College players of the week named by TSWA - April 2

April 2, 2024 Forrest Freeman

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)

TSWA honors college players of the week - March 26

March 26, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lee University first baseman Cam Suto had a tremendous week as he helped lead the Flames to a 4-0 performance on the week and his offensive numbers made him a great choice as this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Baseball Player of the Week.

The junior from Marietta, Ga., batted .476 on the week as he was 10-for-21 at the plate, collecting a massive 16 RBI tally with 13 runs scored. In Lee’s seven-inning, 28-10 victory over Christian Brothers, Suto was 4-for-6 with nine RBI – including a grand slam and a three-run home run – and six runs scored.

Suto also went 4-for-6 in the opener with six RBI and four runs scored. For the week, he had one triple, four home runs and was 5-for-5 on stolen bases.

On the bump, Middle Tennessee freshman lefty Chandler Alderman was named the Pitcher of the Week after throwing an eight-inning no-hitter on Saturday in a 10-0 victory over Liberty.

The Poplar Grove, Ill., product struck out 11 in his second career start, recording just the fourth no-no in Blue Raider history and the first in 20 years. He is the second freshman and third pitcher to throw a solo no-hitter in program history.

On the softball diamond, Trevecca’s Kendall Andrews repeated as Softball Player of the Week as the senior from Murfreesboro continued to dazzle, hitting .643 on the week, going 9-for-14 at the plate. She scored 13 runs, while also hitting three home runs and one double to collect 10 RBI. Andrews also drew nine walks and was a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases.

In the circle, Chattanooga sophomore Taylor Long earned the Pitcher of the Week honor after she picked up a pair of victories and her first save of the season. Over 13 2/3 innings of work, the Calhoun, Ga., native recorded a 1.02 ERA and struck out 21 batters.

In relief against Jacksonville State, Long struck out nine Gamecock batters in 3 2/3 innings of work to claim the victory, then pitched a complete game, striking out nine to top Samford in the Mocs’ conference opener. She earned the save as she locked down the final three outs in the ninth inning against the Bulldogs with one on and no one out, whiffing the last batter.

College players of the week recognized - March 19

March 19, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Harrison Travis and Union’s Noah Toney came away with the baseball honors, while Trevecca’s Kendall Andrews and Tennessee State’s Caitlyn Manus won the softball awards on Tuesday as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association selected its weekly College Athletes of the Week.

Travis, a graduate student from Soddy Daisy, hit five home runs during the Eagles’ weekend series against Emory & Henry as he batted .615 for the week and had a .722 on-base percentage. He hit three home runs as he went 3-for-3 at the plate in the series opener, becoming the first Carson-Newman player in the program’s recorded history to accomplish the feat.

He finished the week driving in seven runs.

On the hill, Toney, a sophomore righty from Florence, Ala., threw a complete game shutout against Shorter University as he went all nine frames, scattering three hits and striking out three. He threw 102 pitches in the 1-0 victory to take the series two games to one.

On the softball diamond, Andrews, a senior catcher from Murfreesboro, batted .571 for the week, collecting a 1.143 slugging percentage as she went 8-for-14 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and a home run. Andrews drove in four runs, while she also swiped three bases on four tries. She helped Trevecca go 3-1 on the road in the opening weekend of Great Midwest action.

In the circle, Manus, a junior from Murfreesboro, had a terrific week as she went 4-0 against Ohio Valley Conference competition, posting a 1.40 earned run average across 20 innings of work with two complete-game victories. She struck out 22 against three walks. She threw a four-hit complete game win over Morehead State with 10 strikeouts, then swept Lindenwood. She allowed one run on two hits in the series opener, claimed the victory in relief in game two, then completed the sweep with a five-inning effort in the finale.

TSWA honors college players of the week - March 13

March 13, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech’s Tanner Shiver came through with several clutch at-bats this past week, including two walk-off base hits as the Maryville native earned this week’s nod for the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Baseball Player of the Week.

The junior Shiver played third base and right field this past week, leading the Golden Eagles to four victories as he hit .471, had a .550 on-base percentage and a 1.118 slugging percentage, collecting eight hits, six runs scored, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI and a stolen base.

Against Alabama A&M, Shiver hit his first home run of the season with a 2-for-4 day in a seven-inning run-ruled game against the Bulldogs, then went 2-for-2 with two home runs and three runs scored in the weekend opener against Queens.

