Brenau University - News

[Softball] Ashley Denton Joins Brenau Softball Team

Gary Bays — 2010-08-25T13:25:18-06:00

Gainesville, Ga - Ashley Denton, an infielder who played high school softball at Banks County High School in Homer, has signed a letter of intent to play softball and study at Brenau University. Denton had a batting average of .335 and drove in 80 runs during her high school career. She also had 17 doubles, 13 triples and three home runs during those years.

In addition to her accomplishments on the field, she was an honor roll student for four years, was a member of the Beta Club for two years and graduated with honors.

"Ashley is a very solid player both in the field and at the plate. She adds depth to our infield and brings a very consistent bat to the plate. She is the type of player we like here at Brenau because she is strong not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. Ashley is a great complement to our team." said Brenau Head Coach Devon Thomas.

[Softball] McWhorter Transfers to Brenau

Gary Bays — 2010-08-10T10:17:20-06:00

Gainesville, Ga - Coach Devon Thomas has added another talented recruit to his nationally ranked softball team at Brenau with the announcement today that Jacqueline McWhorter is transferring in from Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Alabama. McWhorter was a First Team All Conference and All Region selection in both 2009 and 2010.

She led the ACCC conference in 2009 with a .485 batting average and was selected as Most Valuable Player on her team during both seasons. Her two year college career stats are very impressive with a .401 batting average with 20 doubles, seven homers, 48 stolen bases and a .994 fielding percentage.

In addition to her exploits on the field, McWhorter also excelled in the classroom, landing on the President's List in 2009 and 2010 and making the Deans List in 2010. She was also the recipient of the Student Athlete Award in 2010.

"Jacqueline is a very determined and hard working young lady. She is the type of player we love here at Brenau. She brings great speed, defense and a very consistent bat to the plate. She can hit for average or with power from the right side of the plate or turn around and slap from the left to utilize her speed. She will be a great compliment to our defense," said Coach Thomas.

The Brenau University defense ranked 5th nationally at the end of the year last season with a .970 fielding percentage.

[Softball] Nation's #16 Brenau Season Comes To An End

Gary Bays — 2010-05-11T10:59:16-06:00

Gainesville, Ga- The Brenau Golden Tigers softball team finished the season ranked #16 in the NAIA, but it wasn't good enough to receive an at-large bid to the National Championships. The Tigers followed up last year's SSAC Championship season and trip to the Nationals with another great season, finishing 35-13-1 overall and 25-10-1 in the SSAC-good enough for third place.

Coach Devon Thomas is optimistic about the future, with eleven returning players, seven of which were starters. He will also welcome seven freshmen to the team after another strong recruiting season. Three of the returners were named to the First Team All Conference squad as Freshmen Anna Maness, who was also named SSAC Freshman of the Year, and Tiffany Schandera joined Sophomore Morgan Smith on the team.

[Softball] #15 Brenau Loses to #10 Shorter at SSAC Tournament

Gary Bays — 2010-05-01T13:53:33-06:00

Columbus, Ga- #15 Brenau and #10 Shorter squared off for the sixth time this season and second time in the SSAC Tournament and the Hawks squeezed out a 3-0 win to advance to the finals and eliminate the Tigers. This was another great duel between two of the league's best pitchers as Shorter's Libby Munson held Brenau to seven hits and no runs and the Tigers' Anna Maness only gave up five hits.

Brenau actually had a golden opportunity in the top of the sixth when Ellen Black led off with a single, and Maness and Lana Lazar also singled to load the bases. The Tigers left all three on base, however and ended up leaving 10 baserunners stranded in the game. Shorter scored all three runs in the bottom of that inning on the strength of a walk, two singles and a double by Munson that drove in two.

[Softball] Black and Maness Lead Tigers Into Semifinals

Gary Bays — 2010-04-30T21:10:42-06:00

Columbus, Ga- The #15 Brenau softball team won twice today at the SSAC Championships to advance to the semi-finals tomorrow to play #10 Shorter for the second time in the tournament for the right to face off against #2 Lee in the championship game. In the first game, the Tigers defeated #17 AUM 3-2 on a walk off home run in the bottom of the 7th by Ellen Black (Toccoa). Brenau came back in the nightcap and defeated Brewton Parker 2-0 as Black again provided the winning margin, driving in both runs in the bottom of the third inning.

