Powell becomes first MVSU men's basketball signee

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Mississippi Valley State Interim Head Men's Basketball Coach Marcus Thomas has announced the signing of Brayden Powell.

Powell, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward from Moore, Oklahoma, becomes the first member of the 2014 signing class for the Delta Devils.

"We're glad to have Brayden join the Valley family," said Thomas. "He has a huge upside and can be a contributing member to the team. And not only has Brayden excelled on the basketball court, but he is also a standout student."

Last season, Moore -- who was a finalist for Mr. Basketball -- averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks per game at Moore High School.

2014 Basketball Signees

1. Jordan Jones signs with Mississippi Valley Delta Devils
Jordan Jones, 6'-6" Forward/TE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Freshman

2. Brayden Powell, Forward, 6'-8" 200, Moore, Oklahoma, Freshman

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU's Rolland, Abbes, Mandlekar win GCAC weekly honors

Nour Abbes

Tushar Mandlekar

 Devinn Rolland

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Devinn Rolland, Nour Abbes and Tushar Mandlekar added to their collection of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference weekly awards Monday.
   
Rolland was named GCAC Field Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season and Track Athlete of the Week for the third time. Abbes is the Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the sixth time, and Mandlekar is Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the second time. All were chosen for performances from April 21-27.
   
Rolland, a junior from Harvey, La., and a graduate of Cabrini High Schol in New Orleans, produced NAIA national A-qualifying marks in the long jump (19 feet, 2¾ inches), the 400-meter relay (47.42 seconds) and the 200 (24.75) at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational in Natchitoches, La., on Saturday. Rolland met the B-standard in the 100 (12.12).
   
Rolland teamed with Kailey Williams, Tramaine Shannon and Chelsea James for the Gold Nuggets' fastest 400 relay time of the last five years.
   
Abbes, a freshman from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah, remained unbeaten in singles for the season and helped the Gold Nuggets beat NAIA No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist and top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett to win the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament in New Orleans. Abbes defeated Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda, the ITA's third-ranked NAIA singles player, 6-3, 6-2 in championship dual on Saturday.
   
Mandlekar, a freshman from Bhilai, India, and a graduate ofDeepak Nagar school, was a combined 5-1 in doubles and singles and helped the Gold Rush finish second in the unaffiliated group tournament. His 6-0, 6-0 victory against Tougaloo's Julius Gladney in the first round on Friday increased his singles win streak to a season-best five matches.
   
Rolland extended her GCAC career records for most weekly field awards (10) and track awards (6). Abbes extended her GCAC season record.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Sports Advisory From Xavier University of Louisiana

Gold Nuggets clinch automatic berth to NAIA Women's Tennis National Championships

NEW ORLEANS  -- Tuesday after 3 p.m., the seventh NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll of the season will be announced. There's a reasonable chance that Xavier University of Louisiana will ascend to No. 1.

Xavier, currently No. 2, defeated No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett 5-3 in the championship of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament in New Orleans on Saturday.

Xavier women's tennis was No. 1 in three consecutive polls last season.

This season Xavier is 15-6 with 12 victories in its last 14 duals. The Gold Nuggets have eight victories this season against ranked opponents, five against top-10 teams.

Xavier has two victories this season against No. 1 teams. The other was 5-4 on March 9 at three-time defending NAIA champion Auburn Montgomery.
The team will depart New Orleans on the afternoon of May 11 for the NAIA National Championship, which will begin May 13 in Mobile, Ala.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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ASU Student Athletes Honored At Athletic Banquet

PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --   Volleyball 's Amber Bennett and men's baseball Richard Gonzalez received top honors as they won Most Valuable Player of the year awards. Track athlete Artrailia LeSane and Baseball's Richard Amion were named Student Athletes of the year for their performances and hard work during their athletic season.

 Bennett, from Baton Rouge, La. helped guide the Lady Hornets volleyball team to their first ever eastern division and Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, and appearance in the NCAA volleyball tournament earlier in the year.
 Lesane, from Fayetteville, N.C. has been a key spark to the Lady Hornets Track and Field teams championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor as she received All-SWAC and Most Outstanding Field Performer honors while, maintaining a 4.00 GPA.

