Eagle Insider - University of the Ozarks

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BASEBALL team achieves NATIONAL RANKING Eagles Move To No. 14 For the first time in program history, the baseball team earned a national ranking. Ozarks moved to as high as No. 14 in the D3baseball.com poll during the 2008 season. The Eagles enjoyed their best season ever, posting a 32-11 overall record, while making the playoffs for the second straight season. Ozarks lost its first round playoff series against Concordia University Texas to end the year. “The playoffs are what you play for all year along,” said head coach Jimmy Clark. “We were one of eight teams left and the guys were excited about it. We hit a little slump against Mississippi College late in the season. We didn’t play bad, but we didn’t play as well as we are capable of playing. The bottom line is you have to be able to throw well and play solid defense.” Ozarks was led by the starting pitching trio of Todd Koch, Curt Dixon and Bruce Cameron, who went a combined 20-5. The Eagles were among the top pitching and hitting teams in the conference. Ozarks hit .356 as a team, with Cory Briggs winning the league batting title (.467). Junior outfielder David Smith won a Gold Glove award for his stellar defensive play. Sophomore shortstop Cory Briggs won the league batting title with a .467 average.
Dixon To Play Pro Ball In Illinois Curt Dixon will play professional baseball with the Southern Illinois Miners, an independent team located in Marion, Ill. Dixon originally signed with the Sioux City (IA) Explorers, but was traded to the Miners on May 18. The Miners finished 49-47 last season. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound McAlester, Okla., product was among the top players in the American Southwest Conference in 2008, finishing with a 2.92 ERA and a school-record 9-1 record. He had a team-best 74 strikeouts and tossed a team-high 71.0 innings. The right-hander was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week (along with NCAA I University of Arkansas 1B Aaron Murphree and University of Arizona RHP Preston Guilmet) March 10 after fanning 14 against East Texas Baptist University. Dixon helped the Eagles achieve their first national ranking in program history. He was named All-Conference in 2008, and was a three-time ASC All-Academic selection for head coach Jimmy Clark. He owns career records at Ozarks in strikeouts (205), innings pitched (256.2), wins (24) and games started (46). Cameron Named All-Conference In 3 Different Positions Senior Curt Dixon struck out 14 against East Texas Baptist Baseball Trio Named All-Americans Sophomore shortstop Cory Briggs, junior center fielder Bruce Cameron and senior designated hitter Robby Finnell were named All-Americans following the 2008 season. Briggs earned a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team. Cameron and Finnell were named to the D3baseball.com All-America Second Team. Additionally, Finnell is Ozarks’ first athlete to earn a spot on the national ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team. Briggs, a 6-foot, 200-pound native of Greencastle, Pa., won the league batting title with a .467 average. He pounded out 79 hits and had 19 doubles and 54 RBI. He accumulated 124 total bases and scored 56 runs. He owned a .513 onbase percentage and a .734 slugging percentage. He was a First Team All-Conference selection this season. Cameron, a 6-foot, 175-pound native of Houston, Texas, hit .410 with 14 homers and 49 RBI in 40 games. He posted a .827 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. He stole 11 bases, recorded 12 doubles, 57 hits, 51 runs and 115 total bases. The defensive standout had a number of spectacular plays in the field, including a wall-crashing catch in the ASC playoffs against Concordia University Texas. Finnell, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Tulsa, Okla., hit .374 with 13 homers and 56 RBI in 41 games. He owned a .784 slugging percentage, .486 on-base percentage and finished with 109 total bases. The three-time All-Conference performer is the career leader at Ozarks in home runs (31), RBI (159), games played (162), runs (131), hits (189), doubles (31), triples (8), total bases (329), walks (73) and hit by pitch (42). • ASC All-East First Team (CF) • ASC All-East Second Team (UT) • ASC All-East Hon. Ment. (RHP) • .410, 14 HR, 49 RBI • 5-1 record, 3.35 ERA, 29 K’s Robby Finnell is the career leader in homers (31) and RBI (159) Finnell Earned National Academic All-America Honors
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