Milestones: Lander University softball coach Doug Spears reached 800 career wins March 20 when the Bearcats defeated Bluefield State College, 3-2. Spears, who inaugurated the Lander program in 1982, is in his 24th year as its head coach. He entered the season as No. 7 on the NCAA Division II list for winningest active coaches ... Missouri Southern State University baseball coach Warren Turner had to wait a while for his 800th career victory, but it finally arrived in a big way with a 13-1 win over Grand View College of Iowa. Turner spent the off-season at the 799 mark before the Lions opened 2005 with three losses at Division I Oral Roberts University. Turner, who recently was selected to the NAIA Hall of Fame, had a career record of 811-638-3 through March 29. He is in his 29th season at Missouri Southern ... Steve Bever, baseball coach at Pittsburg State University, won his 400th career game March 8 when the Gorillas defeated Grand Valley State University, 8-5. As of March 29, Bever's record was 409-308 in his 15th season at his alma mater. Pittsburg State also picked up the 500th victory in the program's history with a 16-0 triumph over Bemidji State University March 16 ... Florida Gulf Coast University and coach Dave Tollett won their 100th game March 22 with a victory over College of Saint Rose. The program is in only its third season. In 2003, the Eagles went 35-17, and in 2004, they finished 39-17. After the victory, Tollett's record stood at 100-38. "To reach this level so quickly is remarkable," he said. "It is more of an accomplishment for the development of our program than a personal goal. We hope it's just the beginning of things to come."

Sports sponsorship: Gary Gray, director of athletics at Montana State University-Billings, announced that baseball will become the school's 13th varsity sport beginning with the 2005 fall semester. The Yellowjacket baseball team will begin official competition with the 2006 NCAA spring championship season. Since 1996, the school has added men's and women's soccer, men's and women's golf, softball, and now baseball. Those six sports, totaling nearly 110 student-athletes, will bring the student-athlete total to almost 200. "That is something we are very proud of," said Gray. The Yellowjackets will compete in the Heartland Conference, which Montana State-Billings joined recently. Montana State-Billings last sponsored baseball in 1974 when the Yellowjackets competed in the NAIA Frontier Conference. Baseball was dropped at the school in 1975 and Montana State-Billings moved to NCAA Division II in 1979. A baseball coach search committee is preparing to recommend candidates for the position.

-- Compiled by David Pickle