SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its April athletes of the month for baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis Tuesday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month.


BASEBALL
Player
Hunter King, UNCG, 2B, Jr.
UNCG second baseman Hunter King hit .509 with 15 runs scored and 17 RBIs in April, hitting safely in 12 of the Spartans’ 13 games. Twelve of King’s 27 hits went for extra bases, including nine doubles, two triples and a home run, as he slugged .811 for the month. The junior from Mason City, Iowa, had nine multi-hit games and drew six walks in April, putting together an on-base percentage of .567. King had two hits each in his first three April games, doing so against crosstown rival North Carolina A&T and Western Carolina twice. Against the Aggies, King drove in three and hit the first of his two triples. King notched the first of his four three-hit games against Georgia Southern on April 11 and added his second two days later as the Spartans claimed the series from the Eagles in Statesboro, Ga., for the first time since 1998. King had two doubles and three RBIs in the series finale. He went 3-for-5 with another two doubles and two driven in against Davidson on April 17 and capped his month with a monster weekend against Elon. King hit .818 in the Spartans’ sweep of the Phoenix, going 2-for-3, 4-for-4 and 3-for-4 in the three games. He drove in three runs in each of the final two, also scoring three runs in both. He hit three doubles, a triple and a homer in the series en route to being named the SoCon player of the week.

Others nominated: Michael Pierson (Appalachian State), Tyler Griffin (The Citadel), David Daniels (Davidson), Casey Jones (Elon), Jake Jones (Furman), Stryker Brown (Georgia Southern), Heath Quinn (Samford) and Jacob Hoyle (Western Carolina).

Pitcher
Jordan Smith, Western Carolina, RHP, Sr.
Western Carolina right-hander Jordan Smith went 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four April starts. The senior from Liberty, N.C., went at least seven innings in each appearance, striking out 26 batters against just six walks in 33 innings of work. Smith threw the first of his two complete games in the month on April 6, allowing just eight hits and one earned run in the Catamounts’ 3-1 win over UNCG. He struck out five and walked just one. He suffered his only loss of the month against Furman on April 13, allowing three earned in seven innings, but bounced back with a season-high 10 strikeouts in a five-hit complete-game win over The Citadel in which he allowed just two runs. Smith closed his month with eight strong innings in a 7-1 win over Samford, allowing just an unearned run on five hits and a walk, striking out six. Smith continued to leave his mark in the WCU record book in April, becoming the school’s all-time leader in career starts (55) and moving into fourth place in school history in career wins (24) and strikeouts (264).

Others nominated: Logan Cribb (The Citadel), Danny Mooney (Davidson), Josh Wirsu (Georgia Southern), Jared Brasher (Samford) and Connell Anderson (Wofford).


MEN’S GOLF
J.T. Poston, Western Carolina, Jr.
Western Carolina junior J.T. Poston turned in a pair of top-two finishes in a dominant April, tying for second at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational and winning the SoCon Men’s Golf Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. All six of Poston’s rounds in April were even-par or better, with three of them in the 60s and five of them below par as he posted a 69.00 stroke average. The Hickory, N.C., native shot an 8-under 208 at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational, opening with a 2-under 70 before posting a 4-under 68 and closing with another 70 to finish in a five-way tie for second place. Poston then won a chip-off to claim the runner-up hardware. Poston led wire-to-wire at the SoCon tournament, winning the event with a 10-under 206. He bolted out to an eight-stroke lead after the first two days with a 4-under 68 and a 6-under 66 and capped off the tournament with an even-par 72 in the last round to secure the win. Poston, who was named the SoCon Player of the Year at the conclusion of the tournament, is sixth in the latest Golfstat Cup Standings and sixth in the Golfstat statistical rankings with a seasonal stroke average of 69.97.

Others nominated: Casey Komline (Appalachian State), Michael Borton (Furman), Charlie Martin (Georgia Southern), Roy Dixon (UNCG), Chris Robb (Chattanooga) and Cory Taylor (Wofford).


