buddy bolding

Byron Bracey was a citizen leader long before it became part of Longwood's admissions literature.  Raised in a family of educators, Byron made Longwood history.  He enrolled in the second year of co-education in the fall of 1977.  Lettering three years on the men’s basketball team, he played his part as the Lancers shocked the nation with an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four.   The 1981 graduate left Longwood as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and retired 20 years later as Major Byron Bracey. 

This is a bonus episode and part two of a two-part series. As a utility player, Tim Lowery totaled 49 at bats and batted .285 over two seasons - a solid, but not spectactular career.  But for Coach Buddy Bolding and the Longwood baseball team, Lowery was more than a teammate. He was an unofficial coach with a baseball mind.   Listen to Tim talk about Longwood baseball from his recruitment to his 26-2 pitching victory, to his relationship with his teammates and Coach Bolding.  Former Lancer pitching great David Mitchell is also featured on the podcast.    

Saturday, May 15, 1982, Valdosta, Ga. marked one of the top moments in Longwood baseball.  Faced with a depleted pitching staff in the championship game of the South Atlantic Regional, Coach Buddy Bolding turned to a seldom used pitcher in relief - John DiPierdomenico.  JD pitched five innings of shut out ball to earn a 3-1 win over Valdosta State and a berth in NCAA DII CWS.  Catcher Doug Toombs joins JD to re-live one of Longwood’s greatest and improbable team accomplishments. 

Michael Tucker takes a deep dive into his major league career in the second of a two-part episode.  Tucker played 12 years in MLB with seven teams.   From Bobby Cox to Barry Bonds to the man they simply called Junior (Ken Griffey, Jr.) Tucker shares his stories from playing with baseball’s best. 

In this first of a two-part episode, Michael Tucker talks about teaching aspiring big leaguers, developing his game at Longwood, and balling with Michael Jordan in the Arizona Fall League.  In 1992, Tucker earned NCAA DII Player of the Year and was the DH on the Olympic Baseball team.  He capped off the year as a first-round selection by Kansas City in the MLB Draft (10^th overall).