A S P E C I A L S E C T I O N B Y T H E L E B A N O N D E M O C R A T F R I D A Y , J U N E 2 7 , 2 0 1 4

A SEASON
TO REMEMBER
A look back at Cumberland Universitys road to a national championship
Photo courtesy of Steve Hanks
Cumberland University
baseball team members
and head coach Woody
Hunt celebrate an NAIA
national championship
afer defeating Lewis-
Clark State in Lewiston,
Idaho.
77109_UMC_Oops_10_25x11_25c.indd 1 5/5/14 3:26 PM
Cumberland University Bulldogs 3 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
Congratulates
Cumberland University
Coach Woody Hunt
and Baseball Team
2014 NAIA
National Champions!
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By Andy Reed
areed@lebanondemocrat.com
Cumberland entered the 2014 season
coming off a 41-19-1 campaign in 13.
That was on the heels of a 32-26 mark
in 12, one of the worst marks of Hall of
Fame coach Woody Hunts career.
Last year we had injuries to Sam
[Lind] and Ricky Coleman was ruled not
eligible, Hunt said. [Catcher] Bryan
Haney was out most of the year too.
Them coming back in 14 and the
recruiting we had, I thought we had a
chance to get back to Lewiston [World
Series]. But to win it is another question.
Then we had injuries throughout the
year.
Cumberland was also counting on ju-
nior-college pitcher Jhon Peralta, who was
here in the fall. But visa issues kept him
from returning to campus from his native
Dominican Republic following Christmas
break until well after classes started, keep-
ing him from playing in 2014.
Left-hander Marc Monroe went down
following a 3-0 start. Kevin T. Greene
broke his hand and right-hander Stevie
Smith lost three to four weeks with a bad
shoulder.
That one time in March, I thought it
would be a stretch for us to get back to
Lewiston, said Hunt, whose team had last
got to Idaho in 2010. We started to put it
together in April. And then we thought we
had a pretty good team and I remember
telling the players in the conference tour-
nament Fellas, we have ended up into a
pretty good ballclub and we might be able
to do some things if we keep this up.
But to win a national championship
Showing the tenacity of a bulldog
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Stevie Smith raises his fst in triumph over Chris Halls only home run of the season, in the home
fnale against Bryan.
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Leo Sierra (lef) signals Cumberland is No. 1 as he, Jackson White, Jarrett Plunkett and Kevin P. Greene tour Lebanon on the victory parade.
was a far-fetched thought at that time. We
were just hoping to get back to Lewiston.
The 2010 team was probably the most
dominant in Cumberland history with
just one two-game losing streak. The 14
team only had a pair of two-game slides.
But these Bulldogs couldnt put together a
SEE TENACITY ON PAGE 9
Cumberland University Bulldogs 4 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
