Bryan College junior catcher Justin Morhardt is an NAIA second-team All-America baseball player for 2017 after setting school records with 86 hits and a .439 batting average to go with 12 home runs, 20 doubles, 47 walks (second most in Lions history) and 51 runs batted in this season. The Appalachian Athletic Conference player of the year, he had an on-base percentage of .551 and a slugging percentage of .724 for the most prolific Bryan offense ever. The 34 first- and second-teamers chosen by the All-America committee of the NAIA Baseball Coaches Association also are recognized as All-Americans by the American Baseball Coaches Association in conjunction with Rawlings Sporting Goods. Tennessee Wesleyan third baseman Colin Ridout received NAIA All-America honorable mention. Reinhardt pitcher Enrique Zamora joined Morhardt from the AAC on the second team.
Golf
- Luke Long of Fayetteville, Ark., is joining the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf team after leaving Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he made the All-Ohio Valley Conference team and was the OVC freshman of the year. He finished fourth in the OVC tournament and led the Cougars with a season stroke average of 73.5. He was part of three state champion teams at Fayetteville High School and was the 2015 Arkansas Class 7A state medalist, and he had three American Junior Golf Association victories in 2016. "(We're) really excited to add a talent like Luke this late in the recruiting period," UTC coach Mark Guhne said in a Wednesday release. "He had a strong first collegiate season (and) his will to get better and desire to work on his game is off the charts. I think he'll fit right in with our guys. The competition for the travel squad will be intense next season." Long joins three freshmen as 2017-18 Mocs newcomers.
Softball
- Lee University wound up No. 15 in the final NCAA Division II rankings for the 2017 softball season. Coach Emily Russell's Lady Flames reached the South Super Regional, where they lost to fifth-ranked West Florida, and compiled a 36-20 record. "What an honor to be listed in the final poll," Russell said in a Lee release. "We had a great season and I feel that this is a nod to our accomplishments all season long. We have been focused on growing our program to consistently be able to perform at the highest level. We will continue investing in each other and working the process to make the program better each year." This is the first time Lee has been ranked in softball since joining the NCAA in 2014.