won its second World Series championship in four years. He hit .317 with eight homers and 50 RBIs. He did even better in 2008 with a .326 batting average, 17 homers and 83 RBIs, winning a

(STATS) -- Tennessee State is off to the programs best start in four years, but if that success is to continue it must come with a new -- yet familiar -- face under center.With sophomore starter OShay Ackerman-Carter done for the season because of a knee injury, senior Ronald Butler takes over the reigns of the offense Saturday as the Tigers (3-0) open Ohio Valley Conference play against visiting UT Martin.Ackerman-Carter threw for 598 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions before he was injured in the first half of a 31-24 victory at Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 17. The Tigers conveniently had their bye last week so were able to put plenty of time into preparing for life with a new signal-caller.Thats unfortunate, coach Rod Reed said. But we have a very capable guy in Ronald Butler running the show.The Tigers last opened with four straight wins while going 7-0 in 2012, but they only won once the rest of the way and failed to make the playoffs. Reed, though, seems to believe the good times will keep coming with Butler leading the way.The Tallahassee, Fla., native has played in 31 games at Tennessee State with 13 starts, including eight in 2013 when he was named all-OVC Second Team as a freshman. Butler, who went 7 of 13 for 72 yards with two touchdowns and an interception after Ackerman-Carter was injured, has thrown for more than 2,700 yards with 24 TDs and 15 INTs for his career.Our playbook wont change, Reed said. Ronald has been running this offense for three years. ... Were just going to keep plugging along.Butler also knows hell have help from a stellar offensive line in front of him. That unit has allowed just one sack and has paved the way for Tigers backs to average 4.8 yards per carry.Hopefully we can continue that trend, Reed said. Weve got to be consistent up front. Hopefully we can keep Butlers uniform clean and run the ball.The former might be tough against UTM (2-2, 1-0), which has recorded five sacks in the last two games. Its also picked off six passes in 2016. Butler is 13 of 25 for 189 yards and a TD in three games against the Skyhawks, though most of that action came as a freshman.This is the biggest challenge weve faced to date, Reed said.UT Martin will try for a third straight victory in the series and overall. The Skyhawks are tied for seventh in the FCS in scoring (42.8 points per game) and junior quarterback Troy Cook ranks among the national leaders with nine TD passes.Rod and I have been competing against each other for a lot of years, UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said. Theres been some good battles.This contest is part of the annual Sgt. York Trophy competition, an in-season series contested among the leagues four Tennessee-based schools. This and the Commander in Chiefs -- featuring the nations services academies -- are the only traveling trophies in collegiate sports to involve more than two teams. UT Martin won last seasons title with victories over Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay. Cheap Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. cheap jerseys from china .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. http://www.cheapjerseys-wholesalechina.com/ .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Cheap Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Cheap Green Bay Packers Jerseys . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187.BOSTON -- All-Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia is close to a contract that could keep him with the Boston Red Sox for his entire big league career. A person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday that Pedroia is in the process of agreeing to a deal adding $100 million over seven seasons through 2021. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet complete. The new deal was first reported by WEEI. Pedroia is making $10 million this year and is guaranteed the same amount in 2014 as part of a $40.5 million, six-year contract that started in 2009. That deal includes an $11 million club option for 2015 with a $500,000 buyout. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound sparkplug was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and AL MVP in 2008. Its important to Pedroia to finish his career in Boston. The deal would expire after he turns 38. "Its not official or anything, but, yeah, this is my home," he said before Tuesday nights game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "I love being here. I love my teammates. I love the city. So if (the deal is finalized), Ill be pretty excited." Pedroia is a big reason for Bostons success. The Red Sox began play Tuesday with a half-game lead over the Rays in the AL East with a 60-41 record after winning just 69 games last season. In 100 games through Monday, Pedroia was hitting .308 with six homers and 57 RBIs. He made only two errors and missed just one game. A new contract "is not going to change who I am or my role with this team," he said. "My job is to still go out there and try to help us win a game every day and Ill try to do all I can to make thatt happen.dddddddddddd." The 29-year-old was a backup on the AL all-star team this season and entered the game after starter Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch. Cano can become a free agent after this season, his ninth with the New York Yankees. Pedroia might have received a better deal than the one thats close to agreement if he had become a free agent after the 2014 or 2015 seasons. "I dont look at it like that," he said. "I want to be at a place where its special to me and this place has been that." And he doesnt expect a rich contract to change the way his teammates look at him. "They still have to look down at me. Im pretty short," Pedroia joked, "but its a good feeling." In 956 games through Monday, Pedroia had a .303 career batting average, 96 homers and 466 RBIs. A second-round pick of the Red Sox in the 2004 amateur draft, Pedroia made his major league debut in August 2006. He hit .191 in 31 games that season then had his breakout season in 2007 when Boston won its second World Series championship in four years. He hit .317 with eight homers and 50 RBIs. He did even better in 2008 with a .326 batting average, 17 homers and 83 RBIs, winning a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award. In 2011, Pedroia posted career highs of 21 homers and 91 RBIs with a .307 batting average. He dipped slightly last year with a .290 average, 15 homers and 65 RBIs as the Red Sox finished in last place in the AL East with a 69-93 record under manager Bobby Valentine. "I love being here," Pedroia said. "I live and die by this team and its important to me to be here my whole time." 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