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Troy Baseball players excelling in Summer Leagues 20 Jul 2023 8:33 AM (2 years ago)

While the NCAA baseball season is in the rearview mirror, a number of Troy Trojans are continuing to work on their game playing in Summer Leagues across the country.

A total of 10 Trojans from the 2023 team that won 40 games and made it to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2018 are playing in summer leagues. Also, one new Troy transfer is playing in a summer league.

Collegiate summer baseball features players from the United States and Canada who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of eligibility remaining. Collegiate summer leagues operate from June through early August. Like Major League Baseball (MLB), these leagues use only wooden bats. Many pro scouts attend summer league games throughout the season.

Junior college transfer pitcher Isaac Silva, who committed to Troy in June, is playing for the Burlington Sock Puppets of the Appalachian League. In nine innings pitched so far, Silva has struck out 12 batters and has given up eight hits with a 1-0 record.

Troy pitcher Kristian Asbury is playing for the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plains League and has earned a 4.82 ERA with 11 strikeouts through nine and 1/3 innings pitched so far. Ozark native – and former Troy Post 70 player – Brooks Bryan is playing for the Leesburg Lightning of the Florida Collegiate League. Bryan has already earned FCL West All-Star honors as he boasts a .278 batting average with two doubles, two home runs, 17 RBIs and 13 runs in 19 games.

Pitcher Ryan Pettys holds a 2.46 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 14 and 2/3 innings for the Bradenton Juice of the Florida Gulf Coast League, while Ayden Amis, Parker Sessions and Jake Smith are all playing for the Brewers of the Metro League.

Shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr., pitcher Brady Fuller and Ethan Kavanagh are all playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). Cobb is playing for the North Adams Steeplecats and has tallied a .250 batting average with seven runs, three doubles, one home run and six RBIs in 14 games. Fuller holds a 2-0 record on the mound for the Upper Valley Nighthawks with seven strikeouts in four games pitched. Kavanagh is playing alongside Fuller with the Nighthawks and has a .211 batting average with five runs, one double, one triple and four RBIs in 12 games.

Troy infielder Lance Gardiner is playing for the Danville Dans of the Prospect League, where he’s tallied 12 runs, four doubles, four home runs, 19 RBIs and five stolen bases with a .290 bating average in 20 games.

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Business Spotlight: Jones Medical Supply’s growth continues 20 Jul 2023 8:10 AM (2 years ago)

Pike County native Jason Jones launched his business, Jones Medical Supply, in 2005, which became Troy’s only locally owned durable medical equipment (DME) supplier. Now, 18 years later, he’s expanded to locations in both Greenville and Dothan.

Jones grew up in Brundidge, attending Pike County Schools until the seventh grade, when he transferred to Pike Liberal Arts School.

“I was in the (Pike County) class with Cornelius Griffin and that bunch from kindergarten through seventh grade,” he recalled. “That was the most athletic group of humans that ever came through (Pike County) at one time, with the exception of me, of course.”

Jones’ grandfather owned the IGA stores in Troy and Brundidge and his father managed the IGA in Brundidge. Jones worked at his father’s IGA from the time he was a child through high school, and even continued working there after the business was sold to the Garrett family. In high school, he began working at Dykes Drugs in Brundidge.

“I knew that I wanted to be in health care while I was working in the pharmacy, but really didn’t know what I was going to do,” Jones said. “Health care was something I knew I wanted to do, in some form, from the time I was 15 years old working in the pharmacy.”

At first, Jones thought sports medicine was his future and he began to attend Troy University to pursue a career in that field.

“Apparently, you have to make good grades to do all of that and making good grades meant I had to apply myself and pay attention (in class) and I just wasn’t interested,” he said. “I didn’t party or anything, I don’t think I ever even went to a bar, but school just wasn’t working for me.”

After dropping out of college, Jones continued working at the pharmacy, by then owned by Melanie Hawkins.