In the second game, Shiver gave Tech an early lead with a three-run triple, then provided the walk-off base hit in the bottom of the 10th. He had final at-bat heroics again in the finale as he hit an RBI single to center field in the bottom of the ninth for another walk-off hit.

On the bump, Vanderbilt junior lefty Devin Futrell earned the pitcher of the week nod as he collected the first complete game shutout by a Southeastern Conference pitcher this season, leading the Commodores to a Sunday victory over Illinois State to complete the three-game sweep.

Futrell, a native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., went the full nine innings, yielding just five hits and struck out seven. He carried a no-hit bid into the final out of the fifth inning and did not allow a walk.

He currently has a 2-0 record this season in four appearances, carrying a 3.68 earned run average.

Over to the softball diamond, Carson-Newman senior utility player Brooke Matyasovsky has been on a tear as of late, knocking out six home runs in her last 16 at-bats. The Eagles went 5-1 for the week behind her bat as she hit .526 (10-for-19) with a .625 on-base percentage and a 1.562 slugging mark. Matyasovsky drove in 13 runs and scored 13 times with 29 total bases.

During the week, the Orange, Conn., native drove in three in an 11-18 win at Coker and an 8-4 win at Southern Wesleyan, then drove in six in a 23-5 win against Wheeling – hitting two home runs in each of those games.

In the circle, Trevecca junior pitcher Ashlan Sensing collected a perfect game in an 8-0 victory over Missouri-St. Louis, adorning her clean sheet with eight strikeouts in the contest, faced 18 batters in six frames of work. The Dickson, Tenn., product needed just 66 pitches to throw the golden goose egg.

For the week, Sensing went 3-1 with three complete games as she recorded a 1.80 ERA over 23 1/3 innings. She struck out 24 batters and had six combined walks and hit batters.

College players of the week named - March 5

March 5, 2024 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jordan Sears helped lead UT Martin to a regular-season title with a big week, cementing his selection as this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Sears averaged 31.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.0 steals with two home victories over Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State. Against the Golden Eagles, Sears had 28 points – 20 in the second half – with seven assists and five boards. Against the Tigers, he helped UTM overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half with 29 of his 34 points in the final 20 minutes.

The Daytona Beach, Fla., native’s assist-turnover ratio was phenomenal with 13 assists to three turnovers in the two contests.

On the women’s basketball side, Carson-Newman’s Braelyn Wykle repeated for the away after a phenomenal performance in her lone game of the week as she dropped 45 points on 15-of-26 shooting, including 13-for-26 from long-range.

The 3-point effort broke Carson-Newman’s single-game record and tied the South Atlantic Conference record. The graduate student from Greeneville, Tenn., also became the Eagles’ single-season record holder for 3-pointers made in a season with 93.

BASEBALL: Vanderbilt’s Camden Kozeal had an incredible week, earning the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman of the Week honor as he helped lead the Commodores to a 5-0 week with victories over Indiana State, Evansville, Louisiana, Houston and No. 15 Texas. For the week, he batted .583 as the Omaha, Nebraska, product went 14-for-24 at the plate, driving in 11 with three doubles and two home runs. He had two 4-for-5 games against the Sycamores and the Longhorns.

On the hill, Belmont right-hander Will Pryor had a strong outing against Little Rock in the Bruins’ 2-1, 10-inning loss to Little Rock as the Whitwell native threw a career-high seven innings and struck out a career-high 11. Pryor struck out five in the first three innings, then had three consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth. He yielded just three hits and two walks in the game as he threw 84 total pitches.

SOFTBALL: Carson-Newman junior infielder Hayden Dye batted .500 for the week as she blasted three home runs and drove in seven to help the Eagles to a 3-1 performance. She drove in three with two home runs in an 8-0 victory over Kentucky State, then three more in an 11-2 win over KSU on another round-tripper. She had 13 total bases on the weekend.

Chattanooga righty Taylor Long went 2-0 on the week, allowing just two hits on the week as she picked up a complete-game one-hit shutout victory in a 5-0 win over Central Arkansas, walking five and striking out eight. The Calhoun, Ga., product earned her second win over the Bears in relief as she pitched the final 4 1/3 frames, allowing one hit and two walks as she struck out seven.