March is always a great time in South Carolina as the weather gets nice and outdoor sports get in full gear. This will be another exciting spring for our teams. Our lacrosse team has already notched their first ever victory while women's tennis, softball, baseball, and golf are off to good starts. The highlight of the spring as it has been in the past few years is the culmination of the Beville Cup. The dual between Erskine and Anderson University is a source of great pride. We have lost the Cup the last two years and after some Trojan domination to start the year it appeared Anderson would run away with it this year. But in the words of football analyst Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend." Thanks to stellar academics by Fleet student-athletes and a softball doubleheader sweep, we are poised to regain the Cup in what could be decided by as much as a half a point. In fact it well could be decided on March 9th as the Anderson baseball team will host the Fleet. The winner will likely earn the coveted Cup. A win for us would tie the Cup series at 4-4 since its inception 8 years ago between the two rivals.
The Cup's name has as much significance as the rivalry itself. The Cup is in honor of Bobby and in memory of Susie Beville. The picture above is Bobby with his daughters, Kayce and Nikki. Bobby played baseball at Anderson junior college and then played two years for the Fleet. Susie played softball at both schools while Bobby went on to coach baseball and serve as the athletics director at Anderson for numerous years. In other words, the Bevilles have close ties to both institutions so it was a no-brainer to name the Cup after them. It is an honor for Erskine to seek a cup with the Bevilles name on it. In fact, we think it belongs in Due West. If all goes well in the next few weeks, I look forward to May 3rd when Bobby and the Beville girls can be in the metropolis as AU athletics director Nancy Simpson brings the Beville Cup home. It will be a nice day in Due West for sure!
