Baseball players of the week recognized by TSWA

April 24, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Austin Peay’s Joslin, Trevecca’s Roberson honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay’s Matt Joslin and Trevecca University’s Jake Roberson were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 15-21.

Joslin posted six hits in nine at-bats with two grand slams and 13 RBIs over four games for the Governors. The Columbia, Tenn., native hit a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam against Southern Illinois to begin the week.

The freshman added a pinch-hit two-run single in a come-from-behind 5-4 victory in game two of a weekend series versus UT Martin. Joslin started the final game of the series against the Skyhawks, going 4-for-6 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.

He singled and scored in the second inning, posted an RBI single in the fourth, collected a two-run single in the fifth before walking and scoring in the seventh. Joslin belted his second grand slam of the week in the ninth inning. He is batting .282 with two doubles, four homers, 28 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 30 contests this season.

Roberson tossed a complete-game shutout against Cedarville University, allowing just five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The lefthander hit one batter and faced the minimum through six innings, giving up just a single in the third but erasing the runner with a doubleplay.

The Springfield, Tenn., native native worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh and did so again in the eighth before retiring the side in order in the ninth in the 3-0 victory. The senior upped his record to 6-4 with a 3.31 ERA over 11 appearances and 65.1 innings this season, striking out 54.

2019 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 19 – Lake Burris, Bryan College (Player); Trey Holland, University of the South (Pitcher)
March 1 – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt (Player); Peyton Wigginton, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 6 – Aaron Antonini, Middle Tennessee (Player); Chase Douglas, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
March 13 – Ethan Paul, Vanderbilt (Player); Samuel Joiner, Maryville College (Pitcher)
March 21 – Javier Lopez, Trevecca University (Player); Charles Hall, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
March 26 – Stephen Scott, Vanderbilt (Player); Drake Fellows, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 3 – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt (Player); Mason Hickman, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 9 – Myles Christian, Middle Tennessee (Player); Jordan Davis, Maryville College (Pitcher)
April 16 – Javier Lopez, Trevecca University (Player); Garrett Stallings, Tennessee (Pitcher)

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - April 16

April 16, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Trevecca’s Lopez, Tennessee’s Stallings honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca University’s Javier Lopez and Tennessee’s Garrett Stallings were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 8-14.

Lopez batted .556 (10-for-18) with two home runs, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored in five games for the Trojans. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native posted four hits with a triple, five RBIs and three runs scored in a mid-week contest, including a bases-clearing triple and a pair of RBI singles.

The senior outfielder singled, was hit and scored three runs in the first of a four-game series against Davis & Elkins. He walked three times, drove in two runs and scored twice in the second game of the series.

Lopez doubled, homered, drove in three runs and scored twice in the third contest versus the Senators and finished the weekend with another homer among two hits and two runs scored in the final game of the set.

He is batting .361 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 32 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 36 games this season.

Stallings tossed a complete-game shutout against second-ranked Georgia, giving up just five hits with five strikeouts. He walked one and did not allow a runner to reach third in the series-clinching 3-0 victory for the Vols.

The junior righthander worked around a single and walk in the fourth inning and induced a pair of ground ball doubleplays to end the second and seventh innings. He faced just four batters over the minimum in his first career complete game. Stallings improved to 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 62.1 innings over nine starts this season.

It marks the first complete game this season for a Tennessee pitcher and the first series win over a Top-5 ranked team for the Vols since 2016.

2019 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 19 – Lake Burris, Bryan College (Player); Trey Holland, University of the South (Pitcher)
March 1 – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt (Player); Peyton Wigginton, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 6 – Aaron Antonini, Middle Tennessee (Player); Chase Douglas, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
March 13 – Ethan Paul, Vanderbilt (Player); Samuel Joiner, Maryville College (Pitcher)
March 21 – Javier Lopez, Trevecca University (Player); Charles Hall, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
March 26 – Stephen Scott, Vanderbilt (Player); Drake Fellows, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 3 – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt (Player); Mason Hickman, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 9 – Myles Christian, Middle Tennessee (Player); Jordan Davis, Maryville College (Pitcher)

SOFTBALL: Trevecca’s Seitz, Belmont’s Veltri selected for TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca University’s Kelsey Seitz and Belmont’s Alicia Veltri received Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 8-14.

Seitz batted .647 (11-for-17) with two doubles, four homers, nine runs scored and nine RBIs in five games for the Trojans. The Milford, Ohio, native singled and scored a run at Lee University and homered twice, driving in five runs while scoring four times in the first game of a doubleheader versus Ohio Valley University. She hit a pair of two-run home runs and singled home a run in the contest.

The sophomore infielder followed that with two doubles, a solo homer and three runs scored in the second game of the twinbill versus the Fighting Scots. Seitz singled home a run and belted a solo home run in the first of two outings against Ohio Dominican and added an RBI single in the second contest versus the Panthers.

