March 26, 2007
Methodist University Celebrates The Dedication of Armstrong-Shelley Field

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARIA SIKORYAK-ROBINS
DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS

FAYETTEVILLE, NC—Methodist University will celebrate the dedication of Armstrong-Shelley field at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2007. The field’s name now honors not only Bruce Shelley, but George H. Armstrong, a 1968 graduate, and his wife, Carolyn Riddle Armstrong. Tomorrow’s celebration will honor their most recent gift, stadium lights for the field. The Armstrongs have supported the Methodist Baseball team for over 15 years, making possible a new press box and concession stand.

Bruce Shelley came to Methodist in 1966 as a physical education instructor, cross country and junior varsity basketball coach. He began the Methodist baseball program in 1969, and designed and built Shelley field, which was first dedicated in his honor on April 20, 1974.

Shelley guided the Monarchs to their first winning season, 15-10, in 1972. He coached from 1969 to 1977, winning 153 games, four conference titles and two NCAA Division III tournament berths (1976, 1977). At the time of his death in 1997, a newspaper article stated: “Bruce Shelley and Methodist College baseball are not just linked. They are laced like a shortstop’s glove, stitched like a gleaming white baseball, and as intertwined as the roots of lush outfield grass.”

Mark Bond coached the team in 1978 and 1979 before passing the torch to current coach Tom Austin. Under Austin’s guidance, Methodist has tallied 11 Dixie Intercollegiate/USA South Athletic Conference and six NCAA Division III South Regional titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament 19 times. Methodist has also earned recognition as the country’s top ranked NCAA Division III team in the 1989, 1996, and 2002 seasons. Throughout his tenure, the Monarchs have averaged an impressive 32 victories a season, a true model of consistency and success.

Tom Austin has been named Conference Coach of the Year nine times, the NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year seven times in 11 years, and the North Carolina College Coach of the Year twice. In the 2005-06 season, he became only the eighth coach in the history of NCAA Division III baseball to reach the 800-victory plateau. A total of 27 players under Austin have garnered NCAA Division III All American honors, while 115 have been selected first team All-USA South. Methodist has been listed among the nation’s top 20 teams for 22 out of the last 24 years.

In the Methodist University Baseball program’s 36-year history, the Monarchs have tallied a 1,004-358-9 record, including 47 post-season wins. Since 1990, the Monarchs have posted 488 victories, the 12th most among all NCAA Division III member institutions.