Lincoln Memorial’s Henry, Trevecca’s Sensing garner TSWA weekly accolades

April 4, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial’s McKenzie Henry and Trevecca University’s Ashlan Sensing garnered softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 27-April 2.

Henry batted .462 (6-for-13) with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored in four games for the Railsplitters. The Louisville, Tenn., native was 0-for-1 with a walk in the first of two games against Carson-Newman but posted three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored in the second outing versus the Eagles, including a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI single in extra innings.

She belted a solo homer in the sixth inning in the first of two games at Coker University and collected two hits with an RBI single in the second meeting versus the Cobras. Henry is hitting .415 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 37 RBIs and 26 runs scored in 42 games this season.

Sensing posted a 2-0 mark with a 0.50 ERA in two complete games with one shutout, allowing just nine hits with 12 strikeouts for the Trojans. The Dickson, Tenn., native gave up four hits, no walks and struck out eight in a 7-1 victory against Northwood University, retiring the side in order in the first, second and fifth innings.

She followed that with a five-hit shutout against Ashland University, striking out four and giving up no walks, setting down the side in order in three innings and allowing just one baserunner past first. Sensing upped her record this year to 10-4 with a 1.11 ERA in 18 appearances over 95.0 innings. The righthander has given up 67 hits with eight walks and 98 strikeouts, with opponents batting .194 against her.

2022-23 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 21 – Macey Neal, Union University (Player)
February 28 – Chloe Kleischmidt, Tusculum University (Player); Rylee Gattis, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
March 7 – Acelynn Sellers, Chattanooga (Player); Alyssa Lavdis, Chattanooga (Pitcher)
March 14 – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Ashlan Sensing, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
March 21 – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Caitlyn Manus, Tennessee State (Pitcher)
March 28 – Kendall Andrews, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Savana Luper, King University (Pitcher)

Middle Tennessee’s Snider, Vanderbilt’s Futrell earn TSWA weekly honors

April 4, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee’s Eston Snider and Vanderbilt’s Devin Futrell were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 27-April 2.

Snider batted .700 (7-for-10) in three games for the Blue Raiders with two extra-base hits, six RBIs and seven runs scored as well as three stolen bases. The Franklin, Tenn., native posted two hits with an RBI single and a solo homer as well as four runs scored (reach base via hit by pitch twice) in the second of three games against Florida International.

He ended the three-game series with a 5-for-5 effort with four RBIs and three runs scored, including a two-run single in the fifth, an RBI single in the seventh and another RBI single in a five-run bottom of the ninth in a 13-12 victory. Snider is hitting .286 with six doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and 24 runs scored in 24 games this season.

Futrell tossed eight shutout innings in the series finale against Georgia, allowing just three hits. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native did not walk a batter and struck out seven in a 4-0 victory, giving the Commodores a 9-0 mark in SEC play after three weekends of league action.

The sophomore lefthander retired the side in order in the first, second, fourth, sixth and seventh innings and only one baserunner reached second, a one-out double in the fifth. Futrell improved to 5-1 this season with a 2.70 ERA in seven appearances covering 33.1 innings, giving up just 20 hits with nine walks and 27 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .172 against him.

2022-23 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
February 21 – Jack Roode, University of the South (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
February 28 – Jared Dickey, Tennessee (Player); Chase Burns, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 7 – Blake Burke, Tennessee (Player); Chase Dollander, Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 14 – Cole Turney, Cumberland University (Player); Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
March 21 – Gabe Jennings, Middle Tennessee (Player); Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
March 28 – Parker Noland, Vanderbilt (Player); Noah Thompson, Lipscomb (Pitcher)

Vanderbilt’s Noland, Lipscomb’s Thompson earn TSWA weekly honors

March 28, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Parker Noland and Lipscomb’s Noah Thompson were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 20-26.

