For UC, Daily is a Bright Spot

By Andrew Beckner
Charleston Daily Mail
April 27, 2007

Don't wish University of Charleston Coach Tom Nozica good luck in the Golden Eagles' last four games of the season.

"We don't need good luck," he said, "we need base hits."

If Nozica had 10 more Jimmy Dailys, he'd have all the hits he'd need.

Something's been lost over at UC, and we're not just talking those on the field.

Oh, there have been more than a few losses the Golden Eagles are 12-32 heading into today's West Virginia Conference game against West Virginia Wesleyan.

But the biggest thing people are missing is the biggest little thing to literally hit UC's baseball program: it's the 5-foot-9, 150-pound Daily, who set the school's single-season hit record for the second consecutive year.

Last year, he had 64 hits. With four games remaining in the 2007 season, he has 77.

"I tell you what, he just hits," Nozica said. "What can I say? He might go 0-4 one game and then hit five, six, seven in a row. He hits. That's it."

Through 44 games, the junior from Wintersville, Ohio is 77-of-165 that's a .467 average for all you math wizards out there.

There's no magic formula, Daily insists. He doesn't see the ball particularly well and doesn't have power to all fields again, he's 5-9, 150 but he's a gutsy player, Nozica said.

Daily, an outfielder, said a lot of his hits are simple infield singles.

"Sometimes I'll go up there and put up the worst at-bat possible," he said, "but when you give it your all on every play, you may have a bad at-bat but you can gut out an infield single.

"I don't give up on a play. I just show up and hope I can get a hit out of it."

Daily kind of fell right in Nozica's lap. While in high school at Indian Creek High near Steubenville, Ohio, if you're looking for a point of reference Daily was more interested in academic programs than athletic opportunities.

He did a little research and found that UC had a highly regarded athletic training program, so he headed south to Charleston.

Of course, baseball did play a role.

"The chance to walk on was here," he said. "I took the chance and that's how it played out."

Again, it's played out well for Daily, if not always for UC. When the WVC tournament begins next week in Princeton, the Golden Eagles will stay home. At the end of the day, the team just wasn't good enough to advance they've won only twice in league play.

"We've had a horse manure year," Nozica said. "If there's a bright spot, (Daily has been) a bright spot. We're right there. We're just not playing people."

The good news is that Daily has another year. Could he break the season hits record for the third time?

"It's nice to have the record, and it's something to build on," he said, "but if I had a chance to give it away and play in the conference tournament, I would do it in a heartbeat.

"You can only ask for so much," he said. "If (I break the record again), great. If not, I'd rather have more wins anyway."

UC has three more games at Appalachian Power Park before the end of the season. The Golden Eagles host Pitt-Johnstown in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, then finish up the season Sunday at 4 p.m. against Bluefield State.

Story courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail

                    Jimmy Daily