Milliorn Named Women’s Golfer of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE GOLFER OF THE WEEK

Competitions: February 24-25, 2020

WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK: Madyson Milliorn, Sr., Concordia Texas

Concordia Texas senior Madyson Milliorn (Houston, Texas) shot the best round of the tournament, coming from behind to win the Linda Lowery Invitational individual title, while the Tornados won the team championship. Milliorn, who entered the final day sitting in eighth, improved her first-round score by eight strokes, carding a final-round score of 77 to win the tournament by two strokes with a +18 162. It is the second consecutive individual win for her. It is Milliorn’s third Golfer of the Week of the season and fourth of her career.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

WOMEN

Concordia Texas sophomore Tiana Shobe (Lubbock, Texas) shot an 82-83=165 +21 to tie for third at the Linda Lowery Invitational.

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore Macy Mitchell (Canyon, Texas) tied for fifth at the Linda Lowery with an 82-86=168 +24.

Novak, Williams, Russell Selected for Baseball Players of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: February 18-23, 2020

HITTER OF THE WEEK – Casen Novak, SS, Sr., Concordia Texas

Concordia Texas senior shortstop Casen Novak (Flatonia, Texas) had at least two hits in every game as the No. 23 Tornados opened conference play with a sweep of Belhaven on the road. In the first game, Novak went 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple, and drove in two runs. In the second game, he had his fifth three-hit game of the season, driving in a pair on a two-run home run, his first homer of the season, and scored twice from the leadoff spot. Novak wrapped up the series with two more hits and two more RBIs as CTX came back from a four-run deficit to win it 6-4 and complete the sweep. For the week, he hit .667 (8-for-12) with a triple, a home run, six RBI and three runs scored.

CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Sam Russell, LHP, Jr., Sul Ross State

Sul Ross State junior left-hander Sam Russell (Austin, Texas) pitched 13-0 complete-game four-hitter against LeTourneau Friday. The Austin native fanned 10 YellowJackets and only walked one over seven frames. It is Russell’s second career Pitcher of the Week award.

CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Matthew Williams, RHP, Sr., Concordia Texas

Concordia Texas senior right-hander Matthew Williams (Austin, Texas) became the winningest pitcher in program history. He tossed 7.2 scoreless innings, allowing only five hits and set a new career-high in strikeouts for the second game in a row, finishing with 14 on the day in an 8-0 win against Belhaven. He now has 28 wins in his career and reached double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season. It is Williams’ fifth career Pitcher of the Week award.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE

UT Dallas junior shortstop Nick Balley (Austin, Texas) hit the game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to lift the Comets to a 4-3 win over Hardin-Simmons to complete a three-game sweep of the Cowboys Saturday afternoon. Balley was 2-for-3 in the series finale after going 2-for-4 from the dish in Saturday’s 3-2 win by UTD to open the doubleheader.

LeTourneau senior catcher Noah Mahoney (Flower Mound, Texas) hit .417 (5-for-12) with a pair of doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, and five runs scored as the YellowJackets went 2-1 against Sul Ross State. He blasted a grand slam in a 21-5 win over the Lobos and posted another home run on Saturday in an 8-2 victory. Mahoney also threw out four runners, including three in the series opener.

Louisiana College sophomore designated hitter Jacob Fowler (Sieper, La.) went 3-for-5 with a double, RBI, run scored and a stolen base in the Wildcats’ 8-2 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Howard Payne junior first baseman RJ Roberts (Mansfield, Texas) hit a pair of home runs against East Texas Baptist to help the Yellow Jackets to a series win over East Texas Baptist. In five contests, he hit .385 (5-of-13) with a double, four RBI, three runs and a .923 slugging percentage.

Ozarks sophomore right fielder Rey Lozano (Lavaca, Ark.) hit .562 and scored eight times to help the Eagles sweep McMurry over the weekend and defeat No. 23 Hendrix 5-1 in non-conference action. Lozano went 5-of-6 with four runs in a wild 13-12 win in game three of the series. Lozano homered in game one of the series. For the week, he owned a .875 slugging percentage.

