Behrends, Brown named TSWA Players of the Week

April 6, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Belmont’s Behrends, Middle Tennessee’s Brown named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont’s John Behrends and Middle Tennessee’s Aaron Brown earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from March 29-April 4.

Behrends batted .476 (9-for-21) with two home runs, four extra-base hits, five runs scored and eight RBIs in five games for the Bruins.

The Chattanooga, Tenn., native singled, scored a run and drove in another versus UT Martin and collected two hits with a two-run homer, an RBI single and four total RBIs against Trevecca University.

The junior registered three hits in both games of a doubleheader versus Eastern Illinois, including an RBI single and a two-run single in the opener. He added a solo homer and three runs scored in the series finale.

Behrends is hitting .413 with nine doubles, five home runs, 26 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 24 games this season for the Bruins.

Brown tossed a complete-game two-hitter in the series opener against Rice, walking one and striking out nine in a 4-1 victory. The Blue Raiders scored three times in the eighth to break a 1-all contest.

The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native retired the side in order four times and worked around a pair of errors, the first complete-game two-hitter by a Blue Raider hurler since Zac Curtis in 2014.

In addition to nine his punchouts, his fifth outing in seven starts this year with at least nine strikeouts, Brown induced 12 ground ball outs and has surrendered one or fewer runs five times this season as well.

He upped his mark to 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 42.1 innings, giving up just 25 hits with nine walks and 61 strikeouts. Opponents are batting only .167 against him.

2021 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 23 – Andrew Keene, Lincoln Memorial (Player); Gunner Becker, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
March 2 – Dominic Keegan, Vanderbilt (Player); Joshua South, Belmont (Pitcher)
March 10 – Fuzzy Furr, Tusculum University (Player); Elijah Pleasants, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 16 – Isaiah Thomas, Vanderbilt (Player); Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 23 – Liam Spence (Tennessee); Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 30 – Drew Gilbert (Tennessee); Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)

Gilbert, Leiter garner TSWA honors

March 30, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Tennessee’s Gilbert, Vanderbilt’s Leiter named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s Drew Gilbert and Vanderbilt’s Jack Leiter earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from March 22-28.

Gilbert batted .385 (5-for-13) with three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs in four games for the Volunteers, including a series sweep against LSU.

The Stillwater, Minn., native started the week with two hits, two runs and two RBIs in a 13-5 win over Eastern Kentucky. He also pitched one shutout inning of relief in the win against the Colonels.

The sophomore doubled home a run in the seventh inning in the series opener versus LSU. Gilbert tied the second contest against the Tigers with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth and then hit a walk-off solo homer in the 11th inning for the win, his team-leading sixth home run of the season.

His RBI groundout plated the first run in the series finale for the Vols. Gilbert is batting .326 with five doubles, six homers, 27 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 25 games this season.

Leiter extended his hitless innings streak to 16 with seven no-hit innings at Missouri, walking two and striking out 10.

The Summit, N.J., native struck out the side in the fifth inning and two batters in the first and seventh. He also induced five groundouts and upped his mark to 6-0 with a 0.25 ERA in 36.0 innings this season, allowing one earned run on seven hits. He has walked 13 with 59 strikeouts and opponents are batting just .062 against him.

TSWA recognizes college players of the week - March 23

March 23, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Tennessee’s Spence, Vanderbilt’s Leiter named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s Liam Spence and Vanderbilt’s Jack Leiter earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from March 15-21.

Spence posted seven hits in four games for the Vols with five runs scored, two doubles, a home run and five RBIs.

The Geelong, Australia, native singled and drove in a run in an extra-inning victory against East Tennessee State in the midweek and homered to open the contest Friday at Georgia. The senior added two more hits and four total RBIs in the win, including a run-scoring double, with three runs scored.

Spence posted two hits and two RBIs in the second game of the series against the Bulldogs and finished the weekend with one hit in the finale. He is batting a team-leading .373 with six doubles, two triples, two homers, 18 RBIs and 24 runs scored in 21 games this season for Tennessee.

Leiter tossed a no-hitter and came within one batter of a perfect game in a 5-0 win against South Carolina.

The Summit, N.J., native walked the leadoff batter in the top of the first before retiring the next 27 hitters, striking out 16, blowing away the Gamecocks with fastballs the entire contest. He recorded multiple strikeouts in seven of his nine innings, including striking out the side in the second.

It marked the first regular season nine-inning, no-hit performance in program history since 1971 and the first in a conference game since 1971. Leiter was making just his eighth career start for Vanderbilt and had never worked more than five innings previously during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

He upped his record to 5-0 with a team-leading 0.31 ERA over 29.0 innings this season, allowing just one earned run on seven hits with 11 walks and 49 strikeouts.

