NASHVILLE – Sewanee’s Ansley Giffin and Carson-Newman’s Atiana Stamper were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced Tuesday by the organization.
Giffin batted .714 (10-for-14) with four multi-hit outings in five contests for the Tigers. In a midweek doubleheader against Covenant College, she posted two hits in the first game and was 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs scored in the second contest.
She recorded two hits in the second contest versus Southwestern University and was 3-for-3 with a run scored in the series finale against the Pirates. Giffin is hitting .448 with five doubles, 10 RBIs, 14 walks and 17 runs scored in 25 games this season.
Stamper posted a 2-0 mark in two appearances, both starts, allowing two runs on nine hits with 16 strikeouts. She tossed a complete game at Tusculum University in a 3-1 win, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts.
She pitched all eight innings in a 2-1 victory over Mars Hill, giving up one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts, her second outing with a dozen punchouts this season. She became first freshman with two double-digit strikeout performances at Carson-Newman since Lacie Rinus in 2017.
Stamper is 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 appearances this season covering 89.1 innings, collecting 89 strikeouts and allowing just 58 hits. Opponents are hitting just .186 against her.
BASEBALL: Middle Tennessee’s Layne Akers and Union University’s Cole Lannom were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Akers batted .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs with four multi-RBI outings in as many games for the Blue Raiders. He singled and drove in two runs in a midweek contest against Alabama A&M.
He singled and posted two RBIs in the series opener versus New Mexico State and collected a career-high three hits with three RBIs and a run scored in the second game. Akers was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer, four RBIs and two runs scored in series finale, including a grand slam.
He is hitting .317 with three doubles, four homers, 19 RBIs and 10 runs scored in 17 games this season.
Lannom posted a 1-0 mark with a save and a 0.00 ERA over 5.2 innings in two appearances, allowing just four hits while striking out seven for the Bulldogs. He worked two innings in a midweek contest against Arkansas Tech, allowing no earned runs on one hit with one strikeout, picking up a win.
He tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief versus eighth-ranked West Alabama to earn a save, giving up three hits with six strikeouts. Lannom is 4-4 with two saves in 12 appearances this season (one start), pitching 38.0 innings and allowing 32 hits with 42 strikeouts.
2026 TSWA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Feb. 10 | Shay Hollingsworth, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Maya Johnson, Belmont (Pitcher)
Feb. 17 | Avary Makarewicz, UT Martin (Player); Taylor Long, Chattanooga (Pitcher)
Feb. 24 | Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Kayleigh Smith, Bryan College (Pitcher)
March 3 | Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (Player); Maya Johnson, Belmont (Pitcher)
March 10 | Sydney Tackett, Sewanee (Player); Chelsey Stonesifer, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
March 17 | Ashley Capelouto, Tennessee Tech (Player); Sami Scholtz, UT Martin (Pitcher)
March 24 | Carly Ward, UT Martin (Player); Addison Abell, Tennessee Tech (Pitcher)
March 31 | Ansley Giffin, Sewanee (Player); Atiana Stamper, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
2026 TSWA BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Feb. 17 | Cohl Proctor, Cumberland University (Player); Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee (Pitcher)
Feb. 24 | Will Curcio, Bryan College (Player); Logan Baskin, Cumberland University (Pitcher)
March 3 | Jacob Sitton, UT Martin (Pitcher)
March 10 | Zach Fortman, Sewanee (Player); Logan Harrell, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
March 17 | Denajh Williams, Bryan College (Player); Christian Henderson, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
March 24 | Cole Johnson, Austin Peay (Player); Kolton Casson, Carson-Newman (Pitcher)
March 31 | Layne Akers, Middle Tennessee (Player); Cole Lannom, Union University (Pitcher)