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http://www.ucasports.com/sport.asp?action=news&sportid=7&article=3778

CLARK RESIGNS AS BASEBALL COACH
BASEBALL • May 25, 2010
CONWAY, Ark _ University of Central Arkansas baseball coach Doug Clark resigned from the position Tuesday following the Bears’ season finale on Saturday.

Clark, who coached the Bears for eight seasons, finished with 209 career victories at the school. However, the Bears went 19-35-1 overall this season and tied for 11th place in the Southland Conference with a 10-22-1 mark...

I told a couple of friends that Coach Clark might be in trouble when the basketball program stepped-up a hired a high-profile coach.

The big concern should be recruiting. Using his U of A connections, Coach Clark brought in an All-State player from California this year, has a JC All-American from California signed for next year, as well as quite a few offers on the table to some West Coast players set to make an immediate impact on the program. Add in some good local talent and next year was set to be a break-out for the program. I hope that the next coach can hold the group together.

purple pride, how many baseball games have you been to during the Doug Clark era?
seems you are really good about giving an opinion about things you don't know much about.

Thanks to Coach Clark for his eight years and his contributions to the program. This is not an easy transition to D1. We got spolied with our success so quickly in football which is not the norm. SLC is good baseball and there is little margin for error. Best wishes to Coach.

Like I told a few other people, I thought he would get one more year to turn things around. But, I can also see how the future didn't seem to be pointing solidly in the right direction. Two pitches who combined for 12 or our 19 wins are gone. The team wasn't really young (13 juniors and 5 seniors), so that can't be a good reason for finishing at or near the bottom of every statistical category. I'm just not sure what would have happened next year to make things any better. Having said that, I never like it when someone loses their job - even when Rand was let go; I was on the side that it was time, but part of me still felt sorry for him.

As someone pointed out to me, Teague is a baseball guy too. I'm sure he took a good look at the present and the future from a baseball guy's perspective. Now, it's that same perspective that has me expecting a solid hire.

Could you give us some name/names of these guys we have signed already and little about him/them?


so does this statement mean that they have already signed, or that it is just an offer and they are still free to go where they would like? Forgive the inquiry but we havent heard a lot from the West Coast signees if there are any more than the 1 I knew about already.

Re: California recruiting

Clark brought in his first California recruit this past year in All-State HS catcher Michael Marietta from Ventura, CA. The JC player signed for 2011 is Bryan Wilson from WSC North champions Oxnard, CA JC. Oxnard JC is the school that got the California/U of A connection going with players such as Mark Berry, Howard Hilton, Tim Seward in the early 80's.
Wilson is a R/R 3b/P who was the WSC North Player of the Year, All-State and All-American. Slick fielder, good pop and sinker slider type who was followed by quite a few Pac-10, WCC and Big West schools.
One of the assistants was in California for four or five days this year pounding the pavement and making connections with many of the major HS and JC programs. The groundwork was being put in place and I'm sure that the next coach will benefit from the exposure.

yeah he was our starter the majority of the weekends of the year behind the plate...


Is this the kid who literally flew in one midweek game, and then flew out the next day and signed/committed to us pretty soon after that, or is this a different one? Also, which Pac10, WCC, and Big West Schools were looking at him and why did they not they offer?

"Is this the kid who literally flew in one midweek game, and then flew out the next day and signed/committed to us pretty soon after that, or is this a different one? Also, which Pac10, WCC, and Big West Schools were looking at him and why did they not they offer?"

He did come in for a day and then signed his LOI, beating a few of the local schools to the punch and possibly the potential to pitch and play. In light of the coaching change, I haven't heard whether this will change his mind and/or re-open some of the recruiting by the local schools.

http://thecabin.net/news/2010-05-26/mccollums-column-another-uca-exit-more-mixed-emotions

McCollum's Column: Another UCA exit; more mixed emotions
Posted: May 26, 2010 - 5:44pm
By David McCollum

The mirror images are stark.

The identical situations give you both a slap of reality and a twinge of sadness.

UCA men’s basketball coach Rand Chappell was fired after last season after the Bears finished 9-21, 3-13 in their final transitional season for NCAA Division I. The Bears’ four-year record during the NCAA Division I transition was 43-76. Brad Teague, UCA’s athletic director, felt the program was on a downward spiral and he made a change...

Hey Buddy, it's a free country. Bite my ass.

Good comeback.
I didn't know they allowed 2nd graders to get on the Internet.

I guess answering the question with a number was too difficult?