Athletes Beyond Bartow: Howard ready to begin third season with Pirates
- Apr 6, 2022
- 6 min read
The Major League Baseball season is finally set to begin, and Sam Howard posted a scoreless outing in his final tune-up, as the former Cartersville High standout prepares for his third season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Overall, Howard has appeared in an even 100 games, including one start, across four seasons with the Pirates and Colorado Rockies. The left-handed reliever has a 7-7 record with 15 holds, having recorded 111 strikeouts in 89 innings.
Pittsburgh is set to open the season Thursday at St. Louis.
Elsewhere, Hannah Todd earned three pitching wins for Houston in a series sweep of Memphis; Preston Welchel slugged two home runs and drove in 10 runs for Coastal Alabama-Bay Minette; and A.J. Mosby recorded 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a matchup with a Canadian professional team.
PRO BASKETBALL
Ashton Hagans (Raptors 905, NBA G League; Cartersville native) — Hagans struggled from the field, totaling just two points across a pair of games. The former Kentucky point guard did combine for six rebounds and an equal number of assists in a 1114-99 loss March 31 at Long Island and a 119-113 victory over Greensboro April 2 at home.
A.J. Mosby (Albany Patroons, The Basketball League; Cartersville) — In a cross-league showdown with the London Lightning, a member of the National Basketball League of Canada, Mosby racked up 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a March 31 home win. Back in The Basketball League action, Mosby managed 23 points on just 12 attempts from the field but Albany fell by a 111-108 margin April 3 at Lehigh Valley. He also contributed five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
PRO BASEBALL
Sam Howard (Pittsburgh Pirates; Cartersville) — Howard closed out spring training with a strong performance in the eighth inning of a 9-4 loss to Minnesota March 30 at Hammond Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. The southpaw struck out the first two batters he faced. After allowing a four-pitch walk, Howard coaxed a groundout to end the frame. Outside of one rough outing, he pitched well in four spring training appearances, striking out seven across 3 2/3 innings.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Mason Barnett (Auburn Jr., Cartersville) — Barnett threw an inning out of the bullpen in a 9-2 loss April 1 at LSU. He then started and tossed four frames in an eventual 6-4 triumph over UAB Tuesday in Birmingham. Across both outings, Barnett struck out seven batters, while allowing two runs on six hits and four walks.
Micah Earwood (Georgia State Fr., Cartersville) — Earwood faced three batters — striking out one, walking one and allowing one hit — in the early innings of a 15-5 loss March 29 at Mercer. He allowed one unearned run in the brief outing.
Jake Gooch (Central Alabama CC So., Cartersville) — Gooch finished 3-for-11 with two walks, three runs scored and a stolen base during a four-game split with Bevill State.
Kenny Jinks (Shorter So., Woodland) — Jinks put up a zero in the final frame of a 7-1 defeat against Lee University last Saturday at home. The left-hander gave up two hits but struck out one.
Logan Martin (Sewanee Jr., Cartersville) — Martin settled for a no-decision despite striking out a dozen batters over eight innings in a 4-3 loss last Saturday at Rhodes. The former Cane left with the score tied at 3-all after giving up nine hits and three walks.
Mason McBee (Coastal Alabama South Fr., Cartersville) — McBee picked up a win in relief, as Coastal Alabama South rallied for a 9-7 win over Bishop State in seven innings March 31 at home. In his one frame, McBee struck out two, while allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk.
Garrett Mishoe (West Georgia So., Adairsville) — Mishoe struck out a pair of batters and walked two others in a scoreless inning, but West Georgia fell to North Georgia by a 9-4 margin March 30 at home.
Trey Scott (Cleveland State Fr., Cass) — Scott was charged with two earned runs after allowing one hit and two walks in an 18-8 defeat against Chattanooga State this past Saturday at home.
Matt Shook (Snead State Fr., Cass) — Shook went 1-for-1 with a stolen base and a run scored in a 9-7 victory March 29 at Lawson State.
Scotty Smith (Covenant College Fr., Woodland) — Smith recorded four total outs across a pair of appearances — a loss to Sewanee and a win over Brevard. The right-hander gave up six runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk.