Gonzalez, from Caguas, Puerto Rico and Amion, from Miami, FL both were honored for guiding the Hornet Baseball team to their best win record in school history and to a 2014 Eastern Division Crown as the SWAC Baseball tournament approaches in May.

Also honored for having the highest grade-point average in each sport were men's golf Robert Grant and volleyball's Brooke Beasley each of which had 4.0 GPA's for the year.

Team of the year Honors went to the women's indoor track and field program which won its sixth straight championship earlier in the year, and wrapped up its third consecutive Triple Crown championship after capturing the 2014 outdoor title down in New Orleans, LA.

 Other awards that were given out at the annual event were the large team academic awards, which was given to the Lady Hornets soccer and baseball teams, and the Lady Hornet tennis and men's golf, captured the small team academic awards.

--  Alabama State University athletic department held its annual Athletic Banquet ceremony Monday at the downtown Montgomery Renaissance Hotel Ballroom to honor all of the Hornet student-athletes for their hard work and dedication in the classroom and in their respective sports.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

On The Mound: FAMU Rattler Baseball Weekly Recap 4/28

Courtesy Florida A&M Sports Information

Head Coach Jamey Shouppe was all smiles after the upset win over then No. 6 Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  –  Florida A&M (19-23, 11-9 MEAC) split four road games last week, going 2-2, with a huge win over then No. 6 Florida in Gainesville, but went 1-2 over the weekend at North Carolina Central in a key MEAC series.

The Rattlers would have put themselves in great position for first place in the Southern Division with a series win, but are definitely still in contention for the top spot heading into the final conference series of the season against North Carolina A&T.

FAMU trails division leader Bethune-Cookman (20-26, 12-9 MEAC) only by a half game in the Southern Division standings.

Florida A&M had its chances all weekend as they took a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning of game one, but fell 8-5. After winning game two 7-3 in dominating fashion, FAMU led Sunday’s game three 11-4 in the fifth before Central took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as the Rattlers fell in a heartbreaker 15-11.

Week (2-2):                                                                Pitcher of Record

Wednesday @ Florida                                               W, 4-3 - Brandon Fleming (3-3)

Saturday Gm 1 @ NC Central                                    L, 8-5 - Brandon Fleming (3-4)

Saturday Gm 2 @ NC Central                                   W, 7-3 - David Duncan (3-4)

Sunday @ NC Central                                                L, 15-11 - William Carrasco (3-4)

The pitching staff had an up and down week. Against then No. 6 Florida, the staff worked nine strong innings only allowing three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. In the series at NC Central, the short field in right (290 feet) wasn’t too kind to Florida A&M as the Eagles belted six home runs in the series. In the two losses, the Rattlers allowed 27 hits, including nine for extra bases, with a staff ERA of 12.94. In the win against Central, David Duncan earned the win after only giving up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. William Carrasco pitched the final two scoreless innings, in the win, only giving up one hit.

Here’s a look at the pitching staff as a whole for the week.

Starting Pitchers for the Week:

W/L     ERA    IP     H   Runs   ER    BB    K’s   2B    3B    HR   WP   HBP

1-0       4.50   18.0  17  10          9       9      14     2       1       4       1       2

Relief Pitchers for the Week:

W/L     ERA    SV    IP     H   Runs   ER    BB    K’s   2B    3B    HR   WP      HBP         

1-2       12.21   1     14.0  23   19       19     4       10     2       2       3       2          8

The offense hit .290 as a team for the week with seven doubles and five home runs, including Marlon Gibbs first career home run. Catchers Jeremy Barlow and Ferdinand Rondon split time behind the dish, each having two starts. Both went 4-for-7 (.571) on the week while Barlow had a slugging percentage of 1.000. Michael Birdsong had a productive week hitting .429 (6-for-14) from the DH spot with a home run and two doubles. Birdsong was a triple short of the cycle against Central on Sunday as he went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.

Here’s a look at the offensive starters for the week.

