Eastern Illinois: A interesting article from the Journal Gazett & Times-Courier details how Ben Thoma is one of the few in college baseball that has seen his numbers go up despite recent NCAA changes to metal bats. The statistics across the nation point to a decline in batting averages and home runs after the NCAA switched to bats that are made to resemble wooden bats. Thoma doesn't mind, his numbers are staying the same and even increasing in some areas. "When we recruited him, we knew he had a great swing. He is a wooden bat hitter," stated coach Jim Schmitz. Read the full article to understand the details involved and how Thoma continues to show off his great hitting mechanics.
Eastern Kentucky: Alex Raich and Stephanie Lynch will both be giving away the knowledge and experience gained during their time as student-athletes for EKU's soccer program when they go abroad this summer. Raich will travel to Guatemala to be involved in the program Soccer Without Borders, a non-profit organization that uses soccer as a tool to provide youth in underdeveloped parts of the world with role models. Lynch will take part in a 21-year-old ministry on the campus of North Eastern University in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Both student-athletes shared their excitement and thoughts about the upcoming adventures in the article at EKUSports.com.
Jacksonville State: In light of the recent stories we have mentioned about the JSU athletic director position, I thought maybe I would continue to keep you informed. The JSU website details the times and dates they will be holding meet and greet events for the five final candidates for the position. The position obviously means a lot to the school and they have some great candidates as President Dr. William A. Meehan stated, "We are extremely pleased with the quality and experience of our five finalists for the athletics director position." The meet and greet opportunities will correlate with the candidates on site interview process.
Morehead State: MSU baseball and softball didn't exactly have the seasons they were hoping for, but all is not lost. There are some bright spots to point out, and more so there are some things that inspire optimism for the future. Junior catcher Taylor Davis has been named to the Johny Bench Award Watch List, one of only 49 catchers in the nation, and softball earned the best batting average and most hits in the conference this season. Davis leads the OVC in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases. Rebecca Butler leaves the softball program with a total of eight school records, but returning will be Sam Woodall, who set the single season record for most at bats and scored fourth all-time in single season hits. Things are looking up next season for both programs with players like these returning.
Murray State: "Hey, stick around for awhile," that's what Murray State has told the leaders of their basketball programs. Both the men's and women's coaches have seen their contracts extended... Other campus news sees the many student-athletes receive honors at the Annual SAAC Banquet. Associate AD Matt Kelly honored 18 student-athletes who received a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester, and 6 of those achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their collegiate career. That is truly amazing if you ask me. Visit goracers.com to see the stories on the contract extensions of Billy Kennedy and Rob Cross, and of the Annual SAAC Banquet.
Southeast Missouri: SEMO has plenty to excited about with an impressive transfer coming in, and lots to be proud of as a student-athlete is named to the Academic All-District First Team. SEMO announced the addition of Jessica Crabtree to the women's soccer program. Crabtree will be a transfer from the University of Missouri, where she appeared in 60 games. Crabtree is quite the product as she is still fourth all-time in Illinois High School history with 142 goals scored. Michael Adamson is the player that was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America All-District Team. Adamson has started in every game for SEMO this season and leads the team with 49 runs scored, 11 stolen bases and 1.000 fielding percentage. He also carries a 3.78 GPA as an education major. Catch both stories at gosoutheast.com.
SIU Edwardsville: A fascinating story coming out of Edwardsville is the tale of Collen McDonough. McDonough is a redshirt sophomore from Orland Hills and leads all Cougar throwers in the hammer throw and shot put. The part of her story that is the most inspiring is the battle her and her father went through during the start of her collegiate career. As McDonough was contemplating which university to attend a few years back, her father, Brian, was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. During her father's battle with cancer, life was very difficult for Collen, who was now some 4 hours away from home. She communicated with the track and field coaches that at any time she may have to pack up and go home, and they were very supportive of her situation. The end result was an eventual bone marrow transplant for her father, who seems to be doing much better. The lessons that Collen learned during these hard times has no doubt shaped her for the better, and the story unfolds in more depth at siuecougars.com.
Tennessee State: Kim Haynes has been selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA Career in Sports Forum. Haynes was one of 303 student-athletes who were selected to participate in the 10 sport-specific coaching and administration tracks. "I think it will be a good opportunity for me to network and prepare myself for life after TSU," said Haynes... Elsewhere on TSU campus the SAAC received the 2011 Service Learning Award at the Community Partners Luncheon. The award is given to a student organization for implementing an outstanding community service program into their organization for at least two years. Read about these two accomplishments at tsutigers.com.
Tennessee Tech: TTUsports.com put it as, "the battle is over, the race is won, and the degree is in their hands." This refers to the 50 TTU student-athletes who graduated on Saturday. The size of the graduating class is growing every year in Cookeville, so the ceremony was held 9:30am for most and completed at 2pm for others. This is surely a good problem to have for administrators as nothing is more pleasing than to see student-athletes excel in the classroom as well as in the athletic realm. The website details a full list of graduates, but a few from the football team are pictured to the left. Job well done boys.
UT Martin: UTM continues the list of schools who are proud of their student-athletes academic achievements. Cody Terry, a senior shortstop, has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District first team. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and at least a 3.30 GPA. Terry carries a 3.86 cumulative GPA, was named OVC Scholar Athlete, is a three-time member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll and was also an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American. So, it is fair to say that UT Martin are very proud of his achievements.
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