Hannah Johnson recently signed to play soccer for Wesleyan College. (Seated) -  Pamela Johnson, Hannah Johnson, and Raymond Johnson. (Standing) –School Director Steve Sharp, Sarah Johnson, Coach Paul Mobley, Athletic Director Dan Kirkpatrick.

 Hannah Johnson, a student of The King's Academy, was recently signed to play soccer at Tennessee Wesleyan College Lady Bulldogs. In her four year career at TKA, Hannah racked up an impressive career total of 46 goals 32 assists and 162 shots in 55 games played.

   During her freshman and sophomore years Hannah won Best Defense Award. She went on to win the Playmaker Award in her junior and senior yaers as well as Best Offense and MVP.

   “Hannah is extremely hard to get by 1 on 1," said Coach Paul Mobley. "On the defensive end of the field. She can dribble by just about anyone. Has a great eye for the whole field and makes very accurate and well timed passes. She is also a great finisher. She is one of the most versatile, fun to watch, amazingly talented players I have ever had the privileged to coach.”

    Leaving the school will be bittersweet for Johnson having been a student at the school since the 3rd grade. 

   “ I feel great about attending TWC. I definitely feel like its where I need to be, and where God is calling me to be,“ Johnson said. “I have been at The King’s Academy since 3^rd grade so I have grown up here. I believe TKA has made me the person I am today being able to hear about Christ has made me a different and better person. “

 “I look forward to playing soccer at TWC and being a Lady Bulldog. I plan on majoring in nursing and minor in Spanish, and hopefully one day I will be able to move to Guatemala, and serve the Lord through nursing.”

TUCSON, Ariz. --- For a second straight week, Tusculum College is the No. 2 ranked team in the country according to this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Coaches Poll.

  Tusculum has been nationally-ranked for 13 consecutive weeks, including the last six in the top-five. The No. 2 national ranking continues to be the best in program history, while TC’s 46 win are the most in the country.

   The Pioneers (46-8) are receiving 464 points, 16 behind top-ranked Tampa who continues to hold down the top spot. The top six remains the same in this week’s poll, including No. 3 St. Mary’s (Texas), No. 4 Mount Olive, No. 5 Central Missouri and No. 6 Francis Marion. Armstrong jumped four spots in this week’s poll and is the No. 7 team in the country after winning last weekend’s Peach Belt Conference Tournament title. Minnesota State-Mankato is eighth followed by Delta State and St. Cloud State to comprise this week’s top 10.

    Of schools listed in this week’s top 10, four will be competing at this week’s NCAA II Southeast Regional in Mount Olive, N.C., including the Pioneers, host Mount Olive (44-8), Francis Marion (37-16) and Armstrong (40-14). Rounding out the six-team, double-elimination regional includes 20^th-ranked Lander (37-18) and No. 21 Catawba (39-14).

   Western Oregon is 11^th, followed by Lynn, West Chester, Angelo State, Indianapolis, USC Aiken, LeMoyne, Grand Valley State, Lander, Catawba, Southern New Hampshire, North Alabama, West Florida, Franklin Pierce, Colorado Mesa, UC San Diego, Nova Southeastern, Southern Arkansas and Kutztown.

    Tusculum (No. 2 seed in region), who is making its sixth NCAA postseason appearance, will open regional play on Thursday when they face Catawba (No. 5 seed in region) at 3 p.m. from Scarborough Field on the Mount Olive campus.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Staring elimination in the face after a stunning second round loss in the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament, the 11th ranked Walters State Senators turned their play up a notch.

    Playing some of their best ball of the season, the Senators used an offensive explosion over the last four games of the tournament, culminating in a 9-2 win over sixth ranked Columbia State in the championship game Friday afternoon at the Chattanooga State Baseball Complex.

    Walters State recorded 13 hits in the title game, giving them 57 hits in the last four games played in the tournament.

    On the mound, the duo of Milan Mantle and Zach Walton were dominant. Mantle (7-1) went six innings and gave up only two earned runs on three hits while striking out 12 batters in his longest outing of the year. Walton kept his spotless earned run average intact by working three scoreless innings to get his first collegiate save.

   With the win, the Senators improve to 52-9 on the season after going 5-1 this week in the tournament. The title win is also the sixth TCCAA tournament crown for Coach Ken Campbell in his 13th season.

    The loss drops the Chargers to 42-12 on the season. Both teams will play in the NJCAA East Central District tournament next weekend at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Ga., with a spot in the JUCO World Series up for grabs.

    After two scoreless innings to begin the game, Walters State got on the board in the third. Marcus Davis, who smacked a double off the right field wall in his first at-bat of the game, drew a two-out walk before Jake Ellison ripped a line drive two-run homer to left-center to put the Senators up 2-0.

    The lead doubled in the fourth, as Walters State chased Columbia State starter Logan Gray from the game. Michael Davis led off the inning with a double, and Reid Mathews followed with an RBI double to plate Davis. Ryan Webster added an RBI single, pushing the lead to 4-0.

    Mantle held the Chargers without a hit until Alex Vondohlen laced a single in the fifth, and he kept them off the scoreboard until the top of the sixth. Columbia State loaded the bases with no outs, and two runs scored on a hit batter and a fielder’s choice before Mantle recorded his 12th and final strikeout to get out of the inning with a 4-2 lead.

   The offense got the runs back and more in the bottom half of the sixth. Andrew Allen started the two-out rally with a two-run single, and Kendall Keeton followed with an RBI single. Marcus Davis drilled a run scoring double to right, making it 8-2.

    The Senators closed the scoring in the eighth. Allen led off the inning with a double, and after two outs were recorded, Ellison lined a double to the gap in left-center to run the tally to 9-2.

   Walton allowed only one base runner in his first two innings before putting two on base in the ninth, but he got a grounder and a fly to center to end the game.

   Allen had three hits to lead the Senators, while Ellison, Mathews, Michael Davis and Marcus Davis each had two hits apiece in the win.

    Columbia State had five different players record a base hit in the loss. Gray (3-3) was the loser, giving up four earned runs on five hits in three innings.

     CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Walters State Lady Senators set their sights on the first ever Tennessee Community College Athletic Association title and trip the NJCAA World Series when the season began in February.

     On Wednesday, the Lady Senators fell just short of their goal, as they were defeated 2-0 by No. 2 Chattanooga State in the TCCAA-NJCAA Region VII tournament title game played at Chattanooga State.

     Walters State opened the day with a 5-2 victory over No. 15 Volunteer State, the defending league champions, to advance to the title game where one swing of the bat proved to be enough for the home standing Lady Tigers.

     Shelby Johnson’s two-run home run in the top of the third was the only run producing hit of the game and helped Chattanooga State advance to the NJCAA World Series in St. Georg, Utah, next weekend.