“She had partnered with a company out of Central Florida called American Respiratory Solutions and we had a business in the back of the pharmacy that was a mail-order pharmacy that worked with companies throughout the Southeast,” said Jones. “I managed the backend and handled the mail-order pharmacy. When the time came for us to have a new sales rep to manage the territory I applied for the job really not thinking they would hire some uneducated kid who had never even left Brundidge.”

To Jones’ surprise, the owner of the company – Buddy Fletcher – flew to Troy and interviewed him in 2000.

“He interviewed me at the Holiday Inn restaurant in Troy in 2000, I’ll never forget that,” he said. “He hired me to be the territory manager and I got to cover nine states marketing for his business and marketing for Dykes Drug Store along with three others.”

For more than three years, Jones traveled throughout the Southeast and loved his job, as a single man. Then, he met his future wife Kristy and the traveling wasn’t nearly as attractive.

“As a single guy traveling for those three and a half years was the greatest job in the world,” Jones emphasized. “When I got hungry, I just hit the road and stayed gone for a few weeks and saw everything from Texas to Georgia and everything in between. Then, I met Kristy and the traveling wasn’t as much fun.”

Jones decided to take a job with a DME company based out of Dothan but a phone call with Fletcher changed his life.

“I called Buster and told him that I thought it was time for me to do something else,” he remembered. “That call changed everything for me. He said, ‘Give me another year. You go to Texas and fly home on the weekends, you’ll never stay gone for more than five days.’ He told me in another year that he would help me get started and we’d start a company in Troy.

“This was a man that had been in the industry longer than anybody, had dozens of DME companies and knew everything there was to know about the industry. For him to take a leap of faith on me just completely changed our lives and got us to this point today.”

Jones said that Fletcher was a man of his word and helped him launch Jones Medical Supply in Troy, a year later to the date.

“When we first started, 18 years ago, I was younger and dumber. My thoughts were that we could grow this and maybe have multiple locations,” Jones said. “The thing I didn’t know about this industry is that it would literally change every year and we have no control over it. It’s all government and insurance based. If Medicare or insurance companies change something it could completely rock your world. We’ve been through all those changes and I knew immediately I had to do everything I could to hang on and having another (location) made no sense.”

Jones Medical Supply offers home oxygen, power mobility, back braces, diabetic shoes, CPAP machines, Bilevel machines, masks and other home medical supplies.

For more than 16 years Jones Medical Supply in Troy remained Jones’ only location, until 2022. Jones was speaking with his friend, Chris Sells, who had become a state representative, and said that his new job was eating into his time to spend with his company, Sells Medical Supply in Greenville.

“He said that it was time for him to go fishing,” Jones said with a laugh. “He told me to get with his manager, Dana Carlton, and see about buying the business. We sat and talked and in a three or four month timeframe we made that happen. On Jan. 1, 2022, Dana and I bought the Greenville location.

“She was his manager for years and she handles everything over there. Chris told me when I bought it, ‘Get out of her way and let that staff work and they’ll do a great job.’ He was 100 percent correct. It’s a great staff and they handle everything there from a day-to-day aspect.”

The growth of Jones Medical Supply wasn’t done, though. Last week, Jones opened a new location in Dothan, which will specialize in CPAPs.

“My partner Buster’s two sons have been in the industry for decades and those two are still my partners to this day,” Jones said. “They have a few locations in Birmingham and they kind of built the blueprint that we’re using in the Dothan store. We watched that grow and determined that Dothan was the right size market to do the same things they had done.”

Jones Medical Supply has also become a big supporter of Troy University and Troy University Athletics despite Jones growing up as an Auburn fan.

“Anyone that knew me as a teenager knew me as an obnoxious Auburn fan,” Jones said. “That was based on my dad growing up in Auburn and he just passed it on to us.”

In 2001, Jones was living with two roommates who both worked in the athletic department at the time. After meeting legendary Troy coach Larry Blakeney, Jones went all-in with the Trojans.

