Weekly Recap - April 19 - 25

It was our last week of competition before the student-athletes take a break for final exams, and while the week brought plenty of great performances, perhaps the week was capped off by the 44th annual athletic awards banquet on Sunday night.

Jana Matthews earned CSU Athlete of the Week honors after doing something that has never been done in the 24-year history of the CSU softball program. In Sunday’s 16-5 victory over Gardner-Webb Matthews went four-for-four and hit for the cycle. All four of her hits knocked in at least one run as she tallied six RBIs and scored four times.

Matthews started the historic day with a triple to right center in the first inning, coming back with a homerun in the third, making it 4-0 CSU. The double came in the fourth, while the RBI single came in the fifth and final inning of the game.

Kelvin Day (M. Golf), Olivia Jordan-Higgins (W. Golf) and Levi Brooks (Track and Field) were also nominated for the honor this week.

April 19-21 – M. Golf @ Big South Championships – 2nd
Trailing the leaders by 12 shots after round one, CSU came all the way back to pull within one stroke midway through the final round. Kelvin Day shot a final-round -4 (68) to help pace CSU, but it wasn’t enough as the Bucs finished as the runners up in the event. Ross Thomson earned All-Conference honors with a fourth-place finish, as did Jacobo Pastor, who carded a 10th place finish, despite struggling on the final day.

April 21 – Softball vs. College of Charleston – L, 5-2, W, 4-1
Although a split wasn’t what CSU and Coach Shane Winkler wanted against the College of Charleston, the Bucs still took five of six against the Cougars this season after coming back in game two to record a 4-1 victory. Megan Hall and Shayla Cullum hit back-to-back home runs in the first game, but CSU could not manage any additional runs. CSU manufactured an early run in game two to take the lead, and despite allowing CofC to tie the game in the fourth, CSU came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning, then added two more in the sixth for good measure.

April 21 – Baseball @ #6 Florida State – L, 12-4
The Bucs thought they were going down to Tallahassee for a two-game set with Florida State, but lightning early on in game one forced the contest to be cancelled. In game two, Derek Smith and Tom Burkett each went yard, the fifth homerun of the season for both guys. The four runs that CSU managed was not enough against another top-10 team.

April 23-24 – W. Tennis @ Big South Championship – 2nd
Taking advantage of the first-round bye they received for winning the Big South regular season championship, CSU’s women’s tennis team blew past hosting Radford in the second round, winning 4-0 to put themselves in the championship match for the second year in a row. CSU took out Winthrop in the regular season, making history, but the Eagles had revenge on their minds having won nine of the last 11 titles. Unfortunately for Buc fans, they got the revenge they were looking for, blanking CSU 4-0 in the championship match for the second-straight year.

April 23-24 – Baseball vs. Gardner-Webb – W, 18-4, L, 9-8, L 5-4 (10)
CSU held the lead in all three games, and after winning game one 18-4 and taking a 6-1 lead in game two, it looked as though the Bucs would have an easy sweep on their hands. It was not to be as Gardner-Webb scored in the latter innings in both games of the Saturday double header to sweep the day and take the series from the Buccaneers. Andrew White pitched a solid 10 innings in the final game of the series, but took a loss on the day as Daniel Merck stole home to give GWU the 5-4 lead in the 10th inning. Jesse Cadenhead also had a banner day, pounding his first career home run over the left-centerfield wall.

April 24 – 25 – Softball @ Gardner-Webb – L, 3-2, L, 7-5, W, 16-5
Megan Hall had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored during the double header on Saturday, but CSU was not able to steal a road victory on the first day of competition against Gardner-Webb. The Bucs apparently had a good night’s rest, though, and came out with 16 runs on Sunday in a game that continued to be pushed back due to rain in the area. Once they finally got to play, it was all CSU as the team posted 15 hits. Megan Lombard and Trea Steele each had three hits, but the show was stolen by Jana Matthews, who went four-for-four and hit for the cycle, accounting for six RBIs and four runs in the game.

