BASEBALL: King’s Castaneda, Mirabal garner TSWA accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – King University’s J.O. Casteneda and Octavio Mirabal were named the Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Wednesday for their performances for March 27-April 2.
Castaneda batted .450 (9-for-20) with seven RBIs and five runs scored in five games for the Tornado. The Miami, Fla., native started the week with a 5-for-5 effort that included a double and a run scored versus the University of Charleston. The junior infielder collected two hits with a double and one RBI against Lincoln Memorial.
In the weekend series versus Southern Wesleyan, Castaneda posted two hits in the series opener and added a double, three RBIs and a run scored in the second contest. He drove in two runs and scored another in the series finale. He leads the Tornado with a .370 batting average and has nine doubles, 18 RBIs and 24 runs scored in 30 games this season.
Mirabal tossed 8.1 innings of shutout relief in the opening game of the series against Southern Wesleyan, allowing just two hits with one walk and six strikeouts. King’s starting pitcher left the game with an injury in the first inning and the junior lefthander came on to finish the contest. He retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one baserunner to reach third.
Mirabal improved to 5-4 this season in nine appearances covering 53.1 innings, striking out 52 with just 18 walks.
2017 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 14 – Ryan Addington, Carson-Newman (Player); Travis Dohr, Cumberland University (Pitcher)
February 21 – Nolen Milton, Union University (Player); Evan Heffner, Maryville College (Pitcher)
February 28 – Collin Harris, Tennessee Tech (Player); Brady Puckett, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
March 8 – Wade Weinburger, Bryan College (Player); Michael Wood, Tennessee Tech (Pitcher)
March 15 – Ryan Flick, Tennessee Tech (Player); Alex Robles, Austin Peay (Pitcher)
March 21 – Austin Krajnak, Cumberland University (Player); JR Miller, Union University (Pitcher)
March 29 – Matt Jones, Tennessee Tech (Player); Trey Sledge, Rhodes College (Pitcher)
SOFTBALL: Union’s Robertson, Carson-Newman’s Rinus named TSWA award winners
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Union University’s Paige Robertson Carson-Newman’s Lacie Rinus were named the Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Wednesday for their performances for March 27-April 2.
Robertson batted .400 (8-for-20) with three home runs, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored in seven games for the Bulldogs. The Alamo, Tenn., native drove in a run and scored another in the first of two games against LeMoyne-Owen and was 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored in the second contest.
The freshman infielder hit a grand slam and scored twice in the first meeting with Bethel University and added a two-run homer in the second contest with the Wildcats. Robertson posted two hits in the first of three games versus West Florida and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second contest. She was 1-for-3 with two walks, one RBI and two RBIs in the series finale, upping her season batting average to .330 with 10 doubles, 25 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 38 games.
Rinus allowed two unearned runs and picked up three victories in 19.0 innings of work for Carson-Newman. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native allowed just one hit and one unearned run, walking two and striking out eight in five innings against Brevard College.
The freshman lefthander tossed seven shutout innings against Erskine College, striking out seven and giving up just four hits. She then struck out 10 and allowed an unearned run on four hits in a complete game versus Newberry College, her sixth double-digit strikeout effort of the season. She pitched 29 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run dating to March 22.
Rinus added nine hits and eight RBIs at the plate during the week as well, collecting two hits and three RBIs in the second game versus Brevard and driving in two runs in the second meeting against Erskine. She ended the week with a 3-for-4 effort versus Newberry.
2017 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 14 – Lexi Cushing, Middle Tennessee (Player); Brooklin Lee, Belmont (Pitcher)
February 21 – Chelsey Deloney, Belmont (Player); McCarley Thomas, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
February 28 – Ashley Scott, Union University (Player); Mandy Jordan, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
March 8 – Morgan Brewer, Maryville College (Player); Hayley Smothers, King University (Pitcher)
March 15 – Kay Brokering, King University (Player); Nicole Blackburn, Maryville College (Pitcher)
March 21 – Jess Andree, Belmont (Player); Mandy Jordan, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
March 29 – Taylor Scott, Carson-Newman (Player); Savannah Carr, Trevecca University (Pitcher)