No. Name Pos. Cl. B-T Hometown
1 Zach Cole IF SO R-R Murfreesboro
2 Ryan Simmons IF JR R-R St. Louis, Mo.
4 Josciel Veras IF SR R-R Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
5 Tyler Anderson IF SR R-R Cocoa, Fla.
7 Chris Hall OF r-SO L-R Lebanon
9 Will Henderson OF/IF r-SR R-R Rutherfordton, N.C.
10 Tyler Alford C JR R-R Knoxville
11 Jake Collier RHP SR R-R Bellevue, Wash.
13 Richie Seaton OF SR L-R Scarborough, Ontario
14 Sam Lind IF r-SR L-R Hartford, S.D.
15 Dakota Byrd IF r-SO L-L Mt. Juliet
16 Clint Meadows RHP JR R-R Springfeld
17 Jackson White LHP r-FR L-L Carmel, Ind.
18 Bryan Harvey C SR R-R Bakersfeld, Calif.
19 Timothy Smith OF r-SO R-R Nashville
20 Kevin P. Greene RHP SR R-R Port St. Lucie, Fla.
21 Kevin T. Greene LHP SR L-L Knoxville
22 Leo Sierra RHP r-SR R-R Sahuarita, Ariz.
23 Ricky Coleman OF/IF r-SR R-R Nashville
24 Justin Byrd OF JR L-R Rockwall, Texas
25 Kyle Allen C FR R-R Marietta, Ga.
26 Austin Williams RHP r-SO R-R Huntland
27 Anthony Gomez LHP SR L-L Norwalk, Calif.
28 Yudel Molina IF r-SO R-R Smyrna
29 Jarrett Plunkett IF r-SO R-R Clarksville
30 Andrew Woodfn RHP FR R-R Cross Plains
31 Stevie Smith RHP JR R-R Charlotte
32 Andrew Byrd RHP FR R-R Rockwall, Texas
33 Marc Monroe LHP JR L-L Bradenton, Fla.
34 Brady North IF SR L-L Tampa, Fla.
35 Brett Cox LHP r-SO L-L Louisville, Ky.
36 Matthew Sedgwick RHP r-SR R-R Mt. Juliet
37 Drew Chester RHP r-SO R-R Mt. Juliet
38 Dylan Lannom RHP r-FR R-R Mt. Juliet
40 Jackson Yates RHP r-SO R-R Gulf Breeze, Fla.
41 Jacob McCollom IF r-FR L-L Gallatin
44 Garrett Treadwell RHP SO R-R San Carlos, Calif.
55 Dent Burger RHP SO R-R Lebanon
HEAD COACH
Woody Hunt, 33rd season [Belmont, 1980]
ASSISTANT COACHES
Kevin Hite, 14th season [Cumberland, 1996]
Ryan Hunt, 12th season [Cumberland, 2003]
Robert Clayton, third season [Cumberland, 2010]
Chris Schrock, ffh season [Cumberland, 1999]
Nick Conley, frst season [student assistant]
2014 Cumberland Bulldogs
Andy Reed Lebanon Democrat
Chris Hall rounds second headed for third in a Cumberland
regular-season outing.
Andy Reed Lebanon Democrat
Cumberlands Anthony Gomez lets go of a pitch during a regu-
lar-season home game.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 5 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
Date Opponent Location Result
Feb. 7 Auburn Montgomery Montgomery, Ala. W, 7-1; L, 2-1
Feb. 8 Missouri Baptist Montgomery, Ala. W, 5-4
Feb. 8 Faulkner Montgomery, Ala. L, 7-4
Feb. 14 Taylor Lebanon W, 15-5 [7 innings]
Feb. 15 Taylor Lebanon W, 6-1; W, 8-2
Feb. 18 Georgia Gwinnett Lawrenceville, Ga. L, 8-5
Feb. 21 West Virginia Tech Lebanon W, 15-7
Feb. 22 West Virginia Tech Lebanon W, 6-5; W, 15-1
Feb. 25 Freed-Hardeman Lebanon W, 14-9; L, 5-1
Feb. 28 *Georgetown Georgetown, Ky. W, 6-5
March 1 *Georgetown Georgetown, Ky. L, 5-4; W, 7-1
March 5 Mid-Continent Lebanon W, 10-0; W, 4-0
March 7 *Shawnee State Lebanon L, 2-1
March 8 *Shawnee State Lebanon W, 5-4 [12 in.]; L, 9-5
March 10 Ava Maria Daytona Beach, Fla. W, 6-2
March 11 Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach, Fla. L, 6-3 [9 in.]; L, 5-4
March 12 Clarke Daytona Beach, Fla. W, 9-4
March 14 *St. Catharine St. Catharine, Ky. L, 7-6
March 15 *St. Catharine St. Catharine, Ky. W, 11-7; L, 7-4
March 17 Embry-Riddle Lebanon W, 4-0
March 18 Embry-Riddle Lebanon L, 2-0
March 19 Oklahoma Wesleyan Lebanon W, 10-5
March 21 *Campbellsville Lebanon W, 15-5
March 22 *Campbellsville Lebanon L, 10-3; W, 9-0
March 25 Tennessee Wesleyan Athens W, 14-8 [14 in.]
March 30 *Lindsey Wilson Columbia, Ky. W, 5-3 [10 in.]; L, 8-4
April 1 Bethel Lebanon W, 17-5 [8 innings]
April 4 *Cumberlands Lebanon W, 11-7
April 5 *Cumberlands Lebanon W, 3-0; L, 4-2
April 8 Georgia Gwinnett Lebanon L, 5-3
April 11 *Pikeville Lebanon W, 5-2
April 12 *Pikeville Lebanon W, 6-1; W, 18-3
April 16 Tennessee Wesleyan Lebanon W, 7-6
April 18 *Bluefeld Bluefeld, Va. L, 6-5 [12 innings]
April 19 *Bluefeld Bluefeld, Va. W, 12-1 [8 in.], W, 4-2
April 25 *Rio Grande Lebanon W, 11-3
April 26 *Rio Grande Lebanon W, 7-6; W, 8-7
April 30 Bryan Lebanon W, 12-7
Mid-South Conference tournament
May 4 Lindsey Wilson Columbia, Ky. W, 10-7
May 5 St. Catharine Columbia, Ky. W, 12-0
May 6 Georgetown Columbia, Ky. W, 3-2 [10 in.]