[Softball] Tigers Split at SSAC Softball Tournament

Gary Bays — 2010-04-29T21:01:02-06:00

Columbus, Ga- First day action at the SSAC Softball Tournament was a story of lots of offense in the first game followed by a great pitcher's duel in the second for the #15 Brenau softball team. The Tigers opened up tournament play with a convincing 11-3 win over Brewton Parker in six innings as they pounded out 14 hits and left 12 runners on base. Sophomore catcher Morgan Smith had a big day at the plate going 3-4 with 4 RBI's, including the game winner when she singled in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.

[Softball] SSAC Softball Conference Awards Presented

Gary Bays — 2010-04-29T07:34:03-06:00

Columbus, Ga- The 2010 SSAC Softball Championships banquet was held last night on the eve of this year's tournament and a number of Brenau players were recognized. Receiving First Team All SSAC honors were Freshman Anna Maness (Seagrove, NC), Freshman Tiffany Schandera (Columbus) and Sophomore Morgan Smith (Covington).

Named to the Second Team All SSAC squad was Sophomore Ellen Black (Toccoa) and Senior Sarah Applegarth (Gainesville). Maness was selected as Freshman Of the Year and she was joined on the All Freshman team by Schandera and Taylor Kelley (Toccoa). Senior Caitlin Kelly (Bozeman, MT) was the Musco Lighting Champions of Character representative for the Tigers.

The SSAC All Academic team included Applegarth, Caitlin Kelly, Morgan Smith, Austin Smith, Brooke Bryant (Royston) and Colleen Sparrow (Central Saanich, BC). Brenau opens play in the tournament today at 4 pm against Brewton Parker.

[Softball] SSAC Softball Tournament Set to Start

Gary Bays — 2010-04-28T09:30:00-06:00

Columbus, Ga- The 2010 SSAC Softball Conference Championships will begin tomorrow at the South Commons Complex and the #15 Brenau Golden Tigers will play their first game in the double elimination format against Brewton Parker at 4 pm. The Tigers received the #3 seed by virtue of their 23-8-1 conference record and 32-11-1 overall mark. The Barons enter as the #6 seed with a 10-22, 25-29 record.

These two teams squared off last Saturday in Mt. Vernon and Brenau came away with two wins, 4-1 and 12-0 (6). The Tigers won all four games with the Barons this season and if they win this one they will advance to the winners bracket for an 8 pm game on Thursday. If they lose, they will play again on Friday at noon in a loser out game.

[Softball] #11 Tigers End Regular Season With Sweep of Barons

Gary Bays — 2010-04-24T19:18:21-06:00

Mt. Vernon, Ga- The #11 Brenau softball team reclaimed a share of second place in the SSAC today with a doubleheader sweep of Brewton Parker, 4-1 and 12-0 (6). With the wins, the Tigers move their overall record to 32-11-1 and their conference mark to 23-8-1 as they end their regular season and await the SSAC tournament next week in Columbus. The Barons drop to 25-29 and 10-22.

Freshman pitcher Anna Maness had a big day, picking up her 20th and 21st wins of the season, which ranks her 3rd in the conference and striking out eight. She also hit a home run in the 6th inning of the first game and drove in three runs in the second outing. Maness got offensive support from Tiffany Schandera, Morgan Smith, Sarah Applegarth, Caitlin Kelly and Brooke Bryant with one hit apiece.

[Softball] Shorter Knocks Tigers Out of Second Place in SSAC

Gary Bays — 2010-04-23T19:10:49-06:00

Rome, Ga- The NAIA #11 Brenau softball team (30-11-1, 21-8-1) suffered a big blow to their post-season plans with a sweep at the hands of #17 Shorter (42-12, 22-8) by scores of 2-0 and 8-0 (6). The losses drop the Tigers out of second place in the SSAC into fourth position with a critical doubleheader tomorrow at Brewton Parker as three teams jockey for the #2 seed going into the conference tournament next weekend.

