alone.