She is batting .329 with seven doubles, six home runs, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 34 games this season.

Veltri posted three victories in three outings, all complete games, striking out 20 while allowing just three walks in conference play. The Clarksville, Tenn., native scattered 12 hits and struck out six, giving up three earned runs in a victory over Tennessee State.

The sophomore lefthander followed that with a five-hit shutout versus Jacksonville State, striking out seven in the Bruins’ first win against JSU since 2015. After a leadoff single in the second inning, she retired 12 of the last 13 batters of the five-inning contest.

Veltri picked up a win against Tennessee Tech to finish the week, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. She improved to 12-7 with a 2.35 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 122.1 innings pitched this season covering 25 appearances.

2019 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 19 – Abby Fiessinger, Carson-Newman (Player); Brooklin Lee, Belmont (Pitcher)
March 1 – Kay Brokering, King University (Player); Morgan Rackel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
March 6 – Danielle Liermann, Austin Peay (Player); Alyssa Arden, Tennessee Tech (Pitcher)
March 13 – MaKray Odom, Trevecca University (Player); Katlyn Smith, Maryville College (Pitcher)
March 21 – Kaitlyn Kelley, Union University (Player); Morgan Rackel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
March 26 –Baylee Sutton, Tennessee Wesleyan (Player); Casey Gilbert, King University (Pitcher)
April 3 – Tana Whited, Trevecca University (Player); Savannah Carr, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
April 9 – Abby Fiessinger, Carson-Newman (Player); Lindsey Dunn, Bryan College (Pitcher)

Baseball, softball players of the week recognized by TSWA - April 9

April 9, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Middle Tennessee’s Christian, Maryville’s Davis honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee’s Myles Christian and Maryville College’s Jordan Davis were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 1-7.

Christian batted .500 (11-for-22) in four games for the Blue Raiders, posting two doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs and nine runs scored. The Olive Branch, Miss., native collected two hits and scored a run in a mid-week contest versus Murray State.

The sophomore outfielder belted three home runs, including a solo homer in the second inning, a two-run shot in the fifth and a grand slam in the eighth, in the first game of a series against Western Kentucky. He doubled, drove in two runs and scored another in the second game versus the Hilltoppers and finished the second with a 4-for-5 effort with a double and three runs scored.

Christian is batting .234 with six doubles, seven homers, 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 31 games this season.

Davis tossed a complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts against William Peace University in a 3-0 Maryville win to open a three-game conference series. The Maryville, Tenn., native allowed just four hits and walked three, retiring 10-of-11 batters before the Pacers got a single and two walks in the fifth.

The junior righthander struck out Jonathan Rhew to end the inning. Davis allowed just three baserunners over the final four innings to finish the shutout, upping his record to 2-3 with 53 strikeouts in 53.1 innings this season.

SOFTBALL: Carson-Newman’s Fiessinger, Bryan’s Dunn selected for TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Abby Fiessinger and Bryan College’s Lindsey Dunn received Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 1-7.

Fiessinger batted .500 (7-for-14) with three doubles, two homers, 11 RBIs and four runs scored in four games for the Eagles. The Benton, Ky., native collected three hits with a double and two RBIs in the first of two games with Tusculum University and added an RBI double and a grand slam, scoring three times in the second contest against the Pioneers.

The junior infielder hit a three-run homer in the third inning and posted a sacrifice fly in the first of two games versus Lenoir-Rhye. Fiessinger doubled and walked in the second contest with the Bears. She is batting .438 with 14 doubles, six home runs, 25 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 27 games this season.

Dunn tossed two no-hitters and allowed just seven hits and three runs in 16.0 innings of work for the Lions. The Tennga, Ga., native gave up three runs on seven hits in a 3-1 loss to 23rd-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan.

The junior righthander did not allow a hit, walking three and striking out two in a five-inning no-hitter against Bluefield College. She followed that with a five-inning no-hitter versus Hiwassee College, walking one.

Dunn improved to 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 21.1 innings this season, allowing 18 hits with four strikeouts.

TSWA honors college players of the Week - April 3

April 3, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Bleday, Hickman honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s JJ Bleday and Mason Hickman were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 25-31.

Bleday batted .375 (6-for-16) with four home runs, 10 RBIs and six runs scored in four games for the Commodores. The Panama City Beach, Fla., native belted a three-run homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the seventh for a career-best five RBIs in a midweek victory over Lipscomb.

The senior outfielder homered, walked twice, drove in two runs and scored two runs in the series opener against Tennessee and added two more hits with a two-run homer and two runs scored in the second game versus the Vols. He finished the week with an RBI single in the series finale against UT.

Bleday is batting .353 with six doubles, 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 29 games this season.

