COLUMBUS — Spring sports are in full swing at the Mississippi University for Women.
The Owls now have active teams in five different sports with softball, baseball and tennis all getting started over the last week while track and field traveled for another indoor event and the men’s and women’s basketball teams look to lock up spots in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
It was a rough start for the Owls tennis team, getting swept 7-0 in both matches against Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., but there has been a positive start on the diamond after two weeks of home games.
Softball
The Owls went 2-2 at the W Invitational over the weekend, winning two games against Covenant College but dropping both matchups against Millsaps College. They’re now 5-3 on the season and will host another pair of doubleheaders against Sewanee and Hendrix College next weekend at Don Usher Softball Field on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
This is also the second week in a row that the Owls have claimed SLIAC Player and Pitcher of the Week awards.
Anna Sandlin and Brooklyn Rhodes received the respective conference honors last week, and now Emily Slade and Avery Byerley take the top hitting and pitching awards respectively
“These two have worked so hard and come so far from the first time I met them,” The W Head Coach Rebecca Oldham said. “Their ability and leadership have developed into something great! Completely well-deserved honors for them both.”
Slade, a graduate student and the Owls’ catcher hit .462 with two RBIs for the Owls through four games at the weekend.
Byerley, a fifth-year senior, pitched a complete game against Covenant College, striking out three and allowing just one walk and two hits with six scoreless innings in an 8-1 win for the Owls.
Basketball
Both men’s and women’s Owls teams split their SLIAC road games last week, with the teams grabbing wins at Blackburn College on Thursday before losing at Eureka College on Saturday.
The Owls men, 12-11, fell 82-78 in double overtime to the Red Devils despite a strong effort. Dariun Doss led the team with 20 points but fouled out down the stretch of the extended contest. Jackson Reid was close behind with 17 points, and both players grabbed six boards.
The win at Blackburn was important, and the Owls will finish no lower than fourth in the conference standings, guaranteeing a spot in the upcoming SLIAC tournament.
The Owls women are in a tough spot after their 89-71 loss at Eureka. They’re now one game back from Spalding University for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament at the end of February.
Baseball
The Owls had a rough start to the season, going 0-4 in the first week with a one-off 14-1 loss at Millsaps and a series sweep loss at Huntingdon College.
The Owls will travel to Pearl next week for a Trustmark Park matchup against Belhaven University. They will not play a home game until SLIAC play starts in March, with a doubleheader against Webster University.
Track and Field
The Owls track and field team again traveled to Birmingham over the weekend to compete at the Samford University Bulldog Open at the indoor CrossPlex facility, where 12 athletes registered personal bests in their respective events.
The highlight of the weekend was freshman Cortland Earl setting a new school record for the 60-meter hurdle, finishing with a time of 9.19 seconds. The time bests teammate Allen Fields’ previous record of 9.26 set just two weeks ago. He also set new personal bests in the long and triple jump events.
Earl was named SLIAC track and field Player of the Week for his performance.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
