Local college notebook: Braves sign former Mercer pitcher Lowey
Cory Gearrin isn’t the only former Mercer baseball player in Atlanta’s farm system these days.
Former Bears outfielder and pitcher Jason Lowey got the call from the River City (Mo.) in the independent Frontier League in mid-August and reported to Single-A Myrtle Beach.
The three-time Frontier League all-star, who also played in Macon’s entry in the old South Coast League, is 1-0 in four games with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 11 innings while touching the mid-90s on a regular basis.
Lowey, went from the outfield to pitcher as a senior at Mercer. Twin brother and teammate — at Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) High School, Mercer and River City — Josh went from the infield to the mound for the Bears at the same time.
“They both had great arms, could really throw,” Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said. “They were both really skilled. Jason can command his fastball. He always could command it.
“They were both just awesome guys, two of my favorite guys.”
Jason Lowey’s pitching coach in Myrtle Beach is Kent Willis, who held the same position for the Macon Braves from 1999-2002, before the team moved to Rome.
Josh Lowey is 7-4 with a 4.00 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 96-2/3 innings for River City.
Former Macon Music first baseman Scott Robinson is on the River City roster.
Opening day
Some area college teams — Georgia Military women’s soccer, Middle Georgia College men’s and women’s soccer and Mercer women’s soccer and volleyball — are solidly into the new season, and other area college teams are finally starting the regular season.
The Bears visit Gardner-Webb on Friday in the men’s soccer season opener and aren’t home until Sept. 19 against Georgia State. Georgia College & State’s soccer team gets rolling Friday in Boca Raton, Fla., against Florida Southern in the Little Feet South Florida Shootout, and host the Bobcat Shootout on Sept. 10, 11 and 12.
Fort Valley State’s volleyball team heads to Augusta this weekend for the Paine College Invitational and welcomes Clark Atlanta on Sept. 13.
Wesleyan’s volleyball team is at Reinhardt on Wednesday and entertains Trinity Baptist on Saturday. The Pioneers’ soccer team has two matches at home to start the season, Saturday against Tennessee Temple and on Sept. 8 against Atlanta Christian.
Around Mercer/A-Sun
Mercer’s men’s lacrosse team has added 14 signees, ranging from Colorado, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Alabama and North Carolina, as well as from Georgia.
The additions up the roster total to 48.
The Bears will become the state’s first NCAA Division I team in the spring.
Alumni update
Dismissed last month from Marshall’s football team after his fourth arrest, DeQuan Bembry has landed at Benedict in Columbia, S.C.
Bembry is on the current roster as DeQuan Starling for the Tigers. He is a 5-9, 178-pounder junior who was an all-conference candidate for the Thundering Herd in Conference USA.
The Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch reported on Aug. 12 that Bembry was at Tennessee-Martin, an FCS team in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Starling started for Benedict on Saturday and had six tackles in the 34-27 loss to Morehouse.
Crisp County’s Xavier Butts is a junior defensive end for the Tigers, who are Fort Valley State’s homecoming opponent on Oct. 2.
n Kate Blankenship is beginning her senior season as goalkeeper at Alabama-Birmingham and holds the school record with 18 shutouts, including Friday’s 3-0 win at Mississippi State.
The Blazers are 2-2, having won 3-1 at Mississippi after losing to Vanderbilt and Alabama.
The Stratford graduate missed the two losses as she finished recovering from preseason surgery.
The fifth-year senior has started 60 matches, will graduate in December and has been named to the Commissioner’s honor roll three times.
n Javaris Brown is in the market for a new college football team.
The former Northeast wideout left Virginia earlier this summer, as did four teammates.
Brown was held out of spring practice for “not meeting non-football standards” of new head coach Mike London, according to the Roanoke (Va.) Times.
Brown played in six games last season as a redshirt freshman and caught seven passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.
n Bryan Ellis was in the mix to start at quarterback at UAB throughout spring and most of camp, but head coach Neil Callaway announced recently that David Isabelle would get the start for Thursday’s opener against Florida Atlantic.
The former Peach County standout and Isabelle were battling to replace Joseph Webb, who accounted for more than 3,700 yards last season and was picked in the sixth round of the NFL draft by Minnesota.
Ellis, a junior, threw two 70-yard touchdown passes in a scrimmage two weeks ago. He was redshirted in 2007 and didn’t play in 2008. A shoulder injury ended his 2009 season after he played in four games.
Callaway said Isabelle’s athleticism was the difference, but he expects Ellis to see significant time.
To contribute to the Alumni Update, send information (high school, college and class in 2010) to sports@macon.com or call 744-4626.
This story was originally published August 31, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Local college notebook: Braves sign former Mercer pitcher Lowey."