Sul Ross State senior left fielder Tye Lindsey (Round Rock, Texas) started his week 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and four RBI in a 13-0 win against LeTourneau. He finished the week 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, five RBI, and a stolen base.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES ON THE MOUND

UT Dallas junior right-hander Blake Birdwell (Burleson, Texas) tossed 7.0 scoreless innings Friday afternoon as the Comets opened their three-game weekend sweep of Hardin-Simmons with a 9-4 victory. Birdwell struck out six Cowboys while giving up just three hits to set the tone for the weekend.

LeTourneau junior righty Kolbey Sharpe (Carthage, Texas) struck out a career-high 11 batters in the longest outing of his career, an 8-2 victory over Sul Ross State. He allowed seven hits with no walks and two runs allowed.

Louisiana College junior right-hander Brooks Southall (Baton Rouge, La.) was a hard-luck loser in a 2-0 loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor. He struck out 10 batters with two walks, three hits and one run allowed over eight innings.

Howard Payne senior right-hander Xavier Haines (Belton, Texas) set the tone for the Yellow Jacket pitching staff in the conference opener. He went seven innings while only allowing five hits and striking out four in a 4-2 win at East Texas Baptist.

Mary Hardin-Baylor freshman left-handed starter Rahul Champaneri (Mundelein, Ill.) pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout in a 2-0 win at Louisiana College. He struck out six and walked just one while holding the Wildcats to a .167 batting average. He has started his collegiate career with 16 scoreless innings and is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00 in his two starts on the year.

Ozark’s junior righty David Beck (Conway, Ark.) had a no-hitter going for 6.1 innings in Friday’s 13-0 win against McMurry. Beck finished with a one-hitter over seven innings to receive his third win of the year. He struck out seven and walked five and faced the minimum in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. After recording an out in the seventh, Beck issued a walk and then gave up a hit.

Solis, Lara, McCord, Reed Named Softball POW

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: February 18-24, 2020

EAST DIVISION HITTER OF THE WEEK – Daniella Solis, RF, Jr., East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist junior right fielder Daniella Solis (Baytown, Texas) had another big week at the plate, as she connected on five extra-base hits with three home runs and two doubles. She was 3-for-4 in Friday’s 15-5 win at Howard Payne, blasting a conference-record tying three home runs for five RBI. Game 1, she was 2-of-3 batting in two. Solis also had a double in Saturday’s 1-0, 10-inning victory. For the week, she hit .600 (6-for-10) with two doubles, three homers, seven RBI, three runs and a 1.700 slugging percentage. It is her second Hitter of the Week of the season.

EAST DIVISION PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Beatriz Lara, RHP, So., East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist sophomore right-hander Beatriz Lara (Orange Grove, Texas) earned two more wins with a pair of shutouts at Howard Payne. In the first game of the series, the No. 13 Tigers won in five innings, 12-0, as she recorded seven strikeouts with three hits. In the final game of the series that went ten innings, she had 10 Ks and only allowed two hits in the 1-0 win. Lara came into a jam in the 10th inning with one out and the bases loaded and finished the game striking out the last two batters to preserve the win in extra innings. On the week, she went 2-0 with 17 strikeouts, five hits allowed and six walks over 15 scoreless frames. It is Lara’s second Player of the Week of the season and seventh of her career.

WEST DIVISION HITTER OF THE WEEK – Mason McCord, 2B/C, Jr., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons junior second baseman/catcher Mason McCord (Greenville, Texas) hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth of the series finale against UT Dallas to win 5-4. In the three-game series, she hit .615 (8-for-13) with a double, three homers, six RBI and five runs scored.