Steven Spell (Young Harris Jr., Cass) — Spell saw action in all four Young Harris games over the past week — a win over Mars Hill and a three-game sweep at the hands of North Georgia. He recorded five hits, including a solo home run, three walks, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Preston Welchel (Coastal Alabama South So., Cartersville) — Welchel homered twice and racked up 10 RBIs in a four-game series with Bishop State. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 3-for-10 with four walks, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Davis Williams (Birmingham-Southern Fr., Cartersville) — In three appearances, Williams recorded two saves and closed out another victory for the Panthers. Williams threw the final two innings of a 7-3 win March 29 at Huntingdon. He tossed the final frame of an 11-4 victory last Saturday over Hendrix. The following day, Williams went three frames to finish out a 15-7 triumph against Hendrix. In total, the right-hander gave up one earned run on five hits and two walks. He also hit a batter in each outing. Williams, though, countered with five strikeouts.
Jordan Wilkie (Augusta Jr., Cartersville) — While Augusta went 0-5 for the week, Wilkie managed to compile six hits, two walks and two runs scored.
Zach Wilson (Penn State Greater Allegheny So., Woodland) — Wilson finished with three hits, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI, as his team went 4-1 on the week.
GOLF
Buck Brumlow (Georgia Fr., Cartersville) — Brumlow shot a pair of 78s sandwiched around a 79 for a 19-over-235 in the Calusa Cup at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida. He wound up tied for 41st, while the Bulldogs matched Clemson to finish in a sixth-place tie in the nine-team event. Georgia Tech won the title over six other ranked teams.
Blane Davis (Georgia College Fr., Cartersville) — Davis went 1-1 in a weekend match-play event at Chimney Oaks Golf Club in Homer. While Davis dropped his semifinal match to Young Harris, Georgia College managed to advance to the finals against North Georgia. Davis defeated his foe, but the Nighthawks won the championship.
SOFTBALL
Presly Edwards (Wesleyan College Jr., Cartersville) — Edwards totaled two hits, two walks and an RBI, as Wesleyan went 1-3 on the week.
Ansley Evans (Reinhardt Fr., Woodland) — Across six appearances March 29-Monday, Evans collected seven hits, one walk, two RBIs and one stolen base.
Brianna Hill (Covenant College So., Woodland) — Hill drew a walk in her only plate appearance during a 4-0 loss to Wesleyan last Saturday at home.
Sadye Johnson (North Georgia Fr., Adairsville) — Johnson finished 0-for-3 but did reach on a hit by pitch during a 6-0 win Sunday at Georgia Southwestern.
Hannah Todd (Houston Grad student, Cartersville) — Todd earned the win in each contest of a three-game sweep of Memphis to improve to 7-5 on the season. She tossed a five-inning shutout in Game 1; pitched four innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen in Game 2, which went 10 innings; and threw five scoreless frames in the finale. In total, Todd struck out six against seven hits and one walk.
Alexa Varner (Shorter So., Adairsville) — Varner scored as a pinch-runner in a 9-8 win against Lee University last Saturday at home. TENNIS
Emily Surcey (Arkansas State Fr., Cass) — Surcey and Hunter Roper came up short in a pair of Line 3 doubles matches in team losses at Troy (last Saturday) and South Alabama (Sunday). Against the Trojans, Surcey dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision on Line 2 singles in a 4-3 defeat. The following day, Surcey's match ended with her trailing 7-6, 1-0, as the Jaguars secured the 4-0 win. Christy Turner (Coppin State Sr., Woodland) — Turner battled but fell in Line 4 singles matches April 1 at Howard and April 3 at Towson. In the former, she dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision. In the latter, Turner came up short by a 6-0, 6-3 final.
TRACK AND FIELD Terry Berdin (Reinhardt Jr., Cartersville) — Berdin did well individually and in a team setting during the UWG Legends Invitational Saturday in Carrollton. Reinhardt's 4x400 relay team, featuring Berdin, finished runner-up. In the men's 200-meter dash, Berdin placed sixth.
This week's edition prepared by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News
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