     With the win, the Lady Tigers swept through the tournament and improved to 56-4 on the year. The loss brings an end to the most successful season in Walters State softball history, as the Lady Senators set a school record with a 46-7 record.

     Walters State freshman pitcher Kelsey Weddle, in her most pressure packed starts of the season, pitched gem in a losing effort. She allowed five hits, three of which were infield singles, and struck out three while making only one mistake in the 71 pitches she fired.

     Chattanooga State’s Ashley Czechner, who was named the tournament MVP, was just a little better, scattering four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings worked.

     The Lady Senators had a pair of base runners in scoring position in the fourth with one out but failed to score, and they had two more on in the sixth and came away empty handed. They made one last effort to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Latosha Rectenwald with two outs, but Czechner got a popup to end the game.

    Rectenwald and Brittany Hefner each had two hits in the contest to lead the Lady Senators at the plate.

    In the opening game of the day, Lindsay Loudermilk belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to break a tie and Haley Taylor added a two-run shot later in the inning to give the Lady Senators insurance in a 5-2 victory over Volunteer State (47-9) to end their season.

     Loudermilk had a big game with her game winning homer and a two-run double in the third that gave Walters State the lead. Taylor and Hefner each added two hits in the win.

     The Lady Pioneers scored their first run on an error and Heather Daniel added an RBI double in the fifth to tie it before Loudermilk put the Lady Senators ahead to stay in the sixth.

Ashley Rhyne got the win after giving up two unearned runs on eight hits while striking out nine batters in a complete game effort. Rhyne, Loudermilk and Hefner were each named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts.

    Shelby Jo Fenter, one of the nation’s top pitchers, was saddled with the loss after allowing five earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings.

INDIANAPOLIS --- For the first time this season, Tusculum College is the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Poll announced officials Wednesday.

 The Pioneers (46-8) moved up one spot to atop the region rankings, ahead of Mount Olive, who was the No. 1 team in last week’s poll. Armstrong and Francis Marion hold onto the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, while Catawba moves up a spot to fifth, while USC Aiken dropped one position to sixth. Lander and Georgia College stay at seventh and eighth, respectively in this week’s rankings.

 The regional ranking is used for selecting the six-team regional tournament, which will be held at a campus site, yet to be determined. Tournament champions of the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and Peach Belt Conference will receive automatic berths to the NCAA postseason. Three at-large bids will also be awarded to comprise the six-team, double-elimination regional, which will be held May 17-20.

 Tusculum and Mount Olive have already clinched the automatic bids for the SAC and Conference Carolinas, respectively. The Peach Belt Tournament began Wednesday in Columbus, Ga. and will conclude later this weekend.

 Tusculum is also ranked second in the country in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Coaches’ Poll, which is the Pioneers highest national ranking in school history.

 Tusculum fans will be able to view the NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Show on-line at www.TusculumPioneers.com and at www.NCAA.com this Sunday night at 10 p.m. (EST).

 TC’s 46 wins are the second most in school history and tied for the third most in conference history, matching the 46-win campaign by Wingate in the 1995 season. TC needs one more victory to match Catawba’s 47 wins in 2006 and four more to match the 50-14 slate posted by the Pioneers in 2007.

 Tusculum’s .852 won-loss percentage is on-pace to be a new single-season school and league mark. The school record is .781 by the 2007 squad, while Catawba’s 38-7 record in 1992 was good enough for a .844 winning percentage.

PACE, Fla. --- The Tusculum College women’s golf team fired an opening round 310 and is in sixth place after the first 18 holes of the 2012 NCAA Division II South Regional on Sunday. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being held at the par 72, 6,154-yar Stonebrook Golf Club and hosted by the University of West Florida.

   The Pioneers, who are making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, are eight shots out of first place. Florida Southern has the first day lead with 302, one shot better than Lynn. Barry is third with 305, while Saint Leo and defending national champion Nova Southeastern are tied for fourth with 308. Tusculum is sixth, followed by Rollins (312), Newberry (317) and UNC Pembroke (321) to round out the nine-team tournament field.

   Tusculum freshman Emee Herbert posted a two-over par 74 and is tied for seventh place and is five shots behind first round leader Abbey Gittings of Nova Southeastern, who carded a three-under par 69 on Sunday. Herbert’s round included one birdie, one bogey, a double-bogey and 15 pars, including a string of 11 pars in a row. Herbert (Johns Creek, Ga.), the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, posted her eighth round of 75 or better this season.

    Senior Katie Doane carded one of her best rounds of the year with a 77, which has her tied for 17^th place. The Sevierville, Tenn. native scored a double-bogey seven on the second hole and followed with back-to-back bogey’s the fourth and fifth holes. But she rebounded nicely with birdies on No. 7 and No. 8 as she wrapped up her outward nine with a two-over par 38. She gave three shots back with a bogey on No. 10 and a double-bogey on No. 12, but once again rallied and closed out her round with six consecutive pars to post 77.

    Senior Aly Pugh finished with a 79 and is tied for 26^th place. The Harrisburg, Pa. native recorded a pair of birdies on her opening nine to post a one-over par 37, but stumbled on a couple of holes on the back nine, including a double-bogey on the par-three 15^th as she finished with her 79.

    Junior Jillian Corum (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore Sara Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) each shot 80 and are tied for 31^st place. Corum’s round included a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole and nine bogeys. Howard’s round got off to a tough start, posting a 43 for her first nine holes. But she would rebound with a one-over par 37 on her inward nine, including birdies at the 10^th, 13^th and 15^th holes.

    The second round will be played on Monday, followed by Tuesday’s final round. Tusculum will be starting in the second wave of Monday’s tee times, beginning at 10:26 a.m. (EST) as the Pioneers will be playing along with Saint Leo and Nova Southeastern.

    The three low teams from the South Regional, as well as the low three individuals not on the teams advancing, will compete at the NCAA Division II National Championship in Louisville, Ky. on May 16-19 at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club.

    PACE, Fla. --- The Tusculum College women’s golf team fired an opening round 310 and is in sixth place after the first 18 holes of the 2012 NCAA Division II South Regional on Sunday. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being held at the par 72, 6,154-yar Stonebrook Golf Club and hosted by the University of West Florida.

The Pioneers, who are making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, are eight shots out of first place. Florida Southern has the first day lead with 302, one shot better than Lynn. Barry is third with 305, while Saint Leo and defending national champion Nova Southeastern are tied for fourth with 308. Tusculum is sixth, followed by Rollins (312), Newberry (317) and UNC Pembroke (321) to round out the nine-team tournament field.

