2007 Season Archives
2007 Team
2007 Schedule
2007 Stats
2007 Photos
2007 Season Top Stories:
2008 Niceville Eagles, 22-5, (10-2 District)
Ranked 19th in Nation during the season
June 17, Jimmy Nelson and Austin Wood on All-State Team.
The Florida Sports Writers Association published the All-State Team
today and Niceville's Senior and Junior Aces were both named Honorable Mention. Click here for the complete list.
June 14, 7 Seniors going on to play College Baseball
Seven 2007 seniors signed to play college baseball.
Seated:
Kyle Ely, Marion Military Institute
Standing, left to right:
Tyler Hastings, University of West Florida
Jimmy Neslon, University of Alabama
Michael Cunningham, University of West Florida
Jeremy Thedford, Marion Military Institute
Chris Russano, Wallace Community College
Jimmy Boswell, University of West Florida
June 14, Kyle Ely signs to play college baseball. Niceville High School senior 2nd baseman and co-defensive player of the year Kyle Ely signed with Marion Military Institute to play baseball at the next level. Congratulations to Kyle on achieving his desire to continue his baseball career. Kyle's signing brings the total number of seniors playing college ball to 7.
June 8th, Niceville aces Nelson and Chaffee selected in MLB First-Year Players draft. Jimmy Nelson (2007 grad, signed to University of ALabama) was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 39th round as the 1,178th overall pick. Ryan Chaffee (2006 grad, fresh off of pitching the Chipola Indians to a JUCO National Championship) was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 43rd round as the 1,283rd overall pick. See complete draft news at MLB.com draft tracker.
2 June , Niceville grad Ryan Chaffee wins JUCO World Series Championship game on the mound for Chipola.
See story at GJSentinel.com
See Schedule and Previous Results
See Bracket for JUCO World Series Results
May 27th, Congratulations to the following Niceville baseball players who were named to the Daily News All-Area Baseball Team:
Pitcher - Jimmy Nelson named Baseball Player of the Year!
Pitcher - Austin Wood
Infield - Michael Cunningham
Infield - Josh McDorman
Outfield - Matt Herndon
Designated Hitter - Tyler Hastings
Honorable Mention: Chris Russano, Kyle Ely, Danny Collins, and Jimmy Boswell
May 17th, Congratulations to this year's NHS Baseball Award winners. At the end of season Awards Banquet, Coach Berry handed out awards to the following players:
Pitching: Jimmy Nelson
Batting: Matt Herndon
Defense: Kyle Ely & Chris Russano
Most Improved: Austin Wood
Triple A Award (Academic): Josh McDorman
Golden Eagle (Coach Berry's special recognition): Jeff Boyer, Patrick Horrell, and Aaron Milligan
Great job by these deserving players, and thanks again to all of the Eagle players and coaches for a year we'll never forget!
Ranked 19th in the Nation by USA Today.
Ranked 1 or 2 in the State for almost the whole year.
May 8, Three more Eagles sign to play college ball! Jeremy Thedford, Chris Russano, and Tyler Hastings (front row, left to right) signed papers today to play baseball at the next level. Jeremy Thedford will play ball at Marion Military Institute in Marion, AL; Chris Russano will play his college ball with George C. Wallace Community College in Dothan, AL; and Tyler Hastings will be playing with the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. Hosting the ceremonies were (from left to right), Athletic Director John Hicks, Head Baseball Coach Kevin Berry, and Assistant Coaches Joe Nedoroscik and Dax Norris.
8 May, Niceville grad Ryan Chaffee will play in the Junior College World Series. Chaffee and the Panhandle Conference Champion Chipola squad won the state championship game 12-2 over Central Florida on Tuesday. Chaffee pitched a complete game win earlier in the tournament, beating Palm Beach. Chaffee struck out 8, allowing 3 hits in the 6-4 win. The JUCO World Series will begin May 26th in Grand Junction, CO.
