By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer

Another Lady Govs sports team has taken the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This time, however, these Lady Govs are carrying rackets.

After failing to make the cut to play in the OVC Tournament last season, the Lady Govs tennis team defeated Eastern Kentucky 4-2, Sunday, April 18, to capture the school’s fourth OVC tennis championship in its history. It is the first since 1989.

In addition to blazing a trail straight to the NCAA Tournament with red hot rackets, the Lady Govs earned several conference awards.

Leading the team to this season’s dramatic turnaround, first year Head Coach Malik Tabet was named OVC Co-Coach of the Year with Jacksonville State Head Coach Steve Bailey. According to APSU Sports Information, Tabet expected no less from his team.

“I always tell my players that when you get to college, your goal should be to leave a print into your program. To be able to make the conference tournament and be leaders on the team, they have done that,” Tabet said.

Sophomore Vanja Tomic was named OVC Player of the Year. She is the seventh woman to earn the honor for APSU.

Against Eastern Kentucky, Tomic dominated like she has done all year. She defeated her opponent in singles in straight sets to give the team one point. The win was her 17th in a row. Her overall record improved to 18-2 and she is still undefeated, 9-0, in conference play.

In addition to singles play, Tomic played with senior Mariana Pagan in doubles. Together they have won 12 straight matches. They have lost only one conference match, 8-1. Their team along with the team of Caroline Weikard and senior Michelle Liew, earned the doubles points for the team against EKU.

Liew and Pagan were selected to the All-OVC Second-Team. Tomic and Weikard were selected to the first-team. Weikard was also named Freshman of the Year. Weikard has been impressive this season and has won 12 straight before playing in singles against EKU. After her senior teammate Yuki Nakamura added another point to the teams total with her singles win, the Lady Govs needed only one more point to defeat EKU and win the championship.

Weikard lost her opening set in singles but recovered well to take the second. She was leading in the third set when she developed cramps. Her opponent, Jessica Albuquerque, took advantage and quickly made it a 6-5 score. However, Weikard made a stand and earned the championship point by defeating Albuquerque. The win also kept Weikard undefeated in the conference, 9-0.

“[The match] was full of ups and downs. I was exhausted and really tired,” Weikard said. “All the [Govs tennis team] supporting me helped me a lot. I had to fight and that’s what I did.”

The result of Weikard’s fight was the team holding the trophy that declares the Lady Govs the best in the OVC.

“I told our players to be careful and stick to what you do well. This is what you play for all year. When you carry that trophy, it makes it all worth while,” Tabet said. “I’m very excited that we have been able to put a print in this conference, and we’re going to build on it.”

The 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships begin Friday, May 14.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The selection announcement will be made Tuesday, May 4.

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer

Van Stokes, the voice of APSU baseball on WVRY 105.1 FM, called Saturday, April 17, “Sweep Saturday” because every Ohio Valley Conference baseball team who hosted a doubleheader that day swept their opponents 2-0 — every team except the Govs.

On Saturday, April 17, the Govs hosted the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. They split the doubleheader and dropped the last game Sunday, April 18, to lose the three-game conference series (5-6, 4-2 and 1-3). The Govs have lost three straight conference series and are now only one game above .500.

The Govs (18-17, 4-7 OVC) had Gamecock starting pitcher Jordan Beistline rechecking his stuff after they opened with three back-to-back hits. Senior designated hitter Matt Kole made the third hit. He cranked a shot into right centerfield for a 2 RBI triple. The Govs finished their first at bat with a four-run lead from six hits.

Govs senior pitcher Ricky Marshall helped the Govs maintain the lead until the seventh inning. After hitting the Gamecocks first batter with a pitch and walking the second batter, senior pitcher Zach Gerler replaced Marshall. The Gamecocks jumped on the pitching change.

The first batter Gerler faced hit an RBI single and the next scored on a walk. Gerler stayed in trouble, eventually loading the bases with only one out. After another RBI single hit by Gamecock Dani Anderson, Gerler was replaced on the mound by junior pitcher Dylan Ray.

