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)