ATL AM: Atlanta Sports News 5/11

May 2, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts after a turnover by his team during the fourth quarter of game three in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Amway Center. Indiana defeated Orlando, 97-74. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Links are up later than normal, I was meeting up with some old high school friends last night and wasn’t able to get them scheduled like I normally do. But, there is some good stuff for you guys today:

TomahawkTake–Chris Headrick looks at the progress of Brandon Beachy and Jonny Venters as they try and recover from injuries:

"Brandon Beachy has been throwing a number of batting-practice sessions lately, but threw his last one yesterday.  He will throw a side session this coming Sunday before beginning his minor league rehab assignments next week, where manager Fredi Gonzalez plans to have him throw about six rehab sessions.  Brandon has been feeling good, throwing good, and the Braves hope that he will be able to return to the lineup sometime in mid-June.  By then, it will have been almost exactly a year since Beachy underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the right hander’s ailing elbow."

BloggingDirty–Sergio looks at the potential role for tight end draftee, Levine Toilolo:

"I could see him getting a few snaps in the red-zone, as his height and jumping ability could pose mismatches for defenders. He could also be used in run-heavy formations as a extra blocker. Outside of that, most of his time will be spent riding the pine learning as much as he can from Chris Scelfo (TE’s coach) and Tony. I’m not looking for him to explode on the scene and I don’t think anybody else should either. This is a developmental year for Levine Toilolo, but I don’t think he could’ve been drafted into a better situation…"

SoaringDownSouth–Stan Van Gundy could be a possible replacement for Larry Drew for the Atlanta Hawks next year:

"Van Gundy would be the first Hawks hiring with previous head coaching experience since Lenny Wilkens in 1994. Van Gundy previously coached the Miami Heat from 2003 to 2006, ending when Pat Riley took over the team in 2006 midseason. That season culminated in Riley bringing a championship to Miami-Dade County. Van Gundy has a career record of 371-208 for a winning percentage of 64.1% and numerous other accolades in his career on an NBA bench."

RamblinWreck–Mott Hyde hit a walk off home run for the Yellow Jackets to take down No. 1 North Carolina:

"Mott Hyde smashed a walk-off home run to left field in the ninth inning, and Georgia Tech stunned No. 2 North Carolina, 5-4, Friday night in the opener of a three-game ACC series at Russ Chandler Stadium. Zane Evans was 4-for-4 with a two-run home run to pace the 10-hit attack.The junior shortstop took a 3-1 offering from UNC starter Kent Emanuel with one out in the bottom of the ninth and launched it over the netting beyond the wall in left to lift the Yellow Jackets (31-19, 13-12) to their third walk-off win this season.“I knew as soon as he hit it it was a home run,” said head coach Danny Hall. “He’s been swinging the bat better for sure. That’s a big hit for him and it gave us a big lift on a Friday night.”"

GeorgiaDogs.com–The Gamecocks took down Georgia fairly easily last night:

"Senior Nolan Belcher pitched 7.1 innings Friday to lead 15th-ranked South Carolina to a 7-2 victory over Georgia at Carolina Stadium.Georgia (18-29, 5-17 SEC) went on top 1-0 when sophomore second baseman Nelson Ward smashed a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right field for a leadoff home run. It was the first of his career and first by a Bulldog to lead off a game since Curt Powell against LSU in Baton Rouge last year. The Gamecocks (35-14, 14-10 SEC) responded with a two-out rally in their half of the first off freshman Sean McLaughlin to take a 2-1 lead. Designated hitter LB Dantzler tied the game with a run-scoring double and catcher Grayson Greiner followed with an RBI-triple."

GeorgiaStateSports.com–GSU beat rival Hofstra 10-3:

"Chris Triplett and Joey Roach homered to back an outstanding pitching performance by freshman Matt Rose as Georgia State defeated Hofstra, 10-3, in the opening game of their Colonial Athletic Association series Friday night at the GSU Baseball Complex.Georgia State broke open a one-run game with six runs in the eighth inning to win its sixth straight CAA game and improve to 12-10 in the conference and 33-18 overall. The Panthers, who are 23-6 at home, have won 17 of their last 22 games. Hofstra fell to 23-25, 8-14 in the CAA."