Davis, Williams earn TSWA Men's College Basketball honors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee’s Kermit Davis and JaCorey Williams were voted the Men’s College Basketball Coach and Player of the Year, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for the 2016-17 season, announced this week by the organization.

Davis led Middle Tennessee to a school-record 31 victories, winning regular season and conference tournament championships in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders upset Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first school in NCAA Tournament history to win back-to-back first-round games against Power Five schools as a 12-seed or higher.

Middle Tennessee set a conference record with 17 league wins in 2016-17 and joined Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis as the only programs in C-USA history to win 30-plus games in a season. Davis earned Conference USA Coach of the Year and NABC District Coach of the Year honors and was voted Sports Person of the Year by the Daily News Journal.

Williams posted 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Blue Raiders, collecting 11 double-doubles and falling just two points shy (621) of the school single-season record. He led the club in points, rebounds and field goal percentage (.533), earning Conference USA Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors as well as First Team All-Conference accolades.

The Birmingham, Ala., native was also received First Team All-District recognition from the NABC and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Conference USA Championships, helping Middle Tennessee to its second straight league tournament title, averaging 14.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in three games in the tourney. He also was the first Blue Raider in 20 seasons to log three consecutive double-doubles, doing so twice during the season.

Norvell, Cunningham voted College Football Coach, Player of Year by TSWA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Memphis’ Mike Norvell and Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham were voted the College Football Coach and Player of the Year, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for the 2016 season, announced this week by the organization.

Norvell and Cunningham will be honored during the annual TSWA Hall of Fame dinner and awards banquet set for Thursday, July 13, at Baird Chapel on the Cumberland University campus.

Norvell led the Tigers to eight victories, the most wins by a first-year coach in program history. Memphis ranked in the Top 25 in eight NCAA statistical categories and set a school single-season record with 34 touchdown passes. UM ranked second in school history in total offense (6,028 yards), total TDs (63) and scoring (505).

Memphis also ranked fifth nationally in turnovers gained (29) and 17th in turnover margin while returning three kicks for touchdowns for the youngest head coach in FBS. The Tigers started the season 3-0 and won three of its last four games, including a 48-44 victory over 18th-ranked Houston, to finish the regular season.

Cunningham earned unanimous First Team All-America honors from the likes of the Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Football Writers Association of America, ESPN.com, etc., the first Commodore player in the program’s history to achieve that feat. He was also the first VU position player to earn consensus First Team All-America recognition since George Diederich in 1958.

The linebacker led the SEC with 125 total tackles and four fumble recoveries while ranking second in the league with 71 solo stops and third with 16.5 tackles for loss. Cunningham earned unanimous National Defensive Player of the Week accolades following a 19-tackle performance at Georgia in October and produced some of the conference's top individual defensive plays, including a tackle on 4th-&-1 late at Georgia to clinch the victory and leaping the Auburn line to block a Tiger field goal attempt.

Vanderbilt duo sweeps final TSWA weekly awards for 2016-17

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Toffey, Wright garner TSWA accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Will Toffey and Kyle Wright swept the Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Wednesday for their performances from May 15-21.

Toffey batted .625 (10-for-16) with a pair of doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and eight runs scored in four games for the Commodores. The Barnstable, Mass., native posted two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, in a mid-week contest against Middle Tennessee.

The junior infielder collected two hits with one RBI and a run scored in the series opener against Alabama and matched a career-best with four hits and four runs scored, adding three RBIs in the second game versus the Crimson Tide. Toffey finished the series with his second homer of the week and eighth of the season in the finale against Alabama, recording a double in the contest as well.

He is batting a team-best .337 with 11 doubles, 52 RBIs, 46 walks and 45 runs scored in 50 games this season.

Wright struck out 11, including the final six batters he faced, in 7.1 innings against Alabama, allowing one run on just five hits. He gave up a walk and a double to start the fourth inning but did not allow another baserunner, retiring 13 straight before exiting the contest.

The righthander has posted at least 11 strikeouts in each of his last three outings, tallying 35 total punchouts in three games. He improved to 4-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 89.2 innings over 14 starts this season, allowing just 67 hits with 104 strikeouts. Opponents are batting only .206 against him.

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)
April 6 – J.P. Castaneda, King University (Player); Octavio Mirabal, King University (Pitcher)
April 11 – Ryan Kemp, Middle Tennessee (Player); Matt Ruppenthal, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 18 – Paul Kirby, Carson-Newman (Player); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 26 – Nick Egli, Belmont (Player); Blake Glaudeb, Rhodes College (Pitcher)
May 2 – Alex Robles, Austin Peay (Player); Denton Norman, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
May 10 – Dan Kerwin, UT Martin (Player); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
May 18 – Parker Phillips, Austin Peay (Player); Cody Puckett, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)

Phillips, Puckett earn TSWA Baseball honors

BASEBALL: Austin Peay’s Phillips, Middle Tennessee’s Puckett garner TSWA accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay’s Parker Phillips and Middle Tennessee’s Cody Puckett were named the Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Thursday for their performances for May 8-14.

