The All State

By CIDINE SYDNEY-BREWINGTON

Staff Writer

Good things come to those who wait, work hard and want it really bad. After being ranked seventh in preseason predictions and two rough years riddled with injuries, good things came to the Bat Govs on Saturday, May 28. They upset Jacksonville State, 7-3 to become the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Champions.

This is the third time the Govs have won both the regular season and the tournament. They won in 1996 and 2007, and their fourth tournament win overall.

“I’m just really proud of these guys, it’s exciting for every guy on our team and the people at the school and the community and it’s great,” said head coach Gary McClure.

“This is definitely something that never gets old, I can tell you that. It never gets old winning these championships,” McClure said. “We’ve won regular seasons as well, but … the tournament ones are great because they send you where you really want to go, the NCAA Tournament.”

The Govs advanced to the NCAA Atlanta Regional and played against No. 1 seed Georgia Tech. The Bat Govs upset them with a 2-1 victory Friday, June 3.

Their next opponent was No. 3 seed Mississippi State. The Govs were defeated 2-8 Saturday, June 4.

In the elimination game Sunday, June 5, the Yellow Jackets ended the No. 4 seed Govs  (34-24) post-season run with a 12-2 win.

OVC Game 1:

APSU (2) vs. Tennessee Tech (1)

Although senior right hand pitcher Ryne Harper got his eighth save in the game, junior left hand pitcher Jeremy Dobbs made a crucial save in the top of the seventh inning.

With two runs, the Govs had to defend their lead. Tennessee Tech scored their first run with a player at third poised to tie the score. To try and force a run, TTU’s batter bunted. Dobbs quickly scooped up the ball and hurled it to freshman catcher Matt Wollenzin for the out at home.

“Dobbs was great. Dobbs was great,” McClure said repeatedly. “He was very competitive … and showed he was paying attention at the pitcher’s fielding practices.”

In addition to that cruical play, Dobbs was not only crucial in that play, he struck out five and allowed three hits in the eight innings he pitched.

The Govs scored their two runs of the game in the third and fourth innings during a two inning raining spell that began in the third.

“You’ve got to win that first one,” McClure said. “And when you got the target on your back, so to speak, like we do when you’ve won the league, sometimes that first one is the toughest one and I’m really glad to have it behind us and that our guys did a great job holding on and winning.”

OVC Game 2: APSU (4) vs. JSU (1)

In the Govs’ second game of tournament play, neither team relinquished their hold on the other. JSU scored the first run of the game on a Govs’ throwing error in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Govs immediately rectified their wrong in the seventh. Sophomore left fielder Cody Hudson hit a home run to even the score after two outs.

The eighth inning was uneventful with three straight outs for APSU: a fly to right field, an out at first from the pitcher to the third baseman and a strikeout. The Govs managed a rally in the ninth to seal the win.

Junior left fielder Jon Clinard pinch hit for Wollenzin and singled to right field. Next, Freshman second baseman Jordan Hankins reached first with a walk as Clinard advanced to second. After a line out to first base by junior Blake Frazier, Hudson reached first on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second, which brought in Clinard and Hankins.

The lineup started over with freshman right fielder Rolando Gautier. He was intentionally walked so JSU’s pitcher could pitch to a right handed batter.

Junior center fielder Michael Blanchard singled past the short stop, advancing Hudson to third. After redshirt junior third baseman Greg Bachman got out at first and another intentional walk of lefty sophomore first baseman John Hogan, Hudson scored the last run.

“Our guys just fought so hard and I’m really proud of them. That was just a survival of the fittest tonight. It really was. Both teams just really battled,” McClure said. “[And] obviously Jack pitched an unbelievable game. He pitched his heart out. What more can you ask?”

Redshirt senior and left handed pitcher Jack Snodgrass pitched his career best for 7.2 innings. He fanned 11, five in a row after he was hit in the arm by a line drive early in the third inning.

“That felt like a monstrous game. It felt like that was the championship for me. It was obviously the only game I was going to pitch, so I treated it like a championship game,” Snodgrass said. “It was just a lot of fun out there and I’m glad that I did everything I could to get us a win.”

OVC Game 3: Championship

APSU (7) vs. JSU (3)

In the second game of a doubleheader for JSU, and last game of the tournament, APSU pounded out a  7-3 win to take the championship.

After JSU scored two of their three runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Govs immediately answered back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to Hogan’s two-run homer. Hogan had a team high 13 home runs on the season.

The third game of the tournament started off on fire as Gautier tripled to center. Redshirt sophomore Zach Toney pitched 7.2 innings. He allowed nine hits and three walks and struck out six. “There was a lot on my shoulders, [but] I just knew that if I just [went] out and filled up the zone then we would put our team in a great chance of winning,” Toney said.

