ADVERTISEMENT

BTB Wire, April 23

J. Ford

Hall of Famer
Staff
Nov 19, 2009
21,369
16,323
388
40
Hendersonville, TN
www.jford.net
This will be a list of all the day's Tech links around the internet. If we missed one, add it.

MONROE
– Taylor Love hit a three-run home run in the seventh as Louisiana Tech (19-19) held off a ninth-inning ULM (20-21) rally to defeat the Warhawks, 5-4, and sweep the season series Wednesday night at Warhawk Field in Monroe.

LA Tech’s Austin Greer started on the mound and all but shut down ULM batters for the better part of seven innings, while holding the Warhawks to two runs on five hits, while retiring 15 straight batters from the second inning to the seventh. The Bulldogs led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh thanks to Love’s three-run homer, but ULM cut the lead to three with two runs in the bottom half of the inning after an inside-the-park home run by Nathan Pugh made it 5-2 LA Tech.

The Warhawks sent seven batters to the plate in the ninth, scoring two runs on a single by pinch hitter Brian Barefoot to put the game-tying and winning runs on first and second. With ULM threatening, a ground ball back to the mound gave LA Tech its second win over ULM this season and its 10th straight non-conference victory.

Greer (1-0) struck out five on his way to earning the win for the Bulldogs before Phil Maton came on in the seventh and held ULM scoreless in 1.2 innings. Adam Atkins (5) gave up two runs in the ninth, but buckled down to earn his fifth save of the season and close out the victory.

ULM’s Brayden Bouchey (4-2) was charged with the loss after giving up a run on seven hits in five innings on the mound. Bouchey started for the Warhawks before Keegan Curtis came on to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, while allowing four LA Tech runs – three earned – on four hits. Logan Dopson pitched the final two innings for ULM and held the Bulldogs scoreless in two full innings.

Mason Paxton started a LA Tech rally in the third with a sharp single that just touched fair down the right field line before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chandler Hall. At the top of the order, Bryce Stark followed up with a single through the right side to give the Bulldogs runners on the corners, but Paxton was gunned down at home shortly after on a first-third stolen base attempt.

LA Tech broke through in the fifth when Graham Ackal led off with a single to right, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Paxton before reached third on a fly ball to right by Hall. With two outs, the top of the order came up for Tech once again in Stark and Tech’s leading hitter came through with an RBI single through the right side to put the Bulldogs up 1-0 over ULM.

After back-to-back ULM errors led to an unearned run for LA Tech in the sixth, Paxton walked before Colby Johnson reached on a single to bring up Love, who left the yard with a three-run home run to put the Bulldogs up 5-0 after seven innings.

The Bulldogs totaled 11 hits in the win compared to seven by the Warhawks, while both teams walked just one time each on the night. Stark, Johnson and Ackal each had two hits apiece for LA Tech, but it was Love that drove in the eventual game-winning runs with his home run in the seventh.

As for the Warhawks, Stawychny and Pugh each had two hits for ULM with Pugh totaling two runs batted in on his inside-the-park home run, while Barefoot’s one hit drove in two runs for the Warhawks in the ninth.

LA Tech continues road play with a three-game Conference USA series at FIU, which begins at 6 p.m. CT Friday at FIU Baseball Stadium in Miami, Florida.
 
Last edited:
RUSTON – Although the south end zone facility of Joe Aillet Stadium is still months away from being completed, Louisiana Tech Athletic Department officials confirmed today that the 302-seat club level is completely sold out for the upcoming season.

The premier seating location in north Louisiana for Bulldog fans to watch their favorite team play on home weekend’s during the fall includes an all-inclusive dining experience and wide, cushioned chairs in the 5,000-square foot lounge space.

More than 240 of the seats were sold prior to the Dec. 31 priority date while the remaining seats were sold since the start of the new year. All seat holders participated in the new building campaign.

A waiting list has been started and anyone interested can call Nate Warren at 318-255-7950.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to open up their season at home on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Southern.
 
Victor Lange Receives C-USA Academic All-Conference Honors

IRVING, Texas
– Louisiana Tech’s Victor Lange has consistently led Conference USA on the golf course this season. Now he is also leading the league in the classroom as the junior was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team.