     Tusculum freshman Emee Herbert posted a two-over par 74 and is tied for seventh place and is five shots behind first round leader Abbey Gittings of Nova Southeastern, who carded a three-under par 69 on Sunday. Herbert’s round included one birdie, one bogey, a double-bogey and 15 pars, including a string of 11 pars in a row. Herbert (Johns Creek, Ga.), the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, posted her eighth round of 75 or better this season.

    Senior Katie Doane carded one of her best rounds of the year with a 77, which has her tied for 17^th place. The Sevierville, Tenn. native scored a double-bogey seven on the second hole and followed with back-to-back bogey’s the fourth and fifth holes. But she rebounded nicely with birdies on No. 7 and No. 8 as she wrapped up her outward nine with a two-over par 38. She gave three shots back with a bogey on No. 10 and a double-bogey on No. 12, but once again rallied and closed out her round with six consecutive pars to post 77.

   Senior Aly Pugh finished with a 79 and is tied for 26^th place. The Harrisburg, Pa. native recorded a pair of birdies on her opening nine to post a one-over par 37, but stumbled on a couple of holes on the back nine, including a double-bogey on the par-three 15^th as she finished with her 79.

    Junior Jillian Corum (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore Sara Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) each shot 80 and are tied for 31^st place. Corum’s round included a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole and nine bogeys. Howard’s round got off to a tough start, posting a 43 for her first nine holes. But she would rebound with a one-over par 37 on her inward nine, including birdies at the 10^th, 13^th and 15^th holes.

    The second round will be played on Monday, followed by Tuesday’s final round. Tusculum will be starting in the second wave of Monday’s tee times, beginning at 10:26 a.m. (EST) as the Pioneers will be playing along with Saint Leo and Nova Southeastern.

   The three low teams from the South Regional, as well as the low three individuals not on the teams advancing, will compete at the NCAA Division II National Championship in Louisville, Ky. on May 16-19 at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club.

 ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — The 10th ranked Walters State Senators closed their regular season Monday with an extra-inning road victory over Milligan College.
    The Senators spotted the homestanding Buffaloes a 4-0 lead after three innings, but they held them to only five hits in the last seven innings. Walters State scored two runs in the eighth to tie the game and five more in the tenth inning to seal a 9-4 victory.
   With the win, the Senators close the regular season schedule with a 47-8 record, which is the most regular season wins since the 2008 season that ended with a trip to the JUCO World Series.
   Walters State did not get off to a good start in Monday’s game, as starter Dale Innes was tagged for four earned runs on four hits in three innings. Milligan plated a pair of runs in the second and third innings to take a 4-0 lead.
   The Senators began their comeback in the top of the fourth. Marcus Davis led off the inning with a double off of Buffaloes starting pitcher Tanner Strange, and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Davis scored on a grounder by Shane Riley to cut the deficit to 4-1.
   In the sixth, Walters State took advantage of a pair of errors to score again. Riley singled and advanced to second on an error before scoring on a fielding error to make it 4-2.
   The score remained the same into the eighth when the Senators finally pulled even. Davis singled and Jake Ellison was hit by a pitch to open the inning, and both moved up a base on a wild pitch. Riley delivered again with a two-run single, tying the game at 4.
   After a scoreless ninth inning, Walters State made sure the game only went one extra inning. Milligan brought in Drew Crawford to pitch, and Ellison greeted him with a leadoff double. Colin Bennett walked and Michael Davis reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases with no outs, and Reid Mathews drove in a run with a grounder to give the Senators the lead. Ryan Webster added a two-run base hit, while Matt Harrell and Taylor Martin each knocked in a run to make the final 9-4. Riley, Webster and Marcus Davis each had two hits in the win, with Riley driving in three runs and Webster totaling two RBIs.
    Chase Cunningham (3-2) got the win after working two scoreless innings of relief.  Zach Bernard had three scoreless innings and Zack Walton added two strong innings as well in the win.
   Tyler Huffine and Corey Brown had two hits and a pair of RBIs apiece in the loss. Crawford allowed five runs – four earned – on three hits in one inning to take the defeat. Strange tossed six innings and gave up two runs – one earned – on four hits as the starter.
    The Senators will open play in the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament on Monday, May 7, at 10 a.m. against the winner of the play-in game between seventh seeded Motlow State and 10th seeded Cleveland State. Walters State is the No. 2 seed in the tournament that will be played at Chattanooga State.
 

Craig Goodman and Caitlyn Dunn were named the male and female athletes of the year at Tusculum College’s Athletic Awards Banquet Monday night at Pioneer Arena. Over 400 student-athletes, coaches and guests were in attendance at the event, which honors individuals for both on the field and off the field success.

 Goodman, a senior from Clearwater, Fla., has led the Tusculum baseball team to one of its best seasons in school history. He was named the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Year and has also been selected Tino Martinez DII National Player of the Year Watch List. The two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First selection leads the nation with his 10-0 record and is tops in the league in earned run average (2.09). Goodman has posted 80 strikeouts (2nd in school history) and was victorious in his first eight starts this year. His 22-6 career record is third in school history, while his 2.85 career ERA is the fourth lowest ever by a Pioneer. He has guided Tusculum to a SAC Baseball Championship and a SAC Tournament title, earning the program its sixth NCAA Division II Tournament berth.

 Dean, a sophomore from libero/defensive specialist from Fort Wayne, Ind., was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America Volleyball First Team, becoming the first two-time All-American in program history. After setting an Division II record in 2010 with 845 digs, Dean led Tusculum to a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament this season averaging 6.45 digs per set to rank third nationally. The two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team and All-Region honoree is first all-time in school history with her 6.82 digs per set average, while her 1,529 total digs are the third-most ever by a Pioneer.

 Baseball head coach Doug Jones is this year’s recipient of the Art Argauer Coach of the Year Award, earning this honor for a fourth time in his career. Jones has led the Pioneers to one of its best baseball campaigns in school history. Tusculum has posted a 46-8 record, while capturing both the SAC regular season and SAC Tournament titles. TC’s 24 league wins are the most in league history as Jones earned SAC Coach of the Year honors for a third time in his career. Coach Jones recorded his 500th career victory on Apr. 6, 2012 in a 4-3 win over Catawba. He is the winningest baseball coach in Tusculum history with 513 wins in his 15 seasons in Greeneville.

Senior graphic design major Nathan Carver is this year’s recipient of the Walter T. Dette, Jr. Memorial Spirit Award. The Dette Award is presented to the graduating senior who has excelled in several areas while attending Tusculum College. The Clarksville, Tenn. native has served as the athletic department’s lead photographer and graphic design specialist for the last four years. Carver has produced award-winning publication covers and team posters that have helped promote Tusculum student-athletes locally, regionally and nationally.