WEST DIVISION PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kat Reed, RHP, So., Mary Hardin-Baylor

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore right-hander Kat Reed (Axtell, Texas) helped the No. 22 Cru sweeps Louisiana College last weekend with one win, and a save against the Wildcats. She threw the series opener, going all seven innings with four hits and two runs allowed. Reed gave up just one earned run and struck out seven in UMHB’s 7-2 victory. She followed that with a save against LC on Saturday. Reed entered the contest with a one-run lead, throwing 1.2 innings and five consecutive outs. She had a 1.10 ERA with eight strikeouts, four hits allowed and seven walks in 8.2 innings. It is Reed’s third career Pitcher of the Week award.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE

UT Dallas sophomore shortstop Gabi Langille (Frisco, Texas) went 5-for-8 from the plate as the Comets opened ASC play this past weekend with a road series at Hardin-Simmons. She was 3-for-4 from the dish with three runs scored and three RBI, picking up her first home run of the spring, in Saturday’s doubleheader opener, a 15-14 win by the Comets. Over the three-game set, Langille had four runs scored and four RBI, drawing three walks.

LeTourneau junior center fielder Katelyn Trombley (Tyler, Texas) matched a career-high with three hits, including a homer and a triple, and four RBI in Friday’s 7-5 win against Sul Ross State. In the three-game series, she hit .400 (4-of-1) with four runs scored and a stolen base. Trombley maintained her perfect fielding percentage with 13 putouts and two assists.

Mary Hardin-Baylor junior right fielder Allie Dalle (Austin, Texas) helped the No. 22 Cru to a 3-0 ASC opening weekend, hitting .545 (6-for-11) against Louisiana College. She opened with a 2-for-3 performance in UMHB’s 7-2 victory, scoring the game-opening run and hitting in one more. She followed that with the go-ahead run in a 5-1 win. Dalle returned to action on Saturday with a stolen-base run scored and a three-run home run against the Wildcats. Dalle five runs scored and four RBI with two steals and a .909 slugging percentage.

Ozark’s sophomore catcher Sierra Jasna (Sallisaw, Okla.) hit .400 (4-for-10) with a double, two RBI and a run scored in the Eagles’ three-game series against McMurry.

McMurry junior catcher Kelsey Ahart (Angleton, Texas) hit .538 (7-of-13) with a double, three home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored and a 1.308 slugging percentage as the War Hawks went 5-0 on the week. She hit the first homer at McMurry’s brand new Edwards Field in a win against Southwest. Ahart had two more home runs, including the game-winner, for four RBI on three hits in an 8-7 victory over Ozarks.

Belhaven junior left fielder Abby Trahan (Hackberry, La.) hit .428 (3-for-7) with a double, two RBI, three runs, and four RBI, drawing three walks as the Blazers swept Concordia Texas.

Sul Ross State sophomore second baseman Annika Canaba (Alpine, Texas) went 9-for-14 (.643) in the batter’s box as the Lady Lobos went 3-2 on the week. She hit four doubles, a home run, scored five runs, drove in eight, and stole a base while only striking out once.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE

Hardin-Simmons sophomore Brookelyn Casper (Merkel, Texas) earned the win in the Cowgirls’ 5-4 victory against UT Dallas. She went seven innings, allowing four walks, eight hits, and four runs.

Howard Payne junior right-hander Tia Campos (Winters, Texas) went the distance against No. 13 East Texas Baptist, throwing 10-innings in a 1-0 loss. Against the Tigers, she went 0-2 with a 1.75 ERA, allowing just five hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts over 12 innings.

Ozark’s junior righty Jaela Martin (Star City, Ark.) pitched six innings and allowed just one earned run with two strikeouts and no walks in a 4-0 loss to McMurry.

McMurry sophomore right-hander Camille Scott (Abilene, Texas) threw the first no-hitter in program history in an 8-0 win against Southwest, striking out nine. She also had a walk-off RBI-double in the game. Against Ozarks, she struck out one, allowing three earned runs in a complete-game win to go with a home run and four batted in at the plate.

Belhaven junior right-hander Hannah Finley (Cleveland, Ohio) made three relief appearances for the Blazers, going 1-0 with a save in the series sweep of Concordia Texas. She threw five scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and three hits with two strikeouts.

Sul Ross State sophomore righty Jodie Vaughn (Andrews, Texas) shook off a tough Friday start against LeTourneau with back-to-back wins against the YellowJackets and Southwest. She pitched seven innings of the two-hit, eight-strikeout ball in a 3-2 win Saturday over LeTourneau. She turned around and started the next day against the Lady Mustangs and pitched all five innings of one-run, seven-strikeout ball. For the week, Vaughn was 2-1 with 19 strikeouts and nine runs allowed over 14.2 innings. 

