Trinity Men's Tennis Defeats DePauw to Win SCAC Title

It’s been a while, but the Trinity Tigers men’s tennis team is once again the champion of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The top-seeded Tigers beat the No. 2 DePauw Tigers 5-3 Sunday in the championship match at Burns Park Tennis Center.

Trinity (16-9), ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III, last won the title in 2006, with a 4-1 victory over DePauw. Since that time, DePauw, ranked 16th nationally, had beaten the Tigers three straight years in the final, including a 6-3 win in 2009. The Trinity Tigers played in their 19th consecutive SCAC Championship match, and won their 15th conference crown.

Sunday’s Trinity victory - the 12th in a row - also means the Tigers have qualified for the NCAA regional tournament, to be held May 14-16, at a site to be determined. A total of 42 squads will compete in regionals throughout the nation, leading to the NCAA Team Championship Tournament May 25-27 at Oberlin, Ohio. The singles and doubles tournaments are slated for May 28-30. Trinity is ranked No. 7 in the West Region, and is 12-4 against Division III opponents. Bids for the team tournament will be announced May 10, and individuals May 12.

After the match SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry caught up with the winning head coach.

To listen to Trinity head coach Russell McMindes, click here.

Ninth-ranked DePauw Wins Third Straight SCAC Women's Tennis Title

The ninth-ranked DePauw University Tigers captured their third straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title after a 9-0 win over 30th-ranked Sewanee in the SCAC title match. DePauw improved to 20-4 with the win, while Sewanee dropped to 13-10.

DePauw swept the doubles competition before taking all six singles matches including five in straight sets. The match marked the sixth straight year the Tigers battled in the championship match.

After the match SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry caught up with winning head coach Scott Riggle.

To listen to DePauw head coach Scott Riggle, click here.

Southwestern claims first SCAC Softball Title

The Southwestern softball team had a daunting task ahead of them on the final day of SCAC Conference Tournament action, needing to defeat Millsaps College twice to earn their first conference title. The program, just in its second year, stepped up to the challenge in a big way, winning 3-2 and 8-5 to be named 2010 SCAC Champions.

After a thrilling day of softball Russell Kramer of the SCAC had the chance to catch up with Southwestern head coach Angela Froboese along with teammates Katelyn Gola, Lyndsy Maus and Haley Hughes.

To listen to Southwestern head coach Angela Froboese, click here.

To listen to Southwestern third baseman Katelyn Gola, click here.

To listen to Southwestern pitcher Lyndsy Maus, click here.

To listen to Southwestern first baseman Haley Hughes, click here.

Trinity claims Sixth SCAC Baseball Title

Trailing 1-0 for most of the game, the Trinity University Tigers tied the DePauw University Tigers 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth and from there used a two run eighth inning rally to top the Indiana Tigers 3-1 and win the 2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.

Trinity (32-7) claimed its second SCAC title in the last three years and the program's sixth since 1992 with a dominant performance from starter Ryan Lucero. Lucero lasted eight innings, scattered nine hits while allowing just one earned run and struck out seven in earning the win. With the win Lucero improved to 5-1 this season. Trinity earned the league's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

Sophomore left-hander Elliott Ross suffered a tough defeat in dropping to 8-2 this year. Ross limited a Trinity offense that was ranked sixth in the nation in batting average (.379) and second in the nation in scoring (11.7 runs/game) heading into the SCAC tournamnent, to just three runs on eight hits and struck out six in 7.1 innings of work.

"Ross was phenomenal," Trinity head coach Tim Scannell said. "He throws three pitches for strikes. He pitches backwards and he pitches both sides of the plate. He's a tough type of pitcher to face."

"He (Ross) has been outstanding in any role we put him in." said DePauw head coach Jake Martin. "We put him in tough spots throughout the year and has just been lights out for us."

Trinity was in DePauw's shoes a year ago. It was the Tigers of Trinity who were trying to win two games on championship Sunday to win the SCAC title last season. Trinity dropped an 11-1 run rule contest to Hendrix in the championship and today's win hit home for Scannell.

"We've been on the DePauw side of it before," he said. "We've been real fortunate to be able to get to the finals and I think our players just kind of willed themselves to win today."

DePauw put the game's first run across in the top of the first. After a Rob McPike double to left advanced Taylor Hoffman to third, Hoffman came around to score on Jason Cohen's sacrifice fly.