1 May, Niceville finishes season 22-5, with loss to Lincoln in Regional Quarterfinal matchup. The Eagle players and coaches gave their fans many good memories this season: a national ranking, being ranked first or second in the state for much of the year, and some great victories along the way. In the season finale, senior Jimmy Nelson (8-2) took the mound for Niceville and started strongly, going through the first 3 batters in order. In the 2nd inning Lincoln dug a deep hole for Niceville by putting 6 runs in the book. Nelson continued to battle but was relieved in the 4th inning, pitching 3+ innings, with 4 Ks, 4 BBs, 2 HBP, 4 Hits, and 8 Runs. Josh McDorman (5-0) took over the mound with runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs and did a good job to get out of the inning allowing only 2 runs to get in (charged to Nelson). Lincoln staged another rally in the 6th inning pushing 4 more runs over the plate. McDorman pitched 3 innings, with 3 Ks, 4 BBs, 3 HBP, 5 Hits, and 4 Runs.
The Eagles hitters started the game looking like they were going to pull out to an early lead. Michael Cunningham singled the first pitch of the game through the hole between short and 3rd and Matt Herndon followed up with another single through the same hole for 2 on with no outs. At that point, the Lincoln pitcher settled down and then retired the next three batters. The Eagles 3 runs came in the 6th inning when Danny Collins walked, Kyle Ely singled, Austin Wood doubled in 2 runs, Russano walked, and Wood scored on a throwing error by Lincoln as Russano stole 2nd base. Other Eagle hits were another Herndon single, a Collins double, and a McDorman single.
April 27, Eagles come up short in District Championship Game Niceville lost tonights game to Pace, 0-3. The Eagle bats could only generate two hits tonight: a single by Josh McDorman in the bottom of the 4th inning, and a single by Michael Cunningham in the bottom of the 7th inning. Austin Wood (7-2) had an excellent outing tonight, coming out to the mound with some of his best stuff of the year. He kept Pace off the bases for the first 3 innings, striking out the side in the 3rd. In the 4th, Pace managed one run and in the 6th they added two more on a single and a home run. Wood finished with 8 Strike outs and only 1 BB (an intentional walk), allowing 6 hits. The Eagles were perfect defensively, thanks in part to some terrific play on first base by Danny Collins. In the 6th inning, Chris Russano made a beautiful diving stop of a grounder behind 3rd base, jumped up, and gunned down the base runner with an accurate across diamond bullet.
The Eagles will travel to Tallahassee on Tuesday, May 1st, to play Lincoln HS in the quarterfinals of the regional tournament.
April 25, Eagles ranked 20th in nation. USA Today updated the Nations Super 25 high school baseball team rankings today.
April 25, Eagles defeat Tate 4-2, Niceville will face Pace for District Championship Thursday night at 7:00pm. Nelson (8-1) pitched a complete game tonight allowing only 4 hits while notching 8Ks, 1BB, and 1 HBP. Chris Russano came up big for the Eagles tonight in the field and and with the bat. Russano had 4 assists at 3B and hit a 2RBI single in the 6th inning to give the Eagles the lead. Collins had the only other hit of the night for Niceville. Niceville's first run came in the 4th inning when Hastings reached 2nd on a dropped 3rd strike and a error by the Tate first baseman. Carver came in to pinch run and moved to 3rd on a deep fly ball by McDorman. Collins walked and then allowed Carver to score by getting in a run down at 2nd on an attempted steal. In the 5th inning Russano walked, advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch, and came home on the same play as the catcher's throw to 3rd went into left field. The Eagles will move on to Regional play!
April 24, Eagles will play Tate Wednesday night at 7:00pm Tate defeats Choctaw in bottom of 7th inning, 7-6. . Pace will play Crestview Wednesday at 4:00pm after the Bulldogs edged the Vikings on Tuesday 2-1.
Tune in to WFSH AM 1340 for live radio broadcasts of the District 1 5A Tournament games this week. Friends and family out of state can tune in to the game broadcasts via the internet.