 Junior men’s tennis standout Luis Zamora and women’s cross country runner Jenny Grant were the recipients of the Duffield Award, which is given to the top male and female student-athletes for academic achievement. Zamora, who boasts a 3.96 cumulative grade point average, earns the Duffield Award for second straight season, as does Grant, who has a perfect 4.00 GPA and was named her team’s most valuable runner for a second straight season.

 Academic achievement was also recognized with the Male and Female Freshman of the Year Academic Awards. Men’s basketball player Martin Jorgensen and men’s cross country runner David Cooper were the male recipients of this award with a 4.00 GPA, while women’s soccer rookie Nicole Arthur, was the female recipient with a 3.93 GPA.

 2011-2012 Tusculum College Athletics Most Valuable Players

Athletic Training (Nathan McCoy Memorial Award): Ashley Tipton

Cheerleading (Most Spirited): Lauren Taylor

Women’s Cross Country: Jenny Grant

Men’s Cross Country: David Cooper

Football: Terrence Smith

Men’s Soccer: Kjetil Paulsen

Women’s Soccer: Tramicka James/Michelle Meade

Volleyball: Caitlyn Dean

Women’s Basketball: Staci Hicks

Men’s Basketball: Kevin Vest

Softball; Kaytlin Stroinski

Baseball: Craig Goodman

Women’s Golf: Emee Herbert/Jillian Corum

Men’s Golf: Nick York

Men’s Tennis: Lukas Winkelmann

Women’s Tennis: Katelyn Doss

    MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – On a day that the Walters State softball program honored six departing sophomores in their final home games, the Lady Senators split a doubleheader with the 15th ranked Volunteer State Lady Pioneers.

     Sophomore Ashley Rhyne had a huge game in the opener for the Lady Senators, as she tossed a two-hit shutout and hit a three-run homer in a 7-0 victory.

    The nightcap wasn’t as kind to the home team, as they fell behind 6-0 after three innings and saw a late rally fall short in an 8-5 loss, which was their first home defeat of the year.

    With the split, Walters State finishes the regular season with a program best 42-5 record, and they end TCCAA conference play with a 15-3 mark that relegates them to the third seed in the upcoming NJCAA Region VII tournament on May 6-9 at Chattanooga State.

   The Lady Pioneers end their regular season at 45-7 overall and 16-2 in league action, which puts them in second place behind second ranked Chattanooga State.

    Volunteer State got a runner to third base in the first inning of the opener against Rhyne, but they failed to score and never threatened again.

    The Lady Senators put the only runs they would need on the board in the third. Samaria Curtis ripped a two-out, solo homer off Vol State starter Shelby Jo Fenter, and Courtney Hutcherson singled and scored on an error to make it 2-0.

    Walters State padded the lead in the fourth. Brittany Hefner doubled and moved to third before Courtney Davis drew a walk. Rhyne followed with a three-run blast, pushing the margin to 5-0.

    The Lady Senators put the final runs on the board in the fifth. Randi Wimpy walked and moved to second on a single by Lindsay Loudermilk. Hefner tagged an RBI double, and Loudermilk scored on a wild pitch to bring the final tally to 7-0.

     Rhyne (22-1) got the win and moved past Lynsi Pierce as the all-time wins leader for the Lady Senators with 44 career victories. She allowed two hits and recorded 11 strikeouts while walking six in win.  Fenter (23-2) took the loss after giving up seven runs – six earned – on eight hits in a complete game effort.

    In the nightcap, the Lady Pioneers recorded four runs on five hits in the first inning and added a two-run homer in the third by Heather Daniel to take a 6-0 lead.

    Rhyne put the Lady Senators on the board in the fifth on an RBI single, and Walters State pulled back in it in the sixth. Davis, Emilee Solomon and Curtis each drove in runs and another scored on an error to cut the lead to 6-5, but they could get no closer after stranding two runners in scoring position.

   Volunteer State added two unearned runs in the seventh, and the Lady Senators brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the inning before being retired to end the game.

    Ali Austin (10-3) got the win after allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. Cheyanne Knepper tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to record a save.

    Kelsey Weddle (18-3) took the loss after being knocked from the game after facing one batter in the second inning. She gave up four earned runs on six hits. Lindsey Vaught and Rhyne each allowed two runs – Rhyne’s unearned – in relief.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Cody Coffman hit a walk-off double in the ninth inning of the second game to lead fourth-ranked Tusculum to a doubleheader split with visiting Montevallo Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

 Montevallo (24-24) exploded for five runs in the eighth inning in a 7-5 Falcons’ victory in the opener, while Tusculum (45-8) rallied with a pair of runs in the ninth in a 7-6 win in the night-cap.

 The two teams will close out the three-game series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest between the two NCAA Division II Southeast Regional foes.

 Game 1: Montevallo 7, No. 4 Tusculum 5

 Montevallo rallied from a three-run deficit, scoring five times in the top of the eighth, including a three-run double by Will Fulmer in a 7-5 win over Tusculum. The Falcons record their ninth win this season against a nationally-ranked opponent, while halting the Pioneers’ eight-game winning streak.

 Trailing 5-2 and heading to the eighth inning against South Atlantic Conference co-Pitcher of the Year Craig Goodman, the first three Falcons recorded singles to load the bases with no outs. The Pioneers went to the bullpen to bring on reliever John-Austin Shepard.

 Shepard got Blaine Rosenberg to hit a fly ball to the outfield for the first out of the inning, but it was deep enough to drive in Chris Ross from third base. Pinch-hitter Vinny Rodriguez moved the runners into scoring position with his ground out. After a walk to Kirk Waligora to fill the bases, Fulmer laced a double down the left field line to clear the bases and give UM a 6-5 lead. Vincente Andrews added an insurance run with his RBI hit.

 Kameron Heiser pitched a perfect eighth inning with a strikeout to set the table for UM closer Wes Rich, who retired the side in order in the ninth to record his seventh save of the year.

 UM reliever Mason Morris picked up the victory as he came aboard in the seventh inning with a runner at second and one out, and retired the only two batters he would face to improve to 2-0 on the year.

 Montevallo jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Waligora led off the game with a walk and came into score on Heath Peterson’s two-run blast to left field. It was his 12^th homer of the year and first round-tripper surrendered by Goodman this season.

 Tusculum took the lead in the third inning thanks to Alexi Colon’s three-run blast to right field, his 19^th of the year and 31^st in his two seasons with the Pioneers. His 19 homers are tied for the third most in a TC single-season, while his 31 homers are third most in school history and now just four behind Sean Cotten’s 35 from 2008-11.

