Around the Ohio Valley – Feb. 2

Austin Peay: Three former Governors, two athletes and one coach, were named to the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame last Saturday. The athlete inductees include former All-American running back Jay Bailey, who holds the Governors’ single-season rushing record, and former basketball player Ashley Haynes, who recorded both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Former volleyball coach Cheryl Holt was also inducted; she led the Lady Govs to 19-straight OVC tournament appearances during her 23-year career. Holt also served as head tennis coach, head softball coach and assistant basketball coach during her time at APSU.

Eastern Illinois: Former Panther Tony Romo will return to EIU on February 14 to participate in the annual Athletic Director’s Gala. The theme for this year’s event is “The Heart of a Champion”, and will honor the 25-year career of Panther football coach Bob Spoo. Romo, the current starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, played for Spoo and is a 2002 EIU alumnus. For more information on this event, see this link on EIUPantherClub.com.

Eastern Kentucky: Texas Ranger’s pitcher Derek Holland helped kick off the Colonels 2012 baseball season this past weekend, serving as the guest speaker at the annual Diamond Legacy Dinner. Holland spoke specifically about his World Series experiences, and also stressed the importance of individuality and education. Also honored at the dinner were junior Colonel baseball players Chase Greene and Shaun Ball, who were recognized for their hard work in the offseason.

Jacksonville State: The JSU men’s golf team’s season is underway, and the Gamecocks were also recognized this week by the OVC office. In the OVC preseason poll, JSU is ranked first, after receiving 7 out of 9 first place votes. The Gamecocks won their third OVC title last season, setting a Championship record for team single round score with 280 (-8). For the full preseason polls for both men’s and women’s golf, visit this link on OVCSports.com.

Morehead State: Two Eagle softball players were honored by College Sports Madness this week in the preseason selection. Senior outfielders Kayla Brill and Sam Woodall were both named to the OVC Preseason All-Conference Second Team after solid junior seasons. Brill posted a .312 batting average with 43 hits and nine home runs, while Woodall batted .337 with 64 hits. For the full preseason selections, visit CollegeSportsMadness.com.

Murray State: The 2012 OVC rifle championships will be held this coming weekend at UT Martin, and the Racers look to take their third-straight conference title and return to the NCAA tournament. Two 2011 OVC honorees will lead Murray State this weekend: junior Kaitlin Cleven was named Air Rifle MVP last season, while fellow junior Kyle Donnan will look to return to the Smallbore First Team.

Southeast Missouri: The highly anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the OVC, Southeast and no. 9 Murray State, is finally happening tonight at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. The game, which is being broadcasted by ESPNU, is the 63^rd meeting between the 7-2 (OVC) Redhawks and the undefeated Racers. Tickets for the event sold out this afternoon.

SIUE: Former Cougar Alicia DeShasier will be into the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame this coming May, one of five in this year’s class. DeShasier was a softball and track and field standout at SIUE, is in the top five in school history in almost every statistical category in softball, and competed in the 2007 Division II National Championships in the javelin. She went on to claim the gold medal in javelin in last year’s Pan American Games.

Tennessee State: Junior women’s basketball player Jasmin Shuler has been named this week’s Boxtorow National Player of the Week and will be featured on the national radio talk show From the Press Box to Press Row this Saturday. Shuler, who is averaging 15 points per game for the Tigers, dropped a career-high 38 against Morehead State on January 19. From the Press Box to Press Row can be heard Saturday at 8am on WFSK-FM 88.1 in the Nashville metro area.

Tennessee Tech: The Golden Eagles’ own Molly Heady was named 2012 Capital One Academic All-District First Team after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA in all of her semesters at Tennessee Tech. Heady, a sophomore women’s basketball player, was the only women’s basketball player to be selected from the OVC and one of only eight to have a perfect 4.0 in all Division I. On the court, Heady ranks third in both scoring and rebounding averages. Congrats, Molly!

UT Martin: The Skyhawks are doing their part to honor one of their most famous alumni, University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. The basketball doubleheader against Murray State on Saturday, Feb. 4 has been dubbed We Back Pat night, with fundraising efforts including t-shirts and bracelets to raise money for the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund, which funds research and treatment of Alzheimer’s. Summitt, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia last year, played basketball at UT Martin prior to her successes in her coaching career with the Volunteers.