Hickman tossed six shutout innings in the victory against Lipscomb, allowing just one hit with one walk and eight strikeouts. The sophomore righthander worked five no-hit frames before giving up a single in the sixth, running his scoreless streak to 23.0 innings over his last six outings, striking out 33 during that stretch.

SOFTBALL: Trevecca’s Whited, Carr selected for TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca University’s Tana Whited and Savannah Carr received Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 25-31.

Whited posted seven hits in 13 at-bats (.538) with a double, seven RBIs and two runs scored in four games for the Trojans. The Lebanon, Tenn., native drove in a run in the first contest and collected two hits with a run scored in the second game versus Christian Brothers.

The junior outfielder was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the first outing against Tiffin University. She added two hits with a double and four RBIs in the second game versus the Dragons.

Whited is batting .343 with seven doubles, six home runs, 35 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 31 contests this season.

Carr recorded two victories in the circle for the Trojans, allowing one earned runs with four strikeouts in 10.1 innings. The Springfield, Tenn., native tossed 5.1 innings in a victory against Christian Brothers, giving up one earned run on four hits with one strikeout.

The senior righthander followed that with a five-hit shutout versus Tiffin, allowing two hits with three strikeouts. She improved to 9-4 with a 2.77 ERA in 16 appearances over 73.1 innings this season, striking out 55.

2019 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 19 – Abby Fiessinger, Carson-Newman (Player); Brooklin Lee, Belmont (Pitcher)
March 1 – Kay Brokering, King University (Player); Morgan Rackel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
March 6 – Danielle Liermann, Austin Peay (Player); Alyssa Arden, Tennessee Tech (Pitcher)"
March 13 – MaKray Odom, Trevecca University (Player); Katlyn Smith, Maryville College (Pitcher)
March 21 – Kaitlyn Kelley, Union University (Player); Morgan Rackel, Austin Peay (Pitcher)”
March 26 –Baylee Sutton, Tennessee Wesleyan (Player); Casey Gilbert, King University (Pitcher)

Baseball, softball players of the week named by TSWA

March 26, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Scott, Fellows honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Stephen Scott and Drake Fellows were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 18-24.

Scott batted .571 (8-for-14) with two home runs, six RBIs and nine runs scored in four victories for the Commodores. The Cary, N.C., native posted two hits with a double, a solo homer, a walk and three runs scored in a 3-0 win over Belmont. He drove in a run when he was hit with the bases loaded in Thursday’s 5-0 victory against Florida.

The senior outfielder was 4-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored in the second game versus the Gators and collected two hits with a double and a grand slam, scoring three times in the series finale. Scott is batting .391 with 10 doubles, three home runs, 24 RBIs and 27 runs scored in 24 games this season.

Fellows tossed a five-hit shutout against Florida in the series opener, allowing three walks with eight strikeouts in a 5-0 win. The Plainfield, Ill., native posted just one 1-2-3 inning in the contest, working around an error and a walk in the fourth inning and at least one baserunner in every frame but the seventh.

The junior righthander improved to 5-0 with a 3.68 ERA in six appearances this season covering 36.2 innings, giving up 29 hits with 48 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .216 against him.

SOFTBALL: Tennessee Wesleyan’s Sutton, King’s Gilbert selected for TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Wesleyan’s Baylee Sutton and King University’s Casey Gilbert received Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 18-24.

Sutton batted .588 (10-for-17) with three home runs, 13 RBIs and five runs scored in four games for the Bulldogs. The Crandall, Ga., native collected three hits with a run scored and four RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader against Reinhardt University and added two hits with a run scored in the second contest versus the Eagles.

The senior infielder homered among her three hits and drove in five runs in the first game of a twinbill at Montreat College. She hit two home runs and drove in four runs in the second contest against the Cavaliers.

Sutton is batting .492 with four doubles, four homers, 30 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 18 games this season.

Gilbert posted four victories in the circle in five appearances for the Tornado, allowing just one earned runs on 17 hits with 15 strikeouts.

The Hendersonville, N.C., native worked six shutout innings, giving up five hits with five strikeouts versus Mars Hill University. The junior tossed three shutout frames in relief for a win in a 4-3 victory against UVA-Wise, allowing two hits with three strikeouts. She gave up one earned run on one hit in one-third of an inning in the second game versus the Cavaliers.

The righthander pitched seven shutout innings in a win at Barton College, giving up five hits with five strikeouts, and ended the week with a four-hit shutout at the University of Mount Olive, striking out two. She walked just four batters in her 23.1 innings over the five appearances as well.

Gilbert posts a 6-3 mark with a 1.17 ERA in 13 appearances covering 59.2 innings this season. She has allowed 49 hits with nine walks and 33 strikeouts, with opponents batting just .217 against her.