C, Jeremy Barlow (2 Starts) - .571, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1.000 SLG%

Ferdinand Rondon (2 Starts) - .571, 4 Hits, 2 Runs

1B, Bennie Robinson (4 Starts) - .294, 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 1 HR, 5 RBI

2B, Devin Perry (2 Starts) - .400, 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 RBI

Kendal Weeks (3 Starts) - .125, 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 RBI

3B, Ryan Kennedy (4 Starts) - .250, 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 HR, 3 RBI

SS, Ryan Hutson (4 Starts) - .067, 1 Hit

LF, Marlon Gibbs (4 Starts) - .333, 5 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 HR, 2 RBI

CF, Blake Quillin (4 Starts) - .375, 6 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 2B, 3 RBI, .625 SLG%

RF, Peter Jackson (2 Starts) - .167, 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 2B, 2 RBI

LoganSeymour (2 Starts) - .111, 1 Hit

DH, Michael Birdsong (4 Starts) - .429, 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .786 SLG%

Next Up:

Saturday, May 3 DH vs. North Carolina A&T

Sunday, May 4 vs. North Carolina A&T

Tuesday, May 6 vs. Jacksonville

Wednesday, May 7 @ Jacksonville (Regular Season Finale)

FAMU Baseball Weekly Stats


By Michael Morrell/Special to FAMU Athletics
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MVSU Devilettes ruin JSU's chance at unblemished SWAC record

Photo Courtesy Mississippi Valley State University Athletics

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- In a game that was televised live on ESPNU, the Mississippi Valley State softball team captured a 6-4 win over Jackson State on Saturday to give the Lady Tigers their first SWAC loss of the season. JSU, however, rebounded in the final game of the doubleheader with a 4-2 victory.

It marked the final game of the regular season for the Devilettes, who finished third in the SWAC Eastern Division. The SWAC Softball Tournament is set for May 7-10 in Decatur, Ala. at Wilson Morgan Park.

Game 1 (MVSU 6, JSU 4)
Deja Talton's RBI-double in the third inning helped spur a MVSU comeback on national TV. The Devilettes came back from a 2-0 deficit and putting three runs on the board in the third inning using Talton's double and an error by JSU that resulted in Valley's third run of the inning.

MVSU stretched its run to 6-0 by the end of the sixth inning after a RBI-triple by Yasmin Battle in the fourth inning and two additional runs in the sixth.

JSU scored two runs in the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough to keep the Devilettes from spoiling the Lady Tigers' perfect season.

Cassandra Rivera, one of Valley's two seniors, won the game on the mound -- giving up two earned runs on six hits with 4.2 innings of work.

Game 2 (JSU 4, MVSU 2)
JSU withstood four errors to defeat the Devilettes, 4-2, in the final game of the series Saturday. Overall, the game included seven errors, as both teams concluded their regular seasons.

MVSU's Yasmin Battle went 2-of-3 at the plate with a RBI-double -- its first run of the game in the first inning. Valley's final run of the game also came in the first inning on a wild pitch.

Cassandra Rivera had three strikeouts on the mound for Valley in 3.1 innings of relief work.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2      

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Soutbern Lady Tigers sweep Southern to close out regular season league play



Saturday TSU recognized five seniors who have been integral parts of the
Lady Tigers softball program

 HOUSTON, Texas  -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers softball team completed a three-game sweep of Southern on Saturday at Memorial Park.  Texas Southern won games two and three 15-11 and 12-1 respectively.

Texas Southern improved its overall record to 27-16 for the season as they get set to wrap up regular season play this upcoming week.

The head storyline of the Lady Tigers three-game set with SU was the outstanding play of TSU catcher Chelsea Guenther who drove in 12 runs over the weekend.

"I'm really liking the way we're hitting the ball and Chelsea has been a big part of our success at the plate," said TSU head coach Worley Barker.  "Over the next few days we want to continue to show improvement in all facets of the game as we prepare for SWAC Tournament play."

"I feel really great about the way we played today," said Guenther. "Coach moved me up to the three hole in the lineup and that gave me a lot of RBI opportunities."

The Lady Tigers will host Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday at Memorial Park at 4:00 pm in a single seven inning contest.
     
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2    

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION