2004/2005
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Team & Individual Records

This Link will take you to a document which lists individual and team records for the Hawk Baseball team. To view the document you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. While most Internet users have the free Acrobat reader, if you don't, you can download it here.

   Season Outlook   

2005 will be a season of change for the Howard College Baseball team. The Hawks will be without Astroturf on the infield, they will enjoy a new 2,400 square foot clubhouse and they will try to replace a ton of talent on the field. The challenge is quite daunting as the Hawks graduated their top three offensive players and must replace their top seven pitchers. It would have been challenging enough to replace Mitchell, Martinez and Sage but when you add to the task that 93% of your wins, 90% of your strikeouts and 87% of your total innings pitched must be replaced as well, it makes it an enormous challenge.    The Hawks will be young this year with 32 new faces on the roster. Howard does return two members of the Texas-New Mexico Junior College All-Star Team in Tanner Mattson and Ryan Femath. Mattson (.344 - 1 - 24) will look to pick up where he left off in the leadoff spot for the Hawks. The third baseman had a .469 OB% and 25 stolen bases in 2004. Ryan Femath (.337 - 3 - 34) was the every day shortstop for the club in 2004. Femath's excellent athletic ability allows him to play anywhere on the field and perform at a high level. Howard returns two potential middle of the lineup hitters, Ryan Burke and Josh Dillon, who missed the 2004 season with injuries. The addition of transfers Darby Brown (Midland College), Jason Anderson (Gonzaga University) and Albert Ruiz (College of the Southwest) will help pull some of the load offensively in 2005.    Some of the new faces that will play a key role in continuing the success of the Hawks are Will Basom (Lubbock, Tx), Avery Kagawa (Hilo, Hi) and Jeff Ward (Fort Worth, Tx). These three players have the potential to be three of the best freshmen in the league as long as they continue to progress and adjust to the college game.    Pitching will be the biggest unknown coming into the 2005 season. Chance Sebek (4-0-1 3.61), Eric Ashbrook (0-1-0 1.75) and Zach Sewell (2-1-0 6.26) are the top returning pitchers, as far as experience. These three pitched a little over 50 innings combined. Howard should get a boost on the mound from a group of talented freshmen that will have to mature in a hurry. Justin Thompson (Fort Worth), Parker Sisk (Fort Worth), Michael Robbins (Pasadena), Matt Shepherd (Leander), Scotty Moore (Sonora) and Brian Fitch (Houston) are just some of the pitchers that will try to step into the rotation that was left empty.    Staying healthy will be important again in 2005. The Hawks have already lost two players to season ending surgery this Fall. Dustin Dallas (Globe, Az) and Greer Grashaw (Palmdale, Ca) will both undergo season ending surgery to repair torn labrum in their shoulders. Another injury situation to watch will be right handed pitcher John Cina (Genoa, Wi) who has been completing a rehab program since arriving on campus in August.    The success of 2004 will be hard to reproduce statistically, however the Hawks may appear to be more balanced this year. In 2004 the Hawks were pitching heavy and relied on the staff to carry the team. Ideally in 2005, the team will be better offensively and defensively and take some of the burden off of the young pitching staff.

   Head Coach Britt Smith   

Britt Smith is entering his second season as the head coach at Howard College. In 2004, the Hawks posted a 36-19 record and finished 2nd in the WJCAC South Division. Howard produced a 1st Team All-American, two All-Southwest District, two All-Region V, three 1st team All-Conference, and three WJCAC Honorable Mention players. The Hawks sent players to Oklahoma State University, the University of Alabama, Arizona State University, Abilene Christian University, The University of West Alabama, Angelo State University and Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Hawks hit .348 as a team and posted a 2.95 team ERA in 2004 while setting school records for stolen bases with 185 and saves with 15. The Hawks had 10 different players nationally ranked in statistical categories.    Smith, a native of Mobile, Alabama, served as an assistant coach from 1996 through 2003 at the Division I, Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA levels of competition. He began his coaching career at West Texas A&M University where he served as an assistant from 1996-1998. While in Canyon, Texas the Buffaloes earned national recognition by leading Division II in team batting, doubles, RBI's, and runs per game. After the 1998 season, Coach Smith accepted a position as the pitching coach at Lubbock Christian University. The Chaparrals posted a 52-19 record in his only season at Lubbock Christian. Smith's pitching staff included All-American Paco Escamilla, who led the nation in strikeouts per game with 14.9. The Chaps finished ranked in the top 10 nationally and had six players off that squad advance to play professional baseball. Coach Smith then accepted a coaching position with Texas Tech University where he stayed from 1999-2001. While at Tech, the Red Raiders finished 4th and 2nd in the Big XII respectively, advancing to NCAA Regional play during both campaigns and ranked 21st nationally in 2001. Coach Smith then moved to Howard College as an assistant coach and helped lead the Hawks to the NJCAA Region V Tournament in his first season.    Smith played for Fort Worth Arlington Heights High School under coach Tommy Elliot. After stops at Stephen F. Austin State and Murray State, Smith finished his playing career in 1996 with a school record .396 batting average while being named an All Lone Star Conference outfielder at West Texas A&M. During his tenure in Canyon, Smith played every position for the Buffs and set conference and school records for hits in a game with six and walks in a game with five.    Coach Smith graduated from West Texas A&M with a bachelors degree in Kinesiology in 1996 and a masters degree in Sports and Exercise Sciences in 1998. He married Wendy Morris of Tyler, Texas in July of 1999. The couple has a daughter, Bailey Nicole, who was born in January of 2003.

   Assistant Coach Tom Knickerbocker   
Coach Knickerbocker's Bio Info hasn't been updated since last season.

Coach Knickerbocker is entering his first year as an assistant coach at Howard College. Tom grew up in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he attended high school and graduated in 1993. He then moved on to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he attended and played baseball for the Eagles for two years. After being drafted in the ninth round of the 1995 baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics, he played professional baseball for the next four years. After injuries, he was released from the A's.    From there, he went back to Kirkwood and finished his degree before moving on to Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. While at Benedictine for four years, Tom started his coaching career and also finished his undergraduate studies in Psychology. The Benedictine Eagles combined for a 108-66 record with two NCAA regional appearances as well as placing nine pitchers on the NIIC All Conference team.    Coach Knickerbocker spent the 2003 summer with the Alexandria Beetles of the Northwoods League. The Beetles finished with a 33-33 mark, setting a franchise record for victories and also making the first playoff appearance in Beetles history. While in Alexandria, he had the pleasure to work with Mid-Season All Stars Jesse Ingram (Cal Berkley) and Marc Craigmile (Southwest State MN), Ingram also earned Post Season All Star status along with Chris Nicoll (Cal Irvine).

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