Lee soccer team signs 2 from area

Ooltewah’s Nicole Ford and Notre Dame’s Emma Higgins are among five signees announced this week by Lee University women’s soccer coach Chris Hennessey, who is losing only one senior from the 2015 team. The other new recruits are Carly Smoltz from Alpharetta, Ga., daughter of baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz; Laila Dilts from Carmel, Ind.; and Emily Baker from Essex, England. “They will certainly add to the strength and depth of our roster,” Hennessey said in a Lee release. “Last year we were pretty thin throughout the majority of the season with all the injuries that occurred. This year not only are we adding more numbers, but all of them will certainly push to play and will most definitely improve our roster from top to bottom.”

SOFTBALL

Heritage High School junior Morgan Parris recently committed to join the Brewton-Parker College softball program in 2017. She has helped Heritage to top- three finishes at the state tournament the past three years and is the starting center fielder for the ProStar Fastpitch 16s team. “Morgan is an extremely athletic outfielder for us,” ProStar founder Steve Chattin said. “She has tremendous power for her size and is an outstanding baserunner. I believe that last year she hit something like 12 home runs and led our select team in runs scored and bases stolen. And while I know Brewton-Parker is recruiting her as an outfielder, she has the ability to be a solid catcher and an emergency pitcher if needed.” Parris, who has a 4.0 grade point average, said the NAIA program in Mount Vernon, Ga., was “the first to show serious interest” in her, and she likes the coaches’ vision for the program. “I was looking for a smaller school with a Christian atmosphere that also had a desire to be competitive in softball,” she said.

Kelsey Payne from East Hamilton was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in each game as Brenau University opened its softball season Sunday by beating Talladega College 7-2 and 9-1 in Gainesville, Ga. Megan Wolinsky, from Chickamauga, Ga., was the winning pitcher in the first game with four innings of shutout relief. She allowed two hits.

BASEBALL

Covenant sophomore Joel Johnson was named the USA South player of the week and freshman Ryan Gosney is rookie pitcher of the week, the conference announced Monday. Johnson went 6-for-8 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and four runs in the Scots’ sweep of a season-opening doubleheader with Greensboro on Saturday. Gosney pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings to finish the 9-4 win in the nightcap, striking out two.

BASKETBALL

Bryan College swept a home doubleheader with Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Truett- McConnell on Monday, winning the women’s game 87-54 and the men’s game 90-77. Megan Billingsby ( 16 points, three steals) and Cheyenne Shaver (14 points, six rebounds, three steals) led the Lady Lions (22-3, 14-2), who are ranked No. 25 in NAIA Division II and remained in first place in the AAC standings with their eighth straight victory. Keila Formont added seven assists. The Lions (12-11, 7-7) benefited from double-figure scoring nights from Brandon Cole (23 points), Robert Troino (19), Tyler Yoder (16) and Oteriah Lee (14), who also had 10 assists and four steals.

Covenant freshman Joanna Smith was named the USA South rookie of the week — the fifth time this season she has been honored as such — the conference announced Monday. The Chattanooga Christian School alum averaged 18 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals in three games last week, scoring a career-high 22 points in a loss to Ferrum on Saturday. She has averaged 11.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season.

TRACK & FIELD

Tyler Boone of Bryan College was fifth in the men’s 3000-meter race this past Saturday at East Tennessee State’s Buccaneer Invitational. He ran a personal-record 8:51. Bryan’s Sarah White was eighth in the women’s 800.