April 25 – 44th Annual Athletic Awards Banquet
Olivia Jordan-Higgins was named the Senior Female Athlete of the Year, fresh off her 2010 Big South Individual Championship, while Levi Brooks, who won the 400m dash at the Big South Championships, earned Senior Male Athlete of the Year honors. Other top award winners included Sam Sasan (R.L. Wynn Christian Leadership Award), Tyrese Harris (Michael Frost Christian Athlete Award) and Andrew King (Hunter Cup). The baseball team took home this year’s Buc Cup, awarded to the team with the best attendance at selected events throughout the year. The football program went home with the team community service award.

What’s Coming Up?
April 27- Reading Day (No Classes)
April 28 – May 5 – Finals
April 6-8 – NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regionals
April 6 – Softball vs. Howard (DH) – 2 / 4 p.m.

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Weekly Recap - April 12 - 18

What a great week in Buccaneer athletics. The women’s golf team won the Big South Championship, while track and field hosted the Big South Championship meet and crowned plenty of individual champions, including a sweep of the men’s and women’s 100m dash.

Olivia Jordan-Higgins has been named this week’s CSU Athlete of the Week after coming from behind to win the 2010 Big South Championship. Higgins was one of two players to come in under par in the final round with a 70, giving her the first individual title of her career, but her third top-two finish.

In addition, Higgins outstanding performance helped lead the team to the sixth Big South Championship in program history and the second during the careers of Higgins, Katrin Rumpf and Madison Jeter, who won it in 2008.

Also nominated for the honor were: Gabrielle Houston (Track & Field), Kori Penick (Track & Field), Javon Young (Track & Field), Levi Brooks (Track & Field), Dantwan Spreads (Track & Field)

April 12 – 13 – M. Golf @ Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational – 4th
Jacobo Pastor posted a career-low 68 in the final round, tying him for second overall, helping lead CSU to a fourth-place finish. The performance also earned him Big South Golfer of the Week honors. Kelvin Day and Ross Thomson finished tied for 11 with three-round scores of 217.

April 12 – 14 – W. Golf @ Big South Championship – 1st
Charleston Southern’s women’s golf team led from wire to wire to claim the sixth Big South Championship in program history, and the second in the last three years, finishing an incredible 23 shots clear of second place. Olivia Jordan-Higgins was near the top of the leaderboard all tournament, but after finishing runner-up the previous two years, shot a final-round 70 to close the deal and earn the individual title. Katrin Rumpf also had two of the best rounds of her career, shooting 71 and 70 in the final two rounds to finish third overall. Rumpf, along with Katelyn Bensch earned all-conference honors for their finishes, joining Higgins on the team, who was voted onto the team. The three-round score of 881 broke the Big South Championship record by eight shots, and included the first three sub-300 rounds of the season for the Lady Buccaneers.

April 12 – W. Tennis @ College of Charleston – L, 6-1
It was a tough week for CSU’s women’s tennis team, who had only tasted defeat once in 17 matches this season. A battle of nationally-ranked programs, CSU was on the short end of a 6-1 score against the College of Charleston, with only Olga Makhova earning a singles victory. Susita Das and Brooke Pletcher won their doubles match, but the Cougars took the point with victories at the one and two spots.

April 13 – Baseball @ UNC Wilmington – L, 5-4
Despite leading the majority of the game, CSU gave up the game-winning run on an error in the eighth inning while trying to complete an inning-ending double play. Jesse Cadenhead went seven innings, giving up just eight hits, but did not get a decision. Tom Burkett and Tyler Thornburg each had a pair of hits for CSU, while Burkett and Brandon McKinney each had a run-scored and an RBI.

