and the beat goes on
There are great expectations at William Carey University this season. So … what else is new? The defending Southern States Athletic Conference champs, slated to open the 2025 season at home today against Pikeville, were picked preseason No. 1 in the league by the coaches and are ranked ninth in the NAIA preseason poll. “It’s always good to receive positive accolades with regard to our program,” said Carey coach Bobby Halford, who knows about positive accolades. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame last fall and is about to begin his 40th season at Carey with countless coach of the year awards and 1,337 wins on his ledger. The 2024 Crusaders, 37-16, reached the NAIA World Series for the second straight year and third time overall under Halford. The team welcomes back Jerod Williams (.299, 16 steals), Bridley Thomas (.284, 48 runs), two-way standout Preston Ratliff (.316, 2-2, 1 save), Luke Lycette (7-1, 4.04) and Andrew Shirah (8-5). They’ll launch the season with a three-game series at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg against NAIA foe Pikeville, 30-19 in 2024. The first SSAC series is Feb. 14 at Abraham Baldwin in Georgia. P.S. Blue Mountain Christian, pegged seventh in the SSAC poll, opens this weekend with two doubleheaders against William Woods (Mo.). Back for the Toppers (31-23 in ’24) is Carson Gault, who hit .359 with nine homers and 54 RBIs. … Rust College is slated to play today against Miles (Ala.) in the Ron Washington Classic in New Orleans. The Bearcats’ Ja’Shaun Franks (.376) was pegged as a first-team HBCU preseason elite by Black College Nines. Also today, NCAA Division II Delta State opens against Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida and fellow D-II Mississippi College takes on Arkansas-Monticello in the Houston Astros Winter Invitational.