Brewer, Kuhns garner TSWA weekly awards - May 13

May 13, 2026 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Middle Tennessee’s Nathan Brewer and Tennessee’s Tegan Kuhns Harris were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced Wednesday by the organization.

Brewer batted .500 (7-for-14) in three games at Florida International, including a record-breaking series opener. He slugged a program and Conference USA record four home runs in a 5-for-5 effort with six RBIs. Brewer added a pair of hits in the second game against the Panthers.

Brewer is hitting .298 with 15 doubles, 12 homers, 44 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 40 games this season.

Kuhns tossed seven shutout innings against fourth-ranked Texas, striking out 15 batters, tying the SEC single-game high this season, in the Vols’ 5-1 victory. The strikeout total marked the most by a Tennessee pitcher since June 4, 2005. Kuhns allowed just four hits and one walk against the Longhorns to earn his fourth win of the year.

Kuhns improved to 4-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 13 appearances with 12 starts covering 72.0 innings, giving up 64 hits with 13 walks and 95 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .231 against the righthander.

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)
April 7 | Wilson Then, Cumberland University (Player); Logan Harrell, Trevecca Nazarene (Pitcher)
April 14 | Evan Goins, Tusculum University (Player); Evan Blanco, Tennessee (Pitcher)
April 21 | Cade Martin, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Cole Torbett, Middle Tennessee (Pitcher)
April 28 | Blaine Brown, Tennessee (Player); Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee (Pitcher)
May 5 | Jorsixt Jimenez, Tennessee Tech (Player); Carter Casabella, Tennessee Tech (Pitcher)
May 13 | Nathan Brewer, Middle Tennessee (Player); Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee (Pitcher)

Blakes, Ralph garner TSWA women's basketball player, coach of year awards

May 6, 2026 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and Shea Ralph earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Women’s Basketball Player and Coach of the Year honors, respectively, as announced Wednesday by the organization.

Mikayla Blakes averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game this season, shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from behind the arc. Her 27.0 points per game led NCAA Division I in scoring and set the Vanderbilt single-season scoring record. Her 918 points are the most scored in a season in SEC history and set the NCAA’s all-time sophomore scoring record.

Blakes posted 13 games with 30 or more points, which led the nation and is the most 30-point performances by an SEC player this century. She averaged 30.5 points per game in SEC play while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from behind the arc. She is the first SEC player this century to average over 30 points per game in league play. She recorded 10 of her 12 30-point efforts in the SEC, which includes a season-high 38 points at Mississippi State.

Blakes earned First Team All-America accolades from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, The Athletic, USA Today, ESPN and The Sporting News. The sophomore guard was named SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC by both the league’s coaches and USA Today. Additionally, she was a finalist for the Wooden Award, the Honda Award, the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year and the Wade Trophy.

In her fifth season, Ralph led the Commodores to their most successful regular season in school history, guiding the team to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons. Vanderbilt posted a 29-5 overall record, including 13-3 in SEC games. The squad’s 29 wins are the third-most in program history while the 13 SEC victories set the school record for the most conference victories in a season.

The Commodores earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted March Madness games in Memorial Gymnasium for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. Vanderbilt concluded the SEC regular season tied for second place, matching the best conference finish in program history. Ralph led Vanderbilt to a Top 5 ranking in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll for the first time since the 2001-02 season. The Commodores spent five weeks inside the top five, while Vanderbilt was ranked in the top 10 in both polls for 12 consecutive weeks.

Vanderbilt recorded a perfect 18-0 mark at Memorial Gymnasium, marking the first time in program history that the Commodores went undefeated at home in a season. The team opened the campaign by winning a school-record 20-straight games. Vanderbilt posted seven wins against ranked foes this season, the most in a regular season since 1995-96.

Tanner, Byington named men's basketball player, coach of year by TSWA

May 5, 2026 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner and Mark Byrington earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player and Coach of the Year accolades, respectively, as announced Tuesday by the organization.

Tanner became just the second player in Vanderbilt history to score over 700 points in a season, racking up 702 to join Scotty Pippen, Jr., in the exclusive club. He earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Association Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game in his sophomore season.

Tanner was the only player in the country to average better than 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals and only the eighth player in the major conferences to hit those averages in the past 30 seasons. He garnered First Team All-SEC accolades by both the league coaches and AP. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game over the 18-game SEC slate, just the third high-major player to reach those marks in the past 30 seasons, joining Jay Williams (Duke) and Jason Terry (Arizona).

Tanner also garnered SEC All-Defensive Team recognition while setting the Vanderbilt school record for both assists and steals in a single season. His 184 assists surpassed Atiba Prater’s 180 in 1999-00 while his 86 steals eclipsed James Strong’s 77 swipes in 1998-99. Tanner is the only high-major player to score 700 points with at least 180 assists and 85 steals in the past 30 seasons. He’s the first player in college basketball to hit the marks since Steph Curry and David Holston in 2008-09.

