04/08/05 – T.J. Ill, JMU Sports Management Intern

Greetings Turks fans. My name is T.J. Ill and I’m interning with the Harrisonburg Turks until May when I graduate from James Madison University. Until then I’ll be giving you the lowdown on what your Harrisonburg Turks are doing in their respective college seasons, so keep checking back here each Monday and Friday for the latest news. Without further ado, here is the inaugural Turks update… Tony Thomas Jr. (FSU) collected three hits in a win over Jacksonville on Wednesday, one of which was his first collegiate HR. The freshman second baseman has been on a tear recently with 12 hits in his last 11 games. Thomas leads the Seminoles in runs (15) and triples (2), while ranking among ACC leaders in triples and on-base percentage. Joe Meador (VCU) was one of the few bright spots for the Rams in a loss to Virginia Tech on Tuesday, going 4-6 with three runs and two RBIs. Meador is second in the CAA with 34 runs, fourth in batting average with .404, and fourth in slugging percentage with a mark of .707. Eric Fussell (SJC) notched his third win on Saturday against Oakland City. In his complete game, the 6’5” right-hander struck out eight, walked one, and gave up an earned run off six hits. Fussell has a 1.54 ERA with 32 strikeouts and just three walks in 35 innings of work this season. Clay Kovac (ISU) posted a win on Friday against conference rival Northern Iowa. The reliever threw 9.1 innings this week, giving up four earned runs off three hits while fanning eight batters. Josh Richardson (IU) hit .579, scored five runs, and knocked in four runs in five games for the Hoosiers. The solid week raised his average to .324 with 17 runs and 22 hits on the season. Ryan Parker (IU) drove in his 32nd run of the season on Wednesday, good enough for second in the Big Ten Conference. His 10 putouts against state rival Indiana St. brings his season total to 232, tops in the Big Ten. Reggie Watson (IU) collected his 44th hit of the season, landing him second in the Big Ten in that category. The speedy center fielder also stole a base in four of his last five games bringing him to nine on the season.