USC Salkehatchie's Santana signs

USC Salkehatchie's Carlos Santana has signed to play at Tusculum. Also, the school has posted several pictures from fall workouts.

USCS

News Digest, November 25

USC Lancaster has new Web site
I've updated USC Lancaster's link at right to reflect the school's new athletics Web site. Here it is, also.

USCL

Ex-Chant honored
Former Coastal Carolina standout David Sappelt was named the most valuable player of the Arizona Fall League.

Sappelt

Spartans come south again
Michigan State will play three games at Fluor Field in Greenville to open its 2010 season. The opponents are Clemson, Furman and Miami (Ohio).

Spartans

Penn State comes to Rock Hill
Penn State has announced its 2010 schedule, which includes an appearance in the Coca-Cola Classic in Rock Hill.

Nittany Lions

News Digest, November 24

Erskine provides update
I somehow missed this fall update posted last week by Erskine.

Erskine

Schedule quest almost complete
With the recent release of schedules by The Citadel and USC Upstate, the only state schedules I still need are Benedict, Florence-Darlington Tech, Newberry and Morris, if it has a team. I'm well over halfway through typing the schedules into the calendar at the bottom of this page.

USC Lancaster players help
USC Lancaster's baseball team recently helped with the Lancaster Dream Team program, a program similar to Miracle Leagues elsewhere.

USCL

News Digest, November 23

Spartans release schedule
USC Upstate has announced its 2010 schedule. Included are 11 games against other state teams.

USCU

A's sign McPherson
Dallas McPherson, a former standout at The Citadel, has agreed to a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics and will be invited to their major league camp in spring training.

McPherson

Giants add Pucetas
Former Limestone pitcher Kevin Pucetas has been placed on the San Francisco Giants' 40-man major league roster.

Pucetas

Buccaneers announce signees
Charleston Southern has announced its 2009 early signees for 2011. Three of the six players are from South Carolina.

CSU

So, should Clemson, Coastal or USC fans be nervous?

Should the news of the unanticipated resignation of Arizona State coach Pat Murphy cause you to squirm a little if you are a fan of Clemson, Coastal Carolina or South Carolina?

The Sun Devils program is rich in tradition. The school's athletic director said a national search for a replacement is planned.

I'm not suggesting Coastal's Gary Gilmore, Clemson's Jack Leggett or USC's Ray Tanner is going to apply for the job, or that they would even have interest if contacted.

But, all three are young enough that it would be reasonable to assume they'd have at least another decade of coaching left, something any school hoping to fill any vacancy would likely want.

I have no idea how the compensation package compares for ASU vs. the three schools I've mentioned. It would be easy to speculate that Coastal's position might not match up as well, but money usually isn't the only factor.

And what of off-field issues, like family matters, prospects for advancement at the current school vs. at ASU and learning a new recruiting base (not likely a serious issue - happens often)?

I have no inside knowledge, and I'm not trying to be an alarmist. It's just reasonable to assume that a national search might result in the names Gilmore, Leggett and Tanner showing up.

For our state's sake, let's hope that's as far as it goes.