“I will never forget going to an event one night and Coach Blakeney was there,” he said. “Chuck (Dunn) introduced me and said that I was one of those guys that likes Auburn and Troy. I remember Coach Blakeney looking me in the eyes and saying, ‘That’s great but we sure do wish you were just Troy.’ I said, ‘Coach, I don’t see any reason why I can’t be.’

“From that day forward it changed. It’s 2001, so Troy was going Division I and everything just clicked. This was before I was a business guy and I thought there’s no reason for me to support a team I had no connection with. I live in Troy, this is my town and my team, why not be all in? Once we started the business in 2005, that’s when I realized we could partner with the university at many levels. Also, Kristy was a graduate of Troy, so it just made sense to give back to the university that had given her so much, as well as a way to solidify that we’re all in for Troy and Pike County.”

Jones’ support for the university goes further than advertising or donating to the athletic department; he’s become one of the biggest supporters of Troy Athletes in terms of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), as well.

“We saw the NIL stuff, read all the rules and tried to figure out as much as we could and it just made sense to find a way to use these guys to market our band, while at the same time being able to market their brand,” Jones said. “It started out with Carlton Martial and (Troy native) Scott Taylor Renfore. I’ve known Scott Taylor his whole life and obviously we knew what Carlton was going to do, so those two guys just made sense to be our first two and it exploded from there.

“We aren’t doing million dollar deals but the little we do, I feel like it goes a long way to give them some spending money and also allows us to have that personal connection and allows us to do some advertising that’s different than anyone else. It’s also a way to solidify the partnership between local business and Troy University.”

With three locations already, Jones said that more growth isn’t out of the question for the future of Jones Medical Supply, but he’s concentrating on bringing the Troy, Greenville and Dothan locations more success.

“We have to keep our head above water and keep doing what we’re doing now,” he said. “I’d love to have a place down closer to the beach at some point but there is a lot of variables that have to play out to make that happen.

“Right now, it’s just about growing what we have and grow this Dothan branch to what I think it can be and keep running Troy and Greenville the way it’s being done. I couldn’t do any of this without my staff at the Troy location and the staff at Greenville and my family being so phenomenal. There’s lots of nights when I leave the dinner table to go take care of someone.”

Jones Medical Supply in Troy is located at 519 S. Brundidge Street. For more information, visit jonesmed.com.

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Troy utilizing sometimes-overlooked JUCO, FCS athletes to bolster roster 20 Jul 2023 6:53 AM (2 years ago)

As some college football teams across the country use the Transfer Portal to build rosters, rather than add depth, junior college – and FCS and Division II – athletes are sometimes overlooked. Troy University Head Coach Jon Sumrall, though, is using those “lower” ranks to bolster his roster.

As of May, more than 8,000 football players had entered the transfer portal. According to Sports Illustrated, more than half of those players go unsigned every year. Many colleges across the country – especially among the Power 5 programs – are using the portal to bring in potential game changers to their roster. In fact, new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has brought in dozens of players from the portal to completely change his roster.

Troy has certainly used the transfer portal to its benefit, as well. Going into the 2023 season, the Trojans have added nine transfers from FBS schools, including eight from Power 5 programs. Those transfers include Kentucky receiver Chris Lewis, Iowa safety Reggie Bracy, West Virginia quarterback Goose Crowder, Louisville defensive end Zach Edwards, Auburn running back Jordon Ingram, Memphis running back Asa Martin, Oklahoma State center Eli Russ, Auburn offensive tackle Coby Smith and UAB tight end Brody Dalton.

Some of those players – notably Bracy, Martin, Crowder and Russ – have already been on campus since the spring, and were able to make an impact in spring practices. Before the transfer portal, the junior college (JUCO) ranks provided depth and starters to teams across the country. Aaron Rodgers, Tyreek Hill, Alvin Kamara, Lavonte David, Antonio Gibson and Montez Sweat are just a few current NFL players that came from the JUCO ranks. NFL Hall of Famers Warren Moon, Keyshawn Johsnon and Roger Staubach also came from JUCO schools.

With the rise of the transfer portal – as well as many FBS players still having an extra year of eligibility from the COVID years – things have become tougher for JUCO athletes. Many athletes end up starting out in the JUCO ranks because of grades, others had discipline problems and others simply were not able to find a Division I school out of high school for a number of reasons. Sumrall continues to recruit the JUCO ranks aggressively.

“The guys in the transfer portal at times maybe get a touch over-recruited,” Sumrall said. “Coinciding with the transfer portal is name, image and likeness (NIL), too. So, not only are some of those guys getting over-recruited but some are getting a hefty paycheck, too.

“An area that has maybe been overlooked is the JUCO ranks. We signed a couple of young men that were high school qualifiers. Everyone ends up at junior college for different reasons. You still have guys that are utilizing the COVID year because 2020 didn’t go against anyone’s eligibility but we still have to get (scholarships) down to 85.”

Troy added a total of 11 players from the JUCO ranks in the 2023 Recruiting Class. Many of those players were already in Troy during the spring. A pair of East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) transfers – and childhood friends – have already caught Sumrall’s attention.

“Steven Cattledge and Ethan Conner are from EMCC,” Sumrall said. “Steven was the No. 1-ranked linebacker in all of America in JUCO. I’ve coached at a couple of SEC schools and have coached a couple of first round draft picks at linebacker and (Cattledge) can go do a workout and fit in with all of those guys. He looks the part and is a smart kid. He was an automatic qualifier (grades made him eligible for NCAA schools) out of high school, too.”

Conner has already benefited from Troy’s strength and conditioning program.

“Ethan Conner is a 6-foot-4-inch athlete that showed up here at 214 pounds and through our strength program, he weighed in last week at 234 pounds. He’s put on 20 pounds of solid muscle in the last six months.

“Ethan played primarily at receiver at EMCC, and a little bit at quarterback. Other schools in our conference recruited him at receiver but I was very open with him. I said, ‘You could play receiver and might be average but I think you can come here and play tight end and might play in the NFL.’ He came to play tight end and I think he will provide mismatch issues for some people.”

Another JUCO transfer that will certainly standout to Troy fans is Newark, NJ offensive tackle Elijah Philipe. The 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound behemoth had numerous FBS offers when he was projected to graduate from junior college in December. His graduation was pushed back until the spring semester, which allowed Troy to continue to recruit the Lackawanna College lineman.

“He had offers from several SEC schools when he was projected to get out of JUCO with his (associates degree) in December and that got pushed back a little,” Sumrall said. “We continued to recruit him and stayed with him and were able to sign him. He’s 6-foot-6-inches and 310 pounds and moves like a tight end and can bend. He’s special and already looks like an NFL player.”

Other JUCO transfers that have joined the Trojans are East Central linebacker TJ Thompson, Hutchinson safety Dasheen Jackson, Garden City bandit Raymond Cutts, New Mexico Military Institute punter Robert Cole, Georgia Military center Boaz Stanley, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M offensive tackle Kobe Williams, Hudson Valley receiver Robert Bruce and Blinn College receiver Caleb Chappelle.

Troy isn’t just scouring the JUCO ranks for “hidden gems”, though. The Trojans also added transfers from NAIA, Division II and FCS schools, in the 2023 Recruiting Class.

“From a transfer portal standpoint, we’ve had more success dropping down to lower levels and finding FCS and Division II players that are proven players and bringing them up than going to get SEC guys that haven’t really produced,” Sumrall said. “I believe, to some extent, a good player is a good player no matter where you’re at. I don’t care if it’s in the SEC or the Sun Belt or Division II. The lower levels of the transfer portal have probably been more beneficial for us than maybe going after those SEC guys.”

Wofford transfer Landon Parker has already made an impact at Troy, earning reps at receiver and punter in the spring. He broke receiving records at Wofford but was also an All-American punter, as well. Troy has also added Alabama State safety Irshaad Davis, Southern Utah cornerback Damaje Yancey, Austin-Peay long snapper Will Spain and East Tennessee State offensive linemen Tavon Matthews and Blake Austin from the FCS ranks.