HSU, Belhaven Sweep Tennis Players of the Week

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE TENNIS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Matches: February 20-23, 2020

WEST DIVISION WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Hathorn, So., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons sophomore Kaitlyn Hathorn (Abilene, Texas) went a perfect 6-0 on the week at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles, helping the Cowgirls to three wins. She posted 6-0, 6-1 singles and 8-3 doubles victories over Ozarks; 6-2, 4-6, 10-6, and 8-1 wins over St. Thomas (Texas) and 6-0, 6-0 and 8-0 defeats over Howard Payne. Hathorn teamed with Lauren Schaeffer in doubles.

EAST DIVISION WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Julia Keffer, So., Belhaven

Belhaven sophomore Julia Keffer (Birmingham, Ala.) picked up a 6-7, 6-2, 10-8 win at No. 1 singles at Huntingdon. She also teamed with Chantel Quarles for an 8-4 loss at No. 3 doubles.

WEST DIVISION MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Desmond O’Shea, Fr., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons freshman Desmond O’Shea (College Station, Texas) had a clean sweep for the Cowboys on the weekend, winning all three singles and all three doubles match. At No. 4 singles, he posted wins over Ozarks (6-0, 6-0), St. Thomas (Texas) (6-2, 6-0) and Howard Payne (6-0, 6-1). O’Shea teamed with Josh Lopez at No. 2 doubles for an 8-2 win over the Eagles, 8-1 over the Celts, and 8-2 over the Yellow Jackets.

EAST DIVISION MEN’S PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joan Soler, Gr., Belhaven

Belhaven graduate student Joan Soler (Barcelona, Spain) led the Blazers to a 9-0 win at Huntingdon, picking up a 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 win at No. 1 singles and teaming with Zachery Presnall for an 8-3 victory at No. 1 doubles. Soler is now 4-0 in singles on the year.

OTHER TOP WOMEN’S PERFORMANCES

McMurry junior Gabrielle Ellwanger (Magnolia, Texas) posted her third 4-0 weekend of the season, going 2-0 at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles with partner Neah Garza. She earned a 6-4, 6-1 singles win, and 8-0 victory at doubles against St. Thomas (Texas). Ellwanger followed with a 6-3, 6-3 and 8-0 win over Ozarks.

Concordia Texas freshman Cassandra Landeros-Cabrera (The Woodlands, Texas) posted a 6-0, 6-1 No. 1 singles win and teamed with Isabella Wiik for an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles in the Tornados’ 7-2 defeat of Texas Lutheran.

OTHER TOP MEN’S PERFORMANCES

UT Dallas senior Ashwin Vaithianathan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) posted a 2-0 record in singles, and a 1-1 mark in doubles play as the Comets went 1-1 last week. Vaithianathan claimed a 6-2, 6-3, win at No. 1 singles Thursday as the Comets claimed an 8-1 win at East Texas Baptist to open ASC East play. He added an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles with partner Haydn Steffes. Vaithianathan was then the only UTD player to earn a single victory Saturday in a 7-2 home loss to No. 16-ranked Pomona-Pitzer. Vaithianathan outlasted Charlie Stark, 6-4, 5-7, 10-4, for the win.

LeTourneau freshman Julian Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.) helped the YellowJackets to a 5-4 victory at Austin, posting a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles. He also teamed with Miles Grubbs for an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles.

Ozarks junior Angelo Ito Tost (Sao Paulo, Brazil) went 3-0 in singles play over the weekend to up his singles record to 6-0. Ito Tost, who is ranked No. 17 in the nation, defeated Nathaniel Schoendorf from Hardin-Simmons (6-4, 7-6) and then came back the next day to record a 3-2, retired win against Ben Blanchard from Howard Payne. Ito Tost capped the weekend by defeating Carlos Martinez from McMurry 7-6, 8-7. Ito Tost and Jonah Martinez posted an 8-2 win against the Yellow Jackets at No. 2 doubles.

