NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee sophomore outfielder Dylan Dreiling had a big week at the plate as he helped lead the Volunteers to a series win over No. 22 Georgia, leading to a selection as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player of the Week.
In all, the Hays, Kan., native hit .545 on the week with six hits in 11 at-bats, collecting five of those for extra bases with three doubles and two home runs. He also had two walks, seven RBI and came home to score five times. Dreiling was also 1-for-1 on stolen bases.
In Saturday’s 16-11 win over the Bulldogs, he hit a three-run home run and a grand slam for his first multi-homer game and a career-high seven RBI, helping the Vols erase a four-run deficit in the fifth inning. He had three base hits, a walk, and two runs scored in Sunday’s 7-0 win to take the series.
On the bump, the pitching award stayed in the Southeastern Conference as Vanderbilt junior righty Bryce Cunningham recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts on Friday night in a victory over Missouri. Cunningham yielded just three baserunners on the night over seven scoreless innings in a one-hit effort on the way to his fourth win of the season.
The junior from Headland, Ala., threw 99 pitches in the game as he allowed the base hit in the third inning. He improved to 4-1 on the season.
On the softball diamond, East Tennessee State could not find a way to retire Chattanooga shortstop Kailey Snell as the Shelbyville product batted an astonishing .900 at the plate for the week as the leadoff, helping lead the Mocs to a sweep over the Bucs. She drove in three and scored six times, while also stealing four bases.
In the opener, Snell went 3-for-4, then 3-for-3 in game two and 3-for-3 in the finale.
In the circle, Union sophomore pitcher Lainey Baker threw a complete game shutout in the Bulldogs’ 3-0 victory over Henderson State for her eighth victory of the season. The Cartersville, Ga., struck out seven and allowed just one hit in the contest.
Baker was five outs away from a perfect game after retiring 16 straight, but hit a batter in the bottom of the sixth, then allowed a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh.
BASEBALL
2/20 | Player: John Bay (Austin Peay); Pitcher: Peyton Calitri (Tennessee Tech)
2/27 | Player: Hayden Gilliland (Tennessee Tech); Pitcher: Andrew Devine (Austin Peay)
3/5 | Player: Camden Kozeal (Vanderbilt); Pitcher: Will Pryor (Belmont)
3/12 | Player: Tanner Shiver (Tennessee Tech); Pitcher: Devin Futrell (Vanderbilt)
3/19 | Player: Harrison Travis (Carson-Newman); Pitcher: Noah Toney (Union)
3/26 | Player: Cam Suto (Lee); Pitcher: Chandler Alderman (Middle Tennessee)
4/2 | Player: Dylan Dreiling (Tennessee); Pitcher: Bryce Cunningham (Vanderbilt)
SOFTBALL
2/20 | Player: Olivia Lipari (Chattanooga); Pitcher: Ashlan Sensing (Trevecca)
2/27 | Player: Zoey Neal (Union); Pitcher: Lainey Baker (Union)
3/5 | Player: Hayden Dye (Carson-Newman); Pitcher: Taylor Long (Chattanooga)
3/12 | Player: Brooke Matyasovsky (Carson-Newman); Pitcher: Ashlan Sensing (Trevecca)
3/19 | Player: Kendall Andrews (Trevecca); Pitcher: Caitlyn Manus (Tennessee State)
3/26 | Player: Kendall Andrews (Trevecca); Pitcher: Taylor Long (Chattanooga)
4/2 | Player: Kailey Snell (Chattanooga); Pitcher: Lainey Baker (Union)