[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMENDING MOUNT OLIVE TROJANS

  Mr. BURR. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate a college 
baseball team that won a national title last month.
  I am speaking of Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, NC. They beat 
Ouachita Baptist in a 6-2 victory to win the NCAA Division II National 
Baseball Championship--the first national championship title of any 
kind in Mount Olive College history.
  The Mount Olive Trojans finished the season with a 58-6 overall 
record. The Trojans ended their season strong winning 24 out of their 
final 26 games.
  This win marks an especially extraordinary one for Mount Olive 
College Trojans. This is the Trojans first-ever national championship 
win in any sport. In a town made famous for their pickles, baseball can 
now be added as a point of interest.
  Led by head coach Carl Lancaster, the Trojans were up by a five-run 
lead at the end of the first inning. Thanks in part to Josh Harrison's 
at-bat that resulted in a single and Dylan Holton's three-run double, 
Mount Olive mounted an early 5-0 advantage over Ouachita Baptist.
  Mount Olive College was featured on national television in the May 
edition of ``NCAA On Campus.'' This gave the players a chance to brag a 
little about their accomplishments, as all nine players in the Trojans' 
starting lineup were nationally ranked in at least one statistical 
category at the time of taping.
  The Trojans' efforts have not gone unnoticed by Major League 
Baseball. Five of the players from Mount Olive's 2008 National 
Championship team will all be playing professionally in the coming 
year. Additionally, four players have been named All American. This is 
wonderful news for these deserving young men.
  Also due recognition is the Trojans' academic performance. Their 
emphasis on academic success earned them a team grade point average of 
3.13 on a 4 point scale.
  The baseball team's success can be attributed to their well-rounded 
2008 roster that included: Jackson Massey, Jesse Lancaster, Anthony 
Hernandez, Anthony Williams, Weston Curles, Todd Jeffreys, David 
Cooper, Mike Kicia, Paul Novicki, Tyler Smith, Pat Ball, Alex Vertcnik, 
Dylan Holton, Rich Racobaldo, Joseph Westbrook, Andy Hilliard, Kyle 
Jones, Jason Sherrer, Josh Harrison, Casey Hodges, Erik Lovett, Michael 
Williams, Ryan Schlecht, Craig Beasley, Thomas Newsome, and Airlon 
Vinson. The team was coached by: Carl Lancaster, Aaron Akin, and Rob 
Watt.
  Again, I commend the Mount Olive Trojans, the 2008 NCAA Division II 
Baseball National Championship team and coach Carl Lancaster on an 
incredible season. Also, I would like to wish those players drafted 
into the Major Leagues the best of luck.

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