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.

Around the Ohio Valley - March 30

Austin Peay: Golf is in full swing as the season has just over a month left. The Lady Govs shaved 16 strokes off their opening round to finish 3rd in the SIU Invitational on Monday. However, one member of the Lady Govs Golf has had an interesting achievement off the course. Catie Tucker has been accepted to the Experimental Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee. It is rare for students to be accepted into such a program straight out of their undergraduate work, a first for any APSU undergrad actually. Get these stories and more from Lady Govs Golf here.

Eastern Illinois: In the spirit of great things that are happening off the field, I make mention of all the EIU student-athletes who have been reaching out to the community lately. Fundraising for the Charleston Food Bank, reading to elementary students and sending four veterans to the OVC Basketball Championship are among the activities that student-athletes have been involved with.

Eastern Kentucky: Are you missing OVC football already? Hear what Jeremy Caldwell has to say about EKU spring practice so far.

Jacksonville State: The Anniston Star details a few interesting stories coming out of JSU. Visit the site to see how JSU sent a message to other OVC golf programs by grabbing an exciting win at the Grub Mart Intercollegiate. Also, read about the story of current head baseball coach Jim Case, and how replacing a legend like Rudy Abbott isn't easy.

Morehead State: Rob Ginter gives some comedic thoughts on Donnie Tyndall's recent contract extension in The Morehead News and explains why he is glad that Donnie is not "gonnie". While scrolling through the site make sure to catch up with baseball, softball and golf as these programs have been receiving recognition of late.

Murray State: Caroline Lagerborg was named the 2010-2011 Margaret Simmons Female Athlete of the Year. The award is given to the student-athlete that best demonstrates the characteristics of former Murray State track and field coach Margaret Simmons. "Caroline has the trait of perseverance," stated her coach Velvet Milkman. Read more on goracers.com.

Southeast Missouri State: The Redhawks have announced their 2011 football schedule and will open up against Southern Illinois. Meanwhile, SEMO has a series of different events to promote on campus with the first annual Athletic Alumni Reunion, a tournament at Houck Fieldhouse that kicks off the volleyball season and the Southeast Athletics Night all approaching soon. Get familiar with all the events and activities at gosoutheast.com.

SIU Edwardsville: Erika Taylor leads the OVC with 120 1/3 innings pitched and 125 strikeouts. She was named the Pitcher of the Week for her efforts last week as she continues to build on an impressive season. In golf SIUE was up against stiff competition at the Butler Invitational, the Cougars tied Dayton for fourth place with some impressive play. The SIUE website has the latest updates on these stories and more.

Tennessee State: Check out tsutigers.com to see how 5 student-athletes have been named OVC Athletes of the Week in their respective sports. From track and field to golf to tennis, the tigers have been on a roll. TSU recently held a pro day on campus for for top senior athletes around the area to show off in front of NFL and CFL scouts. Pictured below is Marques Wilkins as he is measured for the broad jump.

Tennesse Tech: Golden Eagle baseball is due to present Faith Day at Bush Stadium, which will

be hosted on three different conference weekend games. In other baseball news, Chad Oberacker

has topped the Golden Eagles career list in total hits as he went 4-5 against the University of Kentucky.

Check out ttusports.com to read more about Faith Day, Oberacker and recently retired Mike Sutton

being named as a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award.

UT Martin: UTM is looking forward to the start of a new tradition Thursday. The Players Trophy

will be handed out for the first time as Murray State takes on UTM at the Skyhawk Varsity Courts.

This trophy will serve as a traveling reminder of who captured victory in the last annual meeting

between the two OVC conference foes.

Around the Ohio Valley - March 23

Austin Peay: Two APSU track and field athletes, Courtney Jordan and Ashley Carson, were honored for their leadership efforts at the recent Hattie Walker Wilhoite Recognition Program. Some background on Hattie Walker Wilhoite is that she earned her master’s degree in education in 1957 becoming the first African American to graduate from APSU and taught English for 38 years at Burt School after graduation. Jordan is a 5-time member of the Dean’s List and plans on pursuing a master’s degree upon graduation. Carson has an impressive 3.54 GPA and has served over 2 years in the Army before coming to APSU... I can't go without mentioning APSU's basketball season. Big Dog's Blog covers the Govs like nobody else, get his unique perspective on how the season came to an end and why he thinks APSU are the favorites for an OVC title next season.

