Athletes Beyond Bartow: Fields to compete in NCAA D-III National Championships
Kingston’s Spencer Fields prepares to compete in the NCAA D-III Outdoor National Track & Field Championships this week as the college baseball season at all levels reaches the post season.
TRACK & FIELD
TERRY BERDIN -- Reinhardt University (Fr., Cartersville HS)... Berdin and his 4x100-meter relay teammates were officially announced as national qualifiers for the 68th annual NAIA men's outdoor track and field national championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The 4x100 trials will take place at 3 p.m. Thursday with the finals scheduled for 2:50 p.m. Saturday.
SPENCER FIELDS — Rhodes College (Sr., Kingston, GA; Darlington HS)… officially listed as a participant and is seeded ninth of 20 runners in the 10,000 meter run at the 2019 NCAA D-III Outdoor National Track & Field Championships Thursday through Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Fields' seeded time in the event is 30:12.48.
TREVOR KNOWLES — Albion College (So., Woodland HS)… concluded his 2019 season by placing third in the long jump (22’-01.50”) and fifth in the triple jump (42’-00.00”) last Thursday at the 2019 Great Lakes Final Qualifying Meet in Delaware, Ohio. Knowles became one of nine Britons to land all-Great Lakes region status fro the USTFCCCA. He earned the distinction by placing in the top-5 in the long jump for the entirety of the season. His leap of 22 feet, 9.25 inches from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship earlier this month placed him fifth overall in the region.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (Jr., LHP, Cartersville HS)… made his second start of the year Thursday night at 20th-ranked LSU and went 3 and 2/3 innings in an eventual 7-1 loss. Anderson (5-2) gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits with one strikeout and no walks. For the season, he has a 4.13 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched and 24 appearances. Anderson has recorded 53 strikeouts and contributed to a pair of shutouts. The Tigers (32-23, 14-16 SEC) avoided a sweep at LSU with an extra innings 5-4 win Saturday. Auburn opens the SEC Championship Tournament Tuesday afternoon as the 8-seed against 9-seed Tennessee in the single-elimination opening round. The winner moves into the double-elimination portion of the tournament against nationally 2nd-ranked Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The Tigers are currently projected as a 2-seed by D1baseball.com for one of the NCAA Tournament’s 16 regionals.
BAILEY CAMPBELL — Young Harris College (So., 1B/DH, Cass HS)… made a pinch hitting appearance and grounded out in the Mountain Lions elimination game 7-5 loss to 11th ranked Catawba College Saturday at the NCAA D-II South Regional #2 in Newberry, South Carolina. Campbell, hampered by an early-season injury after a hot start, finished the 2019 season with a .309/.441/.469 slash line (BA/OBP/SLG) in 21 starts and 29 appearances as the Mountain Lions enjoyed an historic season. YHC finished the year 36-21 with a Peach Belt Conference tournament title, the school’s first-ever NCAA regional appearance, and matched the program’s record for total wins in a season.
MASON ROBINSON — Louisiana Tech (R-Sr., OF, Woodland HS)… went only 1-for-11 in three road games last week as the Bulldogs lost at 5th-ranked Mississippi State, but won two of three Conference USA games at Florida International. Robinson has a .282 batting average for the year with 23 RBI, 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs. Louisiana Tech (34-22, 17-13) opens the C-USA Championship Tournament Wednesday at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi as the league’s 3-seed. The Bulldogs will square off against 6-seeded Marshall in a 9 a.m. start at the eight-team, double-elimination tournament that continues through Sunday.
TRISTIN SMITH — Young Harris College (Sr., Inf., Adairsville HS)… made a ninth inning, pinch hitting appearance last Thursday in the Mountain Lions’ opening round loss to 11th-ranked Catawba College at the NCAA D-II South Regional #2 in Newberry, South Carolina. Smith struck out, but finished his senior campaign with a .294 batting average in 41 appearances and 34 games started. He had 37 hits in 126 at-bats with 7 doubles and a pair of home runs resulting in 19 RBI. He also finished with a .955 fielding percentage in 157 total chances and was part of 22 double plays for the Mountain Lions’ defense. Young Harris (36-21) picked up an NCAA tournament win over 9th-ranked Newberry College on Friday, but was eliminated by Catawba College Saturday to end its historic 2019 season. YHC won the Peach Belt Conference tournament title, made the school’s first-ever NCAA regional appearance, and matched the program’s record for total wins in a season.
TYLER WASHINGTON — Young Harris College (Sr., OF, Adairsville HS)… hit safely in all three of the Mountain Lions’ NCAA D-II South Regional #2 games in Newberry, South Carolina. He finished the tournament 3-for-11 with a walk and a run scored. Young Harris defeated 9th-ranked Newberry College Friday, but had losses to 11th-ranked Catawba College Thursday and Saturday to end their 2019 season with a 36-21 record. Washington finished the year with an active nine-game hitting streak and hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games. He concluded the season with a .340 batting average that included 50 hits in 147 at-bats and 38 starts. Washington had 22 RBI, 13 doubles, and a pair of home runs. His four-year career slash line was .311/.404/.439 with 142 hits and 68 RBI. He also wrapped up his college career with a .987 fielding percentage in 230 total chances. Young Harris won the school’s first-ever Peach Belt Conference Tournament title, made its first-ever NCAA regional appearance, and matched the school record for total wins in a season.
PRO BASEBALL
SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (6th yr. pro; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Colorado Rockies’ organization; Georgia Southern University; Cartersville HS)… made relief appearances Thursday and Saturday as the ‘Topes hosted division-leading El Paso. Thursday he entered in the sixth inning and faced the minimum with one strikeout as Albuquerque won 10-2. He then worked the eighth and ninth innings Saturday yielding no runs on one hit and one walk in a 12-2 victory. Howard fanned three of the eight batters he faced. For the season, he has now made 15 appearances — all in relief — and has a 1-0 record with three holds in just over 23 innings. He has 29 strikeouts. Albuquerque (23-21) remains in third place in the PCL’s Pacific Southern Division. The Isotopes trail El Paso by 5 and 1/2 games and Las Vegas by a single game.
CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; SS; Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels’ organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… went 5-for-23 last week including two doubles with a pair of walks and three RBI in seven games. The BayBears dropped four games at home to the Jackson Generals but then won three of four at Pensacola to go 3-5 for the week. Through 37 games, Justus has a .226 batting average with one home run and seven RBI. Defensively, he has a .953 fielding percentage in 127 total chances at shortstop, second base, and third base. Mobile (18-25) is in fourth place in the Southern League’s South Division. The BayBears trail first place Pensacola by 8 and 1/2 games.