The Gamecocks finished the inning with the lead, scoring five runs on two hits. Todd Hornsby earned the save allowing no runs and only two hits in the last two innings. Tanner Freshour (5-1) picked up the win. The Govs produced 13 hits in the game, but not enough runs late to get the win. Gerler (2-3) was tagged with the loss. An error by the Govs in game two gave the Gamecocks the first run of the game in the second inning. However, it was the Govs’ turn to come from behind. They took the lead with three runs in the third inning.

Kole earned his third RBI for the day with a single into left field with two men on base. Later senior outfielder Adam Browett brought in Kole and another runner with a shot into right field.

Starting pitcher Ryne Harper held the Gamecocks back until the beginning of the fifth inning. After he allowed one run to make the score 3-2, he was replaced by freshman pitcher Matt Marsh. Marsh closed the inning without any more runs.

Errors by the Gamecocks in the sixth inning helped the Govs pad the lead to 4-2. Solid pitching, first by sophomore left hander Jeremy Dobbs and then by Gerler, sealed the win for the Govs.

Harper (4-2) earned the win allowing only two runs (one earned) on five hits in 4.2 innings of work. Gerler earned his sixth save of the season, while Kole finished the day batting 5-for-8 with 3 RBIs.

Game three was a pitching duel, as both teams combined for only 11 total hits. However, it was the hits on the Gamecocks side that produced runs, and consequently the Govs lost the game 3-1.

The Govs’ lone run came in the fourth inning. Senior outfielder Jared Delong hit a lead off single, then advanced to third base on a fielding error. Kole continued to produce and earned his fourth RBI in the series with a single down the left field line that brought Delong home. Kole batted 3-for-4 in the game with one RBI.

Gamecock pitcher Austin Lucas (2-0) allowed the only run (unearned) from five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He picked up the win after throwing for 6.2 innings. Govs’ senior left-hander Stephen Huff (3-4) added the loss to his stats. He picked up two earned runs from three hits, walked four and struck out four. The Gamecocks scored in the third, sixth and ninth innings.

The Govs will continue to play at home this weekend with a three-game series against SIU Edwardsville beginning Saturday, April 24, and a single game against Vanderbilt University on Tuesday, April 27.

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer

Take a poll of students asking them to list the most prevalent sports at APSU and tennis probably would not make the top five on anyone’s list. Some might not even know APSU has men and women’s tennis teams.

However, this season’s Lady Govs tennis team under first year head coach Malik Tabet, are playing well enough this season to change that perception.

Before the 2009-10 season, the Lady Govs had not earned a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference since 2001. This season, the Lady Govs are not only in the tournament, they finished the regular season ranked second in the conference with a 16-3, 8-1 OVC record. According to APSU Sports Information, Tabet is not satisfied with just earning a spot in the OVC tournament for the first time in nine years.

“The women have overcome a lot this season and now our focus is on being prepared for the tournament,” Tabet said. “We still have a few challenges ahead of us and our goal is to win the tournament.”

The Lady Govs will enter the OVC Tournament Saturday, April 17, after finishing the regular season with 11 straight wins. The most recent victory was a 7-0 sweep of Eastern Illinois Sunday, April 11. The last opponent they lost to was Jacksonville State on Saturday, March 6, (3-4). Jacksonville State is the only conference team they have lost to this season. They are also the team ranked first at the end of the regular season with a 13-8, 9-0 OVC record.

While the impressive record has many realizing the tennis courts next to the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center are for more than recreational purposes, there are several names on the Lady Govs seven-woman squad that have the rest of the OVC tennis coaches whispering in fear.

At the top of that list in singles competition is sophomore Vanja Tomic.

Tomic has won 15 straight singles matches. Tomic is currently ranked first in the OVC in No. 1 singles. She is one of two Lady Govs who finished the season with a perfect 8-0 singles record. The other is freshman Carolin Weikard. Weikard has won 11 straight singles matches.

This was both Tomic’s and Weikard’s first season with the Lady Govs. Tomic was part of a Blue Raider team in the Mid South conference that advanced to the NAIA final four last season before becoming a Lady Gov. Weikard played in the European junior tennis circuit while attending high school in St. Leon-Rot, Germany before coming to APSU.

