East Tennessee State softball coach Brad Irwin announced seven signees for 2018 on Wednesday, and three of them are infielder/outfielder Allison Chernak of Ooltewah High School, outfielder Carolina Davis of McMinn Central and right-handed pitcher Taylor Boling of Gilmer High in Georgia. In a release Irwin said Chernak, whose sister Kelsey is a fifth-year senior for ETSU's Buccaneers, "is a battler (at the plate) and uses the entire field extremely well. Her versatility and athleticism brings a lot to our team." Of Davis, also a volleyball player who has batted .482, .385 and .370 in her previous high school seasons, he said, "Carolina is a left-handed hitter that can hit for power and also play the short game. She is an outfielder with a plus arm." Boling, who also plays basketball, finished her Gilmer softball career with a 1.78 earned run average, 360 strikeouts in 320 innings and a .399 batting average. "Taylor is a great athlete and a tremendous competitor," Irwin said. "She has that competitive drive that makes for a successful pitcher. She will come in and be a big part of our pitching rotation immediately." The other four Bucs signees are outfielder Andrea Sarhatt of Farragut High, infielder/outfielder Kasidy Dunn of William Blount High, infielder Jordan Durbin of Mechanicsville, Va., and catcher Taylor Robinson of McDonough, Ga. "This class meets our needs in several ways," Irwin summarized. "It is a very versatile and athletic class."
Basketball
» Lee University guard Michael McGuirk was the Gulf South Conference men's basketball freshman of the week for specifically his performance in a 67-66 loss to Freed-Hardeman. McGuirk scored 21 points with three 3-point baskets in that game, and coach Bubba Smith praised his aggressiveness against the Lions' zone defense.