April 20, Niceville Eagles finish the regular season 21-3, Eagles lose 5-9 to Chiles. In the first two innings, Wood (6-1) and the Eagles gave up 5 runs on only 1 hit. 4 Walks, 1 HBP, and 2 defensive errors accounted for the scoring. In the 3rd inning Wood struck out 3 of the 4 hitters he faced. Wood finished with 4Ks, 5BBs, 1HBP, and 5 runs on 1 hit allowed. Nelson (7-0) took the mound to start the 4th inning. Nelson gave up 4 runs in the inning after loading the bases with 2 walks and a hit by pitch. A double play (Cunningham to Ely to McDorman) helped to shut down the Chiles threat but not before another defensive error and 2 hits allowed the runs. Nelson came back strong in the 5th and 6th innings striking out 3 of the 7 batters he faced. Nelson finished the game with 3 Ks, 2BBs, 1 HBP, and 3 hits allowed. The Eagles offense managed only 1 hit, a McDorman single, in the first 3 innings. In the top of the 4th, Horrell led off with a single and after stealing 2nd he scored on a throwing error by the Chiles 3rd baseman. In the 5th inning the Eagles mounted a rally with a Collins lead off single and a Cunningham double. Milligan reached safely and moved to 2nd on a throwing error by Chiles which scored Collins and Cunningham. Thedford walked pinch hitting for Horrell (Horrell re-entered to run), and a double steal play by Milligan and Horrell, followed by a Herndon walk, loaded the bases. Hastings picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice play and McDorman singled, driving in the final Eagle run of the game. Herndon and Hastings added singles in the 7th inning to close out the hitting for the Eagles.
April 15, Nationally ranked Eagles win coin toss over Pace for #1 seed in District. With identical records and run differentials, the top seed decision came down to a coin toss this weekend. The seeding for the District Tournament is: 1-Niceville, 2-Pace, 3-Crestview, 4-Tate, 5-Choctaw, 6-Fort Walton Beach. Niceville and Pace have a bye in the first round on Tuesday as the Bulldogs take on the Vikings, and the Indians play the Patriots. On Wednesday, the Eagles will meet the winner of the Choctaw / Tate game to advance to the championship game on Thursday night.
April 13, Austin Wood notched his 6th win of the season as the Eagles beat the Indians 13-2 at Choctaw. Wood racked up 12 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, with 3 Base on Balls, and only 2 hits allowed. Thedford came on to record the final strikeout of the Eagles last regular season district game. In the top of the 4th, Russano and McDorman singled, followed by a Wells walk to load the bases. An RBI walk by Ely, an RBI single by Collins, and an RBI walk by Cunningham gave the Eagles the lead. The score stayed 3-2 until the top of the 7th inning when Niceville exploded for 10 runs. McDorman and Wells walked and advanced on a passed ball, then scored on Ely's at bat as a fielder's choice attempted play at the plate got by the catcher. Ely stole 2nd, then Collins reached on an error, and Ely scored. Carver walked and Hastings hit an opposite field homerun (5th HR of the season) to score 3 more runs. Herndon reached on an error, and two walks to Russano and McDorman loaded the bases. Kimbrell then clubbed his 2nd Grand Slam HR of the year high over the left field wall for the final Eagle runs. Balkcom singled, and Clements walked before the Indians were able to close out the inning.
April 12, Niceville Eagles named one of the top 20 teams (19th) in the nation by USA Today!! Pace ranked 18th.
April 12, Jimmy Nelson picked up his 7th win of the season, 3-0, over the Tate Patriots. Nelson was in great form tonight, pitching a complete game shutout and notching 12 Ks with 2 walks and allowing only 1 hit. The Eagle offense started off strong in the first inning with a leadoff single by Hastings (Carver pinch running, stole 2nd), a Herndon single driving in Carver (Herndon stole 2nd), Herndon moved to 3rd on an Ely ground out, and a single by McDorman scored Herndon. The final Niceville run came in the 5th inning when Hastings crushed a leadoff double and Carver came in to run again. Carver moved to 3rd on a Herndon ground out and Ely hit a SAC FLY RBI to bring Carver home. The other Eagle hits came from Cunningham and McDorman. The Eagles play their final district game of the season Friday night at Choctaw.
