By Staff
Trio from JDCC baseball signs with West Florida
Three sophomore members from this past spring's Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks baseball team will continue to be teammates next year at the University of West Florida, an NCAA Division II school in Pensacola, Fla.
Headed south are shortstop Steven Bingert, righthanded pitcher Michael Maraldo and outfielder Ryan Gray.
Bingert, a native of Pensacola, hit .290 this spring with six doubles, two triples, one homerun and 17 RBIs.
Maraldo, a native of Pensacola, had a 3-4 record with a 2.65 earned run average. Maraldo allowed 65 hits with 17 walks to go along with 49 in strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings.
Gray, a native of Pensacola, hit .383 this spring with 11 doubles, two triples, one homerun and 26 RBIs.
Georgiana hires former WSN coach Smothers
Former W.S. Neal Blue Eagles football coach Shane Smothers has been hired as the new head coach and athletic director at Georgiana High School.
Smothers coached W.S. Neal during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He guided the Blue Eagles to a 10-3 record and a berth in the Class 3A state quarterfinals in 2003. W.S. Neal fell to 4-6 in his second season at the school and missed the playoffs.
Smothers left W.S. Neal in the spring of 2005 for the head football job at Class 5A member Walker High School. He guided the Vikings to a 6-5 mark and a playoff berth in his first year at the school, but this past season Walker slipped to 4-6 and missed the postseason field. Smothers resigned from his post last winter.
Georgiana will not be the first Butler County school Smothers will have coached. Prior to his arrival at W.S. Neal, Smothers spent two seasons as the head coach at McKenzie. His 2002 team went 12-1 and advanced to the Class 1A state quarterfinals.
Smothers is inheriting a Georgiana program that went 5-6 a year ago, 4-3 and fourth place in Class 2A Region 1. The Panthers qualified for the state playoffs where they lost in the opening round to American Christian.
JDCC baseball signs Lowndes Academy duo
Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks baseball coach Darrell Blevins has signed a pair of Lowndes Academy teammates.
Headed to JDCC is 5-10, 180-pound catcher/third baseman Bradley Adams and 5-10, 165-pound centerfielder Eric St. Cin.