 TC added an unearned run in the fourth when Nate Reid reached on an error and later scored on a Lukas Graves RBI single. TC added another run in the seventh when Aaron Guinn was hit by a pitch and scored on Cade Stallings’ 15^th double of the season for a 5-2 lead.

 Shepard suffered the loss (4-2), going two innings, allowing two runs on two hits, one walk and a strikeout. Goodman (10-0) recorded only his second no-decision in his 12 starts this year as he went seven innings, allowed seven hits, five runs, three walks and six strikeouts.

 “Craig Goodman gave us a chance to win but our bullpen was not able to make pitches when we had to,” said Tusculum head coach Doug Jones. “Offensively, our approach was not solid and we missed several opportunities to score in the game.”

 Stallings finished the game with a two hits, while UM’s Andrew Hill went 2-for-2 in the contest. Coffman drew a pair of walks, but went hitless, ending his 26-game hitting streak, two games shy of matching the modern-day school record of 28 in a row (Maikol Gonzalez, 2008).

 Game 2: No. 4 Tusculum 7, Montevallo 6

 Coffman bounced back in the second game as he went 2-for-4 including his game-winning double in the ninth in a 7-6 Tusculum victory.

 In a roller-coaster game, Tusculum jumped out to a 4-0 lead, gave up six straight runs and rallied with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to capture the 45^th win of the season for Tusculum, for the second-most victories in a year by a TC squad.

 Hill continued his torrid hitting on the day as he went 3-for-4 in the second game to finish with five hits on the afternoon against the nationally-ranked Pioneers.

 Tusculum jumped out to a 4-0 lead, plating two runs in the third and two more in the fourth. In the third, Heath Comerford led off with a solo homer to right field for a 1-0 lead. Tripper Crisson legged out an infield hit and later scored on Guinn’s RBI double to the gap in left. In the fourth, Coffman drew a walk to start the frame. Henriksen put down a sacrifice bunt, but moved all the way third on an errant throw down the right field line, scoring Coffman all the way from first base. Joe Polichetti would drive in Henriksen with his sacrifice fly for a four-run lead.

 Tusculum starter Taylor Rakes was outstanding early as he held the Falcons hitless through the first five innings and allowed only one runner to reach second base during the first half of the game.

 But in the sixth, Hill and Fulmer got aboard with singles and Peterson followed with his second homer of the day and 13^th of the season, a three-run blast to left field, to cut the deficit to 4-3.

 The Falcons added two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to take a 7-5 lead. In the seventh Josh Headley led off with a hit, was bunted to second and scored on Hill’s two-out RBI single. Hill would steal second base and moved to third on an errant throw on the play. He would later score the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

 UM had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth inning, Michael Franklin relieved Rakes and surrendered a Headley base hit to right field for a 7-5 UM lead. But Franklin limited the damage as he struck out the next batters to end the inning.

 Tusculum cut the deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the eighth as Coffman hit into a fielder’s choice and moved to second on Henriksen’s base hit to left field. Comerford hit a clutch, two-out single to right field to bring home Coffman as TC trailed 6-5.

 In the ninth, Hill recorded his third hit of the game and fifth of the day as he singled through the right side. But he would be doubled up at first base when Waligora popped up his bunt attempt, which was caught by Franklin and threw to first base to get the second out of the inning. Fulmer would leg out an infield single, but Franklin kept it a one-run game when he struck out Andrews.

 Rich was brought on again to close out the ninth for the Falcons. Graves reached base on a fielding error and moved to second on Guinn’s sacrifice bunt. Stallings singled up the middle to drive in Graves with the tying run. With Colon at the plate, Stallings moved to second on a passed ball. Rich would intentionally walk Colon to put runners at first and second with one out. Coffman went the opposite way as he sent a fly ball to the left field corner that landed just inside the line for the walk-off double.

 “This was a big come from behind win considering we did not play our best baseball,” Jones added. “Heath Comerford had some big hits for us and we were able to execute some things in the ninth inning, highlighted by Coffman's double to end the game. Michael Franklin once again came up big for us out of the bullpen.”

 Franklin picked up the victory in relief as he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, scattered three hits and posted three strikeouts to improve to 6-0 on the year. Rich suffered the loss to even his record at 3-3.

 Fulmer and Hill led the Falcons with three-hit performances, while Headley finished with a pair singles in the loss for Montevallo.

 Sunday’s game will be the regular-season finale for the Pioneers as they have already punched their ticket for next month’s NCAA II Tournament. TC earned an automatic berth by capturing the Food Lion SAC Tournament title. Tusculum is currently listed second in the Southeast Region rankings as the Pioneers are vying to host its first-ever baseball regional in school history.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Walters State freshman catcher Randi Wimpy was honored Wednesday afternoon by the National Junior College Athletic Association by being named the NJCAA National Player of the Week for her performance last week.
    Wimpy, a graduate of Woodland High School in Cartersville, Ga., helped lead the Lady Senators to a 4-2 record last week by going 13 of 19 at the plate (.684) including an 11 of 13 showing in four conference wins over the weekend.
    Wimpy had six home runs, including a grand slam, 13 runs batted in, a double, six singles and scored 11 runs while also drawing a pair of walks.
    For the season, Wimpy leads the nation in batting average (.649) and is tied for the national lead in home runs with a school record 26 round trippers. She is also fourth in the nation and tops in the TCCAA in RBIs with 78, and she leads the country in on base percentage at .685 for the year.
    Wimpy and the Lady Senators (41-4, 14-2 TCCAA) will close out the regular season Friday when they host 15th ranked Volunteer State (44-6, 15-1 TCCAA) at the Lady Senator Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 

    GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The 10th ranked Walters State Senators took 10 innings Wednesday to find their offensive rhythm at Pioneer Park against the Tusculum Pioneers, but found it just in time to salvage a split of the road doubleheader.
    The Pioneers raced out to an early lead in the opening game and never trailed in a 7-1 victory, while the visiting Senators dominated the middle innings of the nightcap to escape with an 8-0 decision.
   With the split, Walters State now stands at 43-8 on the year heading into their final conference games of the season this weekend.
   In the nightcap, Tusculum starter Clint Biggs held the Senators in check for three innings, but Walters State lit up the bullpen for eight runs over four innings.
    Meanwhile on the mound for the Senators, Dale Innes had one of his best outings of the year to improve to 7-1 on the season. Innes scattered three hits, walked three and struck out nine in a complete game shutout victory.
    On offense, Ryan Webster delivered three hits and a pair of RBIs to lead the bats, while Kendall Keeton, Reid Mathews and Matt Harrell had two hits each in the win. Both hits for Mathews were doubles, while Harrell stole his ninth base of the year.
    Mathews and Webster delivered back-to-back RBI hits in the fourth to give Walters State the lead, and Taylor Martin and Jake Ellison each added an RBI to make it 4-0.
   The Senators added three more runs in the fifth on run scoring singles by Webster, Harrell and Shane Riley, and the final run scored in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Riley to give him two RBIs in the win.
   In the opening game, Michael Davis had an RBI double in the first inning for the only run production of the contest for the Senators.
   Milan Mantle took the loss after being pulled in the second inning after pitching with an injured toe and aggravating the injury. He allowed three runs on three hits, as the Pioneers scored three in the first, two more in the second and a run in the third to put the game out of reach.
   Chase Cunningham allowed three runs - one earned - in three innings of relief, and Jake Corum tossed two innings and surrendered an unearned run.  The Senators will be back in action Friday when they travel to Harriman for the first game of a three-game TCCAA series at Roane State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 

    MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – The ninth ranked Walters State Seantors knew that Tuesday’s home finale would be a tough one. At the end of the day, it turned into a loss.
   The Senators failed to push a run across until the eighth inning, as the No. 10 Catawba Valley Buccaneers bookended seven scoreless innings with a pair of runs in the first and ninth innings to claim a 4-1 victory at Senator Field.
    With the win, the Buccaneers improve to 28-12 on the season, while the defeat drops the Senators to 42-7.
    Catawba Valley got all the runs they needed in the first inning. Danny Fraga walked and moved to second on a single by Rob Cafeiro. Cory Cline followed with a two-out, two-run double to make it 2-0.
    The score remained the same until the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Colin Bennett drew a walk and scored on a Michael Davis double down the left field line to cut the lead to 2-1. Davis advanced to third on the play, but he was stranded there when reliever Robert Whaley struck out the next batter.
    The Bucs added two more runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles by Cafiero and Brett Huffman to make it 4-1.
     Whaley allowed a two-out double to Josh Coker in the ninth but nothing else, as Catawba Valley held on to win.
    Cafeiro and Huffman had two hits and an RBI apiece in the victory.
    Blake Mosteller got the win after tossing three scoreless innings as the starter. Randy Shepard added three spotless innings, Robert McKinney allowed a run on two hits in 1.2 innings and Whaley got the save after allowing one hit in 1.1 innings.
    Marcus Davis led the Senators with a pair of singles, while Michael Davis had a double and an RBI. Coker added a double, while Kendall Keeton and Shane Riley each had a single in the defeat.
    Cody Poarch took the loss after giving up two earned runs on two hits in five innings, with all of it coming in the first inning. Zach Walton and Zach Bernard combined for three scoreless innings before Chase Cunningham gave up two runs on three hits in the ninth.
    The Senators will be back on the diamond Wednesday when they travel to Greeneville to take on the Tusculum JV Pioneers in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. --- The Tusculum baseball team has moved up one spot and is ranked second in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Top 25 Poll announced officials Tuesday.

The Pioneers (43-7) received 311 total points, including five first place votes. Tusculum enters Tuesday’s game at Limestone with a seven-game winning streak, including 4-0 at last weekend’s Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament to capture the program’s third SAC Tournament title and the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA II Tournament.

 St. Mary’s (Texas) holds onto the top spot in the poll with 314 points and five first place votes. Tusculum is second, followed by Tampa in third with 301 points and two first place nods. Central Missouri is fourth, followed by Mount Olive, Minnesota State-Mankato, Seton Hill, Grand Valley State, North Alabama and Cal Baptist to comprise the top 10.

 Armstrong is 11^th, followed by Southern New Hampshire, Delta State, Western Oregon, Angelo State, Colorado Mesa, West Chester, Northern Kentucky, St. Cloud State, Nova Southeastern, Franklin Pierce, Mercyhurst, Francis Marion, Catawba and St. Edwards to wrap up the poll.

 Tusculum remains as the top-ranked team in the NCBWA Southeast Region Poll for a fifth consecutive week and seventh time this season. The Pioneers received 108 points, including 10 of 11 first place votes. Mount Olive received the other first place vote, along with its 93 points and is second in this week’s region poll. Armstrong is third, followed by Francis Marion, Catawba, USC Aiken, Lander, Georgia College, Belmont Abbey and UNC Pembroke.

 Following Tuesday’s game at Limestone, Tusculum will return home this weekend (Apr. 28-29) to host Montevallo for a three-game series at Pioneer Park, beginning with Saturday’s 2 p.m. doubleheader.

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. --- The Walters State Senators failed to get a timely hit when they needed it the most in the second game of Friday's double header with Dyersburg State. The Senators made sure history would not repeat itself in Saturday's game against the Eagles.
   Walters State exploded for 18 hits as they hammered the Eagles 10-4 in Saturday's rubber game. With the win, the Senators improve to 42-6, 18-5 overall. Dyersburg State falls to 27-16, 13-10 in conference play.
   Lead-off hitter Kendall Keeton had a huge day as he went five-for-six with three runs batted in. Another highlight of the day was the pitching performance of reliever Jon Reed. He picked up the win in relief with five strong innings, giving up only two hits and striking out four DSCC batters.
    "Kendall got a little upset over his performance yesterday," Walters State head coach Ken Campbell said of Keeton's hitting bombardment. "He came out and got a little revenge. He hit the ball super. As a team, we hit the ball well. Jon Reed came in and just sliced them up. He is that type of a pitcher. When he is on, he can just slice people up and that's what he did today," Campbell said.
    After Dyersburg got a run in the top of the first, the Senators answered in the second inning. Mike Davis drew a lead off walk and Ryan Webster was hit by a pitch. Keeton picked up two of his RBI's with a single to right.
    The Eagles tied the game in the third but it would not last long as the Senators churned out three more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Davis' triple to right brought Jake Ellison home and Reid Mathews' single to center scored Davis. Andrew Allen batted Mathews in to make it 5-2, Senators.
   The Eagles cut the lead to 5-4 in the fourth but once again, Walters State had an answer. The second triple of the contest came off the bat of Matt Harrell who brought Webster in in the fifth. Harrell and Keeton would each score in the inning to pad the WSCC lead to 8-5.
    From that point on, Reed shut down the Eagles as they managed only two hits. Marcus Davis added a solo home run to right field and Keeton's fifth hit of the day plated Webster for the final run of the contest.
    With the win, the Senators guarantee they can finish no lower than second in the league standings. Campbell said that as the last weeks of the regular season approach, his team will be preparing for the post-season.
   "We have to get our rotation set up for the tournament and try to raise our level of play. When you go to the tournament, you have to raise things to a whole other level and that is what we will try to do," Campbell said.
 

 FOREST CITY, N.C. --- Top-seeded Tusculum continued its hot-hitting and dominance on the mound to earn a 15-1 victory over Wingate in the winners’ bracket final of the 2012 Food Lion SAC Baseball Championship at McNair Field.

