Around the Ohio Valley - April 27

With the spring semester wrapping up OVC Championships will be coming at fans fast and furious. Below are a few of the stories you may have missed while so much is taking place.

Austin Peay: Monday night at APSU's annual Athletics banquet several student-athletes were honored. All the award winners are worth mentioning so check out the APSU article, but here is a snapshot; Terrance Holt, APSU kickoff return record holder, and Chelsea Harris, All-OVC golfer in all four years, were named the Legends Award recipients. Catie Tucker, 3.97 GPA, and Lucas Anderson, 3.712 GPA, were named Female and Male Scholar-Athletes.

Eastern Illinois: Further up north, student-athlete Tyler Arnholt almost missed his school's athletic banquet barbecue. Arnholt was doing his usual, putting in time at practice to come back from injury, when he made the decision to hump it over to the banquet. Good thing too, as his name was called out during the event. What was the award? Oh, just Male Senior Athlete of the Year. Arnolt said he had no idea he was going to receive the award, and felt a bit underdressed wearing his practice attire. Read about how Arnholt has used his own injury setback to learn more about his studies in athletic training in the Charleston Times-Courier.

Eastern Kentucky: This week I am dedicated to deliver stories outside of the sports that are generating a lot of attention such as the Golf Championships, but that doesn't restrict me from delivering other golf news from EKU. Friday sixty-eight golfers took part in the 11th annual James McChesney Memorial Golf Classic. The proceeds went directly to the James McChesney Scholarship at EKU. The late Dr. James McChesney was the first Chair of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at EKU. See the Richmond Register article for more.

Jacksonville State: After a career of accomplishments and positions such as coaching jobs at North Carolina, The Citadel, Wake Forest, Gardner-Webb, Wyoming and Auburn, and administrative jobs with the SEC, NCAA, Auburn and JSU Oval Jaynes softly said, "I'm just going to take a few personal items," as he nears his last day in the office. Jaynes is retiring at the end of this school year, and what a career he has to look back on. A true gentleman in the field, Jaynes said, "I've been blessed. I've lived a dream. I can honestly say I feel like I haven't worked a day in my life." These quotes were taken out of the Anniston Star, see that article to really understand what the Oval Jaynes means to JSU and college athletics as a whole. He will be missed.

Morehead State: This far removed from one of the school's biggest wins ever, what in the world would cause the Morehead vs. Louisville game to be back in the headlines? Billboards. Billboards all across the Bluegrass State. The billboards feature a picture of MSU's dramatic 62-61 victory. MSU Coach Donnie Tyndall said, "What they tried to do is capture the state's attention with those billboards - to get not just student-athletes but regular students to take a look at Morehead." The mini-me sized picture gives a peek at what these billboards look like. Read the USAToday article to see the full story.

Murray State: Just to stir the pot, I make mention of the recent stories surrounding Racer basketball. Recently MSU renewed their basketball series with Western Kentucky to 2014, announced a few new signings and also the departure of a few key players. Billy Kennedy said, "Shawn (Jackson) and Chris (Griffin), at this point, will not be with us." The two freshman once were thought to have bright futures with the program, but their departure seems evident now. See the article in the Murray Ledger to read more.

Southeast Missouri: Trenton Moses, left, has racked up another honor. Big deal right? Right. This time it is a national honor. The National College Baseball Writer's Association named him the Pro-Line Athletic Co-National Hitter of the Week. It wasn't enough for Moses to grab his second consecutive conference honor, he had to go on and grab seven hits in nine at-bats during three games last week. Read more about his impressive week and see the press release here.

SIU Edwardsville: This is the part of the blog I have been eager to get to, the remarkable story of Thad Hawkins. Every once in a while you run into a story that makes you stop and put things in perspective. Hawkins' story does just that. He has finally made his way back to performing on the SIUE baseball team like he always knew he could, but the best part is what he had to overcome to get there. Between breaking his neck in high school and being diagnosed with cancer, this kid knows what the word "struggle" means. I don't want to take away from a very well written article featured on the siuecougars website, but I will share a quote that sums up Hawkins' heart, "I went into it like, I'm not going to lay on my back and let this take me. I knew I had to go into this with a head of steam. I wasn't going to let it get me down." Treat yourself to a great story and click the link.