The game remained scoreless until Trinity batted in the bottom of the sixth. After a Dylan Early strikeout, second baseman Jonathan Hall tied the game with a solo homerun just over the left field foul pole. Trinity then tacked on the championship runs in the eight. A run scoring single from Hall, and Nick Papas' bases loaded walk were the difference for the 19th-ranked Tigers, as they held on for the win.

"I'm proud of our guys," Martin said. "We fought hard all year long and overcame some adversity."

Hall finished the game batting 2-for-4 with two RBI, a home run and run scored out of the lead off spot in the batting order. Papas finished 1-for-3 with one RBI. First baseman Evan Jones, who came into the championship game hitting .818 (9-for-11) during the tournament was 0-for-4 with two strike outs.

DePauw (24-17) was led by Hoffman (2-for-4, one run) and Cohen (2-for-3, one RBI). The duo were the only two DePauw Tigers to post multi-hit games on the afternoon.

After the game Jeff Debaldo of the SCAC had a chance to speak with both head coaches.

To listen to DePauw head coach Jake Martin, click here.

To listen to Trinity head coach Tim Scannell, click here.

SCAC Baseball Touranment - DePauw vs. Rhodes

For the first time since it won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball title in 2001, DePauw is in the championship game after eliminating Rhodes by a 5-3 score early this morning at USA Stadium.

DePauw scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to break a 2-2 tie and Andy Manson (pictured) pitched a complete game with 13 strikeouts as the Tigers lifted their overall record to 24-16. The Lynx dropped to 26-16 with the loss.

Ben Gardner led off the DePauw first with a walk and moved to third on Taylor Hoffman's single. Gardner scored when Rob McPike hit into a double play. The Tigers made it 2-0 in the second when Jon Newman led off with a triple and scored on Drew Holy's sacrifice fly.

The Lynx knotted the contest at 2-2 in the fourth as Travis Perkins reached on a walk before Brett Lindsey reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a DePauw error. Perkins scored on Chris Conkell's single before Lindsey was picked off. Lynden Pindling followed with a single that scored Conkell and evened the score at 2-2.

Jason Cohen doubled with one out in the DePauw half of the fourth and moved to third on Newman's single. Cohen scored on Alex Wright's sacrifice fly. Holy singled Newman to third and stole second. After Sam Linette walked to load the bases, Alex Jacques delivered a two-run double which gave DePauw a 5-2 lead.

Rhodes added one more in the fifth as Brooks Royer singled and moved to second on Brandon Valentine's grounder. Royer advanced to third on an error and scored on Perkins' single.

Newman and Jacques each had two of DePauw's seven hits, while Perkins collected two of Rhodes' seven. Manson improved to 3-0 with the win and his 13 strikeouts were a career high. Andy Meier dropped to 0-1 with the defeat.

After the game Jeff DeBaldo of the SCAC had the chance to catch up with both head coaches.

To listen to Rhodes head coach Jeff Cleanthes, click here.

To listen to DePauw head coach Jake Martin, click here.

SCAC Softball Tournament - Southwestern vs. DePauw

Southwestern and DePauw squared off for the right to advance to the finals as the two teams met for the second time this tournament after Millsaps upset DePauw earlier in the day. The Pirates maintained constant pressure on the Tigers, scoring one run in the third, fourth and fifth innings, and took a 3-0 lead through five and a half innings.

DePauw would not be shutout and came roaring back in the sixth, scoring two runs and pulling within one, 3-2. SU was unable to add insurance runs to their lead and had to play sensational defense in the final inning just as the Tigers were mounting a comeback.

Sensational defense is exactly what the Pirates gave, starting with Lyndsy Maus on the mound. After five foul balls Maus got Hallett to ground out to Gola for the first out and then quickly got Anton to do the same. After one last foul ball by Buchanan Maus got the final batter to pop up to the right side infield, ending the game and thrusting Southwestern into the Championship game.

After the game Russell Kramer caught up with Southwestern head coach Angela Froboese and sophomore pitcher Lyndsy Maus.

To listen to Southwestern head coach Angela Froboese, click here.

To listen to sophomore pitcher Lyndsy Maus, click here.

