A Season to Remember.. . Baseball Team Returns to AIC Playoffs For the Bison baseball team, the '93 season proved to be a disappointing one. But as is often the case in the sporting world, the small successes along the way made for memorable and rewarding experiences in the end. Better-than-average expectations accompanied the squad into the spring campaign. Led by proven performers like pitcher Trevor Black and catcher Shane Fullerton, the Bisons looked to challenge the opposition with a blend ot promising youth and savvy experience. But the Bison hardballers were met with misfortune. The team lost two key hurlers. Despite initial setbacks, key conference wins against UCA and Henderson State, and a victory over league powerhouse SouthernArkansas , helped the team secure a second straight invitation to the AIC Tournament. The season was a memorable one for Bison head coach, Steve Smith, who returned to his teaching/ administrative post in the fall. "This last season was special because of the players - my seniors, especially. I recruited them as a new coach four years ago and they played their whole career E~S<VN AT SAU 2-5 OBU 8-9 ATU S.A:U 2-1 u!\M 1-3 ' SAU UCA 3-2 UAM 6-9 SAU UCA 12-101 '4-3 UCA OBU 8-2 4-2 UCA 1-3 OBU under me. They'll always be special to me ," he said. The club was certainly not lacking in talent or star power, as several players were honored for outstanding seasons. Catcher Shane Fullerton provided senior leadership in several offensive categories including batting, triples, RBI's and slugging. To acknowledge his impressive numbers , Shane was named to the 1993 All-AIC team. Freshman Daryl Johnson also had a major impact on the team. Johnson, the lead-off hitter, collected 29 stolen bases, one shy of the club record. For his performance , Daryl was awarded honorable mention status with the All-AIC team. Other honorable mentions were Bart Jones , Trevor Black and Nick Fouts. After the season, when the diamond paths of Jerry Moore Field lay silent, wiped clean of cleat marks, Smith reaffirmed that the season was a positive one. "Our boys played hard. They played as well as they could have under the circumstances and I'm proud of them,'' he said. "And that's what matters most." - Tim Stanley A GLANCE 6-8 OBU 6-3 AC 8-9 1-11 UA 4-5 HSU 1-0 1-3 UAM 3-11 HSU 0-10 7-6 ATU 7-5 'UAM 1-9 0-6 ATU 3-4 ATU 1-2 7-2 AC 2-13 Daiyljohnson doubles down the right-field line to leadoffa game. john.son, afreshman, stole 29 basesfor the Bisons in 1993. Photo by David Hickman. It 's a closeplay at first, but Todd Miller is in safely on a pick-offattempt. Wins over UCA, HSU. and SAUallowedfor the team 's second straight inv itational. Photo by David Hickman. Baseball 242~----- Sports
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