May 7 Georgetown Columbia, Ky. L, 5-3; W, 10-8 [10 in.]
NAIA Championship Opening Round
May 12 Brewton-Parker Kingsport W, 8-3
May 12 Missouri Baptist Kingsport L, 5-2
May 14 Bryan Kingsport W, 8-1
May 14 Missouri Baptist Kingsport W, 6-4
May 15 Missouri Baptist Kingsport W, 6-3
NAIA World Series
May 23 San Diego Christian Lewiston, Idaho W, 10-1
May 24 Lewis-Clark State Lewiston, Idaho W, 6-1
May 26 Oklahoma Wesleyan Lewiston, Idaho W, 8-7
May 27 Oklahoma Baptist Lewiston, Idaho W, 13-5
May 28 Lewis-Clark State Lewiston, Idaho L, 6-5
May 30 Lewis-Clark State Lewiston, Idaho W, 3-0
*Mid-South Conference game
2014 Cumberland Results
Andy Reed The Lebanon Demiocrat
A smiling Woody Hunt and his Bulldogs listen to local dignitaries sing their praises during the
ceremony at Ernest L. Stockton Field following the championship parade.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 6 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
IMAGES FROM CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITYS
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Justin Byrd [24] is congratulated by Tyler Anderson [5] and Ricky Coleman afer hitting a grand
slam in the home fnale against Bryan. At lef is Josciel Veras [4].
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Pitcher Jake Collier peers in toward the catcher for the sign.
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Third baseman Tyler Anderson tries to beat a Shawnee State runner back to the bag.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 7 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
2014 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
Ned Jilton II Kingsport Times News
Brady North records a putout at frst base during the NAIA Championships Opening round against Brewton-Parker in Kingsport.
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
Catcher Bryan Haney looks to throw to third base.
Kyle Mills Lewisotn Tribune
Shortstop Tyler Anderson turns a double play during the NAIA
World Series.
Kyle Mills Lewiston Tribune
Catcher Bryan Haney felds a Lewis-Clark State bunt in front of the plate on a play which resulted in the host Warriors edging
the Bulldogs 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning in the NAIA World Series.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 8 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
Record: 49-20 Home: 26-7 Away: 9-11 Neutral: 14-2 Mid-South Conference: 17-9
HITTING
Player Avg. GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB-ATT
Sam Lind .404 69-69 270 64 109 17 3 16 91 11-15
Chris Hall .392 68-67 240 75 94 11 3 1 38 12-16
Ricky Coleman .381 69-69 260 76 99 24 0 4 58 11-11
Justin Byrd .328 69-69 250 64 82 10 5 6 35 18-25
Tyler Anderson .304 65-64 237 31 72 14 1 1 44 2-2
Josciel Veras .299 58-57 197 37 59 13 0 4 39 5-8
Brady North .283 69-69 244 40 69 14 0 12 59 0-0
Richie Seaton .272 66-63 213 40 58 7 0 0 34 7-9
Will Henderson .211 35-21 90 10 19 2 1 1 6 3-4
Bryan Haney .211 42-36 109 4 23 6 0 1 16 0-0
Tyler Alford .164 42-33 110 1 18 5 0 1 16 0-0
TEAM .315 69-69 2,258 495 711 125 13 48 442 70-91
PITCHING
Player ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP BB SO
Jake Collier 1.62 9-3 19 13 9 3/0 1 111.1 36 72
Anthony Gomez 2.28 7-4 19 17 6 2/0 0 118.1 30 113
Marc Monroe 2.35 3-0 4 3 0 0/1 0 23.0 2 17
Clint Meadows 4.14 8-4 16 13 3 0/0 0 78.1 33 30
Kevin T. Greene 4.25 5-4 14 6 0 0/0 0 53.0 17 29
Kevin P. Greene 4.29 9-2 20 12 3 0/0 0 84.0 37 43
Stevie Smith 4.39 6-1 16 3 1 1/0 1 41.0 13 32
TEAM 3.25 49-20 69 69 22 7/1 3 569.2 198 367
2014 Cumberland Statistics
Jared Felkins Lebanon Democrat
Cumberland players, head coach Woody Hunt (right) and university president Harvill Eaton ride atop a fre engine during a parade in honor of the Bulldogs 2014 national championship.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 9 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
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long winning streak together as they built
a 23-14 mark through the end of March.