Tennessee State: "Daddy Brown" was honored for his tireless service to TSU FCA on Monday night. The event was a surprise, spearheaded by the FCA leadership team. Mr. Lee Brown has served the FCA in Nashville Urban Ministry for 12 years. He also serves as chaplain and has mentored many student-athletes over the years. The event also honored his wife, Rose, who has been great support for Mr. Brown over the years. The two are pictured here.

Tennessee Tech: TTU is urging folks that want to get involved with the Pepsi Bobby Nichols Scramble to sign up fast. The field seems to be filling up quickly. The scramble is a major fund raising event for TTU athletics and will be held on June 10-12. The tournament is spread out over three courses and on the final day a barbecue will be hosted at a fourth course. Click the link to find out how to sign up. Pepsi Bobby Nichols Scramble.

UT Martin: UTM announced a plethora of new signings this week. Jessica Silva has signed to 2011-2012 tennis roster, Sonny Mastromatteo signs a National Letter of Intent to join Skyhawk baseball and softball signed Kaitlyn Reiff. Silva is a top amateur player out of Culford School in Suffolk, England, Mastromatteo is a 5-0 185-pound infielder out of Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass. and Reiff will be a JUCO transfer from Lake Land Community College in Matton, Ill. See the full report on all these players at utmsports.com.

Around the Ohio Valley - April 20

This week's blog features some great stories, but make sure that you make it to Tennessee State's portion of the blog to see a true Hollywood story.

Austin Peay: APSU announced a few new signings on their website aspugovernors.com. ASPU women's head basketball coach Carrie Daniels had a lot to say about her new signing, Somalia McKenny, who was highly regarded across the nation and recruited by the likes of NC State and James Madison. Click the first link to read more. Baseball also announced a the signing of Brett Carlson, a 6-1 shortstop and pitcher out of Indiana. Read about the signing and how the Govs bested Lipscomb with some late heroics here.

Eastern Illinois: The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier has a great article describing why AD Barbara Burke's proposal for new facilities is a necessary elephant, but will be met with much opposition. Burke described the proposal as "Blueprint for Success". She went on to acknowledge that revamping facilities for football, soccer, baseball, softball and golf won't happen over night, but rather suggested it might be like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Eastern Kentucky: EKU has some excitement of their own surrounding their women's basketball program. Future student-athlete Carla Booth was selected to play in Kentucky/Indiana All Star Basketball series this summer. You can read more about the player who signed a National Letter of Intent to EKU here.

Jacksonville State: Laveeta Oliver has been dominate lately. She recently won Athlete of the Week honors for the third week in a row. Two weeks ago she posted an OVC best in the 100m and went on to win the 100m in Knoxville the week after. While we are on the subject of dominance we should speak of Tiffany Harbin. Harbin pitched the school's first ever nine-innings no-hitter for JSU softball against APSU. Find the articles that detail these student-athletes' success at jsugamecocks.com.

Morehead State: Volleyball looked impressive in spring action as they defeated Xavier in four sets. "Overall, this was the best performance of the spring," stated head coach Jaime Gordon. Elsewhere on campus, MSU future student-athlete Natilie Greenwell has been selected to play in the same All Star series mentioned earlier in the blog, the Kentucky/Indiana series. See her story here.

Murray State: A sad story coming out of Murray is former captain and starting quarterback Gene McDonald passed away in Lincoln, Ill. Saturday evening. McDonald helped lead Murray to three OVC championships during his time there, thus achieving a record for his freshman class. Gene is the father of current baseball coach Rob. We would like to extend our sympathy for his family and the entire Murray State community. See more of Gene McDonald's story here.

Southeast Missouri State: SEMO has recently jumped to the top of the OVC standings with some great conference play. They also have looked good outside of the conference when they beat Arkansas State yesterday. Trenton Moses homered twice and drove in six runs during that impressive win. SEMO softball got in on the act as they beat one of the nation's best pitching staffs and conference foes EIU. This snapped a ten game winning streak for EIU and a five-game losing streak for SEMO.

SIU Edwardsville: The past weekend saw SIUE track and field pick up numerous wins at the The Gateway Classic. The event also served as Alumni Day for the Cougars. Former coach John Flamer and school record holder Mike Grandcolas served as Honorary Captains. Leading the way was senior Ben Bishop who shattered the school record in the hammer throw. See siuecougars.com for a great write up on the event.