Byington led Vanderbilt to a 27-9 record, notching the second-most wins in program history and becoming the first Commodore head coach to win at least 20 games in each of his first two seasons with the program. He guided Vanderbilt into the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season and the program’s first tournament win since 2012.

Byington also guided the Commodores to their first SEC Tournament championship game appearance since 2012. The club spent 14 weeks ranked in the AP Poll and climbed as high as No. 10 for the first time in an in-season poll since 1992-93. Under his tutelage, the 2025-26 Commodores became the first team in program history to eclipse 3,000 points in a season and the team also finished with the second-most assists and fourth-most steals in program history.

TSWA announces college players of the week - May 5

May 5, 2026 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Trevecca Nazarene’s Sarah Kinderdine and UT Martin’s Payton Harris were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced Tuesday by the organization.

Kinderdine batted .667 (6-for-9) with two doubles, two homers, six RBIs and three runs scored in three games against eighth-ranked Auburn Montgomery. She posted two hits with a solo home run in the first game of the series and collected four hits with two doubles, five RBIs and a walkoff grand slam in the second contest.

Kinderdine is hitting .341 with five doubles, six homers, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 34 games this season.

Harris posted two wins in two appearances, allowing no runs on three hits with six strikeouts and accomplished the rare feat of winning twice on the same day. In the series opener, she got the final two outs in the seventh, allowing a walk and one hit in a 4-3 victory, with the Skyhawks scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

In the second contest, Harris tossed a two-hit complete game shutout, walking two and striking out a career-high six in a 1-0 win. She limited opponents to a .120 batting average in her 7.2 innings of work.

Harris upped her record to 6-4 this season with one save in 22 appearances, pitching 60.0 innings and giving up 51 hits with 29 strikeouts.

BASEBALL: Tennessee Tech’s Jorsixt Jimenez and Carter Casabella were named Tennessee Sports Writers Association Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Jimenez batted .588 (10-for-17) in four games with two doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and eight runs scored. He posted two hits with two runs scored and two RBIs in a win at Lipscomb to start the week.

He followed that with multiple hits in each of the weekend series games at Southern Indiana. Jimenez was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs in the opener and collected two hits with a homer and three RBIs in the second contest.

Jimenez capped the week with a 3-for-5 performance, smashing another homer and driving in two more runs. He ranks third nationally in slugging (.859), fifth in total bases (152), eighth in batting (.407) and RBIs (66), 13th in home runs (19) and 17th in hits (72).

Casabella allowed three runs on five hits in a seven-inning victory at Southern Indiana, walking two and striking out five. He retired the side in order in the first and second innings and worked around a single in the sixth with a doubleplay as well as stranding a runner in the third after a leadoff single.

He improved his record to 2-5 this season in 14 appearances and seven starts, striking out 41 in 59.1 innings.

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)
April 7 | Baileigh Pitts, Chattanooga (Player); Chelsey Stonesifer, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
April 14 | Grace Gregory, Carson-Newman (Player); Chelsey Stonesifer, Tusculum University (Pitcher)
April 21 | Ava Saul, Bryan College (Player); Natalie Kreuziger, UT Martin (Pitcher)
April 28 | Addy Grace Summers, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Maya Johnson, Belmont (Pitcher)
May 5 | Sarah Kinderdine, Trevecca Nazarene (Player); Payton Harris, UT Martin (Pitcher)

Pavia, Lea voted TSWA football player, coach of year

May 4, 2026 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Clark Lea earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Player and Coach of the Year honors, respectively, as announced Monday by the organization.

Pavia was named the National Player of the Year by The Sporting News, CBS Sports and Premier Player after finishing as the runner-up in voting for the Heisman Trophy. He was voted the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner and was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell Player of the Year and Manning Awards.

Pavia garnered First Team All-America accolades from The Sporting News, CBS Sports and On3 and was selected Second Team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America, Associated Press, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and USA Today. He was voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC by the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press.

Pavia completed 71 percent of his passes (267-of-378) for 3539 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 13 contests. He also rushed for a team-leading 862 yards, 5.2 yards-per-attempt), and 10 TDs, helping the Commodores average 463.1 yards per game in total offense with 66 touchdowns for the season. Vanderbilt also converted 51.1 percent on third downs, which ranked sixth nationally in FBS.

Lea was named the FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Walter Camp, AFCA, George Munger, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Awards. He was selected SEC Coach of the Year by both the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press, leading Vanderbilt to back-to-back postseason bowl appearances for the first time since the 2011-13 campaigns.

The Commodores finished the season 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the conference, setting program records with both win totals. Vanderbilt posted victories over four nationally-ranked teams throughout the season, including three – South Carolina, LSU and Missouri – that were among the Top 15 in the polls at the time of the matchup.