Also turning some heads in singles and providing leadership for the team is senior Mariana Pagan. Last season Pagan had a 4-14 record with only two OVC wins. After a slow start, Pagan has rallied to a 17-4 finish in singles with a 6-2 OVC record. She has gone 8-2 in her last 10 matches and has won three straight singles matches.

In addition to their singles play, Tomic and Pagan are a formidable doubles team. The duo has won 10 straight doubles matches. They finished the regular season with a 14-3, 8-1 OVC record.

The only doubles team more impressive than Tomic and Pagan is the team of Weikard and senior Yuki Nakamura. Weikard and Nakamura are undefeated with a 7-0, 6-0 OVC record. Both teams top the doubles list in the OVC.

OVC Tournament play will take place in Paducah, Ky, Saturday, April 17, to Monday, April 19.

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer
The Bat Govs have been on the road since Friday, April 2. They have thrown, hit and slid their way through eight games in nine days.

The last stop on the tough road stretch was Turkey Hughes Field in Richmond, Ky., where they played a three-game series against OVC opponents the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

Multiple errors made the Govs wish they had skipped the last stop. The Colonels swept the Govs 10-1, 8-4 and 15-12.

According to APSU Sports Information, Govs head coach Gary McClure said the team still has a lot of work to do.

“They outplayed us all weekend and now we have to go back to the drawing board,” McClure said. “This is a low point for our club. I’ve got my work cut out to get this team to respond. We’ve got to go back to work and get some things done.”

Starting senior pitcher Ricky Marshall threw a solid first game against the Colonels Saturday, April 10, but didn’t get a lot of support defensively.

The Govs tied a school record high with eight errors in the game.

After a pair of hits in the second inning, Marshall (5-4) did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. He finished the game allowing seven runs (three earned) from five hits, walked one and struck out four.

The Govs were behind 3-1 after four errors in the first six innings. However, four errors in the seventh inning led to seven runs on six hits.

Freshman infielder John Hogan went 4-for-5 at the plate with no scores. Senior catcher Trey Lucas hit the only RBI for the Govs in the game.

The Colonels proved they did not need errors to score in game two. Junior pitcher Ryne Harper watched his pitches turn into seven runs for the Colonels in the first three innings.

Harper (3-2) allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits, walked two and struck out one in four innings pitched.

Colonels’ junior pitcher Paul Duncan (3-1) held the Govs at bay. Duncan almost pitched a complete game. He allowed only four runs, all earned, on eight hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.

The Govs had a chance to rally with the bases loaded in the seventh. However, the Colonels brought in the closer Matt Harris, and he struck out the next batter, senior outfielder Daniel Baggett, swinging.

Hogan continued to hit the ball in game two. He went 1-for-3 at the plate for 2 RBIs. Fellow freshman outfielder Cody Hudson hit 2-for-2 with no score in the game as well.

After scoring only five total runs in the doubleheader Saturday, April 10, the Govs hit their way to 12 runs in their final game against Eastern Kentucky Sunday, April 11.

But a three-run homer in the eighth inning by the Colonels Michael Garcia broke a 12-12 tie and rendered the Govs offensive efforts futile.

The Govs produced 19 total hits in the game. Senior designated hitter Matt Kole led the team hitting 2-for-4 for 4 RBIs. Senior outfielder Adam Browett also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a lead off home run in the third.

At the top of the fourth inning, the Govs led the Colonels 7-1.

However, after five walks, two singles and two doubles allowed by Govs senior starter Stephen Huff and junior right hander Dylan Ray, the Colonels scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, 8-7.

The Govs countered the seven-run inning with four more runs in the sixth, but could not keep the Colonels from keeping pace. At the bottom of the eighth, the Colonels were at bat and behind 12-10.

Colonel, Jacob Daniel tied the game with a two-run shot over the left field wall. The Govs then brought in senior Zach Gerler who has all the Govs saves this season. Gerler got in trouble that started with a double by OVC preseason Co-Player of the Year Jason Langfels and ended with the game winning home run by Garcia.

“For the first time this year, Zach just didn’t have it. His stuff has been electric all year, but it just wasn’t there today,” McClure said.

On Saturday, April 17, the Govs will play OVC opponents Jacksonville State in a three-game series. The series will be three of nine straight games at home that began against Western Kentucky and ends against Vanderbilt.