Campbell, Fellows garner TSWA weekly awards - May 14

May 14, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Austin Peay’s Campbell, Vanderbilt’s Fellows honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay’s Aaron Campbell and Vanderbilt’s Drake Fellows were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from May 6-12.

Campbell batted .692 (9-for-13) in four games with five doubles, a home run, 10 RBIs and six runs scored for the Governors. The Ellendale, Tenn., native doubled twice, collected three hits and walked once, scoring a run in a mid-week contest at Tennessee.

The senior posted a two-run double in the first inning in the series opener at Eastern Illinois but left the game because of injury. He returned on Saturday and was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and seven RBIs, including a grand slam in the first inning. Campbell added an RBI single in the second, a run-scoring double in the third and a sacrifice fly in the seventh in APSU’s record-setting 34-hit attack versus the Panthers.

He finished the series with an RBI single and two walks, scoring a run. Campbell is batting .358 with 12 doubles, two homers, 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored in just 95 at-bats this season.

Fellows struck out a career-high 11 batters while allowing one earned run on four hits in seven innings in a 5-2 victory over Missouri. The Plainfield, Ill., native recorded his SEC-best 10th victory and 20th career win for the Commodores.

The righthander retired the side in order in the second, fourth, fifth and seventh innings and posted two of his 11 punchouts to end the sixth with the tying run at the plate for the Tigers. He set down 14-of-15 hitters from the end of the first until a one-out walk in the sixth and left the contest with a perfect seventh.

Fellows upped his mark this season to 10-0 in 13 starts covering 79.1 innings, giving up 71 hits with 94 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .237 against him this season.

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)
April 24 – Matt Joslin, Austin Peay (Player); Jake Roberson, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
May 1 – Hunter Holland, Belmont (Player); Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
May 8 – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt (Player); Cole Alsup, Trevecca University (Pitcher)

Baseball players of the week honored by TSWA - May 8

May 8, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Bleday, Trevecca’s Alsup honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s JJ Bleday and Trevecca University’s Cole Alsup were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 29-May 5.

Bleday batted .461 (6-for-13) with two home runs, five RBIs and six walks in four games for the Commodores, becoming the program’s single-season leader in homers. The Panama City Beach, Fla., native walked and scored a pair of runs versus Tennessee Tech and belted a two-run homer among his two hits and two runs scored in the first game of a series at South Carolina.

The junior outfielder posted two hits with a two-run triple along with three walks in the second contest versus the Gamecocks. He added two more hits in the series finale, including the game-breaking homer, a solo shot in the seventh, passing the previous mark set by Pedro Alvarez in 2006.

Bleday is batting .349 with nine doubles, 23 homers, 61 RBIs and 61 runs scored along with 40 walks in 48 games this season.

Alsup tossed six scoreless innings, allowing one run with two strikeouts in a victory against the Ohio Valley University. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native faced just two batters over the minimum in his six innings of work, inducing a pair of ground-ball doubleplays to offset four walks.

The freshman lefthander has posted a 2-1 mark with a 2.35 ERA in 23.0 innings over the second half of the season, giving up only five hits with seven strikeouts in six appearances.

TSWA honors college players of the week - May 1

May 1, 2019 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Belmont’s Holland, Vanderbilt’s Rocker honored with TSWA weekly accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont’s Hunter Holland and Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker were named the Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 22-28.

Holland batted .400 (6-for-15) with six extra-base hits, including three home runs, along with 13 RBIs and five runs scored in four games for the Bruins. The Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native hit a two-run homer in a mid-week contest at Lipscomb posted a triple, two doubles and a sacrifice fly, driving in five runs in the first of a three-game series at Tennessee Tech.

The senior outfielder walked and scored in the second contest versus the Golden Eagles and recorded two home runs, a two-run shot and a three-run homer, in the series finale at TTU. Holland is batting .258 with 10 doubles, five home runs, 29 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 33 games this season.

Rocker worked seven innings against Auburn, giving up two runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and just one walk. The freshman set the side down in order three times and allowed one run in two other innings in a 5-2 victory.

The Athens, Ga., native improved to 5-4 for the season and has won his last three starts, striking out 19 and limiting opponents to a .167 batting average. Rocker has 51 strikeouts in 48.0 innings this season over 11 appearances.

SOFTBALL: Union’s Kelley, UT Martin’s Ray selected for TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Union University’s Kaitlyn Kelley and UT Martin’s Lexi Ray received Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from April 22-28.

Kelley batted .615 (8-for-13) with one double, two home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored in five games for the Bulldogs. The Lexington, Tenn., native doubled among three hits, drove in four runs and scored three times in the first game of a doubleheader versus Lane College. She tripled in the second contest versus the Dragons.

The freshman infielder hit a three-run homer and scored twice in the first of a three-game series against Christian Brothers and posted two hits in the second contest versus the Bucs. Kelley finished the series with a solo homer and two runs scored.

She is batting .432 with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs and 53 runs scored in 53 games this season.

Ray tossed a perfect game and allowed just three runs in 15.2 innings of work over three appearances for the week. The Louisville, Ky., native worked 4.2 scoreless frames of relief against Memphis, giving up one hit with four strikeouts.

The freshman righthander suffered a 3-0 loss at Jacksonville State, allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts. She threw just 50 pitches in the five-inning perfect game at Tennessee Tech, striking out two. UTM scored 10 runs in the fifth to end the contest early. It marked the third perfect game in Skyhawks softball history and the first since 2007.

Ray improved to 8-7 with a 2.90 ERA in 87.0 innings this season covering 23 appearances. She has 43 strikeouts and seven complete games.

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)
April 16 – Kelsey Seitz, Trevecca University (Player); Alicia Veltri, Belmont (Pitcher)

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.

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.