SCAC Baseball Tournament - Rhodes vs. Millsaps

Tournament host Rhodes College used a five run fifth inning to break open a tight 1-1 pitcher's duel enroute to an 11-1 seven inning victory over Millsaps College and continued its quest for a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.

Rhodes did its damage thanks to Chris Conkell three run double down the left field line. Conkell's double was part of a four hit, five run inning that effectively did in the Millsaps Majors in an elimination game from USA Stadium.

Conkell finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and his three run double. Other Lynx that contributed to the offensive outburst were Travis Perkins (3-for-4, one RBI), Brooks Royer (1-for-3, three RBI, one run) and Brandon Valentine (1-for-3, two runs).

Rhodes was paced by freshman starting pitcher Jackson Baker. Baker pitched a complete game in the win. He allowed just one earned run, scattered three hits and struck out four to earn the win and improve to 4-2 in 2010. With the win, the Lynx (26-15) earned the right to play DePauw (23-16) in the night cap of day three of the SCAC tournament.

After the game Jeff DeBaldo of the SCAC caught up with both head coaches.

To listen to Millsaps head coach Jim Page, click here.

To listen to Rhodes head coach Jeff Cleanthes, click here.

SCAC Baseball Tournament - Trinity vs. Depauw

Trinity University advanced to its third consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship game, with an 8-0 win over the DePauw University Tigers Saturday afternoon at USA Stadium.

Trinity, (31-7) will make its 15th appearance in 19 season in the SCAC championship. The Tigers of Trinity received a solid outing from starter Ben Klimesh. Klimesh threw a complete game shutout while scattering seven hits and striking out 11 DePauw Tigers. He faced just seven batters over the minimum during his nine innings.

The Texas Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings and then tacked on three in the sixth and two in the eight for the win. Trinity was once again led by SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year Evan Jones.

Jones continued his torrid hitting pace as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. He upped his tournament average to an astounding .818 (9-for-11) with six RBI, three doubles and one homerun. Through three tournament games, Jones has posted a 1.364 slugging percentage to go along with an .800 on base percentage.

DePauw struggled against Klimesh. The Indiana Tigers were able to seriously threaten the Texas Tigers twice. Both instances came late in the game. DePauw had runners on first and third with two outs only to see the rally end. Their best chance came in the bottom of the ninth. DePauw was able to load the bases with two outs. However, Klimesh buckled down and got Drew Holy to strike out to end the game.

Mike Peterson, DePauw's starter, took the loss to drop to 1-8 on the year. He pitched 5.1 innings, yielding six earned runs, nine hits and struck out three. Taylor Hoffman, Jon Newman and Alex Wright posted multi-hit games for DePauw.

After the game Jeff DeBaldo of the SCAC had the chance to speak with both head coaches.

To listen to DePauw head coach Jake Martin, click here.

To listen to Trinity head coach Tim Scannell, click here.

SCAC Softball Tournament - DePauw vs. Millsaps

In Saturday's winner's bracket semi-final match-up Millsaps defeated #12 DePauw 8-2 to advance to tomorrow's SCAC Softball Championship match. The Majors victory marked the first over the Tigers since 2006. BOX SCORE

DePauw opened up the scoring after a Brianne Weeks double, she advanced to third on a passed ball and later scored off an error by the Majors third baseman.

Millsaps however responded in the bottom of the first scoring a run in thanks to an RBI single from Josie Matthews after Emily Spicer had singled to lead off the inning.

After a scoreless second Millsaps strung together runs in three straight innings including a four run bottom of the fifth. Spicer, a freshman in just her first SCAC Tournament, produced a three RBI double in the fifth to cap off a 3-for-4 performance with three RBIs and two runs scored.

DePauw was able to score one run in the top of the sixth off an Amy Hallett single however the Tigers were unable to score again coming up short of any comeback.

Megan Soultz was credited with the loss pitching five innings giving up 10 hits allowing eight runs (seven earned) and walking two majors.

Senior Kasey Thibodeaux picked up her second win of the tournament pitching seven strong innings scattering just six hits and striking out four tigers.

With the win Millsaps snaps DePauw's 19 game winning streak including their seven game SCAC Tournament winning streak that dates back to 2008. The Majors advance to the SCAC Tournament game for the second time in three years.

After the game Russell Kramer of the SCAC had the chance to talk with both head coaches along with Millsaps senior Kasey Thibodeaux.

