Ooltewah senior Jessica Morgan plans to sign a softball scholarship with Carson-Newman College at her high school this afternoon. Morgan visited the NCAA Division II school in Jefferson City, Tenn., in September. “I like the campus,” Morgan said. “I like the team. I know a lot of people there. I know half the team from summer ball and high school ball.” Morgan has been a left-handed slap hitter for the last three years and was a first-team all-city selection last season after batting .487. Ooltewah coach Norma Nelson said Morgan may have the quickest hands of any she’s coached. Morgan led the area last season with 54 stolen bases and scored 48 runs. “We’ve had some fast kids, and she’s one of the fastest we’ve had at Ooltewah,” Nelson said. “She makes things happen with that speed.” Morgan, who played third base for the Lady Owls last spring, is expected to play second base – the position she plays for the Frost Falcons select team – at Carson-Newman.
Baseball
Ringgold shortstop Zach Lance committed Tuesday to play baseball for Chattanooga State in 2011-12, becoming the fifth member of last season’s Georgia Class AAA runner-up team to make a college decision and the second (along with catcher Caleb Jones) to choose the Tigers of coach Greg Dennis. Lance batted .392 in the regular season and added 18 hits during the Tigers’ long playoff run. His combined 48 hits were a single-season Ringgold record. The four-year starter also excelled in the field with only four errors. “Zach explored a lot of different roads and took a lot of time to make his decision, but I think he made a fantastic choice,” Ringgold coach Brent Tucker said. “He’s been a mainstay at shortstop and hitting one or two in our lineup, and he’s been a leader on and off the field.”
Basketball
ATHENS, Tenn. – Tennessee Wesleyan pulled out two close wins in a college basketball doubleheader Tuesday night against visiting Tennessee Temple. Brittany Steen and Leah Frazier scored 11 points apiece and Cody Houck added nine in the Lady Bulldogs’ 53-49 victory, and the Bulldogs’ win was even closer, 70-68. Matt Towry had 12 rebounds plus 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 free-throw success for TWC (2-2). Justin Hicks added 17 points, E’Jay Ward had six assists and Matt Harper had three steals in the win. Lewis Leonard had 28 points with five 3-pointers and eight rebounds for the Crusaders (0-3), and Jarrett Smith and Kenny Spotwood scored 12 and 11 points. Kanetra Gonzalez had 15 points and five steals and Anshel Cooper scored 12 points for the Lady Crusaders.
BOAZ, Ala. – The Chattanooga State women’s basketball team won 63-60 at Snead State on Tuesday after trailing 32-19 at halftime and then leading by eight or nine points most of the second half. April Woodard scored 21 of her 26 points after intermission for the Lady Tigers (2-1), who got 11 points from Kim Manning. Kenya Drayton led Snead with 19 points.
Former Dade County High School star Andrew Houts was part of Columbus State’s 54-52 men’s exhibition basketball upset win Monday night at Auburn. Columbus State, an NCAA Division II team, took its biggest lead at 41-29 on a Houts 3-point basket with 12:19 left and held on against the Southeastern Conference squad.
Volleyball
GPS alumna Kat Knarr of Piedmont College was honored as the Great South Athletic Conference volleyball freshman of the year as well as making the 2010 all-freshman team. Knarr also received the GSAC’s sportsmanship award for Piedmont, which upset the top two seeded teams in the league tournament and earned a trip to the NCAA Division III nationals. Knarr has had nearly 650 assists as well as 187 digs and only 12 ball-handling errors in 33 matches.
Auto Racing
Tyler Caheely, son of former IHRA world champion Eddie Caheely of Rock Spring, Ga., finished second in the Super Stock class at Silver Dollar Raceway at Reynolds, Ga., in the final NHRA Southeast drag race event of 2010. Caheely drove his 1968 Camaro Z-28 to a 10.42-second off-race run on a 10.27 dial with a .010 reaction time.