In the first game, Freshman Tiffany Schandera picked up the only hit for Brenau as two time All American Libby Munson effectively kept the SSAC's top offensive team quiet. Anna Maness picked up the loss for the Tigers despite a strong effort on the mound herself.

[Softball] Tiffany Schandera Wins GTOW for Second Week in a Row

Gary Bays — 2010-04-20T11:47:42-06:00

Gainesville, Ga- Freshman third baseman Tiffany Schandera (Columbus) became the first Brenau athlete to be selected as Golden Tiger of the Week for two consecutive weeks today for her performances last week.

Tiffany was very productive again last week in four conference games, two of which were against the #19 team in the country (AUM). She led the team with a Batting Average of .583, Slugging % of 1.167, 2 Homeruns, 7 RBI's and 3 stolen bases.

She also played exceptional defense at 3rd base throughout the week

and currently carries a .942 Fielding % on the year. She currently leads the team in Total Hits (43), Runs Scored (41),

Doubles (14) and Stolen Bases (15).

[Softball] #11 Brenau Cruises Past Emmanuel

Gary Bays — 2010-04-20T08:01:06-06:00

Franklin Springs, Ga- The NAIA #11 Brenau softball team picked up their 30th win of the season last night as they swept Emmanuel, 2-0, 9-0 (5). This marks the fifth straight 30 win season for the Tigers since the program started in 2004. Anna Maness picked up her 18th and 19th wins of the season on the mound, which places her ninth in the NAIA for total wins. She has also pitched 15 shutouts on the season and struck out 12 against the Lions.

The bats were quiet for the Golden Tigers in the first game as Ellen Black went 2 for 3 and Brooke Bryant and Sarah Applegarth dove in a run apiece to give the Tigers defense and Maness all the run support they would need to secure the victory.

[Softball] Senior Day Successful for Softball

Gary Bays — 2010-04-14T17:22:28-06:00

Gainesville, Ga- The #11 Brenau softball team made sure they sent their three seniors off in style by winning their final two home games of the season, defeating Columbia, SC, 11-2 (5) and 9-1 (6). The Tigers ran their conference record to 19-6-1, good enough for second place, and their season mark to 28-9-1. The Koalas dropped to 8-20, 9-25. Senior Sarah Applegarth (Gainesville) made the most of her final appearance at home, going 3-7 from the plate with 4 RBIs and a two run homer in the fourth inning of the second game. Colleen Sparrow (Saanich, BC) also picked up a hit and had several outstanding defensive plays from her second base position, and Caitlin Kelly (Bozeman, MT) had a good day at her first base position.

[Softball] BU Softball Moves Up in NAIA Top 25 Poll

Gary Bays — 2010-04-14T09:53:02-06:00

Gainesville, GA- The Brenau University softball team has moved up one spot to #11 in the most recent NAIA Softball Top 25 Poll released yesterday in Kansas City. That ranking matches the best rating the Tigers acheived last season when they won the SSAC regular season championship and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.

Brenau will be playing their final home games today at the Lanier Point Softball Complex beginning at 3 pm when they host Columbia, SC in an SSAC matchup. Today will also be Senior Day for three players who will be playing in their final home games. Colleen Sparrow (Saanich, BC) and Caitlin Kelly (Bozeman, MT) will be wrapping up four year careers and have been a vital part of the growth of the program. Sarah Applegarth (Gainesville) will also be completing her softball career after transferring in from St. Andrews, NC this season.

[Softball] Schandera Named Golden Tiger of the Week

Gary Bays — 2010-04-14T09:08:13-06:00

Gainesville, Ga- Freshman third baseman Tiffany Schandera (Columbus) has been selected as Golden Tiger of the Week for the week of April 6-13. Tiffany had another productive week at the plate. She had a great day against Southern Wesleyan going 5 for 7 at the plate with 3 doubles, a homerun and 7 RBI's on the day.

She currently leads the Conference in Doubles/Game, Total Doubles with 11, Runs Scored/Game and Total Runs Scored with 25. In a 5-3 loss to #2 ranked Lee University, Tiffany had a hit and 2 RBI's.

She ended her best week of the season so far with a Batting Average of .462, a slugging % of .923, 3 Doubles, 9 RBI's, 2 Stolen Bases, and a Homerun.