April 14 – Softball vs. Coastal Carolina – L, 5-3
Finishing up the split series against Coastal Carolina with a 5-3 loss at home in the middle of the week. Kristin Kelleher blasted a two-run home run to keep it close, while Shayla Cullum went three-for-three

April 15 – W. Tennis vs. ECU – L, 4-3
CSU swept through doubles and looked like they would have an easy victory over their Conference USA opponent, but only Olga Makhova and Angie Torres managed singles victories, in what turned out to be a very close match. All of the top three flights needed three sets to close out their matches, with two of the three going to ECU. Makhova moved to 18-1 in singles action this year.

April 15 – 17 – Track & Field – Big South Championships
It’s hard to list all of the tremendous performances by CSU this weekend in the 2010 Big South Outdoor Track and Field Championship, so we’ll leave it at this: You can watch highlights from the event at CSU’s You Tube Page . Below is a list of all of the all-conference (top-3) performances that CSU had during the meet.
Women
Gabrielle Houston – 100m dash (Champion)
Patria Norman, Gabrielle Houston, Brittney Greer, Jessica Thomas – 4x100m Relay (Champion)
Patria Norman – Long Jump (Champion)
Kori Penick – Shot Put
Channell Futrell – Heptathlon

Men
Javon Young – 100m Dash (Champion)
Dantwan Spreads – 100m Dash
Dantwan Spreads – 200m Dash (Champion)
Levi Brooks – 400m Dash (Champion)
Anthony Ward, Javon Young, Levi Brooks, Dantwan Spreads – 4x100m Relay (Champion)
Lavon Allen – Long Jump
Dominique Riggins – Decathlon (Champion)

April 16 - 17 – Softball vs. Winthrop – W, 8-3, W, 5-3, L, 11-0
Friday’s double header went exactly how CSU wanted it to as they erupted for 22 hits as a team, winning 8-3 and 5-3. Game three was not as successful as the bats went silent, but more importantly, committed six errors in an 11-0 loss. After the series, CSU evened its season record at 23-23-1, but remains below the .500 mark in Conference play at 7-8.

April 16 – 18 – Baseball @ Presbyterian – L, 14-7, L, 10-1, W, 9-8 (10)
The road was not kind to CSU as they managed just one victory against Presbyterian College, needing extra innings to come through in game three. The starters in games one and two (Anthony Markham and Tyler Thornburg) took the losses in their respective games, while it was reliever Jesse Cadenhead who earned the win in game three after CSU scored the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Andrew White started the contest and went 6.1 innings but gave up seven runs to get no decision.

What’s Coming Up?
April 19 – 21 – M. Golf @ Big South Championship
April 20 –Baseball @ Florida State – 6 p.m.
April 21 – Softball vs. College of Charleston (DH) – 2 / 4 p.m.
April 21 – Baseball @ Florida State – 4 p.m.
April 22 – 24 – W. Tennis @ Big South Championship
April 23 – Baseball vs. Gardner-Webb – 2 p.m.
April 24 – Softball @ Gardner-Webb – 2 p.m.
April 24 – Baseball vs. Gardner-Webb – 2 p.m.
April 25 – Softball @ Gardner-Webb – 1 p.m.
April 25 – Baseball vs. Gardner-Webb – 2 p.m.

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Weekly Recap - April 5 - 11

It is definitely championship time in Buccaneer Country! The women’s tennis team has already clinched the regular season Big South Championship, going a perfect 7-0 in League play, while other spring sports are preparing for their tournaments. Women’s Golf begins their championship on Monday, while CSU will host the Big South Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Make sure you plan to attend and watch some of the elite athletes in the nation compete at the Bagwell-Settle Track.

After helping her team clinch a Big South Championship with a 4-0 record this week, Brooke Pletcher was named this week’s CSU Athlete of the Week. She moved to 12-5 this season in singles and 10-5 in doubles action.

Playing at the number four singles spot, she won in straight-sets in each of the team’s two matches this week. She also paired with Susita Das at the number three doubles position to win 8-3 against PC and 8-1 against Florida State College –Jacksonville. She finished the Big South season 7-0 in singles action and posted a 4-2 record in doubles.