Phillips batted .500 (10-for-20) with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored in five games for the Govs. The Collierville, Tenn., native started the week with a 5-for-5 effort that included a double, a homer and three RBIs against Evansville.

The redshirt freshman was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs against Lipscomb. In a weekend series at Notre Dame, he doubled and scored a run in the opener and hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie in the series finale, helping APSU to a 5-3 victory. Phillips is batting .339 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 47 games this season.

Puckett tossed seven shutout innings for the Blue Raiders at Rice, allowing just four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. The senior lefthander tied his career-long outing in the victory, retiring 16 of the final 19 batters he faced, working around singles in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings by the Owls. Only one Rice batter reached second base in the seven innings, on a double in the first.

Puckett improved to 3-4 in 11 outings covering 53.2 innings this season, giving up 53 hits with 62 strikeouts.

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)
April 6 – J.P. Castaneda, King University (Player); Octavio Mirabal, King University (Pitcher)
April 11 – Ryan Kemp, Middle Tennessee (Player); Matt Ruppenthal, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 18 – Paul Kirby, Carson-Newman (Player); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 26 – Nick Egli, Belmont (Player); Blake Glaudeb, Rhodes College (Pitcher)
May 2 – Alex Robles, Austin Peay (Player); Denton Norman, Lipscomb (Pitcher)
May 10 – Dan Kerwin, UT Martin (Player); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)

TSWA honors weekly winners - May 10

BASEBALL: UT Martin’s Kerwin, Vanderbilt’s Wright garner TSWA accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UT Martin’s Dan Kerwin and Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright were named the Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Wednesday for their performances for April May 1-7.

In four games last week, Kerwin hit .500 (10-for-20) with eight runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs. The Bradenton, Fla., native singled, walked and scored three times against Union University and opened a three-game series at Eastern Illinois with three hits, including a homer, and two runs scored.

The senior hit a pair of home runs and drove in five runs in the second game of the series with the Panthers and capped the week with a 4-for-5 effort with two doubles and three RBIs in the series finale. He is batting .323 with 14 doubles, eight home runs, 34 RBIs and 27 runs scored in 43 games after Tuesday’s contest.

Wright allowed just three hits and one run in nine innings against Missouri, walking one and matching his career-best with 13 strikeouts but got no decision in a 12-inning loss. The Huntsville, Ala., native took a no-hitter into the seventh inning the previous week versus Tennessee and tossed a three-hit shutout against Florida in mid-April. The righthander worked seven shutout frames at Georgia in April as well and has given up five total runs with 30 strikeouts in 32.1 innings over his last four starts. He is 1-1 with two no decisions over the last four weeks.

Wright is 2-5 with a 3.35 ERA in 12 appearances this season, tossing 75.1 innings. He has allowed 60 hits with 82 strikeouts and opponents are batting just .216 against him.

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)
April 6 – J.P. Castaneda, King University (Player); Octavio Mirabal, King University (Pitcher)
April 11 – Ryan Kemp, Middle Tennessee (Player); Matt Ruppenthal, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 18 – Paul Kirby, Carson-Newman (Player); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 26 – Nick Egli, Belmont (Player); Blake Glaudeb, Rhodes College (Pitcher)
May 2 – Alex Robles, Austin Peay (Player); Denton Norman, Lipscomb (Pitcher)

SOFTBALL: Belmont’s Spicer, Lee named TSWA award winners
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont University’s Jordan Spicer and Brooklin Lee were named the Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association on Wednesday for their performances for May 1-7.

Spicer batted .700 (7-for-10) with a double, two home runs, seven RBIs and two runs scored in four games. The Hendersonville, Tenn., native was 3-for-3 with a double, a homer and two RBIs versus Southeast Missouri. She also homered and drove in four runs in the first game of a doubleheader with Tennessee State. The sophomore is batting .324 with three doubles, five home runs, 25 RBIs and nine runs scored in 42 games this season for the Bruins.

Lee won the Pitcher of the Week award for the third time this season, picking up a pair of wins and 17 strikeouts while allowing two earned runs in 14.0 innings of work. The Burns, Tenn., native allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts in a victory at Murray State and then struck out 11 while giving up just three hits and two unearned runs against Tennessee State.

The freshman hurler moved into the top spot on Belmont’s single-season strikeout list with 172 heading into this week’s OVC Championships, breaking a mark set in 2008. Lee is 17-9 with a 2.39 ERA in 30 games this season, tossing 161.0 innings. She has allowed 127 hits with 172 strikeouts and opponents are batting just .215 against her.

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)
April 6 – Paige Robertson, Union University (Player); Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
April 11 – Alex Richardson, Trevecca University (Player); Brooke Kennedy, UT Martin (Pitcher)
April 18 – Emily Bennett, Union University (Player); Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
April 26 – Jodie Duncan, UT Martin (Player); Brooklin Lee, Belmont (Pitcher)
May 2 – Jodie Duncan, UT Martin (Player); Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)