INTERESTING FACTS
SIGNIFICANT AND UNUSUAL HAPPENINGS
THIS
DOCUMENT CONTAINS A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES ON EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED OVER
THE YEARS THAT HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON THE OUTCOME OF GAMES OR WERE JUST DOWN
RIGHT UNUSUAL HAPPENINGS(IF YOU HAVE A STORY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD, SEND IT
TO US.):
A. IN THE 1987 STATE
TOURNAMENT GAME, RUSTY BROWN HIT A 3 RUN HOMER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH INNING
WITH 2 OUTS AND THE WARRIORS BEHIND BY 2 RUNS.
BUT, IT DID NOT COUNT. ONE
OF THE BASE RUNNERS IN ALL OF THE EXCITEMENT STOPPED BETWEEN 3RD BASE
AND HOME PLATE TO CELEBRATE. RUSTY
PASSED HIM, THEREFORE, ONLY ONE RUN COUNTED AND THE WARRIORS LOST 9 TO 8. THE EVENT MADE THE PAUL HARVEY – REST OF THE STORY.
B. THE WARRIORS WERE THE
SECOND PLACE TEAM IN THE 1990 JUCO TOURNAMENT.
DURING ONE OF THE GAME, THE OPPOSING TEAM HAD RUNNERS IN FIRST AND SECOND
WITH NO OUTS. THE COACH PUT ONE A
HIT AND RUN PLAY. THE BATTER HIT A
LINE DRIVE DIRECTLY TO THE MGC SECOND BASEMAN, JAY CRANFORD.
HE STARTED TAGGING EVERYTHING IN REACH.
JAY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE ONLY UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY IN JUCO
WORLD-SERIES HISTORY.
C. FOLLOWING THE WINNING OF 1995 JUCO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THE TEAM
AND FANS RETURNED TO THE MOTEL FOR A CELEBRATION AND TO WATCH THE GAME FILM.
AFTER VIEWING THE TAPE, EVERYONE LEFT THE CONFERENCE ROOM TO PREPARE FOR
A FOUR O’CLOCK DEPARTURE. THE
GAME TAPE WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE VCR AND LIGHTS WERE TURNED OFF.
DURING THE FLIGHT FROM DENVER, SOMEONE ASKED “WHERE’S THE
CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY?” THE TROPHY
HAD BEEN LEFT IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM NEXT TO THE TV.
THIS STORY MADE THE “WALL STREET JOURNAL” UNDER THE HEADING OF
“FORGETFUL COACHES.”
D. THE TEAM WAS RETURNING
FROM A DOUBLE-HEADER WITH BREWTON-PARKER ON THE “OLD” COLLEGE BUS.
THE BUS BROKE DOWN NEAR CHESTER, GA.
NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO DO, COACH SAPP CALLED MR. WAYNE DYKES(DIAMOND
CLUB OFFICER) FOR HELP. MR. DYKES
ADVISED THE COACH THAT HE WILL COME GET THEM.
WAYNE CLIMBS INTO HIS “CATTLE” TRUCK TO DO THIS GOOD DEED.
HE LOADS THE COACH AND TEAM ON THE BACK OF THE TRUCK FOR THE TRIP TO
COCHRAN.
E. THE OPENING OF THE SEASON
FOR MANY YEARS ALTERNATED BETWEEN PANAMA CITY, FL. AND NEW ORLEANS. THE 1992 SEASON STARTED WITH A TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS.
FOR MANY OF THE PLAYERS, IT WAS THEIR FIRST TRIP OF THIS NATURE.
COACH SAPP ALWAYS TREATED THE PLAYERS TO A NIGHT ON “BOURBON STREET.” UPON ENTERING THE TEAM BUS, AL SADLER WITH EXCITEMENT IN HIS
VOICE SAID “MY MOM TOLD ME THERE WOULD BE DAYS LIKE THIS, BUT I DIDN’T KNOW
THEY WOULD BE THIS GOOD.” SANDY
McKINNON’S COMMENTS ON HIS FIRST VISIT TO BOURBON STREET CAN NOT BE PUBLISHED
HERE!!
F. JUST PRIOR TO THE START OF THE 1995 SEASON, COACH SAPP WAS
NOTIFIED THAT HE HAD BEEN ELECTED TO AND WOULD BE INDUCTED INTO THE NJCAA
COACHES HALL OF FAME DURING THE ’95 JUCO TOURNAMENT BANQUET.
THE TEAM IMMEDIATELY MADE IT ONE OF THEIR GOALS TO ACCOMPANY THE COACH TO
GRAND JUNCTION, CO. THIS GOAL WAS REALIZED WHEN THEY DEFEATED THE ALABAMA TEAM IN
A THRILLING 3 GAME SERIES. THEN,
THE WARRIORS HAD TO PLAY IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT.
THEY WERE DEFEATED BY ALLEGHENY, MD.
DETERMINED NOT TO BE ELIMINATED AFTER ONLY TWO GAMES, THE TEAM MOVED
THEIR PLAY TO ANOTHER LEVEL. THE
WARRIORS RUN OFF FIVE WINS TO CAPTURE THE 1995 JUCO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP,
BECOMING THE FIRST TEAM TO WIN THE TITLE IN SUCH A FASHION.
G. THREE BROTHERS HAVE WORN THE WARRIOR UNIFORM.
THEY ARE THE TREADWAY’S – STAN, JEFF AND WES.
THE FIRST WAS STAN. HE
PLAYED FOR COACH UMSTATTD AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE 1975 TEAM THAT FINISHED THIRD
IN JUCO NATIONAL TOURNAMENT. NEXT
CAME JEFF. HE PLAYED FOR COACH SAPP.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE 1980 JUCO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM.
THE THIRD WAS WES. HE PLAYED ON THE 1985 TEAM.
H. A 1998 FRESHMAN PITCHER, ANDY PERKINS, FROM NORTH GWINNETT
HIGH SCHOOL IS A THIRD GENERATION WARRIOR FROM THIS FAMILY.
THE FIRST WAS DWAYNE CASH. HE
PITCHED AND WON THE 1979 JUCO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
THE SECOND WAS DEREK PERKINS THE CURRENT ASSISTANT COACH. HE PITCHED AND
WON THE 1995 JUCO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
NO PRESSURE ANDY!!!!
I
. THE
1974 TEAM OF COACH UMSTATTD HAD A 33 GAME WINNING STREAK ON ITS WAY TO A 40 - 7
SEASON RECORD.
J
. THE 1975 WARRIOR TEAM COACHED BY ROY UMSTATTD WAS THE FIRST
TEAM FROM MIDDLE GEORGIA COLLEGE TO PLAY IN THE JUCO WORLD-SERIES IN GRAND
JUNCTION, CO.
K. THREE FORMER WARRIORS HAVE PLAYED IN THE FALL CLASSIC:
NAME
YEAR
TEAM
EARNEST RILES 1989
GIANTS
JEFF TREADWAY 1991/92
BRAVES
JIM LEYRITZ
1996/99
YANKEES
WORLD-SERIES
CHAMPIONS