Noland batted .533 (8-for-15) with three home runs, 14 RBIs and six runs scored in a three-game series at Mississippi State. The Knoxville, Tenn., native posted a 5-for-6 effort in the series opener with three runs scored and 11 RBIs, including grand slams in the sixth and seventh innings, becoming the fifth player in SEC history to hit two grand slams in a single game. He added a two-run single in the third inning and an RBI single in the fourth, registering a school single-game record for RBIs in the contest.

The senior collected two hits with two RBIs and three runs scored in the second game against the Bulldogs, including a solo homer in the fourth and an RBI groundout in a nine-run ninth inning for VU. In the series finale he recorded an RBI single in the third inning.

Noland is batting .290 with four doubles, five homers, 24 RBIs and 13 runs scored in 23 games this season.

Thompson tossed a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in the series-clinching victory at Queens University on Sunday for the Bisons despite an almost two-hour delay before the contest.

The graduate student from Louisville, Ky., retired the first 10 batters of the game before an error gave the Royals their first baserunner. The lefthander worked around a hit by pitch and a walk in the fifth and retired the side in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before a single with two outs in the ninth broke up the no-hitter.

Thompson has tossed 29.2 innings this season with an era of 0.91, best in the Atlantic Sun, posting a 4-1 record and giving up just 12 hits in seven appearances with 31 strikeouts. He has not allowed a run in his last 23 innings on the mound.

Trevecca’s Andrews, King’s Luper garner TSWA weekly accolades

March 28, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca University’s Kendall Andrews and King University’s Savana Luper garnered softball Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 20-26.

Andrews batted .417 (5-for-12) with a triple, three home runs, seven RBIs and four runs scored in four victories for the Trojans.

The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native walked and scored in the first of two games against Walsh University and was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs in the second meeting with the Cavaliers, including a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the fourth.

She belted a solo homer in the third inning in the first of two games at Malone University and added a bases-clearing triple in the fifth in the second contest against the Pioneers. Andrews is hitting .449 with six triples, six homers, 27 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 26 games this season, leading the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in RBIs, triples, slugging percentage (.928) and on-base percentage (.571).

Luper posted a 2-0 mark with a 0.54 ERA in two outings for the Tornado, striking out 14 and allowing just five hits.

The Salem, Va., native tossed a complete game against Southern Wesleyan, recording nine strikeouts and one walk while allowing no earned runs, overcoming four errors by the Tornado. The freshman tossed six innings in a win versus Belmont-Abbey, giving up one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Luper has posted a 9-1 record with a 2.04 ERA in 15 appearances covering 61.2 innings this season, allowing 53 hits and just 18 earned runs with 56 strikeouts. Opponents are batting only .221 against her.

Middle Tennessee’s Jennings, Vanderbilt’s Owen earn TSWA weekly honors

March 21, 2023 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee’s Gabe Jennings and Vanderbilt’s Hunter Owen were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from March 13-19.

Jennings batted .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles, a triple, one homer and nine RBIs in four games for the Blue Raiders. The Lebanon, Tenn., native was 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs in a midweek victory against Tennessee Tech, posting a two-run single in the fourth, a two-run double in the fifth, a solo homer in the seventh and an RBI double in the eighth.

The junior collected three hits, including an RBI triple, in the first of a three-game series against Western Kentucky. He singled and drove in a run in the second game of the series and added a single and a stolen base in the series finale with the Hilltoppers. Jennings is batting .270 with three doubles, four home runs, 21 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 19 games this season.

Owen tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout against Ole Miss in the second game of a weekend series for the Commodores. The South Portland, Maine, native walked one and threw just 96 pitches in Vanderbilt’s first nine-inning, complete-game shutout since Jack Leiter’s no-hitter vs. South Carolina in 2021.

Owen retired the final 23 batters he faced in the contest, striking out 11 against the defending national champions. The lefthander improved to 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in five starts this season, tossing 28.2 innings and giving up 19 hits with nine walks and 35 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .184 against him.