Athletes Beyond Bartow: Local golfers help Reinhardt to AAC title
ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW
A weekly review of local collegiate and professional athletes around the country with ties to the Cartersville and Bartow County community.
This week's report includes an update on a trio of former Cartersville High baseball players toiling at the professional level; a conference golf championship for former Canes Chanc Willis and Dalton Henson; plus more college baseball, softball, pro hoops, tennis, and track and field.
PRO BASEBALL
Sam Howard (Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Pirates organization; Cartersville) — Howard received a call up April 26, appearing in three games before being optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis May 2. The southpaw gave up two earned runs across his trio of outings, which totaled two innings. Howard struck out one but walked four, gave up two hits and hit a batter.
Connor Justus (Charleston Dirty Birds; Cartersville) — Starting all six games during the week of April 26-May 1, Justus finished 6-for-22, with three walks, five runs and four RBIs. Charleston went 2-4 during the week, falling to 6-4 on the season.
Anthony Seigler (Tampa Tarpons, N.Y. Yankees organization; Cartersville) — Seigler started all five games of a home series against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He spent three games behind the plate and served as designated hitter in the other two. Overall, the former first-round selection went 5-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, four walks, three runs scored and two RBIs.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Mason Barnett (Auburn Jr., Cartersville) — Barnett started and threw three-plus innings in an eventual 8-4 victory April 26 at Jacksonville State. The right-hander struck out five but allowed one run on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman.
Micah Earwood (Georgia State Fr., Cartersville) — Earwood made a pair of one-inning relief appearances in road losses last week at Georgia and Troy. The former Canes star threw the sixth inning versus the Bulldogs, working around two hits to post a scoreless frame. Against the Trojans, Earwood allowed four runs on five hits in the eighth inning while striking out two.
Jake Gooch (Central Alabama So., Cartersville) — Gooch finished 3-for-13 with four runs scored and two RBIs during a four-game home-and-home series with Lawson State.
Kenny Jinks (Shorter Jr., Woodland) — In a pair of outings last week in heavy road defeats at Georgia Southwestern and Auburn-Montgomery, Jinks allowed six runs over 4 2/3 innings. The southpaw gave up five runs in a five-out relief appearance. He struck out three but gave up four hits, issued a walk and plunked a batter. Jinks bounced back in a start April 29. Despite allowing four hits and a walk, the former Wildcat exited after three innings with the Eagles holding a 2-1 lead.
Brycen Jones (West Georgia Jr., Cartersville) — Jones was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks during a one-inning appearance out of the bullpen in a loss April 30 at Montevallo.
Logan Martin (Sewanee Jr., Cartersville) — Despite giving up seven runs over seven innings, Martin earned an upset win over third-ranked Birmingham-Southern in the first round of the Southern Athletic Association tournament. Sewanee's offense broke open a tied game in the top of the eighth en route to a 16-7 win. The right-hander gave up seven hits, two walks and a hit batsman, while striking out nine.
Mason McBee (Coastal Alabama South Fr., Cartersville) — McBee threw a scoreless inning during the second game of the Sun Chiefs' four-game sweep of Wallace Community College-Selma. The righty struck out two and walked one in the brief outing.
Scotty Smith (Covenant Fr., Cass) — In Covenant's regular-season finale, Smith made a pinch-hitting appearance, walking and scoring a run, and played third base in a 12-4 win April 30 at Berea (Kentucky).
Steven Spell (Young Harris Jr., Cass) — Spell finished 4-for-10 with two runs scored, as Young Harris dropped two out of three games to conclude the regular season April 29-May 1 at Georgia Southwestern. Next up, the Mountain Lions will face Flagler in a best-of-three series, with the winner earning a spot in the double-elimination portion of the Peach Belt Conference tournament.
Preston Welchel (Coastal Alabama South So., Cartersville) — During the home-and-home sweep of Wallace-Selma, Welchel went 6-for-13 with eight runs scored and six RBIs. In the series finale, the left-handed hitter finished 3-for-3 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs.
Cohen Wilbanks (Georgia Gwinnett So., Cartersville) — Wilbanks caught the final frame of a 12-2, seven-inning win against Brewton-Parker April 26 at home.
Davis Williams (Birmingham-Southern Fr., Cartersville) — In addition to a brief outing in Williams recorded two victories in the SAA tournament, helping regular-season champion Birmingham-Southern win its four-team pod and reach the conference finals. Hosting No. 8 seed Sewanee, No. 5 seed Hendrix and No. 4 seed Oglethorpe, BSC reeled off five straight wins after a loss in its opener. With their backs against the wall, Williams landed a win against Oglethorpe, tossing three scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one. In an 8-4 triumph against Hendrix to set up a winner-take-all final, Williams tossed a season-high 4 2/3 innings to close out the game. The right-hander allowed two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five. BSC will host sixth-seeded Millsaps in the best-of-three championship series.