Tyler Thornburg (Baseball), Megan Hall (Softball), and Andrea Schutte (Tennis) were also nominated for the honor.

April 6 – Baseball vs. The Citadel – W, 8-7
A dramatic week with three come from behind wins started on Tuesday against cross-town rival, The Citadel. Trailing 7-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, the first two batters (Patrick Dolan and Bentley Christmas) drew lead off walks. Brantley Meier pounded a double, and the wheels continued to come off for the Bulldogs. A relief pitcher hit Jon Matthews and was immediately taken out. The next pitcher got the first out but walked Tom Burkett to load the bases. Matt Still had an RBI single to bring CSU to within one with the bases loaded and one out for Tyler Thornburg. With a full count, Thornburg ripped the ball down the line, easily scoring Burkett from second for the win.

April 7 – Baseball @ Furman – W, 9-8
For the second day in a row, CSU waited to the last inning to mount a rally, scoring on a pair of wild pitches in the top of the ninth to grab a 9-8 lead after trailing 8-3 coming into the inning. This time, it was hits from Drew Woodall, Jaren Sustar, Jon Matthews and Harrison Wilkins, along with a HBP that was issued to Brantley Meier. CSU also took advantage of a throwing error to load the bases, allowing them to score the game’s winning runs the wild pitches.

April 7 – Tennis @ Presbyterian – W, 7-0
The women’s tennis team knew that if they overcame Presbyterian College on Wednesday that they would clinch the outright Big South Regular Season Championship. With their eyes on the prize, CSU posted straight-set victories at all six singles positions, while winning the doubles point with victories at the first and third flights. The victory tied the school record for wins in a season, and is the second time in school history (1998) that CSU has been the regular season champion.

April 9-10 – SB vs. Liberty – L, 3-0, W, 5-4, L, 5-1
As solid as the CSU bats have been all season, they were no match for Tiffani Smith, who earned both wins in the series against CSU. After being shut out in game one, CSU bounced back, taking a page from baseball with a seventh-inning rally to win 5-4. Game three looked like a shoot out as both teams scored in the first inning, but the LU starter made it just 1.2 innings before Smith came on and did not give up a hit, striking out nine in the final 5.1 innings.

April 9-11 – Baseball vs. Winthrop – W, 7-5, L, 2-1, L, 7-3
The third win of the week came with another late rally. This time, CSU took care of business in the eighth inning, scoring a pair in the bottom of the inning after Drew Woodall had a two-RBI double to score Walt Quattlebaum and Matt Still. Game two was much more of a pitcher’s duel, with Tyler Thornburg’s solo homerun the only run of the game until the ninth. The starting pitcher, Thornburg also looked in line to get a win, until a couple of singles and stolen bases led to a pair of WU runs in the ninth, giving them the 2-1 lead, and giving Thornburg a no decision on the mound. It still looked set for Thornburg to save the day as Jon Matthews drew a leadoff walk, bringing Thornburg to the plate to bat as the winning run. It was not to be as CSU was held scoreless in the inning. In game three, the defense played error-free ball, but two runs in each of the third, sixth and seventh innings proved too much for the Bucs to overcome.

April 10 – Tennis vs. Florida State College-Jacksonville, W, 7-0
CSU posted its second-straight shut out as they cruised past the fourth-ranked team in the NJCAA ranks, setting the school record for wins this year at 16-1, 7-0 in the Big South. It was an all-around sweep as CSU won all three doubles matches, as well as straight-set and dominating victories at every singles spot. CSU lost just two games in doubles, winning 8-1, 8-0, 8-1, while Brooke Pletcher did not drop a single game at the number four singles spot.

April 10 – 2010 Memorial Spring Football Game – Offense 30- Defense 21
It was the second year in a row that the offense has won the Memorial Spring Football Game, after never having won during the previous five years of Coach Jay Mills’ tenure. Although Gerald Stevenson scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, the highlight of the day was made by Kwame Krakue, who connected with A.J. Toscano down the sideline for a 73-yard play. Defensively, the best play of the day was Bradley Sweatt, who picked off the first pass of the day from Toscano and scampered 34 yards for the touchdown, giving the defense an early lead. David Jackson and Austin Wald also had interceptions during the game.