Eastern Illinois: Read about how EIU won the OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships on both the men's and the women's side recently, and how Zye Boey was named an All-American in the process...EIU women wrapped up their basketball season after falling to Chicago State in the WBI. The Panthers close their year with a 18-13 record, but the future looks promising with players like Ta'Kenya Nixon who is featured below.

Eastern Kentucky: EKU finished 6th in the OVC this year under the guidance of the Jeff Neubauer. Neubauer accomplished this season what only two other coaches have before him at EKU, 100 wins. See some other interesting facts and highlights of their 2010-2011 season here..EKU softball program and Head Coach Jane Worthington earned the 500th victory in the program's history recently. EKU's website features a story on the accomplishment and wraps up their midweek action.

Jacksonville State: You might say that JSU baseball is doing big things after they defeated Auburn in front of an overflow crowd at Rudy Abbott Field. They rallied in the eighth inning to claim a 5-4 victory over to #20 team in the nation as Blake Seguin, pictured here from JSU's webiste, provided the game winning hit...Also, you can view pictures of JSU football as spring practice gets under way at the Anniston Star.

Morehead State: MoreheadNews.com features articles on programs that are awarding outstanding academic performances. Among the stories is the Board of Regents honoring soccer, volleyball and cheerleaders and MSU's announcement of the new Eagle Excellence Award...So we know that pulling off an upset in the NCAA tournament earns you some national recognition, but who knew that it would earn Donnie Tyndall a new four-year contract and make him the highest paid coach in the OVC? Msueagles.com reports that Brain Hutchinson announced the news on Tuesday. From winning the OVC tournament, to beating Louisville and then appearing on the Dan Patrick show Tyndall is having a month to remember. Good fortune is on his side, and so is Charlie Sheen who picked MSU to beat Louisville.

Murray State: Donnie Tyndall isn't the only OVC basketball coach being awarded, Billy Kennedy will be receiving the John Lotz "Barnabas" Award presented by the FCA. The presentation of the award will be made at the FCA Coaches Luncheon in Houston at the NCAA Final Four. I should mention that the Ledger & Times reports that Billy Kennedy has talked to Wyoming about the open head coaching position there. There is surely more to come on this subject, but in the meantime look over the article to see who said what.

Southeast Missouri State: Read The New York Times truly inspiring article on Jordan Underwood to see why, as Calgary University professor Joan Vickers states, "This young man's brain had to change the neural networks to determine where the strike zone is."...SEMO barely missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Regionals as a team, but are sending three athletes to the University of Oklahoma to compete in the Regionals individually. Read about what this intells for student-athletes Brianna Gaddie, Christina Sundgren and Taylor Westrick.

SIU Edwardsville: SIUE is inducting six new former athletes into Hall of Fame and one team as well. Check out siuecougars.com to see the list...Newcomers to the OVC, SIUE softball is off to a 2-3 record in the conference. The highlights below showcase SIUE vs. Murray State and features a good defensive work and a play at the plate.

Tennessee State: TSU has two big events to promote. First there is the Legends Game, also referred to as the Blue and White Spring Football game. The event will be held at Hale Stadium and you can check out tsutigers.com for more info...Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is also presenting the Celebrity Basketball Slam Jam on TSU's campus. Proceeds will be donated to DRC Foundation.

Tennessee Tech: News surfaced today that TTU Head Coach Mike Sutton has retired. If you aren't familiar with his story the clip below is taken from a few years ago, but it captures the nature of Sutton's encouraging story.

UT Martin: UTM's tennis is on a roll as they defeated TSU yesterday to improve their winning streak to 3 games. Catch the full report at utmsports.com...So, it had to end at some point. UT Martin women feel to Duke in the NCAA tournament. You can't fault a team who set record after record and achieved the program's first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The team traded blow for blow during the first half, but Duke proved to be too much. Catch the full report and Head Coach Kevin McMillan's comments here.