SOFTBALL: Carson-Newman’s Smith, Middle Tennessee’s Dodd garner TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Shannon Smith and Middle Tennessee’s Corrina Dodd earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, for games from March 15-21.

Smith batted .684 (13-for-19) with six doubles, two triples, two home runs, nine runs scored and 10 RBIs in six games for the Eagles.

The Channahon, Ill., native doubled in the opener at UVA-Wise and hit a pair of solo homers in the second contest versus the Cavs.

The sophomore doubled and scored in the first game against Newberry College and was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in the second contest. She finished the week with three hits in both outings versus Bluefield State, posting two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored in the opener. Smith added a triple and four runs scored in the second outing.

She is batting .466 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 36 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 20 games this season for Carson-Newman.

Dodd posted a 2-0 mark with a 0.50 ERA in 14.0 innings in two outings for the Blue Raiders, giving up just one earned run on seven hits with nine strikeouts in two one-run victories.

The Trafford, Ala., native allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a 3-2 win against Western Illinois. She retired the side in order in the first, third, and fifth innings and worked around a single and a walk in the fourth and two singles in the sixth.

The junior righthander tossed a one-hit shutout the following day versus Mercer in a 1-0 victory, striking out six with no walks. She retired the first 13 batters of the game before a one-out single in the fourth inning. An error and a hit batter in the seventh were the only other runners for the Bears in the contest.

Mercer batters faced a three-ball count just twice and advanced a runner past first only once. Dodd finished the contest with a strikeout for her third career complete-game shutout.

She improved to 4-0 with a 0.79 ERA in eight appearances and 44.1 innings this season, giving up five earned runs on 34 hits with eight walks and 34 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .206 against her.

2021 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 23 – Katie Eakes, Carson-Newman (Player); Nikole Counts, King University (Pitcher)
March 10 – Carly Turner, King University (Player); Raygn Hall, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
March 16 – Shannon Smith, Carson-Newman (Player); Nikole Counts, King University (Pitcher)

College players of the week named by TSWA - March 16

March 16, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Thomas, Rocker named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Isaiah Thomas and Kumar Rocker earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from March 8-14.

Thomas batted .412 (7-for-17) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored in four games for the Commodores.

The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native posted two hits with an RBI double and a stolen base in a midweek contest against Memphis. The junior was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in the first game of a doubleheader at Oklahoma State and belted his second homer of the season with a three-run shot in the second contest versus the Cowboys, adding two runs scored.

Thomas finished the weekend 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the series finale, including another homer. He is batting .314 with four doubles, four home runs, 10 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 14 games this year.

Rocker tossed 8.0 shutout innings, a season-long appearance, allowing just two hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in a 5-0 victory at Oklahoma State.

The Athens, Ga., native faced just three batters over the minimum in his eight frames of work, retiring the side in order five times as well as 18 of the final 20 batters he faced. He induced 12 ground ball outs and only one baserunner got as far as second base.

Rocker upped his mark to 4-0 this season and has yet to allow an earned run (one unearned run over four appearances and 23.0 innings), giving up just eight hits with eight walks and 34 strikeouts. Opponents are batting only .108 against the righthander this year.

SOFTBALL: Carson-Newman’s Smith, King’s Counts garner TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Shannon Smith and King University’s Nikole Counts earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, for games from March 8-14.

Smith batted .556 (5-for-9) in two games for the Eagles against Limestone University with five runs scored and nine RBIs.

The Channahon, Ill., native collected two hits and drove in four runs with one run scored in the first game of the doubleheader, posting a pair of two-run singles. In the second contest the sophomore was 3-for-5 with four runs scored and five RBIs, including an RBI single and a three-run homer.

Smith is batting .389 with five doubles, five home runs, 26 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 14 outings this season.

Counts registered a 1-1 mark with a 1.08 ERA over 13.0 innings in two outings, allowing just nine hits and two earned runs.

The Clintwood, Va., native tossed seven innings at Emmanuel College, scattering six hits and giving up two unearned runs with one walk and four strikeouts in a 4-2 victory. She retired the side in order just once, working around nine baserunners in the contest.

The sophomore righthander allowed two earned runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a 3-0 loss at Erskine College. The Flying Fleet scored all three runs in the first three batters of the game before Counts retired 18 of the next 22 batters.

She has posted a 5-2 mark with a 1.04 ERA this season in eight appearances over 47.0 innings, giving up 35 hits with 10 walks and 30 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .198 against Counts.

TSWA honors college players of the week - March 10

March 10, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Bush earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s EJ Bush was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in earning tournament MVP honors for the Eagles.

The Oak Ridge, Tenn., native netted 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four boards, two assists and four steals versus Wingate University in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The senior followed that with 23 points (11-of-18 field goals), five rebounds and three assists at Tusculum University.