With the win, Toney improved his record to 6-2 and redshirt junior right hand pitcher Mike Hebert, who came in for Toney in the seventh with two outs, notched his second save.

NCAA Game 1: APSU (2) vs. Georgia Tech (1)

The No. 4-seed Govs shocked the No. 1 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets with a 2-1 victory in the first game of the 2011 NCAA Atlanta Regional.

It was Hankins’ home run in the top of the seventh after two strikeouts that broke the three-inning tie of 1-1. The Govs got on the board first with a run in the fourth by Hogan who doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by freshman catcher Matt Wollenzin.

Snodgrass led the way after McClure made a last-minute decision to start Snodgrass instead of Dobbs.

“I coach with my gut, I coach with feeling. I think everyone does to a certain extent. I felt (Snodgrass) was our guy. He’s hot right now. If we are gonna win, this is the best way to win it,” McClure said.

Snodgrass allowed seven hits and struck out five, proving McClure made the right decision.

“All week I thought it was Dobbs. Coach Mac mentioned I might play, and I said, ‘Give me the ball; I’ll be ready to go.’” Snodgrass said.

McClure brought in redshirt junior right hand pitcher Mike Hebert in relief, who pitched two-thirds of the eighth and Toney, the team’s third starter, was brought in to close.

He closed the game with two strikeoutss and allowed no hits.

NCAA Game 2:

APSU (2) vs. Mississippi State (8)

The Bulldog’s pitcher, freshman right-hander Evan Mitchell, pitched eight innings, allowed six hits, three walks (before the ninth) and pitched eight strikeouts in 33 at bats.

The Govs had a rough fourth inning when the Bulldogs scored seven, which brought the score to 8-0. Dobbs’ pitched 4.2 innings but left when a blister on his finger popped.

NCAA Game 3: APSU (2) vs. Georgia Tech (12)

The Govs played a grueling nine innings in their second NCAA match up with the No. 1 seed Georgia Tech for elimination. The No. 4 seed Govs ended their season with a 12-2 loss.

“I tell these guys … you win by playing defense day in and day out,” McClure said. The defense of the Yellow Jackets proved his point because it was their defense that kept the Govs at two runs.

Toney (6-3) started and pitched 2.1 innings, with the Yellow Jackets scoring five runs. Harper came in and held them off with five strikes and one run. Harper was taken out in the seventh and Hebert came in for the remainder of the inning. Redshirt freshman left hand pitcher Alex Belew pitched the eighth and junior right hand pitcher Chuck Edlin handled the ninth.

To prepare for the Yellow Jacket defense, McClure made changes to the lineup. “We just needed faster, scrappier guys. I can’t say it helped us any,” McClure said.

Offensively the Govs made consistent contact with the ball. Of the 33 at bats, eight were strikeouts, but because of the Yellow Jackets’ defense, the rest were assisted and unassisted putouts.

The Govs did make a run in the eighth when redshirt senior Shayne Martin pinch hit for Clinard and made it to first on a walk. After a strike by Blanchard, Bachman doubled to right field and brought Martin in.

Hogan, next in the lineup, singled to right field and advanced to second on a passed ball advancing Bachman home.

Much like the previous game, the late rally was not enough to redeem the previous play. TAS

May's commencement was the largest in university history, with 1,010 earning degrees. PHOTO BY STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

