The Panther

Issue date: 4/27/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Rashad Morgan Junior college transfers, outfielder Anton Daley (left) and pitcher, Matthew Chase (right) have been great contributions for the baseball team by helping the Panthers lead the SWAC conference.

After the loss of three players to the 2004 Major League Baseball first-year draft, one wouldn't expect Prairie View A&M's baseball program to be in contention for the Southwestern Athletic Conference title. It appeared that third-year head baseball coach Michael Robertson would have some huge shoes to fill prior to the start of the 2005 campaign.

While most coaching staffs scratch their heads and try to figure out how to replace a talented bunch, the Panther baseball program simply reloaded and hasn't missed a beat. A pair of newcomers, junior outfielder Anton Daley and sophomore pitcher Matthew Chase, are playing key roles in helping the Panthers achieve their first postseason berth in more than three decades.

A 6-1, 200 pound junior from Boston, Mass. by way of Western Oklahoma State College, Daley is blessed with a rare combination of major league speed and power. An all-around threat for the Panthers, he leads the SWAC with 12 homers and is first in slugging percentage (.766) and total bases (95). He's also third in the conference with 44 RBIs, eighth in hits (42) and sixth in doubles (11). One of the team's fastest players, Daley also has 13 stolen bases and has scored 44 runs on the season, which is good enough for third in the SWAC.

"Anton's biggest asset is his legitimate major league baseball speed," said Robertson. "He runs a consistent 6.4 in the 60-yard dash and the benchmark for major league speed is 6.8, which is something many kids don't have. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in our last home series, he reached base on a single, stole second and raced home to score the game-winning run."

Daley, a criminal justice major, has had several games this past season that has raised some eyebrows across the country. During the second game of a doubleheader against Jackson State on Feb. 12, Daley recorded three hits, three home runs, scored four runs and finished with seven RBIs. On March 18 against Northeastern, his hometown school, Daley drove in seven RBIs, scored three runs and had four hits. For his efforts against Northeastern, Daley was selected as the SWAC Player of the Week for the week of March 24.

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