Jordan Wilkie (Augusta Jr., Cartersville) — Augusta's final week consisted of five losses, but Wilkie recorded hits in each contest, finishing the year with a .317 batting average. He posted six hits across 21 at-bats, spanning single defeats to Erskine and Anderson (South Carolina) in addition to a three-game sweep versus Georgia College. Wilkie doubled, tripled, scored three times and drove in one run.
PRO BASKETBALL
A.J. Mosby (Albany Patroons, The Basketball League; Cartersville) — Mosby finished with 22 points in addition to seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in a 99-83 win over Atlantic City April 30 at home.
GOLF
Dalton Henson (Reinhardt So., Cartersville) — Henson finished tied for 12th as Reinhardt won the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament by 19 strokes April 25-26 at Barnsley Gardens Resort. In the three-round event, Henson finished 18 shots over par, highlighted by an even-par 72 in the second round. With the victory, the Eagles, who were sixth after the opening round, received an automatic bid to the NAIA National tournament that will take place May 17-20 in Silvis, Illinois.
Chanc Willis (Reinhardt So., Cartersville) — Willis placed 11th overall in the AAC championship, shooting a 16-over 232. He finished with the third-lowest score among the Eagles, just ahead of his former Canes teammate.
SOFTBALL
Colbi Ballard (Shorter Jr., Cartersville) — Ballard finished 0-for-2 with a walk during a season-ending three-game weekend sweep at the hands of Auburn-Montgomery.
Morgan Cooper (Columbus State Fr., Woodland) — Cooper served as a pinch-runner April 30 during the seventh inning of Columbus State's series opener against USC-Aiken. The Cougars will enter the Peach Belt Conference tournament as the No. 2 seed.
Presly Edwards (Wesleyan Jr., Cartersville) — Edwards went hitless while appearing in four of Wesleyan's five games last week. Wesleyan went 4-1, winning a play-in game and surviving a winner-take-all bracket final in the USA South tournament after entering as a No. 5 seed. Having won their bracket, the Wovles will contest a best-of-three series with Piedmont, winner of the conference's other bracket, for the league's overall title and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Ansley Evans (Reinhardt Fr., Woodland) — During four games in the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament, Evans went 3-for-9 with a run scored and three RBIs. Second-seeded Reinhardt placed fourth after finishing 2-2 in the event, with wins over Point and Brenau and losses to Tennessee Wesleyan and Truett McConnell.
Brianna Hill (Covenant So., Woodland) — Hill made a pinch-hitting appearance in Covenant's USA South tournament opener. The Scots went 0-2 in Piedmont's bracket, suffering narrow losses to Greensboro (2-0) and Methodist (4-3).
Sadye Johnson (North Georgia Fr., Adairsville) — Johnson appeared in three games last week for the Nighthawks, finishing 0-for-4 with a run scored. North Georgia ended the regular season winning all five of its games last week. The top seed for the Peach Belt Conference tournament, the Nighthawks will open against either Young Harris or Georgia Southwestern in the semifinals.
Lauren McElhaney (West Georgia So., Cartersville) — In a season-ending series April 29-30 at Montevallo, McElhaney started all three games at catcher. The former Canes backstop went 2-for-9 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Hope Short (Shorter So., Cartersville) — Short was hitless in a pinch-hitting appearance during Shorter's season finale.
Hannah Todd (Houston Grad Student, Cartersville) — Houston lost its four games last week, while scoring just one total run. Todd saw action in three of the contests, suffering defeats in the two games she started. In a midweek loss to Louisiana, Todd tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing one hit and one walk. She didn't allow a single earned run in a 4-0 defeat in the series opener against South Florida. In the series finale, Todd was charged with four runs (three earned) over 3 2/3 innings. Across those two appearances against the Bulls, the right-hander struck out five against seven hits and four walks.
Alexa Varner (Shorter So., Adairsville) — Varner came off the bench to pinch-run in one game and finished 0-for-1 at the dish in another contest during the Auburn-Montgomery series.
TENNIS
Christy Turner (Coppin State Sr., Woodland) — In the first round of the MEAC tournament, Turner fell 6-1 on Line 3 doubles and had her Line 4 singles match end early when Morgan State secured a 4-0 victory April 28 in Cary, North Carolina.
Bryce VanOrder (Piedmont So., Woodland) — VanOrder dropped a 6-2, 6-0 decision on Line 2 singles as Piedmont came up short to Southern Virginia by a 6-3 final score in the quarterfinals of the USA South tournament April 28 at the Rome Tennis Center.
TRACK AND FIELD
Stephen Smith (Kennesaw State Jr., Cass) — Smith was one of five pole vaulters to finish with a max height of 4.82 meters during the Torrin Lawrence Memorial meet hosted by the University of Georgia April 29-30 in Athens. Smith finished third among the five and sixth overall at the meet.
~~ Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report.
Comments