Tennessee State: Former TSU golf coach Catana Starks's story will be featured in the sports film 'From the Rough' starring Academy Award nominees Taraji P. Henson and Michael Clarke Duncan. Starks is the current head of the Human Performance and Sports Science department, and she was the first African-American female to have coached a men's golf team in the country. The story is truly amazing and I certainly don't want to spill all the beans here, but I highly recommend watching the trailer. Surely, more is to come on the promotion of this movie.

Tennessee Tech: TTU has a few great things happening right now. First they celebrated student-athlete day yesterday by treating their student-athletes to a picnic at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex during the home baseball game against Belmont. Student-athlete day is an initiative created by the NCAA and gives school's a chance to recognize their student-athletes. Visit TTUsports.com to see the goofy pictures of the fun that took place during the event, and vote for your favorite TTUsports event of the year while you are there.

UT Martin: Men's basketball announced Maretz Harris and Travis Daniels have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Skyhawks. Harris is a 6-3 guard out of Seneca HS where he was a two-time All-Region 7 selection and averaged 22.7 points per game. Daniels is a 6-8 forward from Russellville HS where he averaged 13.4 points and 10 rebounds a game. Elsewhere on campus women's soccer finished the spring season on a high note. Head coach Phil McNamara decided to give his team a fitness test during the 7v7 spring tournament held at Skyhawk Field Saturday. The Skyhawks won four straight matchest to reach the finals, but conceded an early goal in overtime and fell 2-1. Read about these two stories at utmsports.com.

Around the Ohio Valley - April 13

Austin Peay: The Lady Govs softball diamond officially became Cheryl Holt Field this past Saturday. Holt, who served as APSU's first softball coach, was in attendance and was joined on the field by APSU President Tim Hall and others. "This is one of the proudest moments of my life and at the same time one of the most humbling as well," said Holt. Read the full article at apsugovenors.com.

Eastern Illinois: If you follow the OVC, more than likely you know that EIU has a great track and field program. Recently, a few of their athletes have broken a few records. Below is a great video that highlights the accomplishments.

Eastern Kentucky: EKU men's tennis clinched the OVC regular season title at Tennessee Tech Sunday afternoon. That makes 3-straight for the Colonels as they head into the conference championships. Elsewhere, EKU football is gearing up for its spring game on April 16, but I failed to make mention of the volunteer work the team did for the annual Empty Bowl Event a few weeks ago. Read the article to see how their volunteer work helped people in need in their community.

Jacksonville State: Caitlin Vorbeck and Curt Porter have been named as the recipients of the 2010-2011 Eagle Owl Awards at the annual Jacksonville State Athletics Senior Banquet. The Eagle Owl Award was established in 1995 and is given to a male and female athlete who possess outstanding qualities. Elsewhere, Abby Beam has been named interim volleyball head coach as Rick Nold has taken the head coaching job at Auburn. Rick Nold's career at JSU is reflected upon in the recent jsugamecock.com article.

Morehead State: Emma Jonsson was named the OVC Golfer of the Week for the fourth time this week. To go along with her honors, she has one of the best stroke averages in the conference. Read more on her impressive season here. One of these days we will make it through a blog without mention MSU basketball, but not today. Read Demonte Harper's comments on being invited to show off his skills at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in the moreheadnews.com.

Murray State: Enthusiasm was up at practice Tuesday for the Racer football team according tho Head Coach Chris Hatcher, which is something he has been looking for. The Racers will take the field for the their final practice before the Spring Game Wednesday afternoon. Football has more to be excited about than just spring practice, however. Check out the article at goracers.com that details the renovations that players and coaches are conducting to the MSU facilities. The article has photos of the theatre type film room, the new horseshoe lounge and more.

Southeast Missouri: SEMO is pushing the first annual Athletic Alumni Reunion. Every day of the coming weekend features events such as golf tournaments, walk for women athletics, alumni picnic, baseball games, softball games, spring football games, socials and more. Shhhoooo, sure does seem like a good time. Check out the article to review the details of the all-weekend event.

SIU Edwardsville: Erika Taylor tossed a one-hit shutout on Tuesday on SIUE's way to blanking MSU 11-0. She was close to a no hitter but, "they got the hit on a change-up," noted Head Coach Sandy Montgomery. This moves the Cougars to 11-7 in OVC play, and moved them into a tie for fourth with SEMO. See the article and more at siuecougars.com.

