SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference announced its March Athletes of the Month today. Athletes from the following spring sports were chosen: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf. The athletes are chosen by the conference sports information directors for baseball, softball, tennis and golf and the league head coaches in outdoor track and field.
Baseball
Player
College of Charleston junior Joey Bergman has been named Baseball Player of the Month.
Bergman helped lead CofC to a 16-3 record during the month of March, including a 10-2 mark in SoCon play, as he batted .480 with six home runs and 19 RBIs, while only striking out seven times. In a game against SoCon foe Furman, the lefty went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a solo home run. In a 9-2 victory over Xavier, Bergman hit 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a month-high three RBIs.
Also nominated for this month’s award were The Citadel’s Bryan Altman, Georgia Southern’s Griffin Benedict, Appalachian State’s Isaac Harrow, Wofford’s Konstantine Diamaduros, Western Carolina’s Stephen Notaro, Samford’s David Schulze, Elon’s Mike Melillo, UNC Greensboro’s Pedro Leon and Davidson’s Pat Brady.
Pitcher
The Citadel sophomore Drew Mahaffey has been named Baseball Pitcher of the Month.
Mahaffey appeared in eight games during the month of March, notching a win and four saves in helping the Bulldogs to a 13-5 record. The sophomore struck out 28 batters in 14.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a .160 batting average, with only one walk. His best outing came against then-No. 28 South Carolina when the Summerville, S.C., native struck out six of the nine batters he faced while not allowing a hit.
Also nominated for this month’s award were College of Charleston’s Jesse Simpson, Western Carolina’s Daniel Ottone, Georgia Southern’s Chris Mederos, Elon’s J.D. Reichenbach, UNC Greensboro’s Warren Slack, Furman’s Spencer Hale and Davidson’s Matt Webb.
Softball
Player
Chattanooga sophomore Tiffany Baker has been named Softball Player of the Month.
Baker entered March hitting only .295, but quickly bumped her average up 72 points to a team-leading .367 by the end of the month. In 13 games, she hit .462 (18-of-39) with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Baker recorded a hit in 12 of the 13 games and drove in at least one run in eight of them. On March 21, the East Ridge, Tenn., native recorded her second walk-off home run of the season, a three-run blast against Samford.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Western Carolina’s Mollie Fowler, College of Charleston’s Kristie Shifflett, Appalachian State’s Katie Boyd, Georgia Southern’s Robyne Siliga, UNC Greensboro’s Kaitlin Merkt, Furman’s Stephanie Cushing, Samford’s Kristy Lawrence and Elon’s Jaimie Rao.
Pitcher
Appalachian State senior Kayla Richardson has been named Softball Pitcher of the Month.
Richardson went 6-4 on the month with a 1.57 ERA, with eight complete games out of nine started. The West Jefferson, N.C., native had a streak of 25 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. She struck out 58 batters, including a career-high tying 10 in a 2-0 shutout over Elon. Richardson allowed four or less hits in 5-of-9 starts, allowing just four earned runs in those starts combined.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Furman’s Stephanie Mihaly, Chattanooga’s Michelle Fuzzard, Georgia Southern’s Brianna Streetmon, College of Charleston’s Terri Mesko, Samford’s Stephanie Royall and UNC Greensboro’s Hannah Angel.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Track
Western Carolina sprinter Manteo Mitchell has been named Track Athlete of the Month.
Mitchell had an impressive month with strong finishes at both the Charlotte 49er Classic and the Asics Winthrop Invitational. The senior qualified for the NCAA Regionals in two different events at the 49er Classic. He ran 46.53 in the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash and 21.25 in the 200-meter dash, also in the preliminaries. The Mooresboro, N.C., native was also part of the 4x100-meter (41.18) and 4x400-meter (3:11.39) relay squads that claimed titles.
At the Asics Winthrop Invitational, Mitchell also was a part of the winning 4x100-meter relay team (41.04). He finished third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.86.
Field
Samford pole vaulter Patrick Wells has been named Field Athlete of the Month.