Bush collected 15 points and four boards in the championship game at Queens University, earning MVP honors and helping Carson-Newman win its first SAC Tournament title since 2015. The Eagles extended their winning streak to 11 games and ended a 13-game losing stretch to Queens as well.

Bush averages 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in 21 games this season for the Eagles.

2020-21 TSWA MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
December 9 – Tavon King, Cumberland University
December 15 – Luke Smith, Belmont
December 22 – Devin Whitfield, Lincoln Memorial
January 5 – Ben Sheppard, Belmont
January 12 – Kavon Blankenship, Bryan College
January 19 – Ren Dyer, Carson-Newman
January 26 – Tripp Davis, Carson-Newman
February 2 – Kevin Chong, Maryville College
February 9 – Luke Brenegan, Carson-Newman
February 16 – Hunter Vick, Union University
February 23 – Tripp Davis, Carson-Newman
March 2 – Trenton Gibson, Tusculum University

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Tusculum’s Sutton garners TSWA Player of the Week accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tusculum University’s Maddie Sutton was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, recording 23.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games to earn tournament MVP honors for the Pioneers.

The Walland, Tenn., native collected 20 points and 18 boards against Newberry College, making all 12 attempts at the foul line in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. She registered 22 points, 10 caroms and five assists versus Catawba College, hitting 8-of-15 shots overall with a pair of 3-pointers.

In the championship game Sutton posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and three assists against Lincoln Memorial, connecting on 9-of-17 field goals and 8-for-9 at the foul line. It marked the second straight conference tournament title for the Pioneers.

Sutton averages 17.3 points, 15.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21 outings this year for Tusculum.

2020-21 TSWA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
December 9 – Allissa Mulaski, Bryan College
December 15 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
December 22 – Eboni Williams, Chattanooga
January 5 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
January 5 – Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
January 19 – Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
January 26 – Lindsay Taylor, Carson-Newman
February 2 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
February 9 – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
February 16 – Maddie Sutton, Tusculum University
February 23 – Maddie Sutton, Tusculum University
March 2 – Destinee Wells, Belmont

BASEBALL: Tusculum’s Furr, Tennessee’s Pleasants named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tusculum University’s Fuzzy Furr and Tennessee’s Elijah Pleasants earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from March 1-7.

Furr belted three home runs with nine RBIs and five runs scored in his only two outings of the week. He did not play the final two contests of the week because of injury.

The Marietta, Ga., native was 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer, two runs scored and four RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader against Mars Hill University. The senior collected a pair of hits with three runs scored in the second contest versus the Lions, including two-run and three-run homers.

Furr is batting .400 (6-for-15) with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and nine runs scored in six games this season for the Pioneers.

Pleasants tossed 8.1 shutout innings over two relief appearances against Austin Peay and Georgia State, picking up the win in both games, allowing just four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.

The Clarksville, Tenn., native worked the final six innings at APSU for the win, giving up three hits with a career-best six strikeouts. The junior right-hander retired the side in order just once, working around a pair of errors and a hit better. The Vols scored five times in the fifth inning to erase an early deficit in the 5-3 victory.

Pleasants pitched 2.1 shutout frames against Georgia State, allowing one hit with three strikeouts. He got the final out of the fourth and gave up a single in the fifth and hit a batter in the sixth. He improved to 2-1 in 15.1 innings over four appearances this season, giving up two walks with 11 strikeouts.

SOFTBALL: King’s Turner, Trevecca’s Hall garner TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – King University’s Carly Turner and Trevecca University’s Raygn Hall earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, for games from March 1-7.

Turner batted .727 (8-for-11) with five doubles, 10 RBIs and five runs scored in four games for the Tornado.

The Springfield, Ohio, native posted two hits with a two-run homer, a walk and a run scored in the first of two games versus Lees-McRae. She was 1-for-3 with a run in the second contest of the doubleheader.

The junior doubled, drove in two runs and scored another in the first outing of a twinbill against West Virginia State. In the second contest Turner was 4-for-4 with two RBI doubles and a pair of two-run doubles as well, driving in six and scoring twice in the sweep.

She is batting .552 (16-for-29) with six doubles, three homers, 14 RBIs and eight runs scored in 10 games for King this season.

Hall collected three victories and tossed a pair of shutouts over three appearances for Trevecca, giving up just two earned runs with 13 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.

The Kingston, Tenn., native worked six shutout frames against Union University, allowing five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. The senior righthander then worked five scoreless innings versus Purdue Northwest, giving up four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Hall ended the week scattering 10 hits in 7.2 innings against Grand Valley State, allowing two earned runs with two walks and five strikeouts in a 4-3, eight-inning victory for TNU. She is 4-4 in eight appearances covering 38.0 innings this season, striking out 28.

2021 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 23 – Katie Eakes, Carson-Newman (Player); Nikole Counts, King University (Pitcher)