Lange joins Middle Tennessee’s Brett Patterson, Southern Miss’ Drew Kirby, UAB’s Paul Dunne and UTEP’s Martin Simonsen.

The team is selected by vote of the league’s sports information directors and nominees must have a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, be a sophomore in academic standing and have participated in 75 percent of the team’s scheduled tournaments this season.

Lange has had a career year and is the highest-ranked individual in C-USA as of the April 23 Golfstat rankings. The junior has recorded five top-five finishes, including three runner-up honors this season. Lange fired a 54-hole school-record 203 at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate after tying a single-round school record with a 62 in the final round. He currently holds a 71.27 season stroke average and a 73.2 career mark. Lange was the top finisher for the Bulldogs in the 2014 C-USA Championship, tying for fourth place en route to C-USA All-Tournament Team honors. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Lange is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll with a 3.23 GPA in finance.

Simonsen headlines the group as a three-time member of the C-USA All-Academic team. The senior owns a 3.73 GPA in finance. Simonsen leads the Miners with a 71.81 season stroke average and has been UTEP’s best finisher in seven of nine tournaments played. The Gistrup, Denmark, native shot a season-best 8-under 208 at the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invitational and finished second at the Arizona Intercollegiate with a 6-under 207. Simonsen has three top-10 finishes and six top-20 placements this season.

Patterson makes his second appearance on the all-academic squad. The redshirt senior was a First-Team All-Conference USA selection in 2014 and holds a 73.8 career stroke average. This season, Patterson has competed in 10 events for the Blue Raiders with a season-best round of 71 at the Mobile Sports Authority Invitational. A native of McMinnville, Tennessee, Patterson boasts a flawless 4.0 GPA in business administration. Additionally, Patterson was tabbed the 2013-14 C-USA Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Dunne, a 2013-14 Academic All-America selection, also collects his second All-Academic Team nod. The senior has racked up the accolades through his career, garnering the 2014 C-USA Golfer of the Year honor as well as Honorable Mention All-America accolades last season, and nabbing C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll distinction in all four of his years with the Blazers. On the course, Dunne leads UAB with a 72.23 stroke average, earning six top-20 finishes this season and pacing his team to back-to-back wins at The Goodwin and the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. The Greystones, Ireland, native holds a 3.82 GPA in finance.

Rounding out the squad is Kirby, a four-time recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal and four-year member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. An accounting major with a 3.786 GPA, the senior was a 2014 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar, and has also been named to the Dean’s List and President’s list three times. Kriby cards a 74.14 season stroke average, notching a pair of top-10 finishes. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native had a career-best ninth-place finish at the Samford Intercollegiate, setting or tying career marks for low round (66), low 36-hole score (142) and low 54-hole score (215).

The 2015 Conference USA Men’s Golf Championship is April 26-29, with a practice round scheduled for Saturday, April 25. Conference USA is set to become the first NCAA Division I conference to include match play, reflecting the NCAA format, as part of its men's golf league championship. The 13 member schools will play 54 holes of stroke play (April 26-28) on the par 72, 6,935-yard course, with the top four teams advancing to a four-team seeded match play playoff to be conducted Wednesday, April 29. The winning team earns the league's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. This will be the sixth year Texarkana has played host to the men's championship.
 
LA Tech Drops Another One-Run Game

LAKE CHARLES, La. –
For the second straight night and the third time in the last five games, Louisiana Tech came up on the short end of a one-run contest, this time falling 3-2 at McNeese State on Wednesday night.

Trailing 3-2 heading into its final at bat, LA Tech loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with no outs with the heart of its order at the plate. However, McNeese State reliever Jamie Allred retired Anna Cross on an infield pop-up and then struck out Pauline Tufi and Bianca Duran to end the game.

The Lady Techsters (26-15) have now dropped five straight games, three of them by one run and a fourth by two runs.

On this night in Lake Charles, Tech found itself trailing from the very beginning. McNeese State scored a single run in the first inning to lead 1-0.

