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News Nuggets, 02.15.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

D-III slugger accomplishes cycle — times two

A single. double, triple and home run — the cycle — is a baseball rarity. It happens less frequently than a no hitter, they say.

How rare is it then when a player hits for the cycle in back-to-back games, on back-to-back days, versus the same team, but in different ballparks?

That happened to junior Tyler Dean this weekend. The starting centerfielder for Chapman University's No. 4-ranked NCAA Division III baseball team needed just four at-bats to accomplish the feat on Friday, Feb. 10, at Hart Park in Orange, CA.

Dean took care of the most difficult 'leg' first by tripling down the right field line in the first inning of Chapman's 7-2 win over visiting Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. He doubled in the third, then homered in the fourth before singling to leadoff the sixth inning to complete the first cycle in six years at Chapman.

The Panthers went to Pomona on Saturday to beat up on the Sagehens 17-4. Dean was actually hit by the first pitch he saw, but the message didn't get through.

He doubled in the third, grounded out in the fourth and tripled in the sixth. It took Chapman batting around in the sixth for Dean to come up again in the seventh when he singled. Eight more batters came to the plate in the seventh, allowing Dean to bat again in the eighth, needing a home run to accomplish a feat as rare as Johnny Vandermeer's back-to-back no-hitters.

Dean hammered a 1-0 offering from Sagehens reliever Tom Church over the left field fence completing his second cycle in as many days.

Rice rookie gets national hitting honor

Rice freshman outfielder Aaron Luna was named national hitter of the week by The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) for the period ending Feb. 14.

Arkansas sophomore left-handed pitcher Nick Schmidt was named national pitcher of the week for the awards sponsored by Pro-Line caps.

The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

SIU coach Kill tells of kidney cancer surgery

Southern Illinois University football coach Jerry Kill said this week that he had a cancerous tumor surgically removed from a kidney in January, according to a Tuesday report in The Southern Illinoisan newspaper.

Kill, 44, said he has more tests scheduled Thursday with a St. Louis-area surgeon. He emphasized he will remain coach and said he hopes to be at "full strength" by the start of spring practice March 29.

"I have kidney cancer," Kill said. "At this point in time, they feel very confident that they got everything. They run tests to make sure it hasn't spread. There has never been an indication from anyone that it has spread."

Only a tight circle of family and associates knew of Kill's battle with cancer. The coach informed the Salukis football team of his condition last week.

C-USA Basketball Standings, Scores & Schedule

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:45 PM