By BRIAN BIGELOW
News Editor

The spring 2011 semester marked the first graduating class from APSU’s new Chemical Engineering Technology program.
Fifty-three students graduated from the program Friday, May 6, and another has graduated since completing a course at Nashville State Community College. The program first began during the fall semester of 2009.
APSU is one of only two schools in the state that offers a comparable degree program. A sister program has recently begun at Chattanooga State Community College.
The program is intended to prepare students for jobs at the Hemlock Semiconductor LLC manufacturing plant that is currently under construction in Clarksville. Hemlock Semiconductor LLC manufactures polycrystalline silicon, which is most commonly used in manufacturing solar panels and in making semiconductors used in cellphones and computers.
“It is extremely unlikely that we will ever again see such large graduation classes,” said Chester Little, associate professor and director of the Chemical Engineering Technology program. “The normal graduation number will probably range from 30 to 50 per year.”
According to Little there are “well over 100 students” still enrolled in the Chemical Engineering Technology program, and he expects to graduate approximately 120 students for the entire 2011 calendar year.
“These large graduation classes are a result of the implementation of three accelerated sessions during 2011,” Little said. “In addition to the normal 2011 graduates, we have accelerated many of those who would have normally graduated in 2012.”
“Approximately 50 of the graduates have already been hired or have chosen to continue their education here at APSU or at other universities,” Little said.
The companies that have hired APSU chemical engineering graduates include Hemlock Semiconductor LLC and TVA. According to Little, Wacker Chemie, another manufacturer of polycrystalline silicon with a plant in Cleveland, Tenn., is also considering APSU chemical engineering graduates for employment.
Graduates of the program receive an Associates of Applied Science which prepares them for highly specialized work in various fields.
“The generic terms for the typical positions associated with this type of degree are ‘process operations technician’ or ‘process operator.’ However, the exact job titles are usually specific to the particular industry and company,” Little said.
The employment positions the degree program prepares students for include “oil and gas production, petroleum refining, minerals processing, electrical power generation, petrochemical production, alternative energy, agricultural chemicals and products, pulp and paper processing and specialty chemicals,” Little said.
The Chemical Engineering Technology program is a two-year curriculum that includes 20 credit hours of general education requirements and 40 credit hours of major requirements.
“The [Chemical Engineering Technology] program was designed with suggestions from [Hemlock Semiconductor LLC],” Little said. “Their input consisted of descriptions of the knowledge and skills that will be needed in process operator career path.”
Similar programs throughout the U.S. and Canada were also reviewed while creating the curriculum.
“Unfortunately, our program is limited to 60 semester hours by state regulation,” Little said. “This 60-semester hour limit precludes the possibility of obtaining Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation. We are now developing a plan to expand the program beyond 60 semester hours and hopefully achieve ABET accreditation.”
Construction on the Hemlock Semiconductor Building on campus, which houses the program, began with a groundbreaking ceremony July 10, 2009, and the building opened Sept. 16, 2010.
Bill Persinger, executive director of APSU public relations, said the building was paid for with a $6.4 million grant from the state of Tennessee, and was furnished with an additional $2 million in laboratory equipment provided by Hemlock Semiconductor LLC.
The Hemlock Semiconductor Building is equipped with solar panels on its roof, and houses the “chemical process lab, faculty office space including the dean of the college of Science and Mathematics, several lecture-style classroom spaces, a computer lab and a lounge area for students,” Persinger said. TAS

President Barack Obama delivers remarks in May during his first visit to Fort Campbell. PHOTO BY PATRICK ARMSTRONG|THE ALL STATE

By PATRICK ARMSTRONG
Editor-in-Chief, The All State

“Job well done,” was the message President Barack Obama brought to more than 2,300 soldiers from Fort Campbell, during his first visit to the Army post. Vice President Joe Biden also joined Obama on Friday, May 6, to talk to the entire Navy SEAL unit that killed 9/11 mastermind, and leader of Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden.
Both spoke with the unit in private with no media allowed. “We got to spend time with the assaulters who got bin Laden,” Biden said boastfully during the ceremony.
The SEALs were lead by Vice Adm. William McRaven, who is head of the military’s counterterrorism unit. Two-dozen SEALs raided the Pakistani compound with the same number circling overhead as backup. “They’re America’s quiet professionals because success demands secrecy,” Obama said.
The members who carried out the “historic” mission were given the Presidential Unit Citation, the most prestigious honor an entire unit can receive.
Obama and Biden also met with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — the Night Stalkers — who flew the SEALs on their mission, and Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group.
During the meeting, soldiers waiting in the heat of Hangar 3 were full of energy with a quartet from the 101st Airborne Division Band playing, singing “Screaming Eagle Song” and dancing to various other songs. Of the soldiers present, 99 percent of them had served in Afghanistan.
“This has been a historic week in the life of our nation. The terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again,” Obama said with soldiers cheering. “This is the finest military the world has ever known. And that includes all of you, men and women of the 101st.”
Spc. Michael Chatman from the 1-33 Cavalry, said, “[The speech was] inspiring. I’m grateful for it because it shows that somebody out here’s actually saying they appreciate what we did.” Chatman has served two tours in Afghanistan, the first for six months and the second for 12.
“You guys have been in the fight from the beginning … You’ve been in some of the most hospitable terrain in the world … You’re amazing,” Biden said. “You’re the most capable warriors in the history of the world.”
Obama said in closing, “There is nothing we can’t do together 101st; when we remember who we are and that is the United States of America. When we remember that no problem is too hard and no challenge is too great. And that is why I am so confident that with your service, America’s greatest days are still to come.” TAS

A tornado warning has been issued for Montgomery County until 11:45 p.m. according to the NWS.

The tornado warning has expired according to NWS.