Additionally, Troy has brought in East Central Oklahoma cornerback Don Callis from the Division II ranks and Langston punter Elliot Janish from the NAIA.

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Troy Tiger Sharks qualify for state meet 20 Jul 2023 5:21 AM (2 years ago)

The Troy Tiger Sharks swim team has qualified for the upcoming State Swim Meet in Birmingham.

The Tiger Sharks traveled to Dothan on July 8 and competed in the ARPA District Swim Meet with all 20 of Troy’s competitors qualifying for the State Swim Meet. Tiger Shark swimmers qualified in 53 individual events and eight relay events.

The Tiger Shark swimmers that qualified are Jesse Swindall, Baylor Pennington, Piper Pennington, Alyssa Forehand, Kamyla Cavanagh, Brea Swindall, Adyn Norris, Ava Moore, Raelynn Hall, Bryant Forehand, Riley Caballeros, Rilee Flech, Ryan Swindall, Blakeley Smith, Gideon Rogers, Collin Smith, Charlee Smith, Devan Smith, Savannah Rainey and Katherine Rainey. The State Swim Meet will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex July 21-22.

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Fishing highlights summer day camp 19 Jul 2023 4:45 PM (2 years ago)

“Take a kid fishing. You’ll be glad you did.”

Johnny Morris. Bass Pro Shop

Pike County 4-H Summer Day Camp got off with a splash Tuesday morning at Pike County Lake.

Visitors from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division provided education and fun to a very receptive and eager group of 4-H participants.

Officer Ken Weathers said the day campers were eager to get the worms in the water and just as eager to pull in …. a fish.

“They enjoyed fishing and were excited to catch a fish,” Weathers said. “Size didn’t matter. They just enjoyed fishing.”

The officers were impressed that neither the boys nor the girls were squeamish about putting a worm on a hook.

“They came to fish and hooking a worm is part of fishing,” the officers said.

Hillary Peoples, 4-H Extension agent, said the 4-H’ers had the choice of fishing with worms or crickets, however, worms were the bait of choice.

“For some of the youngsters, the 4-H Summer Day Camp was their first fishing experience, for others, their fishing experience was with their families,” Peoples said.

“They have enjoyed fishing with other 4-H’ers and have learned more about fishing from our visitors from Conservation and Natural Resources.”

Peoples said catching a big fish was not an expectation for the Summer Day Camp, rather just to have fun enjoying a recreational sport that is enjoyed by more than 50 million people in the United States each year.

“The 4-H’ers have had just as much fun catching little fish and tossing them back,” Peoples said.

Pike County 4-H Summer Day Camp was a day of fishing, fun and learning.

Peoples expressed appreciation to the conservation officers who brought fun and learning to the camp.

The second day of Pike County 4-H Summer Camp Day on Wednesday featured visitors from the Alabama 4-H Science School with birds of prey and reptiles/amphibians as part of the program.

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Former Troy football player charged with murder 15 Dec 2013 8:57 AM (11 years ago)

A 21-year-old Troy University walk-on football player from Lafayette, Ga., has been charged with murder in an early Sunday morning shooting on South Brundidge Street.

Dimitri Miles was being held on a $100,000 bond in the Pike County Jail.

Troy Police, along with assistance from the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, arrested Miles late Sunday afternoon He is charged in the shooting death of Marquise Jermaine McLendon, 26, of Troy.

McLendon was shot about 7:55 a.m. in an apartment at Trojan Crossing in the 400 block of South Brundidge Street. According to police, McLendon was not a resident of the apartment and its tenants were out of town at the time of the shooting.

“First and foremost, anytime there is a loss of life it is tragic event and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and his family,” said John Hartwell, athletic director for Troy University.  “Dimitri Miles was a walk-on student-athlete on our football team who was academically ineligible to compete in competition this past season, but practiced as a member of the scout team. His association with our football team and the Troy Athletic Department has been terminated as a result of these charges which are associated with an incident that occurred off campus.”

