University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore Cori Jennings was the Southern Conference softball pitcher of the month for February, and UTC senior Kayla Jones was the women’s tennis player of the month.
Jones was 4-1 at No. 1 singles and 6-0 with Kelsey Coots at No. 1 doubles as the Mocs (7-4) went 6-0 in February. Jennings hasn’t pitched in two weeks and is expected to be out another week with deeply bruised ribs, but she was 5-2 with 45 strikeouts and a 1.22 earned run average in February. The softball Mocs face Michigan State, 12th-ranked Georgia, Columbia, College of Charleston and Charleston Southern without their ace left-hander this weekend in Charleston, S.C.
– Emily Dagnan went 5-for-7 with seven RBIs as Lee University won 16-0 and 14-2 in five-inning NCAA Division II softball games Thursday at Tusculum.
She and Amanda Lynn each scored three runs in each game. Dagnan homered and singled and drove in five in game one, when Stevie Baird also scored three times and Macy Stovall had two RBIs for Lee (11-13). Angie Hughes and Brianna Eichbaum combined to pitch a two-hitter. Lexie Dean tripled and batted in three runs in the rematch, when Stovall, NiaRaye Ceasar and Hallie Davis each had two RBIs with two hits. Rachel Polacek also had two RBIs, Baird was 2-for-3 with two runs and Courtney Crawford also had two hits behind pitchers Leigh Beatenbough and Hailey Clark.
– Kelsey Payne from East Hamilton had an RBI single in the first game and a two-run home run in the second as the Brenau softball team lost 2-1 and won 4-2 to visiting Brevard on Wednesday.
– Tennessee Wesleyan’s softball team went to Florida and won 2-1 and lost 8-0 Wednesday at Warner and lost 7-1 and 3-2 Thursday at 16th-ranked Southeastern. TWC is 7-8.
General
– Lee University leads the Gulf South Conference All-Sports Trophy standings after the compilation of points through the fall and winter seasons.
Lee is No. 1 at 44.750 points overall, slightly ahead of Alabama-Huntsville at 44.625 and West Alabama at 43.875 in the 11-team league. Lee is No. 1 in the women’s standings with 28.375 points to West Florida’s 26.625, Union University’s 26.125 and North Alabama’s 25.000. Lee is fifth in men’s sports at 16.375; UAH leads at 25.125 with West Alabama second at 20.750, followed by West Georgia at 18.000 and UNA at 17.750.
Basketball
– Tennessee Wesleyan lost a late 11-point lead Thursday morning and fell 65-64 to Valley City State of North Dakota in the NAIA Division II men’s basketball tournament at Point Lookout, Mo.
Devante’ Jenkins and Leland Robinson scored 19 points apiece and Trey Suttles added 10 for Wesleyan (28-4). A Jordan Hall basket with 7:58 to go in the first half gave the Bulldogs a 25-10 advantage, and they were up 62-51 after two Robinson free throws with 6:46 left in the game. But they scored only two points after that, on a basket by Robinson that ended a 12-0 run for Valley City State (22-10) with 1:22 to go. Neither team scored again until Ellwood Ellenson hit two free throws with one second left for the win. Charles White had four steals in defeat. Darryl Howell led the winners with 21 points off the bench.
– UTC is hosting NCAA basketball tournament selection show gatherings Sunday at 5:30 p.m. for the 29-5 men’s team and Monday at 7 p.m. for the 24-7 women’s team.
Both events will be in the University Center auditorium on campus, and fans are welcome to attend at no charge. Doors will open 30 minutes before the show in each case.
– Cleveland State sophomore guard Jahaad Lyons from Murfreesboro has signed to continue his basketball career at NAIA member Indiana University-Southeast. The 6-foot-2 Lyons, a transfer from Motlow, averaged 9.3 points a game this past season for the Cougars, with an 18.5 average in the last four games.
Baseball
– Cleveland State freshman Jake Rogers from Gordon Lee High School was the TCCAA baseball pitcher of the week for his one-hitter with seven strikeouts in a win last weekend over Volunteer State.