Thats not bad for most teams. But the
NAIA raters, who had Cumberland ranked
10th in the preseason, had dropped the
Bulldogs completely out of the top-25 poll
when regular-season rankings began in
late March.
We always responded after a loss,
Hunt said. But we could never put to-
gether a big streak like the 10 team did.
We were always looking for that eight-to-
10-game win streak, then make it a 14-15-
game win streak, which we usually got.
We never did have that. We kept slipping
up.
But if injuries kept the Bulldogs from
blasting off, another proved to be the
mother of invention as Hunt found the
right combination.
Josciel Veras had a good year at second
base in 2013 while Lind missed the sea-
son with an injury. But with Lind back in
13, Hunt moved Veras to shortstop. He
struggled at the position, hurting the pitch-
to-contact staff.
But when Veras went down with a
shoulder injury in mid-March, Hunt slid
Tyler Anderson, a Gold Glove performer
at third base in 13, over to short and
moved former Lipscomb player Coleman
from center eld to third base, the ineld
defense solidied.
With better defense, the pitching im-
proved. With improved pitching, the
chemistry turned into a winning formula.
Veras returned following a three-week
absence and put his bat to use as the desig-
nated hitter.
We were not a good defensive team
early in the year, Hunt said.
In the outeld, Justin Byrd took over in
center eld. Chris Hall, a former Friend-
ship Christian star who was named Mid-
South Conference Freshman of the Year
in 13 playing center, moved to left. Hunt
wanted Richie Seaton to play left, but the
senior from Ontario was more comfort-
able in right.
We moved them quite a bit in the rst
part of the year, Hunt said. We had
three [center elders] when Richie was
playing out there.
Hunt and longtime pitching coach
Kevin Hite also spent the rst eight weeks
of the season trying to settle on the three-
man pitching rotation for the weekend
conference series.
It ended up being left-hander Anthony
Gomez and right-handers Jake Collier and
Smith. Clint Meadows struggled in the ro-
tation early in March. Kevin P. Greene got
several key starts as well.
We mixed it up the whole year, Hunt
said.
Cumberland won the rst three games
in April, took 2 of 3 from the Cumber-
lands the rst weekend. A week later, the
Bulldogs swept Pikeville in a three-game
set at Woody Hunt Stadium/Ernest L.
Stockton Field, a stretch Hunt said was
probably the start of the run which saw
CU win 11 of its last 12 to close the regu-
lar season.
When we got to tournament play, we
knew what we had to do, said Hunt, who
gured the Bulldogs needed to win two
games in the Mid-South Conference tour-
nament at Lindsey Wilson just to draw an
at-large berth to the NAIA Championship
Opening Round. It was about survival.
Our guys just buckled down and played
hard and refused to lose.
After winning the rst three games to
extend their winning streak to a season-
high nine games, the Bulldogs bounced
back from a loss to Georgetown to beat
the Tigers in 10 innings to capture the
championship and an automatic berth to
the Opening Round.
Missouri Baptist was the top seed in the
Kingsport pod of the Opening Round. The
Bulldogs overcame a second-round loss
to the Spartans to beat them twice in the
nals and punch their 12th ticket to the
NAIA World Series.
Very good team, one of the best teams
in the country, Hunt said of the Spartans.
They could have done some damage in
the World Series.
No other pod had an upset. The 10-team
World Series featured eight No. 1 seeds,
host Lewis-Clark State and Cumberland,
which returned to the nal NAIA poll of
the season at No. 23. Putting the Bulldogs
as the No. 10 seed was an easy call for
tournament ofcials.
We liked that, Hunt said. We liked
the challenge of showing people we were
better than that and we did. People knew
after the rst game [a 10-1 trouncing of
San Diego Christian] we were not a true
No. 10 seed because we were playing
good at that time.
Playing without the favorites pressure,
the Bulldogs spent the next week ipping
the seedings,
Gomez beat Lewis-Clark 6-1 in Cum-
berlands second game. The Bulldogs
edged Oklahoma Wesleyan 8-7 in a wild
game which featured a big base-running
blunder by the Eagles.
The next night, extra innings in an
earlier game and two lightning delays in
excess of two hours kept the Bulldogs
playing into the wee hours in the Pa-
cic Time Zone. A game which might
have normally ended around midnight in
Lebanon didnt conclude until after 3 a.m.
In Lewiston, a few fans hung around Har-
ris Field to see the Dawgs congratulate
themselves for a 13-5 win over Oklahoma
Baptist after 1 a.m.
We were relaxed and our guys did not
want to lose, Hunt said. We had some
good breaks. That base-running play from
Oklahoma Wesleyan was one of them.
