Smith leads McMurry to regional tourney berth
Jeremy Heath

Jeremy Heath is the Dispatch Record's sports editor. His column appears Fridays. He can be contacted via e-mail at jheath@lampasas.com.

McMurry University won its fourth American Southwest Conference baseball tournament title last week, qualifying for the NCAA Division III West Regional to be played on its home field in Abilene.

The reason? Or at least a big part of the reason?

Lampasas High School graduate Dakota Smith scattered eight singles in a complete-game, 4-1 win over Concordia-Texas on Sunday in the ASC championship game. The win upped McMurry's season record to 29-17 and secured its berth in the regional, which will be at Driggers Field May 14- 18.

Smith not only was named to the ASC All- Tournament team but also was named the tourney's most valuable player. That's what happens when a pitcher shuts down a powerful team such as Concordia-Texas. The Tornados (30-16) beat No. 6- ranked University of Texas-Tyler twice in the tournament, knocking off the Patriots and surpassing them in the regional rankings.

McMurry has a legitimate shot to win the regional tournament and advance to the NCAA D-III Tournament May 23-27 in Chute, Wisc. McMurry, which does not have a mascot, is 19-5 at Driggers Field this year.

Dakota Smith

Smith, a junior, has been one of McMurry's most reliable hurlers all season. He is 5-0 with a 3.05 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 59 innings. He is third on the team with nine games started, meaning there's a good chance he'll get to show his stuff at the regional tournament.

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While Smith is bringing some positive attention to Lampasas right now, LHS senior-to-be Heath Hopson will bring a little more next fall.

Hopson, a 6'4" front-court star, has been selected to Texas Basketball Magazine's Preseason 2008-09 All-State Team.

He helped lead the Badgers to a 19-12 record this year, averaging 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Hopson was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All Region IV-4A Team and was a unanimous All-District 25-4A selection. He was named to the all-tournament teams of all three tourneys in which the Badgers played.

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One role Hopson will try to fill next year is that of a leader. Head coach Scott Harrelson is losing a strong group of seniors to graduation.

One of those seniors, point guard Clay Tyner, will take his leadership skills to the next level. Tyner had a handful of offers to play college ball and has committed to play at Howard Payne University.

He turned down athletic scholarship offers (although he will accept several academic scholarships at HPU) to follow his heart. HPU offers degree plans that focus on Christian music, which happens to be one of Tyner's passions.

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The Lady Badger softball team had its end-of-season banquet Wednesday night (see Tuesday's Dispatch Record for photos and award winners), and I must say I can't remember an athletic banquet of any kind where I ate so well.

Ed and Kristy Strickland, who I don't know and owe no favors, cooked and served some tremendous barbecue pork loin and even some awesome pulled pork.

I'm not sure where my manners went, but I did not find the Stricklands after the event to thank them. If my parents knew I did that, they'd be as ashamed of me as I am of myself.

I hope this column space suffices. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

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Baylor University football fans are praying new head coach Art Briles is the next Grant Teaff.

Teaff won 128 games from 1972-92, and the BU program hasn't been the same since he left. For whatever reason (high academic standards are often falsely cited), none of the four coaches who have served since Teaff have been able to put together a consistent winner.

On Saturday, Briles was inducted, along with Johnny "Lam" Jones, into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.

Briles, who was an assistant at Texas Tech and Texas before turning around the program at Houston, is exactly what Baylor needs. He has a mind like a steel trap, and I was lucky enough to witness the strength of it on Saturday.

Photographer Richard Akridge and I were leaving the press conference that honored the 2008 Hall of Fame class when a voice from the open window of an SUV bellowed, "Hey, Coach!"

It was Briles, and he was addressing Akridge. Akridge had met Briles a couple of times when Akridge was the head football coach at Georgetown and Briles was an assistant under Mack Brown.

Briles and Akridge exchanged pleasantries, and I introduced myself to Briles. When he heard I was a reporter from Lampasas, the comments and questions about Jones flowed. He talked about watching the former Badger run track at several meets in the mid- 1970s and recalled Jones' times and accomplishments. He also asked about Jones' recent bout with cancer.

Basically, Briles showed why he's been handed the keys to a Big 12 football program. He has incredible recall and an outgoing, sincere personality.

That's the kind of guy who can recruit good athletes to play in Waco.