Big things ahead

Kenneth Faried tweets Morehead is in Denver and, "ready to do big things." They better be when they take on the Cardinals Thursday. Louisville holds a 31-11 all time record against Morehead, beating them the last 13 meetings including a NCAA tournament game in 2009.

However, Rick Pitino is not overlooking MSU stating, "We played Morehead State a couple of years ago when they were younger, and now they are seniors. They are as good of a basketball team as any in the country, they have Big East type players in certain positions. They have great talent and great experience. We have ourselves one tough ball game."

So what does Donnie Tyndall have to say? Find out below.

For Morehead, Louisville is a huge program to compete against and surely a daunting task. UT Martin's women have arguably a more intimidating match up on their hands when they take on Duke this Saturday. Taking on a team that just beat UNC to win the ACC tournament and solidified themselves as an No. 2 seed is enough to put a lump in one's throat, so try doing it when the game is scheduled to be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

UT Martin is surely having a hard time swallowing this. A team with only 2 years of collective NCAA Div. I experience and nine true freshman are shaking in their boots when they think about facing the 2011 No. 1 recruiting class and the Wooden Award finalist Jasmine Thomas, you would think. Wrong. Head Coach Kevin McMillan explains below.

After such a tight race in the regular season and a highly competitive championship tournament, much was made of the strength within the conference. This is reflected in the programs that are still playing post-season basketball outside of the NCAA tourny.

Murray State's men takes on Missouri State in the NIT tonight at 7pm CTS on Espn3, and Tennessee Tech's women take on Auburn in the WNIT Thursday at 7pm CTS on Ovcsports.tv.

You can still keep up with Austin Peay and Tennesse Tech's men who are competing in the CBI and the CIT, respectively. Also keep tabs on Eastern Illinois's women who are hosting Chicago State in the WBI.

Insider's look at the OVC Basketball Championship

From the catwalk to the parking deck of the Municipal Auditorium comes the unique perspective of the OVC Basketball Championship. The dust may not truly settle until the post season tournament formats are announced, but one thing is for certain, basketball in the OVC is on the up and up.

What OVC fans witnessed was the strength and competitiveness of the conference, as five games were decided by six points or less. What OVC fans may have missed was these attributes spill over behind the scenes.

Post game press conferences proved to be the place that showcased the desire, camaraderie and hard work that makes up the OVC. TSU head coach Tracee Wells and player Jasmin Shuler elaborated on what the season meant to them with tears in their eyes. That same night saw their counter part on the men's side, Head Coach John Cooper, stick up for Kenny Moore when asked about missing a crucial free throw in the last few minutes when their team lost to UTM. Two days after TSU had been brought to tears, Brooke Faulkner was in the same situation as she reflected back on her career at APSU after a loss to TTU in the semifinals. Truly good to see was TTU's Mike Sutton come into the Morehead press conference to congratulate Kenneth Faried and wish him well.

Behind the scene moments also provided comic relief. When EIU head coach Brady Salle was asked about loosing three straight tournament games to APSU he responded, "I need to start arm wrestling ( APSU Head Coach Daniels) Carrie. Maybe I could take her, I am not sure."

The 2010-2011 basketball season and the tournament sums up where OVC basketball is heading. Tight games like TTU edging out Murray State shows the level of competition. UT Martin winning the women's championship with so many freshman highlights the bright future of the conference. I have to point out that in all the behind the scenes moments I captured, I never heard a coach or player criticize the refs or the other team, and I think this speaks well of the professionalism around the league.

From witnessing the Morehead State mascot do the dougie at halftime to listening in as George Plaster did his radio show live from the Municipal I had a blast watching the OVC tournament unfold. I am sure next season will only get better.

The latest updates on college basketball bracketology can be found here. To see where Morehead State ends up tune in Sunday to CBS at 6pm ET for the men's NCAA tournament announcement, to keep tabs on UT Martin watch ESPN at 7pm ET for the women's selection. The NIT will more than likely see Murray State on the men's side and Tennessee Tech on the women's side featured, with that announcement coming at 9pm ET Sunday night as well.