To listen to DePauw head coach Bonnie Skrenta, click here.

To listen to Millsaps head coach Roland Rodriguez, click here.

To listen to senior pitcher Kasey Thibodeaux of Millsaps, click here.

SCAC Baseball Tournament - Trinity vs. Austin College

The Trinity University Tigers jumped out to an 11-3 lead after three innings and survived numerous Austin College rallies, to eliminate the Kangaroos from the SCAC Baseball championship with an 18-12 win at USA Stadium Friday afternoon.

Trinity, the 19th-ranked team in the nation, received solid offensive production throughout the entire lineup. Seven of the nine players in the lineup recorded multi-hits for the Tigers (30-7) led by left fielder Nick Papas' four RBI (3-for-6, two doubles) and third baseman Dominick Robusto's three RBI (3-for-5, three runs, one double).

Other Tigers that recorded tallied multi-hit performances included Jonathan Hall (two), Kevin Jackson (two), Evan Jones (two), Chris Walden (two), Kevin Calbrik (two) and Dylan Early (three).

Trinity's Michael Bentz, in relief of starter Noah Soloman, picked up the win by tossing 3.2 innings of relief and scattered four hits, struck out two and allowed four earned runs. Christian Curtis picked up the loss for the 'Roos (19-21) by pitching two innings while allowing six hits and five earned runs.

The game was an offensive outburst from the beginning. In fact, the only pitcher from either team to pitch four or more innings was Austin College's Scooter Merritt. Merritt allowed just one run in pitching the eighth and ninth innings.

Though Trinity jumped to an 11-3 lead after three innings, the 'Roos refused to go quietly. By the end of the fifth inning, Austin College had cut Trinity's lead to 11-7 thanks in large part to a four run Kangaroo fourth inning. Shortstop Andy White paced the Austin College offense as he was 4-for-6 with one run scored and drove in four more. Jordan Robison was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Philip Gonzales was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

Trinity will take on DePauw (who beat Millsaps earlier in the afternoon at Rhodes), Saturday at Noon for the right to advance through the winner's bracket and into the championship game.

After the game Jeff DeBaldo of the SCAC caught up with both head coaches.

To listen to Austin College head coach Carl Iwasaki, click here.

To listen to Trinity head coach Tim Scannell, click here.

2010 SCAC Softball Tournament - Millsaps vs. Trinity

The Millsaps Majors, the top seed in the West Division, shut out the No. 3 Trinity Tigers 6-0 Friday at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament at Warrior Field.

The Tigers managed only one hit in the game with Millsaps - a single to center field by Ana Garcia in the fifth inning. Trinity did draw two walks in the game. Millsaps hit two home runs in the game, two-run shots in the third and fifth innings in thanks to Emily Spicer and Jennifer McKinley.

McKinley, a senior, has now tied the SCAC career record for home runs with 28 along with Rhodes' senior Rebekah Moore. This season McKinley has blasted 13 home runs good enough to tie for the best in the nation.

Sarah Rabaey was Trinity’s starting pitcher and took the loss. Rabaey (3-6) allowed five earned runs, seven hits, and no walks, in 4 1/3 innings of work. Helen Thompson pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, and did not yield a run, hit or walk.

Senior Kasey Thibodeaux picked up the win for Millsaps in brilliant fashion with a complete game one hit shutout. Thibodeaux also struck out five Tigers in route the victory.

Trinity falls to losers bracket of the 2010 SCAC Softball Championships and will face Rhodes tomorrow at 1 PM CST from Conway High School.

Millsaps advances to the winners bracket semi-final match-up against DePauw. First pitch is scheduled for 3 PM CST at Warrior Field on the campus of Hendrix College.

After the game Russell Kramer of the SCAC had a chance to catch up with both head coaches along with freshman outfielder Emily Spicer of Millsaps.

To listen to Trinity head coach Nicole Smith, click here.

To listen to Millsaps head coach Roland Rodriguez, click here.

To listen to freshman outfielder Emily Spicer of Millsaps, click here.

Images from the 2010 SCAC Softball Tournament - DePauw vs. Southwestern

Game three from the 2010 SCAC Softball Tournament from Conway, Ark. wrapped up with DePauw defeating Southwestern 3-0 behind a three hit shutout performance from Megan Soultz. Below are a number of images from the contest.