     With the victory, the fourth-ranked Pioneers (42-7) advance to Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined.

 A pair of five-run innings and a solid pitching performance from Adam Sigmon keyed the Tusculum victory. The Pioneers’ six-through-nine hitters combined for 10 RBI to pace the offensive effort.

     Tusculum has now outscored its opponents 35-2 over the first three games of the tournament advance to the SAC Tournament championship game for a sixth time (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012) and will be vying for its third title in school history.

    Sigmon worked a complete game, allowing a single earned run on seven hits to earn the victory. Sigmon walked one and struck out seven to improve to 7-1 on the year.

 Once again, Tusculum wasted no time in putting a crooked number on the scoreboard early. The Pioneers loaded the bases immediately in the first. Matt Henriksen worked a walk to bring in the first run before the Pioneers broke out the big bats. Back-to-back two-run doubles by Carlos Santana and Heath Comerford made the score 5-0 after an inning of play. Comerford would finish with three RBI on the afternoon.

 “Adam Sigmon pitched the game of his life today,” said Tusculum head coach Doug Jones. “Adam had great command and competed all day. We got good production from the bottom of our order and Aaron Guinn and Cade Stallings had good days as well at the plate. Defensively we played well and turned some big double plays.”

    The Pioneers added two runs in the top of the third. Henriksen scored on a wild pitch and Tripper Crisson added a sacrifice fly. Crisson also totaled three hits and three RBI in the game for the Pioneers.

    Tusculum added a second five-run inning in the top of the sixth. Alexi Colon brought in a run when he was hit by a pitch. Henriksen added a RBI double, and Crisson a two-run single in the frame. The Pioneers tacked on three additional runs in the ninth, including a RBI double by Cody Coffman to extend his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games.

 Brian Yeung homered in the ninth inning for Wingate to break up the shutout. It was the first earned run allowed by Pioneer pitching in the tournament.

    Tusculum finished with 16 hits, led by Cade Stallings 4-for-5 performance with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Aaron Guinn finished with three hits, while Crisson also accounted for a three-hit day.

ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College’s Craig Goodman is the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year, while Doug Jones is the SAC Coach of the Year with the announcement of the league’s baseball awards according to officials Wednesday. TC pitcher Taylor Rakes was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Baseball.

  Tusculum had a league-best seven student-athletes named to the All-SAC Baseball Team and two to the league’s Gold Glove Team. Goodman, Cade Stallings and John-Austin Shepard were named to the All-SAC First Team, while Cody Coffman, Alexi Colon, Carlos Santana and Taylor Rakes garnered Second Team recognition. Rakes and Aaron Guinn were the two Gold Glove Team selections for the Pioneers.

 Coach Jones has guided Tusculum to one of its best baseball seasons in school history, going 39-7 overall and 24-3 in conference play and capturing the SAC Championship for a fifth time in program history. Jones earns this honor for a third time in his career, in a season that saw him record his 500^th career victory, that coming on Apr. 6, 2012 in a 4-3 win over Catawba. The 24 SAC wins this season are a new conference single-season record, edging the 23 league victories posted by Catawba last year. Jones was also named SAC Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. TC captured outright SAC titles in each of those two campaigns.

 Goodman, a senior right-hander from the Clearwater, Fla., becomes the fourth TC pitcher in the last eight seasons to be named SAC Pitcher of the Year. Goodman shares this year’s honor with Catawba’s JJ Jankowski. Goodman has a 9-0 record and leads the league with his 1.93 earned run average, which is the fourth lowest in school history. Goodman has accounted for two complete games in his 70 innings pitched. He has recorded 67 strikeouts, which are the 22^nd most in NCAA Division II this season. He has also limited the opposition to a .219 batting average against him, while also combining on a shutout. For his efforts, Goodman has recently been named to the Tino Martinez National Player of the Year Award Watch List.

 Rakes, a junior pitcher from Norcross, Ga., becomes the seventh TC baseball player to garner SAC Scholar Athlete honors and fourth in the last six years. He has a 3.88 cumulative grade point average with a double major in business and economics. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, President’s List and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. Rakes is very active in leadership and community service in the Tusculum College and Greeneville community. He has been active with the Pioneer Student Athlete Advisory Council’s fundraising efforts for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society and the St. Baldrick’s “Basebald” program to aid childhood cancer research. He has volunteered as a Greeneville Youth Baseball Mentor, served a guest speaker in Tusculum Athletic Training and his experiences with his “Tommy John” surgery and, along with his father, provided free lawn care services for stationed armed forces personnel.

 Stallings, a junior third baseman from Knoxville, Tenn., has started in all 46 games where he is batting .375 (10^th in SAC) while leading the team with 53 RBI (4^th in SAC) and five sacrifice flies (2^nd in SAC). He has accounted for 52 hits (4^th in SAC), including 12 home runs and 10 home runs (8^th in SAC). He has accounted for a .625 slugging percentage (9^th in SAC) and a .491 on-base percentage (8^th in SAC). The University of Louisville transfer has shined of late for the Pioneers where he is batting .522 during his current six-game hitting streak, going 12-for-23. Over his last 18 games, he has gone 34-for-69 (.493) with 26 runs scored, 28 RBI, five doubles and six home runs, while striking out on two times during that span.

 Shepard, a sophomore right-handed from Haymarket, Va., is the first team relief pitcher as he is tied for the league lead with seven saves. His seven saves are the second most in Tusculum history and one shy of match a school record (8, Wes Hill in 2006). Shepard has not allowed an earned run in his last four relief appearances and has given up just two earned runs in his last eight outings (1.80 ERA). On the season, he has 3-1 record with a 2.38 ERA.

 Coffman, a senior from Cape Coral, Fla., was tabbed the second team catcher in the league. Coffman currently leads the Pioneers with his .407 batting average (5^th in SAC/43^rd in NCAA II), 15 doubles (7^th in SAC/38^th in NCAA II) and 287 putouts (2^nd in SAC). Coffman owns a 21-game hitting streak where he is hitting .547 (41-of-75) during that run. In his last 21 games, he has driven in 36 RBI, scored 21 runs with 11 doubles, four home runs and 17 walks. During those 21 games, the Pioneers posted an impressive 19-2 record, including 14-1 in league action.