Tech answered in the top of the fourth inning. Cross led the frame off with a walk, stole second base and then scored on Tufi’s RBI single to left field. Pinch runner Casey Ingram then advanced to third on pinch hitter Krysta Tutsch’s single to left field. It was Tutsch’s first appearance in more than a month after suffering an injury in a win at Southern Miss in March.

Janine Godwin then delivered a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Ingram and giving LA Tech a 2-1 advantage. The lead was short-lived.

McNeese State answered in the bottom of the fourth inning against Duran, who came on in relief of Bailey Allen. The Cowgirls (30-18) scored two runs on four hits in the inning to retake a 3-2 advantage.

In the top of the seventh inning, Karlee Jensen singled, Kristen Miles walked and Tori Charters singled to load the bases before Allred retired the next three batters to end the game.

Duran (13-11) took the loss, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk in 2.0 innings of action.

Offensively, Tech was led by Charters (2-4), Duran (2-4), Tufi (1-4, 1 RBI), Godwin (1-2, 1 RBI), Jensen (1-2), Tutsch (1-1), Cross (1 run, 1 SB) and Ingram (1 run).

The Lady Techsters return to action Saturday when they host North Texas at 2 p.m. in a Conference USA doubleheader.
 
Lady Techsters Adds Junior College Guard

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech head coach Tyler Summitt added another piece to his program’s puzzle on Thursday, signing Gulf Coast State College guard Rochelle Vazquez to a national letter of intent.

Vazquez is a 5-foot-10-inch shooting guard who won a national homeschool title as a prepster and who has spent the past year playing on the junior college level.

“The big thing she will bring to our team is a maturity level,” said Summitt. “She will be a great leader and will bring a great work ethic to the court. She comes from a great junior college program.

“This gives us eight newcomers next year; two transfers, five freshmen and one junior college transfer. We are really excited about next season, but we are approaching it with guarded optimism. Anytime you have that many new pieces to the puzzle, it takes time.”

Vazquez joins Marquette transfers Brooke Pumroy and Ashley Santos and freshmen Kierra Anthony (New Iberia, La./New Iberia HS), Reauna Cleaver (Elizabethtown, Kent./Elizabethtown HS), Jasmine Leblanc (Breaux Bridge, La./Breaux Bridge HS), Dawn Gipson (Jacksonville, Fla./Ribault HS) and Kennedy Rushin (Atlanta, Ga./Mays HS).

“I love the family feel around the program,” Vazquez said. “I love the relationship the coaches have with each other. I feel like they are all be on the same page and will help me further my career. I love the girls and how they interacted with me and how comfortable they were around me. I love the facility and the winning tradition. I am excited to help us win a conference championship.”

Vazquez earned Texas 10-5A second team all-district honors as a sophomore at McKinney-Boyd High School before deciding to be home-schooled her last two years. She was named to the 2013 HomeSchool Girls All-American Team after leading the THESA Riders to the Texas Home School State title. She averaged 14.0 points per game.

Vazquez signed with Texas State where she saw action in seven games as a true freshman before transferring to Gulf Coast State College. This past year, she averaged 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34 percent from the three-point line and 76 percent from the free throw line.

Junior college (Sophomore): Played one year for coach Roonie Scovel at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City … Averaged 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34 percent from the three-point line and 76 percent from the free throw line … Texas State (Freshman): Signed with Texas State out of high school … Saw action in seven games … High School: Lettered two years at McKinney-Boyd as freshman and sophomore … Was homeschooled her last two years … Earned Texas 10-5A second-team all-district honors as a sophomore … Named to the All-Academic team honorable mention as a freshman and was the assist leader as a sophomore … Named to the 2013 HomeSchool Girls All-American Team, after playing for the THESA Riders … Helped lead THESA to the Texas Home School State Championship as a senior over the Lubbock Titans … Scored 14 points, helping THESA to a 48-37 victory … Averaged 14.0 points per game and 4.0 assists … Personal: Daughter of Trixie and Dewayne Dunning … Has three brothers, Kestahn, Christian, and David … Has one sister, Jasmyn … Born Feb. 16, 1995 in Garland, Texas.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT