It's been a while ...

Well, it's been a while since I posted on the blog.  Sorry for the delay, but with the big weekend coming up for the ACU baseball and softball teams, I thought I'd take some time to help Wildcat fans catch up in a few areas:

• The ACU football team will wrap up three weeks of spring practice Saturday at 10 a.m. with the annual Purple-White scrimmage at Shotwell Stadium.  All fans who are planning on attending the scrimmage need to both park and sit on the west (home) side of the stadium for two reasons: first, the stadium's east side suffered some damage from Wednesday's high winds as a light tower snapped in half and fell backward, crashing through the fence surrounding the stadium; and second, the restrooms on the east side of the stadium won't be unlocked.

• The scrimmage is set for a couple of hours in game-like conditions.  One of the players to keep an eye is sophomore-to-be running back Kyle Fox, who has performed well this spring.  In 2005, Fox was the Lone Star Conference South Division Freshman of the Year at Angelo State after leading the Rams to the NCAA Division II playoffs.  However, poor grades forced him out of school.  He's back in school this semester at ACU, and the coaching staff believes he could make an immediate impact in the fall.  If you'd like to read more about his situation, the Abilene Reporter-News has a story posted today.

• Speaking of football news, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper called the office a couple of days ago to get some information on Johnny Knox and Bernard Scott.  That gave me the opportunity to ask him about the Wildcats' trio of offensive threats in Knox, Scott and Billy Malone.  Here's his take on each one:

Kiper on Knox:  "Right now I have him going late in the fourth or early in the fifth round.  He's got great return skills and speed and that's a tremendous combination.  Because he played at a lower level, there will be some questions about his making the transition, but his ability to play on special teams will give him an edge.  He won't play a major role as a wide receiver in his first year or two.  Wide receiver is one of the most difficult positions to transition to in the NFL, even for guys who played at major Division I schools."

Kiper on Scott: "I see him going anywhere from the fifth round to being a priority free agent.  He's got a great ability to run the football, but there will be some things he hasn't had to do in the NFL that he hasn't had to do at the Division II level.  One of those things would be blocking, and those schemes are more complicated at the NFL level than at the Division II level.  As for his off-field stuff, every team looks at that differently.  It only takes one team to take you, and that's the only team that has to believe in you."

Kiper on Malone: "He's a free-agent guy who will have to battle just to make it into a camp.  There are 15-20 quarterbacks who will go in the late rounds who'll be in the same position."

• The ACU softball and baseball teams will be in San Angelo this weekend for a pair of crucial series against the Rambelles and Rams, respectively.  Friday's single baseball game and Saturday's baseball doubleheader will be broadcasts on www.acusports.com.

• ACU senior decathlete Camille Vandendriessche made Wildcat track and field history Thursday, and that's difficult to do.  He became the first Wildcat athlete to win the decathlon at the Texas Relays.  Read more about it here.