What’s Coming Up?
April 12 – 14 – W. Golf @ Big South Championship
April 12 -13 – M. Golf @ Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational
April 12 – Tennis @ #68 College of Charleston – 3:30 p.m.
April 13 – Baseball @ UNC Wilmington – 6 p.m.
April 14 – Softball vs. Coastal Carolina – 3 p.m.
April 15 – 17 – Track & Field – Big South Outdoor Championships
April 15 – Tennis vs. East Carolina – 10 a.m.
April 16 – Softball vs. Winthrop – 2 p.m.
April 16 – Baseball @ Presbyterian – 3 p.m.
April 17- Softball vs. Winthrop – 1 p.m.
April 17 – Baseball @ Presbyterian – 2 p.m.
April 18 – Baseball @ Presbyterian – 1 p.m.

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Weekly Recap - March 29 - April 4

There were so many great things going on in CSU Athletics this week, but hopefully you had time to relax, get together with your church and/or family and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord on Easter. What a great moment in history, and one that gives us such a great future!

As for the action on the field, tennis clinched at least a share of the regular season championship, softball earned a sweep over Presbyterian College, and the track team moved up on the national and world rankings, breaking a couple of Big South records in the process.

Javon Young has been named the CSU Athlete of the Week after his stellar performance at the Florida Relays. Young ran 10.17 in the 100m dash, breaking a 13-year-old Big South record while posting the fourth-best time in the world this year.

Young followed that up with a 20.64-second time in the 200m dash, breaking another Big South record in the process. He is currently tied for third in the NCAA’s in the 100m dash behind two SEC runners and is tied for fourth in the 200m dash behind runners from Tennessee, Texas A&M and South Carolina.

Andrea Schutte (Tennis), Tom Burkett (Baseball), Jana Matthews (Softball) and Olivia Jordan-Higgins (W. Golf) were also considered for the honor this week.

March 30 – Baseball @ College of Charleston – L, 9-4
The baseball team started this week’s action, trying to steal one on the road against a team they fell to the week before. Patrick Dolan had a solid outing on the mound, giving up just three runs in five innings. He left the game trailing 3-2, but a five-run seventh inning increased the margin for the Cougars and despite a pair of runs in the ninth for CSU, they held off the Bucs for their third victory over CSU this season.

March 31 – Tennis vs. Coastal Carolina – W, 4-3
Probably the most anticipated women’s tennis match in school history, CSU knew it could make a strong case for the #1 seed in the upcoming tournament with a victory over Coastal Carolina. Trying to maintain their undefeated record in the Big South, CSU took the doubles point with a thrilling 8-6 victory at the top flight (Schutte/Torres) and an 8-5 win at the number two spot (Makhova/Dzakovic). From there, CSU did just enough in singles action to get by and move to 5-0 in the Big South this season.

March 31 – Softball @ Coastal Carolina – W, 9-6, L, 3-0
CSU got plenty of hits out of their bats in game one, needing almost all of them to defeat CCU on the road. Unfortunately, it appeared they used the day’s quota of hits as they were unable to pound one out in game two, splitting the day’s double header with the Chanticleers. Erin Kegley and Jana Matthews each tallied a homerun in the first game, tying the single season record for homeruns (8). Shayla Cullum was a perfect four-for-four in the first game as well.

March 31 – Baseball @ The Citadel – L, 5-0
The baseball team had plenty of chances, but couldn’t come up with the clutch hitting as they grounded into four double plays in the first five innings against their other cross-town rival, The Citadel. Even without plating a run, CSU hung around, trailing just 1-0 utnil the bottom of the sixth inning. Charlie McCready had pitched a gem until that point, getting knocked out of the game with just one out in the sixth. McCready was changed with all five runs, with only three being earned after CSU committed four errors. Jesse Cadenhead came in and closed the door, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up just one hit.