Wells picked up his fourth and fifth wins of the season in pole vault during the month of March. At the Southern Invitational, the junior vaulted 15-5. At the Alabama Relays, the Hoover, Ala., native vaulted a personal best of 16-2.6. The jump moves Wells up to second on Samford’s all-time best lists.
Also nominated for this month’s award was Appalachian State’s Darius Purcell.
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Track
Samford middle-distance runner Hillary Neal has been named Women’s Track Athlete of the Month.
Neal began the month by winning the 800-meter run at the Southern Invitational in a time of 2:10.50. The sophomore also anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay team that finished in a time of 3:52.96. At the Alabama Relays the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native won the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:30.61 and anchored the school-record sprint medley team to a third-place finish with a 2:12 split time.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Western Carolina’s Janet Carothers and Felicia Paulding.
Field
Appalachian State’s Danielle Thorpe has been named Women’s Field Athlete of the Month.
Thorpe began the month by winning the triple jump at the Wake Forest Open with a SoCon-best jump of 40-0.75. At the Weems Baskin Relay the following week Thorpe showed her versatility by finishing fifth in the 200-meter run with a time of 26.24.
Also nominated for this month’s award was Elon’s Justine Robertson.
Men’s Tennis
UNC Greensboro No. 1 singles player Orcun Seyrek has been named Men’s Tennis Player of the Month.
For the month of March, Seyrek went 9-0, including 5-0 in SoCon play, to help lead the Spartans to their best start in SoCon play (5-0) since 2001. The freshman also went 7-2 in doubles play with teammate Aresl Kumdereli, including 4-1 in conference matches.
Also nominated for this month’s award were The Citadel’s Alberto Diaz, Elon’s Philip Nemec, Furman’s Sawyer Duncan, Georgia Southern’s Joris De Weerdt and Samford’s Carson Kadi.
Women’s Tennis
UNC Greensboro No. 1 singles player Alejandra Guerro has been named Women’s Tennis Player of the Month.
Guerra was 8-0 during the month of March, including 3-0 in league play. The perfect mark helped run her then-active undefeated streak in conference to 14 matches. The senior was also 6-3 in doubles play with teammate Arielle VonStrolley.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Davidson’s Virginia Berry, Elon’s Anna Milian, Furman’s Lauren Tomory and Georgia Southern’s Melanie Rolle.
Men’s Golf
Georgia Southern sophomore Logan Blondell has been named Men’s Golfer of the Month.
Blondell won the Kauai Collegiate Cup individual championship and tied for 20th at the Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational in a competitive field during the month of March to help the Eagles to a tie for first place and a sixth-place finish, respectively, in the two tournaments. At the Kauai Collegiate Cup the Lakeland, Fla., native fired a three-round 208 to finish at eight-under-par and win his second tournament of the season. In the Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational, Blondell averaged a three-round 72.66 against a field that included 18 nationally-ranked teams.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Furman’s Austin Reeves, Appalachian State’s Casey Johnson, UNC Greensboro’s Will Bowman, Wofford’s Garrett Medeiros and Davidson’s Michael Saari.
Women’s Golf
Furman senior Blair Lamb has been named Women’s Golfer of the Month.
The senior notched three top 15 finishes, including two top five showings, while guiding Furman to a pair of top 10 finishes against elite competition during the month of March. Lamb used a final round 69 to shoot one-under par and claim 11th place at the LSU Golf Classic against a field that boasted 16 of the top 50 teams in the nation. The following week at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational, Lamb placed fifth at two-over and guided Furman to a seventh-place finish playing against 11 of the nation's top 50 teams. The Flat Rock, N.C., native capped the month by helping Furman to a runner-up finish at the John Kirk/Panther Intercollegiate, earning a fourth-place finish at four-over par.
Also nominated for this month’s award were Chattanooga’s Emma de Groot, Elon’s Danielle Mills, Samford’s Katelyn Stanier, Western Carolina’s Blaire Minter, Wofford’s Alex Rankin and Appalachian State’s Jordan Krueter.