Troy University Dean of Students Herbert Reeves said Miles had been “immediately suspended” until the charges are settled.

Police were called to an apartment building at approximately 7:55 a.m. Sunday. Once there, they found McLendon, who was transported to Troy Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead According to police, no one else was injured in the shooting.

 

 

 

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County braces for severe weather on Christmas Day 25 Dec 2012 2:17 PM (12 years ago)

Pike County residents should brace for severe weather today and tonight.

Jeanna Barnes, Pike County EMA director, said the county lies on the forward edge of the National Weather Service zone for most severe weather. (see details here). “And that’s a little too close for comfort,” she said.

Barnes spent Christmas Day watching the radar and in weather service briefings. “I just finished another briefing,” she said shortly after 3 p.m. “It looks like we’ll be getting some severe stuff as early as 5 p.m., with the threat lasting well into the overnight hours,” she said. “The worst will likely come after dark.”

The storm system was described as a potentially dangerous situation by forecasters on Wednesday, prompting Barnes to issue strong warnings to Pike County residents. “Again, most of this is likely to happen overnight, so people need to be alert and pay attention to alert systems.”

Barnes said residents can monitor the Pike County EMA Facebook page  or sign up for Alabama Saf-T-Net, a free web-based service that provides weather alerts.

By 3 p.m., Christmas Day the thunderstorms already were blamed for at least one death.

Winds toppled a tree onto a pickup truck in the Houston area, killing the driver. Icy roads already were blamed for a 21-vehicle pileup in Oklahoma, where authorities warned would-be travelers to stay home.

Trees fell on a few houses in central Louisiana’s Rapides Parish but there were no injuries reported so far and crews were cutting trees out of roadways to get to people in their homes, said sheriff’s Lt. Tommy Carnline.

Fog blanketed highways, including arteries in the Atlanta area where motorists slowed as a precaution.

In New Mexico, drivers across the eastern plains had to fight through snow, ice and low visibility.

At least three tornadoes were reported in Texas, though only one building was damaged, according to the National Weather Service. Tornado watches were in effect across southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

More than 180 flights nationwide were canceled by midday, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. .

Storms along the Gulf Coast could were expected to bring winds up to 70 mph, heavy rain, more large hail and dangerous lightning.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Pregnant woman among injured in ambulance wreck (with photos) 26 Jul 2012 1:15 PM (13 years ago)

Three people, including a pregnant patient, were injured when the ambulance they were in overturned.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE WRECK

The wreck happened about 2:15 Thursday afternoon at the 85 mile marker on U.S. Highway 231 in Troy, according to State Troopers.

The pregnant passenger in the ambulance was transported to a hospital in Montgomery to have her injuries evaluated. She was being taken by Pilchers ambulance out of Dothan to Birmingham when the wreck occurred.

The ambulance driver and the nurse traveling with the patient were taken to Troy Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries.

No injuries were reported to be life threatening.

Check back later for more details.

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Video: Long Hall demolition 25 Jul 2012 8:42 AM (13 years ago)

Demolition began on Long Hall at the Troy University Campus in Troy, Ala. on Wednesday. The building was constructed in 1975 as a rehearsal facility for the “Sound of the South” marching band. It was named for Dr. John M. Long, long-time director of bands.

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Heat advisory issued 25 Jul 2012 5:48 AM (13 years ago)

A heat advisory is in effect from noon to 9 p.m. today in Pike County, as officials warn the heat index may reach as high as 106 degrees.

Jeanna Barnes, EMA director, said this morning that the National Weather Service forecast calls for temperatures ranging from 97 to 101 this afternoon.

Heat index values will be from 104 to 109 degrees this afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service, a heat advisory means that a period of hot temperatures is expected. Residents are urged to take extra precautions if they work or spend time outside. Strenuous activity should be rescheduled to the morning or evening. Residents should wear light-weight, loose-fitting clothing and drink plenty of water.

 

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