April 1 – W. Tennis vs. Wofford – W, 7-0
Many times teams have a let down after such a big victory, but not the case for the women’s tennis team as they flexed their muscles against Wofford, beating the SoCon opponent 7-0. All five of the singles matches went to CSU in straight-sets, with CSU dropping just a combined eight games. Wofford was forced for forfeit the number six singles and number three doubles spot, aiding CSU as they cruised to victory.

April 2 – 4 – W. Golf @ MSU Ocala Spring Invitational – 5th
Olivia Jordan-Higgins led the first two rounds and finished second overall at their last tournament before the Big South Championships (April 12 – 14). The team shot a combined 929 for the three-round tournament and posted its’ highest finish of the spring.

April 2 – Track & Field @ Florida Relays / Duke Invitational
The men’s track and field team split up this weekend as the sprinters went south to the Florida Relays, where Javon Young broke two Big South records and Levi Brooks finished 11th overall in the 400m dash while Dantwan Spreads and Anthony Ward each ran their best times of the season. The distance and throw squads went north to the Duke Invitational, with Andrew King finishing second in the 5,000m run, while Matt Smith finished second in a different heat. Both ran their best times of the season. James Hayes also posted a personal best in the hammer throw.

The women’s team all went to Duke, with Amerikorie Odey finished fifth overall in the 400m hurdles on day one, while Jessica Thomas, Channell Futrell and Gabrielle Houston all posted at least one new personal best at the meet.

April 2 – 3 – Softball @ Presbyterian - W, 1-0, 11-1, 14-9
The slow start at the plate carried over to game one against Presbyterian College as CSU scored just one run. Thankfully, Sondra Vetter turned in a complete game shut out to earn the victory. After that, the Bucs exploded for a combined 25 runs in the next two games, including nine runs in the first inning on Saturday. Jana Matthews broke the school record for home runs, doing so with a grand slam, her first hit of the series. She went on to send out another one later in the same game, her second multi-homerun game of the year.

April 2 – 3- Baseball @ Radford – W, 7-5, 9-6, L, 9-3
The Bucs had a number of firsts this weekend, handing Radford its first conference loss, while winning a road and conference series for the first time in 2010. CSU had plenty of runs, combining for 19 runs in the three-game series. Jesse Cadenhead came in as a relief pitcher again to gent the win in game one as CSU outscored RU 3-1 in the final two innings to take game one. Tyler Thornburg earned the win in game two, going six innings and giving up just two earned runs while striking out six. He left the game with a 7-3 lead, and CSU was able to hold on despite giving up late runs to the Highlanders. In game three, it was another big inning that proved too much for CSU, giving up six runs in the sixth inning after having tied it 1-1 in the top of the fifth.

April 3 – W. Tennis vs. Radford – W, 7-0
It was senior day for Andrea Schutte, and CSU clinched at least a share of the Big South regular season championship to celebrate its senior. It was another blow out for CSU as all of the singles matches went to CSU in straight sets. The top two doubles teams also made quick work of the Highlanders, winning 8-2 and 8-3, respectively.

What’s coming up?

April 6 – Baseball vs. The Citadel – 3 p.m.

April 7 – W. Tennis @ Presbyterian – 2 p.m.

April 7 – Baseball @ Furman – 6 p.m.

April 9 – Baseball vs. Winthrop – 2 p.m.

April 9 – Softball vs. Liberty (DH) – 2 / 4 p.m.

April 10 – W. Tennis vs. Florida State College (Jacksonville) – 10 a.m.

April 10 – Softball vs. Liberty – 1 p.m.

April 10 – Baseball vs. Winthrop – 2 p.m.

April 10 – Football Spring Game – 2 p.m.

April 11 – Baseball vs. Winthrop - 2 p.m.

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