College players of the week honored by TSWA - April 20

April 20, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Tusculum’s Martin, Vanderbilt’s Rocker named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tusculum University’s Daulton Martin and Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from April 12-18.

Martin batted .393 (11-for-28) with five home runs, 17 RBIs and 11 runs scored in seven games for the Pioneers.

The Lancaster, Pa., native walked twice and scored two runs in the first of two games at Carson-Newman and singled home a run in the second contest. He walked and drove in a run against Belmont Abbey.

In a four-game series versus Limestone University, Martin posted 10 hits, six for extra bases, with 15 RBIs and nine runs scored. He opened the series with a 4-for-4 outing that included a triple, two home runs and nine RBIs, tying a school single-game record for runs batted in. He collected two hits in the first inning with a bases-clearing triple and later hit a two-run homer as well as a grand slam in the contest.

Martin belted two more home runs in the second game of the doubleheader and recorded five RBIs. In Sunday’s twinbill he registered a solo homer among his two hits in the first game and singled and scored a run in the regular season finale.

Martin is batting .350 with six doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and 48 runs scored in 38 games for the Pioneers.

Rocker tossed seven shutout innings against fifth-ranked Tennessee, allowing two hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. The Athens, Ga., native retired the side in order in the first, fourth and sixth innings and worked around a hit batter and a walk in the third inning.

The Vols picked up their first hit in the fifth and posted a double in the seventh, with that runner reaching third for their best scoring threat of the evening. UT was 0-for-5 with runners on base in the contest.

Rocker improved to 8-1 with a 1.64 ERA in nine appearances covering 55.0 innings, giving up just 29 hits with 15 walks and 81 strikeouts. Opponents are batting only .151 against the righthander.

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 (Player); Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 30 – Drew Gilbert, Tennessee (Player); Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
April 6 – John Behrends, Belmont (Player); Aaron Brown, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
April 13 – Jacob Justice, Bryan College (Player); Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)

SOFTBALL: Union’s David, Middle Tennessee’s Dodd garner TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Union University’s Mackenzi David and Middle Tennessee’s Corrina Dodd earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, for games from April 12-18.

David batted .500 (5-for-10) with three home runs, a triple and 10 RBIs in three games for the Bulldogs.

The Scott, La., native drove in a run with a groundout and hit a solo and two-run homer in the series opener against Christian Brothers, tying the game with the solo shot and providing the winning runs with the second round-tripper in a 6-4 victory in extra innings.

The sophomore belted another solo home run and added a two-run single in the second contest. David posted a bases-clearing triple in the series finale versus CBU.

She is batting .233 with five home runs, 14 RBIs and right runs scored in 16 starts for this season.

Dodd posted a 2-0 mark with a 0.91 earned-run-average over three games for the Blue Raiders, all one-run victories against rival Western Kentucky. She allowed just two runs on eight hits in 15.1 innings.

The Trafford, Ala., native tossed six-plus shutout innings in the series opener versus the Hilltoppers, giving up two hits with two strikeouts in a 1-0 win. She retired 11 straight hitters before a leadoff double in the seventh ended her day.

The junior righthander then picked up another victory in the circle with 4.1 shutout frames of relief in the second contest, a 5-4 triumph in nine innings. She allowed two hits in the fifth when she entered the game and retired 13 of the final 14 batters she faced, giving up just a walk.

In the series finale Dodd tossed five-plus innings, allowing a solo homer to leadoff the game and another to start the sixth. In between she set down 15 of the 18 hitters she faced, giving up two singles and a walk.

For the season Dodd has posted a 7-3 mark in 17 appearances over 83.2 innings, allowing 73 hits with 41 strikeouts.

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); Ragyn Hall, Trevecca University (Pitcher)
March 16 – Shannon Smith, Carson-Newman (Player); Nikole Counts, King University (Pitcher)
March 23 – Shannon Smith, Carson-Newman (Player); Corinna Dodd, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)

Justice, Leiter earn TSWA weekly honors

April 13, 2021 Forrest Freeman

BASEBALL: Bryan’s Justice, Vanderbilt’s Leiter named TSWA Players of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bryan College’s Jacob Justice and Vanderbilt’s Jack Leiter earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, for games from April 5-11.

Justice batted .600 (6-for-10) with four home runs, 10 RBIs and four runs scored in three games for the Lions.

The Ringgold, Ga., native posted an RBI single and a two-run homer in a midweek contest at Martin Methodist. He was 3-for-3 with two home runs and six RBIs in the first of two games versus St. Andrews University, including a solo shot and a grand slam as well as an RBI single.

In the series finale Justice provided the first run for the Lions with a solo homer in a 2-1 victory. For the season he is hitting .284 with five doubles, nine home runs, 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored in 30 contests.

Leiter tossed seven innings against Georgia, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and 13 strikeouts. He exited with the game tied at one.

The Summit, N.J., native retired 10 of the first 13 batters of the game and did not give up a hit until two outs in the fourth inning. He struck out 13 of the 27 batters he faced while recording multiple punchouts in five of his seven frames of work.

Leiter is holding SEC batters to a .065 average against across his 29.0 innings of work in conference play. He has recorded double-digit strikeouts in five of his eight starts this season, including all four of his starts in SEC play. He owns a 0.55 ERA (3 ER/49.0 IP) for the year, including a 0.62 mark (2 ER/29.0 IP) in league action.

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)