Athletes Beyond Bartow: A solid week for Bartow's softball, baseball products
It was a solid week on the diamond — be it baseball or softball — for Bartow County products.
At the major league level, Sam Howard and Connor Justus put together nice performances. Howard was perfect in his lone inning of work for Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Justus took spring training by storm, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs in three appearances off the Angels bench.
In the collegiate ranks, a couple of former local pitchers earned their first wins of the season, as Cartersville High alum Logan Martin led Sewanee to victory and Woodland's Cauy Williams helped Wallace State-Dothan triumph. Elsewhere, Devin Warner, an Auburn transfer, slugged two home runs for Grayson CC.
In softball, Paris Poston continued her outstanding hitting displays for Columbus State, while Hannah Todd picked up her first win of the year for Kansas. Another former Cane, Presly Edwards also had a solid series for Wesleyan against Reinhardt.
Even a former baseball star was in the news, as former Cartersville standout Hank Stewart was elected to the Kentucky Legend Athletic Hall of Fame at Brescia University.
PRO BASEBALL
Sam Howard (Pittsburgh Pirates; Cartersville) — In by far his best outing of the spring, Howard pitched a perfect fifth inning, complete with a pair of strikeouts, in a split-squad loss Wednesday to Philadelphia.
Connor Justus (Los Angeles Angels; Cartersville) — Justus appeared in three spring training games in the past week (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday) for the Angels, hitting 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs.
Anthony Seigler (New York Yankees; Cartersville) — Seigler was assigned to the Yankees Saturday. He will receive his initial minor league assignment soon with the most likely destination being Charleston, where the organization's Low-A team resides.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Mason Barnett (Auburn Fr., Cartersville) — Barnett struck out the side while working around a base hit to close out a 9-0 win Sunday over Chicago State. Since a rough debut, Barnett has made four scoreless appearances. Having pulled off a sweep of Chicago State, Auburn has won eight straight games ahead of today's home game versus Georgia Tech.
Bailey Campbell (Young Harris Jr., Cass) — Campbell went 1-for-3 in a weekend sweep at the hands of UNC-Pembroke. He came off the bench to hit in the final two games of the series, reaching safely once in Saturday's contest.
Jake Collum (Snead State Fr., Cass) — Collum pitched two scoreless innings Sunday as Snead State completed a 4-0 weekend with a 2-0 win over Marion Military. He allowed three hits and a walk but utilized a trio of strikeouts to escape unscathed.
Clifton Dempsey (Toccoa Falls Sr., Cartersville) — Dempsey got better as the weekend wore on in a three-game set against Edward Waters. After finishing 0-for-5 with a walk in Friday's opener, he reached safely in both halves of Saturday's doubleheader. In Game 1, Dempsey went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. In Game 2, he finished 2-for-3 with a walk and scored the game's only run.
Carrington Evans (Augusta Jr., Cartersville) — Evans finished 2-for-12 with two runs scored, as Augusta suffered a three-game sweep to Columbus State in Peach Belt Conference play.
Lane Griffith (West Georgia Sr., Adairsville) — Griffith doubled for his only hit in 10 at-bats during a weekend series at West Florida. He also scored a run in that game — the Sunday finale of the three-game set.
Kenny Jinks (Shorter So., Woodland) — Jinks tossed 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in an eventual 13-12 loss Friday to Mississippi College in the opener of a three-game series. He gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks. Jinks did strike out four in the outing.
Logan Martin (Sewanee Fr., Cartersville) — Martin earned his first collegiate win Sunday in an 11-5 victory over Rose-Hulman. The right-hander struck out seven while scattering eight hits and a pair of walks over six innings. He allowed two runs (both earned) in the win.
Harrison Osborn (Point Jr., Cartersville) — Osborn was lights out against top-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan in a relief appearance Friday at LakePoint. Facing the defending nation champions, Obsorn threw 3 2/3 solid innings, giving up just one hit with three strikeouts.
Hank Stewart (Brescia alumnus, 2011-14, Cartersville) — Stewart has been selected for induction into Brescia University's Kentucky Legend Athletic Hall of Fame. He will be honored at a ceremony April 18 at the Moore Center in Owensboro, Kentucky. During his time with the Bearcats, Stewart earned second-team all-America status, conference player of the year and conference male athlete of the year. During his stellar senior season, Stewart led the league in batting average (.447), on-base percentage (.537), slugging percentage (.807), total bases (121), RBIs (68) and home runs (12). His slugging percentage was tops in NAIA.
Devin Warner (Grayson So., Cartersville) — Warner launched two home runs Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader with Murray State College. He finished the game 2-for-2 with three runs scored and five RBIs. That was after Warner went 0-for-1 with a walk in Game 1. Friday, in the opener of the weekend set, Warner finished 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Preston Welchel (South Alabama Fr., Cartersville) — Welchel struck out in both of his pinch-hitting appearances over the past week. His first came in a midweek game against No. 25 Alabama, and his second came in Saturday's contest versus No. 13 Arkansas.
Cohen Wilbanks (Lee Fr., Cartersville) — Wilbanks went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 9-6 loss last Tuesday to Bellarmine.
Cauy Williams (Wallace State-Dothan So., Woodland) — Williams picked up his first win of the season in a 12-7 victory Sunday over Lurleen B. Wallace CC. Over three innings of relief, Williams allowed two earned runs on three hits, including a home run, and two walks. He struck out seven.
PRO BASKETBALL
Elijah Robinson (Atenas Cordoba, Argentina; Excel Christian) — Robinson had a nice game with 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists, but Atenas Cordoba lost its lone game of the week — a 100-70 defeat Monday to Olimpico.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Jacquez Fountain (Albany Tech Fr., Cass) — Fountain went 6-for-15 from the field for 19 points in a 90-88 loss to Andrew College Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. The GCAA Freshman of the Year also posted six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Ashton Hagans (Kentucky So., Cartersville native) — Hagans had quite the week. He scored 11 points with four assists in an upset loss to Tennessee. Later in the week, the former Newton High star didn't travel with the Wildcats to face Florida on the road. Kentucky head coach John Calipari said Hagans stayed behind for "personal reasons," but added that the expectation is for the 6-foot-3 guard to return for the upcoming SEC tournament. The top-seeded Wildcats have a double-bye, meaning they won't play until noon Friday against the winner of the 8-9 matchup between Tennessee and Alabama.
Kimora McClinic (Middle Georgia State Jr., Cartersville) — McClinic recorded one steal in two minutes during a 73-56 win over Florida College Wednesday in the first round of the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament. The next night, she did not see any action in a 91-75 loss to Loyola (Louisiana) in the quarterfinals.
Jaylon Pugh (Furman So., Cartersville) — Pugh played one minute in No. 2 seed Furman's 77-68 upset loss to seventh-seeded Wofford Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference tournament.
Carrod Watson (North Georgia Sr., Woodland) — Watson finished out his North Georgia career with seven points, four rebounds and a block in 19 minutes of a 92-60 loss Wednesday to UNC-Pembroke in the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals.
SOFTBALL
Colbi Ballard (Shorter Fr., Cartersville) — Ballard struck out as a pinch-hitter in the middle game of a three-game weekend series against Gulf South Conference-foe Mississippi College.
Presly Edwards (Wesleyan Fr., Cartersville) — After laying down a key sacrifice bunt Wesleyan to a 3-2 win over Reinhardt in Game 1, Edwards finished 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI in a 10-2 defeat during Saturday's doubleheader in Waleska.
Paris Poston (Columbus State So., Cartersville) — Poston continued to swing a hot bat this past week, racking up hits in every game, as Columbus State went 4-0 with wins over Erskine (twice), West Alabama and Lynn. After going hitless in four of her team's first five games, Poston has recorded at least one hit in 12 of her past 13 appearances. This past week, she went a combined 6-for-12 with two doubles, a walk, six runs scored and four RBIs
Hannah Todd (Kansas Jr., Cartersville) — Todd picked up her first win of the season, helping the Jayhawks begin the Rock Chalk Challenge on a winning note Friday against Wichita State. Kansas, which went 5-0 in its own tournament, came from behind to beat Wichita State. Todd pitched one inning of relief, allowing two hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts.TENNIS
Houston Medlock (Piedmont So., Adairsville) — Medlock came the closest of any Piedmont player to avoiding a shutout in the team's first match of its spring break trip against Occidental, losing 13-11 in a tiebreak after rallying back from losing the first set. Medlock went 4-0 on Sunday, winning all four of his No. 3 singles sets and partnering with Chris Bale for a pair of Line 1 doubles wins, as the Lions routed Monmouth College (8-1) and St. Francis (6-1).
TRACK AND FIELD
London Shaw (Jacksonville State Fr., Cartersville) — Shaw placed third in the shot put, with a top throw of 12 meters, this past weekend at the South Alabama Jaguar Open. She also earned a top-10 finish in the weight thrown, finishing ninth.
Trevor Knowles (Albion Jr., Woodland) — Knowles placed runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 6.68 meters Saturday during the UAH Charger Invitational in Huntsville, Alabama. He also set his PR in the 100-meter dash, finishing 11th with a time of 11.36 seconds.
NOTE: This week's report provided by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News