Tennessee State: TSU has been making noise of late in track and field. Martinique Guice and Michael Rideout earned Athletes of the Week for the conference this week, both adding to their tallies for the year. Guice recorded her best jump of the season in the long jump and Rideout recorded a personal best in the 400m at the Boston-Moon Classic. Check out tsutigers.com to review their recent success and upcoming schedules.

Tennessee Tech: TTU's new head men's basketball coach, Steve Payne, welcomes the newest signee for the 2011-2012. Lanerryl Esters-Johnson played under Joe Goydish at Walton High School and made a name for himself as a combo-guard. Esters-Johnson's accolades include all-county, all-state and all-region. See the full article at ttusports.com, and read what his new teammates had to say in response.

UT Martin: UTMSports.com features a really special story on Natalie Brundige and her dream come true to compete for UTM. Every since Brundige was a child in middle school she dreamed of becoming a member of UT Martin's rodeo team. Brundige's father will be equally as touched as Natalie, and he admittedly drops everything to see his daughter compete. See the full article here. Elsewhere on campus, head tennis coach, Dennis Taylor, will appear on WUTM FM 90.3 before the conference championships take place.

Around the Ohio Valley - April 6

Austin Peay: One of the hottest teams in the nation are in Clarksville to face APSU in softball this afternoon. Stay tuned in with the Lady Govs as they take on the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats... Men's tennis has been on a hot streak of late. As the tennis championships are approaching, see which teams were on the wrong side of their consecutive conference wins over the weekend.

Eastern Illinois: Speaking of hot streaks, I must make mention of EIU softball. Currently 6-0 in conference play and in the middle of a 14 game win streak, the Panthers are proving to be something special this year. I should also mention that their bullpen currently ranks No. 1 in the nation. Stephanie Maday, pictured to the left, has the 5th best ERA in the nation. The Panthers will take on in state foes Southern Illinois and SIUE during the midweek.

Eastern Kentucky: Someone in Richmond must have got the message that this week's blog is featuring "winning" streaks (somewhere Charlie Sheen is smiling). Men's tennis have won 20 consecutive regular season league matches dating back to 2008. Head Coach Rob Oertel said, "The team has tunnel vision focused on the finish line." Elsewhere, track and field impressed with 15 different wins at the Centre Invitational.

Jacksonville State: Tiffany Harbin flirted with perfection against UTEP on Monday. Her perfect game was broken up in the 7th inning, however. Harbin struck out 9 batters with 77 pitches on the way to the win...Go to the JSU website to read about women's tennis third straight win and how a freshman's first homerun lifted them over UAB.

Morehead State: Once again this week saw Morehead receive more accolades from its basketball season. Let's just enjoy the video here, and the moments MSU produced in the tourny.

Murray State: The Racers took home first place in the Big Blue Intercollegiate. The men erased a five shot deficit in the final round to win the tournament that was hosted by TSU. You can also read about how MSU swept Belmont in a double header. Earlier in the season the two sides meet with MSU grabbing a victory and a no-hitter in that affair.

Southeast Missouri: Read the article at semoball.com about some 9th inning magic. Find out why the Cincinnati Reds aren't the only ones who know how to get it done late this time of year. The same site features an article about Rachel Kahle, a senior athlete at SEMO. Kahle reflects on her time at SEMO and why the university was the right pick for her.

SIU Edwardsville: According to the SIUE website, the Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt has announced a pool of four finalists for the open position of head volleyball coach... A great story about a student-athlete in every sense of the term can be found here. Read the article to discover Maggie Boeckman's passions in life, and why they are perfectly joined together at SIUE.

Tennessee State: At TSU, spring spectacular is all the rage. Visit the site to see what exactly all this means and which sports teams may be involved. Elsewhere, tennis will be very busy as they are wrapping up the season. Lawrence Washington has been key for TSU as he is 7-3 at number 1 singles and 3-1 in the OVC. Visit tsutigers.com to see what upcoming matches may be of interest to you.

Tennessee Tech: I am declaring TTUsports.com a must visit if you are interested in a number of things including a video that takes you inside the grand opening of their new athletic performance center, catching up on who just made all-tournament honors and yes even the Goo Goo Dolls. Your eyes are not deceiving you. Visit the site to find all these stories and more.

UT Martin: UT Martin will be celebrating student-athlete day on April 13th. The event will take place as UT Martin's baseball team plays host to Lipscomb in a non-conference game... Women's tennis clinched at least a share of the OVC regular season title as well. They have been playing very well of late and have won 7 matches on their way to this.