McMurry junior Trey Fambrough (Aledo, Texas) went 2-0 at No. 6 singles for the War Hawks. He won 6-4, 6-1 over St. Thomas (Texas) and 6-3, 6-4 against Ozarks. 

Harrison, McCoy, Eastham, Parker Earn Track Honors

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Competitions: February 21-22, 2020

MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Damonn Harrison, Fr., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons sophomore Damonn Harrison (Frisco, Texas) placed sixth in the 60-meter finals at the Matador Qualifier in Lubbock, Texas, with a time of 6.85 seconds, which tied for eighth in NCAA Division III. He was also fourth in the 200-meter dash in 21.59 seconds, earning his second Athlete of the Week of the season.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Tommy McCoy, Sr., Belhaven

Belhaven senior Tommy McCoy (Woodville, Miss.) shattered the Blazer indoor record with a triple jump of 14.43 meters (47 ft.-4 in.), winning the event at the WCU Qualifier. He also ran the 400 meters in 55.53 seconds. McCoy’s triple jump ranks 17th in the nation.

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jessica Eastham, Sr., Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons senior Jessica Eastham (Robinson, Texas) earns her third straight Athlete of the Week and fifth of her career with a new school record of 7.92 seconds in the 60-meter dash and tying the school record in 25.82 in the 200 at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier. She also ran the 400 meters in 59.64 seconds, ranking second in the region. Eastham’s 200 time is ninth in the nation. 

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kristina Parker, Fr., McMurry

McMurry freshman Kristina Parker (Colorado City, Texas) cleared 1.56 meters (5 ft.-1.25 in.) on her very first attempt, setting a new personal record in the pole vault at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier. This mark ranks her first in the ASC and fifth in the South/Southeast Region. On top of her field performance, Parker also ran on the War Hawks’ 4×400 relay, finishing with a time of 4:16.63 after conversion. This time ranks ninth in the region and leads the conference. It is Parker’s second Athlete of the Week of the year. 

OTHER TOP MEN’S PERFORMANCES

Hardin-Simmons freshman Layton Ransom (Midlothian, Texas) finished sixth in the high jump at the Matador Qualifier, clearing 1.95 meters (6 ft.-4.75 in.).

McMurry freshman Jayden Sloan (Abilene, Texas) ran the 400-meter dash in 49.28 seconds, placing 10th at the Matador Qualifier. His time ranks 49th in the nation. Sloan was also part of the 4×400 relay team that placed fourth in 3:22.72 (converted), ranking 32nd in the country.

McMurry freshman Jayden Gonzales (Roscoe, Texas) finished sixth with a pole vault of 4.51 meters (14 ft.-9.5 in.) at the Matador Qualifier, ranking third in the region.

LeTourneau freshman Jacob White (League City, Texas) broke the school record with a 200-meter dash of 22.77 seconds at the Texas A&M Invitational.

LeTourneau sophomore Jack Miller (Diana, Texas) cleared 4.75 meters (15 ft.-7 in.) in the pole vault at the Texas A&M invitational. His mark ranks 20th in the nation and second in the South/Southeast Region.

Belhaven sophomore Christian Venzen (Carthage, Miss.) broke two indoor school records at the WCU Qualifier in Hattiesburg, Miss. He ran the 60-meter dash in 7.08 seconds and 200 in 22.45 seconds, placing fifth in both.

OTHER TOP WOMEN’S PERFORMANCES

Hardin-Simmons senior Keni Fisher (Buna, Texas) placed eighth at the Matador Qualifier in Lubbock, Texas, with a long jump of 5.22 meters (17 ft.-1.5 in.). Her mark ranks seventh in the region.

McMurry senior Josie Drury (Alvarado, Texas) had a third consecutive time-drop in the women’s 800, finishing with a new season-best time of 2:24.34 before conversion. She finished third in the field of 15 runners. Her time was adjusted to 2:25.58 post-meet, moving up to sixth place in the region. She currently ranks atop the ASC by over eight seconds. Drury also ran an essential leg on the 4×400 relay, finishing with a time of 4:16.63 after conversion. This time ranks ninth in the region and first in the ASC.

West, Moore Earn Men’s Hoops Players of the Week