April 10, Niceville falls to #3 in state 5A rankings behind Pace and Rutherford. But the Florida Sportswriters Poll site has not been updated yet.
April 10, Eagles win on Senior Night, 2-0, over Vikings. The Eagles managed to win a close game tonight despite getting only 2 hits from the offense. In the 2nd inning, Wood got on base with a Hit by Pitch, McDorman singled, and Russano moved the runners up with a ground out to 2nd. The FWB pitcher then balked in Wood from 3rd. In the 5th inning, Cunningham led off with a hard hit single up the middle. Hastings moved Cunningham to 2nd with a hit and run play and a fielder's choice attempt by the third baseman. After a Herndon walk to load the bases, Ely then hit a SAC FLY RBI scoring Cunningham from 3rd. Josh McDorman and Austin Wood combined on the mound to shutout the Vikings. McDorman pitched 6 + innings and racked up 9 Ks, 7 Hits, 3BBs, and 1 HBP. McDorman managed to get himself out of trouble several times with strong pitching and in the 2nd inning a double play, Cunningham, to Ely, to Collins, shut down the bases loaded, 1 out, Viking threat. Wood relieved with a man on in the top of the 7th and quickly struck out the side to record a save and secure the shutout win for McDorman.
April 4, State Class 5A rankings remain unchanged with Pace #1 and our Niceville Eagles #2.
April 4, Niceville defeats Lexington Christian (KY) 15-4 in 5 innings. Jimmy Nelson picked up a good win over a team ranked 4th overall in Kentucky. Nelson pitched all 5 innings, striking out 8, walking 7, and giving up 5 hits. Coach Berry said the pitching has been strong all year, but he was proud of the way the Eagles offense stepped up tonight. The Eagle's entire line up contributed: Austin Wood was 2-4 (DBL / HR) with 2 runs and 5 RBI, Josh McDorman was 2-3 with 2 runs and 3 RBI, and Danny Collins was 2-4 with 3 RBI and the game ending double. Hastings (3 runs with Micah Carver pinch running), Herndon (3 runs and 2 RBI), Ely (1 run), Boswell (1 run), and Cunningham (1 run) all contributed a hit each. Horrell scored 2 runs for the Eagles after getting on with a fielder's choice and a hit by pitch. The Niceville Squad gets a rest until next Tuesday when District play resumes on the Hill against the FWB Vikings.
April 3, Josh McDorman picked up the 6-3 win over the Lafayette HS Generals (Lexington, KY). McDorman racked up 13 Ks in 6 2/3 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs. Herndon came on in relief in the 6th inning and struck out the last General batter to end the game. The Eagles offense pounded out 8 hits with Kyle Ely stroking his second home run of the season. Cunningham (2 RBIs), Hastings, and Herndon (1 RBI) all went 2-3 and Horrell (2 RBIs) added the final hit for the Eagles.
April 2, Niceville picked up their 2nd loss of the season tonight against Walton, GA. The Eagles struggled to put the bat on the ball tonight with only 2 hits. Jimmy Boswell beat out an infield chopper in the 3rd inning and Austin Wood roped a line drive to left in the bottom of the 7th, but the Eagles couldn't put any runs across the plate. Wood started on the mound for Niceville and gave up 2 hits and a walk without allowing a run. Shawn McDorman relieved Wood to start the 3rd inning, finishing with 7 strikeouts through 4 + innings, giving up 4 hits. Ryan Kimbrell came on in relief but after a run scored, Jimmy Nelson took over the mound for the Eagles to close out the visitors.
