Here is your weekly in-depth look at what's happening in athletics at our institutions:
Austin Peay: The Governors’ men’s basketball team is currently on a three-game win streak, with all three of those wins coming within only five days of each other. APSU began the streak with a win over Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 12, 80-65, continued by defeating Jacksonville State 60-57 on Jan. 14, and finished the weekend with a 69-63 win over Tennessee State on Jan. 16. Senior John Fraley had impressive performances in all three contests, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds versus EKU, 8 points and 9 rebounds against JSU and 16 points and 6 rebounds versus TSU. For the full game recaps, be sure to visit apsugovernors.com.
Eastern Illinois: Former Panther baseball standout Jordan Kreke was signed by the Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums of the Frontier League this week, making him the third EIU alum on the current Beach Bums’ roster (he joins former EIU teammates Matt Miller and Brent McNeil). Kreke batted .316, appeared in 170 games and had 187 hits during his EIU career, and was named OVC Player of the Year in 2009. Since being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2009, he has played for four Minor League Baseball teams in the Braves organization, including the AA Mississippi Braves.
Eastern Kentucky: We here at the OVC office would like to extend our congratulations to the EKU Dance Team, who pulled out two top-ten finishes at the UDA College National Championships last weekend. EKU placed sixth in Division I Pom and seventh in Division I Hip-Hop. Last weekend marks EKU’s second appearance in the UDA National Championships under coach and alum Laura Hazelwood.
Jacksonville State: The Gamecock softball team was selected by our office this week as the preseason favorite to win the OVC title for the fourth-straight season. Last year, JSU finished second in the OVC for the regular season title to Eastern Illinois, but emerged victorious in the conference tournament and earned a spot in the NCAA Regionals. The Gamecocks will look to place in the top two in the OVC for the eighth straight season this year, all under head coach Jana McGinnis. To see the full preseason softball poll, visit this link on OVCsports.com.
Morehead State: Eagle baseball senior Andrew Deeds was named Preseason First Team All-OVC by College Sports Madness as a utility player. Last season for Morehead, Deeds played third base and centerfield and batted .380 on the season. He also broke the school record for triples in a season with seven and career triples with 11. For the full preseason teams, visit the link on College Sports Madness.
Murray State: While the Murray State men’s basketball team continues their unbeaten streak, two female Racer athletes are also having big performances in their respected seasons. Women’s basketball sophomore Erica Burgess was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for the sixth time this week; she’s averaging 14.8 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game on the season. Junior sprinter Alexis Love was named OVC Track Athlete of the Week for the second-straight week on Tuesday; she currently has the OVC best times for the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.
Southeast Missouri: The Redhawk softball team took a break from preparing for the upcoming season before Christmas to lend a helping hand for Haiti. As a part of the Feed My Starving Children program, the team took part in packing approximately 632,000 meals, which will help feed 1,730 Haitian children for a full year. Southeast returns to the field on Feb. 9, when they open their season at Jackson State.
SIUE: When the Cougars men’s basketball team hosts No. 10 Murray State on Jan. 21, it will be the first time an SIUE game has been nationally televised (the game will be broadcasted on ESPNU). It will also be the first time SIUE will have hosted a Division I Top-25, much less a Top-10, opponent. The game at the Vadalabene Center will begin at 8pm CST.
Tennessee State: Three Tiger legends have been nominated for the NAIA 75th Anniversary Team, membership of which is voted on by fans. All three nominees, Dr. Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and Coach John McLendon, played large parts in the 1957-59 NAIA National Championships won by TSU teams. Barnett and Barnhill were named to the All-Tournament teams two out of the three championship years, while McLendon’s large list of accolades includes 1958 Coach of the Year. All three were named to the NAIA 50th Anniversary Team. Click here to vote for the 75th Anniversary Team selections.
Tennessee Tech: Golden Eagle wide receiver Tim Benford will play in the annual East-West Shrine game this weekend in Florida, yet another honor for the senior after an exceptional season for TTU. The Golden Eagles finished tied with Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State to win the OVC title, appeared in the FCS playoffs and finished in the FCS Top 25. Individually, Benford was named an All-American and OVC Offensive Player of the Year.
UT Martin: Skyhawk women’s basketball player Heather Butler is well on her way to making UT Martin history in the coming weeks. Butler, a sophomore, is only 41 points away from scoring 1,000 points in her still young UT Martin career, and is averaging 21.8 points per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. She has also scored in double figures in every game of her career, with her season-high sitting at 35 points versus TSU on Jan. 2.
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