One win from the championship,
Cumberland led host Lewis-Clark State
until the Warriors scored late and walked
off with a 6-5 win in front of a packed
house of mostly home folks, many of
whom were probably also on hand for
L-Cs dramatic extra-inning win over CU
in the 2006 championship game.
Thus, the two teams hooked up again in
a one-game-take-all nal on Friday, May
30.
Hunt didnt really want to do it, but he
sent Gomez back to the mound, giving
the Warriors a second look at the lefty. It
didnt help the home team as Gomez did
the same thing as fellow Norwalk, Calif.,
native Eddie Ortega did 10 years ago go
the distance in pitching Cumberland to a
national championship.
The 04 championship began a run of
six World Series appearances, four nals
berths and three championships in the last
11 seasons.
The last decade, not to be boastful,
nobody has come close to us, Hunt said.
Its been an unbelievable run.
If the 2010 team was loaded and the 04
team was a mixture of grit and talent, the
14 squad may best exemplify the attri-
butes of the schools sports mascot.
We always got off the mat after a
loss, Hunt said. We had a desire to win.
We had strong unity. We were a grinding,
never-give-up team. We never gave up.
Somebody got a lead, we would come
back. Everything was hard for us.
TENACITY FROM PAGE 3
Jared Felkins Lebanon Democrat
A Cumberland player signs an autograph for a
fan during a celebration in the teams honor.
Cumberland University Bulldogs 10 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
C
umberland began the 2014 base-
ball season without its most loyal
fan.
And when the Bulldogs re-
turned home following their third na-
tional championship, Louis Paytons
absence was notable.
Hed have been at the airport wait-
ing for us, and waiting for his t-shirt,
Cumberland coach said of Louie, a
campus institution for years who died in
January at age 62. He would have gotten
the attention, too.
We were ying into Nashville. I
thought about Louie and said, Well, he
wont be there this trip. So we still miss
him.
He was always at the airport, wanting
his t-shirt. Hed want to be right in there
with us. He was a special guy for our pro-
gram. We still miss him.
This team didnt know him as much
as last years team. We still had some
holdovers from last years team who
knew him. All the other teams knew
him.
Big Lou, as he was affectionately
known, was as familiar a sight on the
Cumberland campus as the Memorial
Hall clock tower. He was at practically
every sporting event
on campus. If he
could get a ride, he
would be at Lebanon
High games as well.
A onetime carrier for
The Lebanon Demo-
crat, he would go
anywhere there was a
game if he could get
a ride.
Hunt took him on
some road trips, too,
including one to Auburn in 1986 where
he met Bo Jackson. When the coach
needed someone to throw the ceremonial
rst pitch [opening day, Senior Day], Lou
was always willing and able. He even
owned an honorary degree from CU.
When Lou passed away, Hunt, who
eulogized Mr. Payton at his funeral, had
him memorialized on patches on some of
the uniforms.
That didnt go unnoticed in Lewiston,
Idaho, where the Lewiston Tribune did a
story.
Perhaps it was tting the home of the
NAIA World Series is called [Lewis]ton.
Louie was missed in Lewiston
Sports Editor
Saturday Morning QB
Andy Reed
Democrat File Photo
Lewis Peyton will be forever remembered for his love of Cumberland athletics.
SEE REED ON PAGE 11
Cumberland University Bulldogs 11 2014 NAIA Baseball Champions
And the school Cumberland had to beat
in the nal game is Lewis-Clark State.
The Bulldogs were decked out in the
Louie jerseys for that game.
I wanted to wear that uniform, Hunt
said. Part of the reason is Louie is on the
sleeve. Maybe there was something to the
story about Louie, maybe he was guiding
us through the night [a 3-0 victory].
It seemed like it was for Louis, even
though we didnt say that.
Since Louie wouldnt have been in
Lewiston, he would have been glued to
the radio.
He would have been listening as much
as he could, Hunt said.
Hes a special guy and his spirit is still
with us.
Andy Reed is The Democrats sports
editor. Email him at areed@lebanon-
democrat.com or follow him on Twitter
@wilsoncosports.
REED FROM PAGE 10
Andy Reed The Lebanon Democrat
With Cumberland president Harvill Eaton (lef) riding shotgun, coach Woody Hunt gives the thumbs-up sign to well-wishers behind the lef-feld fence of Ernest L. Stockton Field as the champion-
ship parade returns to campus along South Tarver Avenue.
MtJulietNews.com
Lebanon Publishing Company
Congratulations Cumberland University Baseball