March 30, Eagles go 4-0 in Powerade Classic, defeating Westport on Friday, 11-2. Picking up his 2nd win of the season, Price pitched 3 innings with 4 Ks, giving up 1 hit. Shawn McDorman relieved for 2 innings, with 1 K and 2 hits allowed. Herndon closed the final 2 innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 3. The Eagles scored 3 runs in each of the first 2 innings and continued to score runs in every inning except the 5th. Boyer, 2-2, and Herndon, 2-3, led the Eagle hitters. Balkcom, Boswell, Collins, Horrell, Kimbrell, Josh McDorman, Milligan, and Wells all added 1 hit.
March 29, Eagles go undefeated in round robin play of Powerade Classic but won't play for the Championship due to runs allowed / runs scored rules. Defeating Shoals Christian 11-4 , the Eagles got off to a fast start in the first inning with a double by Collins scoring Carver and a steal and a passed ball allowing Collins to reach home. The Eagles added 4 more runs in the second, with 3 consecutive singles by Wells, Milligan, and Balkcom followed by a fielders choice play which gave Carver an RBI. Herndon followed with a triple to score 2 more and then came home on a passed ball. Josh McDorman picked up the win while pitching 1 hit baseball through 4 innings, striking out 3 and retiring 4 batters with his glove. Jeremy Thedford came on in relief to close the final 3 innings. In the 5th inning, Hastings doubled and, Kimbrell reached on an error allowing Horrell (running for Hastings) to score, Wells singled and Milligan hit a SAC FLY RBI. Carver got another RBI on a single, then almost stole home from 2nd base on a passed ball. The final eagle runs came in the 6th inning with a Clements single and a 2 run HR by Shawn McDorman. The Crestview Bulldogs will play Bayshore for the championship Friday night at 6:00pm at Crestview HS.
Congratulations to Jimmy Nelson! Rawlings and Perfect Game named Jimmy to the Florida All High School Senior 1st Team. See a great article in the Wednesday, 28 March, Bay Beacon.
March 28, Eagles win 4-2 over Smith's Station, AL. A tight game all the way, the Niceville squad took a 2 run lead in the 4th inning when Tyler Hastings hit a 2 run HR. Smith's Station clawed back with 1 run in the 4th and a tieing run in the 5th inning. The Eagles loaded the bases in the top of the 7th with a Boswell walk, a Herndon single and an intentional walk to Hastings. Josh McDorman drew an RBI walk to give the Eagles the lead and Ely singled in the final run. Sean McDorman picked up the win in relief.
March 28, Nelson dominates as Eagles take Lake City 3-2. Pitching a complete game, Niceville's ace struck out 11, allowing only 4 hits. The Eagle offense plated the go ahead run in the 6th inning, when McDorman drove in Ely. Hastings drove in Boswell and Herndon for the Eagles other 2 runs in the 3rd inning.
March 23, Niceville defeats Ponce de Leon, 14-5. Tyler Hastings and Ryan Kimbrell hit HRs to power the Eagle attack. Kimbrell drove in 3 RBIs, Milligan (4 hits) and Boyer each had 2 RBIs. Josh McDorman gets the win.
March 21, Niceville falls to #2 in latest Class 5A state baseball rankings. Pace jumps back into #1 slot but pick up 2nd loss of season.
March 13, Pace defeats the Eagles at the Hill , 5-9
March 13, Niceville Ranked #1in State for Class 5A, Pace ranked #2
March 9, Niceville comes from behind to take win over Bulldogs, 9-5
March 6, Eagles win over Indians in bottom of 7th, 4-3
March 3, Eagles beat FWB Vikings in 6 innings, 12-2
March 2, Niceville defeats Tate, 8-0, at Niceville
February 23, Eagles defeat #3 ranked Pace Patriots, 6-2, at Pace
February 20, Eagles defeat Crestview on the Hill, 7-5
Three Eagles signed Letters of Intent last fall. Jimmy Nelson (center) signed with the University of Alabama, Michael Cunningham (left) and Jimmy Boswell (right) both signed with the University of West Florida. Athletic Director John Hicks and Eagles Head Coach Kevin Berry hosted the early signing ceremonies.
