(Interesting Notes about Patriot athletics)

·         Four current members of the Francis Marion University baseball team spent the summer sharpening their diamond skills. Senior outfielder Horace Reeves (Irmo, SC) and sophomore infielder Jason Weaver (Lake City, SC) played for the Florence RedWolves in the Coastal Plain League. The two helped lead Florence to a 30-20 mark and a spot in the CPL championship game. Reeves was among the squad’s RBI leaders, while Weaver was the team’s everyday second baseman. Redshirt freshman catcher Michael Ward (Florence, SC) was a late-season addition to the CPL’s Durham Americans. He appeared in 16 games, starting 10 contests. Junior center fielder Quentin Davis (Darlington, SC) was a member of the Amsterdam Mohawks of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Davis batted .286 in 29 games with seven stolen bases, while Amsterdam posted a 35-12 record and won the NYCBL title.

 

·         Three former Francis Marion baseball players pitched professionally this summer. Right-hander Kyle Lucas (Lancaster, SC) is a member of the Dayton Dragons, a Cincinnati Reds Class A affiliate. With three weeks left in the regular season, Lucas was 2-7 with two saves and a 4.44 earned run average. He had appeared in 21 games, starting 11 times, and had struck out 63 batters in 93.1 innings. Left-hander Hal Chafey (Moore, SC) is a member of the Frontier League’s Florence Freedom, located in Hamilton, Ohio. Chafey is 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA in nine appearances, and has fanned 24 batters in 22.1 innings. His manager is former Reds pitching star Tom Browning. Righty Sam Greco (East Greenbush, NY) made a brief appearance with the Quebec Les Capitales of the independent Northeast League. 

 

·         FMU graduate and former Patriot volleyball player Crystal Poskey (Clarkston, WA) was recently named an assistant volleyball coach at Appalachian State University. She will serve as the program’s recruiting coordinator and will work primarily with ASU’s setters. During her Patriot playing career, Poskey was a three-time All-Peach Belt Conference performer. She became the first PBC athlete in any sport to earn “Player of the Year” honors (1998) after being named the “Freshman of the Year” (1996). She ended her career with nearly 5,000 assists and more than 1,000 digs in 128 matches. She helped lead FMU to a four-year mark of 111-23, two PBC regular-season titles, two PBC Tournament championships, and the program’s first invitation to the NCAA Division II national tournament. Poskey served as the volleyball coach at South Florence High School for the past two years.