BASEBALL: Sewanee’s Roode, Middle Tennessee’s Hamm earn TSWA weekly honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – University of the South’s Jack Roode and Middle Tennessee’s Jaden Hamm were named the baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for their efforts in contests from February 13-19.
Roode batted .429 (6-for-14) with two home runs, four runs scored and 11 RBIs in three games for the Tigers. The Denver, Colo., native posted two hits with a double, a walk, one run scored and one RBI in the series opener against Fontbonne University. The junior exploded in the series finale for Sewanee, posting four hits with two homers and 10 RBIs, including a three-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the seventh.
He is batting .450 with five runs scored and 14 RBIs in six games this season.
Hamm tossed 5.1 shutout innings in the team’s season-opener against VCU in Conway, S.C. The Culleoka, Tenn., native allowed just four hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter against the Rams.
After a leadoff single in the first, the righthander retired nine consecutive batters and allowed just two baserunners through the first four innings. He worked out of a jam in the fifth after giving up consecutive singles to start the inning thanks to a strikeout and two groundouts and exited the game after retiring the first hitter in the sixth.
SOFTBALL: Union’s Neal earn TSWA weekly honor
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Union University’s Macey Neal garnered softball Player of the Week accolades by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for her efforts in contests from February 13-19.
The Dyer, Tenn., native batted .632 (12-for-19) with two doubles, one homer, nine runs scored and eight RBIs in five games for the Bulldogs. The junior infielder was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored in the first game of a doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist, including an RBI double and a three-run homer. She was 3-for-3 in the second contest versus OBU.
Neal collected five hits in a three-game series against Shorter University, including two singles with one RBI in the series opener and a double, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored in the second outing. She finished the week with a single and a run scored in the series finale.
Neal is batting .479 with 11 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 14 contests this season.