 Colon garners All-SAC honors for a second straight season, this time as the second team outfielder. Colon, a Tino Martinez National Player of the Year Award Watch List member, is the NCAA II leader with 54 walks, which are a new Tusculum single-season record. He also leads the team with 15 home runs (3^rd in SAC/4^th in NCAA II), 53 runs scored (2^nd in SAC/9^th in NCAA II) and 14 stolen bases (8^th in SAC). He is also first on the squad with his .745 slugging percentage (4^th in SAC/16^th in NCAA II) and .510 on-base percentage (3^rd in SAC/32^nd in NCAA II). Colon has belted 27 home runs during his two-year Tusculum career, which are tied for fourth most in school history. He has hit safely in his last four games, while batting .467 (7-of-15) and .451 (23-of-51) in his last 14 outings.

 Rakes, a junior right-hander from Norcross, Ga., earns a spot on the All-SAC Second Team starting pitching staff. Since returning from “Tommy John” surgery from a year ago, Rakes has enjoyed a stellar campaign where he has tallied an 8-1 record with a 3.56 ERA. He is 11th in the country in wins (8) and third in starts (12). Rakes has posted a sterling 8-1 record with a 3.56 ERA. In his last five starts, he has posted a 5-0 record with a 2.43 ERA with 21 strikeouts against seven walks.

 Santana is the All-SAC Second Team designated hitter, as the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic senior is batting .341 with 31 hits, 25 runs scored and 17 RBI. In his last two games, Santana went 3-for-7 (.429).

 Guinn, a senior from Norris, Tenn., was named one of the three outfielders on the Gold Glove Team. Guinn has not committed an error in his 183 total fielding chances this season. He has also emerged as one of the top hitters in the nation, batting .406 (6^th in SAC/45^th in NCAA II) with a team-best 71 hits (2^nd in SAC/4^th in NCAA II), including 14 doubles, one triple and five home runs.

 Rakes was also tabbed to the SAC Gold Glove Team and is one of three pitchers listed on the team. In the field, Rakes has gone errorless in his 13 total chances, including four putouts and nine assists.

The conference also announced the SAC Statistical Champions for 2012. Goodman led the league in earned run average (1.93) and pitching victories (9), while Colon led the SAC in runs scored per game (1.15 rpg). Tusculum captured team statistical titles for batting average (.338), on-base percentage (.447) and earned run average (3.56).

 Tusculum (39-7) is the No. 4 ranked team in the country (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper DII Coaches’ Poll) and captured its fifth SAC Championship last weekend. TC’s 39 wins are the most in the country and the Pioneers will be the top-seed in this week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament. TC will open against No. 6 seed Newberry on Thursday at noon from McNair Field in Forest City

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – The Walters State Senators baseball program has been a consistent winner under the direction of veteran coach Ken Campbell.

That consistency continued Tuesday with a 10-4 home win over Union College JV at Senator Field, giving the Senators their 40th win of the season, marking 12 straight years that Walters State has reached the 40-win plateau. The win was also the 11th straight for the Senators, as they are now 40-5 on the year.

The Bulldogs took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Zach Dillman and Jackson Arnett, but the Senators got a run back in the second.

Colin Bennett led off the inning with a single, and after advancing to second on a passed ball, he scored on a single by Ryan Webster to make it 2-1.

Union added a run in the fifth by scoring on a balk, but Walters State took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Kendall Keeton reached on an infield single, and Marcus Davis crushed a two-run homer to right to tie the game. Jake Ellison walked and scored on a double by Webster, and Shane Riley added a sacrifice fly to plat Webster and give the Senators a 5-3 lead.

The Bulldogs added another run in the sixth after a pair of base hits and an error, but Walters State got it back in the home half of the frame. Andrew Allen walked to lead off, and a throwing error while stealing second allowed him to score and make it 6-4.

The Senators padded the margin in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Reid Mathews drilled a two-bagger to left-center to clear the bases and push the lead to 9-4.

Walters State plated their final run in the bottom of the eighth on a leadoff solo homer to right by Josh Coker to make it 10-4.

Davis had three hits in the win, while Webster and Matt Harrell added a pair of hits.

Jake Corum (1-0) got the win in his first start, going 5.1 innings and allowing four runs – three earned – on five hits while striking out seven batters and walking two. Zach Walton and Zach Bernard combined to toss 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

The Senators will return to action Wednesday when they host the Buccaneers of Catawba Valley at Senator Field for a doubleheader. First pitch of the twinbill
is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Walters State Lady Senators picked up where they left off 10 days ago in TCCAA action Friday, as they swept another road conference doubleheader at Southwest Tennessee.

The Lady Senators recorded 24 hits on the afternoon to defeat the Lady Saluqis by the score of 9-2 in the opener and 8-0 in five innings in the nightcap.

With the wins, Walters State improves to 33-2 on the season and 6-0 in TCCAA play, while the losses dip the Lady Saluqis to 20-24 overall and 1-9 in league play.

The Lady Senators struck first in the opener, putting a run on the board in the first inning. Randi Wimpy singled and moved to second when Lindsay Loudermilk was hit by a pitch. Brittany Hefner plated Wimpy with a single to make it 1-0.

Wimpy singled to lead off the third and Loudermilk followed with a walk. Hefner smacked a three-run homer, pushing the lead to 4-0.

In the fourth, Haley Taylor singled and moved to second on a throwing error. After a single by Samaria Curtis, Wimpy lifted a sacrifice fly that scored Taylor and made it 5-0.

Haylee Power got the Lady Saluqis on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer, but they never got closer than 5-2.

Taylor drove in a run in fifth on a safety squeeze bunt, and Courtney Davis belted a three-run homer in the sixth to make the final 9-2.

Wimpy recorded three hits to lead the Lady Senators at the plate in the opener, while Hefner had two hits and four RBIs, and Taylor and Brooke Rhodes added two hits apiece.

Ashley Rhyne (17-0) picked up the win after scattering four hits and giving up two earned runs while striking out 12 batters in a complete game effort.

Ali Hare had two hits to place Southwest Tennessee in the loss. Power was tagged with the loss after giving up nine earned runs on 14 hits in seven innings.

In the nightcap, Wimpy opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, and the Lady Senators added four more in the second. Curtis drove in a run with a base hit, and Davis added a two-run single. Wimpy plated Davis with an RBI double, lifting the lead to 5-0.

Latosha Rectenwald smacked a solo homer in the fourth, and Hefner scored on a throwing error to make it 7-0.

The final run of the game came in the fifth when Courtney Hutcherson homered to make it 8-0.

Wimpy had three more hits and a pair of RBIs in the nightcap for Walters State,while Hefner added two hits in the win.

Kelsey Weddle (14-1) got the win after working four scoreless innings and giving up four hits. Lindsay Vaught retired all three batters she face in the fifth to close out the win.

Heidi Molder had a pair of hits in the loss, and Power (15-19) was saddled with her second loss of the day after allowing eight runs – three earned – on 10 hits.

The Lady Senators will close out their four-game road swing with a doubleheader at Dyersburg State on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.