WOMEN’S GOLF
Emily McLennan, Chattanooga, So.
Chattanooga sophomore Emily McLennan posted a pair of top-10 finishes in April, including winning the individual title at the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship in Hilton Head Island, S.C. McLennan opened the month with an eighth-place finish at the Web.com Intercollegiate in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., shooting an even-par 216 in a field that included four top-50 teams. McLennan finished ahead of four top-100 individuals and tied another and opened that tournament with a career-best round of 4-under 68. The Queensland, Australia, native then won her first collegiate event at the SoCon tournament, firing steady rounds of 73, 75 and 74 (222) to become UTC’s fourth different medalist in as many years. McLennan’s 2-over 74 on the final day of the tournament was the rain-drenched day’s best score and helped vault the Mocs from second place into the team lead as they rallied for their fifth straight SoCon title.

Others nominated: Eraina Manor (The Citadel), Taylor Totland (Furman), Alex Jasper (Samford) and Mariah Hopkins (Western Carolina).


MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Brandon Hazouri, Samford, So.
Samford distance runner Brandon Hazouri helped Samford to its first SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championship title in April, earning Most Outstanding Track Performer honors along the way. The sophomore from Birmingham, Ala., won SoCon titles in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter runs and ran a leg on the Bulldogs’ title-clinching 4x400-meter relay unit, which finished third. Hazouri was running the 1,500 for the first time this season and paced the Bulldogs’ 1-2-3 finish in the event. Also in April, Hazouri took first in the 800 at Auburn’s Tiger Track Classic and second in the event at the Alabama-Mississippi Border Clash, turning in a school-record time of 1:48.54.

Field
Sidney Jordan, Samford, R-Jr.
Samford thrower Sidney Jordan also had a hand in helping Samford to its first SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championship title in April, earning Most Outstanding Field Performer honors. The redshirt junior from Mobile, Ala., won SoCon titles in the discus and hammer throws and finished second in the shot put. Earlier in the month, he was named the SoCon field performer of the week after turning in a school-record throw of 15.80 meters in the shot put at the Tiger Track Classic. He also finished fourth in the hammer at the Alabama-Mississippi Border Clash.


WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Track
Jasmin Walker, Georgia Southern, Jr.
Georgia Southern sprinter/jumper Jasmin Walker turned in four top-three finishes at the Southern Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships en route to being named the Most Outstanding Athlete and Most Outstanding Track Performer. The junior from Fairburn, Ga., helped the Eagles to the 4x100-meter relay title in a league-record time of 44.50 seconds and finished second in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meter dash. Her 200-meter time of 23.68 seconds was the second-best in school history. Walker also won her third straight SoCon outdoor long-jump title, extending GSU’s dominance in that event to 10 straight years. Earlier in April, Walker was also part of the Eagles’ school-record-breaking 4x200-meter relay team at the Florida Relays.

Field
Emily Allen, Samford, R-Sr.
Samford thrower/jumper Emily Allen repeated as field athlete of the month after helping Samford to its first team title at the Southern Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Allen won the triple jump and hammer throw and took third in the long jump at the conference meet to earn Most Outstanding Field Performer honors. Her toss of 60.98 meters in the hammer broke her own school record, set earlier in the month with a win at the Tiger Track Classic, while her 12.49-meter effort in the triple jump matched the school record. Allen, a redshirt senior from Brentwood, Tenn., also won the hammer and took third in the long jump at the Alabama-Mississippi Border Clash.


SOFTBALL
Player
Katelyn Bedwell, UNCG, 1B, Sr.
UNCG first baseman Katelyn Bedwell hit .458 and slugged 1.136 with four doubles and 12 home runs in April, turning in four multi-homer games and eight multi-hit contests total. The senior from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, scored 21 runs and drove in 32 in just 17 April games. Bedwell went 4-for-5 with five RBIs and two home runs in a doubleheader split at Liberty to open the month, drawing four walks, one of which was intentional, in the two games, with both homers coming in game one. She turned in her second multi-homer game against Furman on April 6, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored. Bedwell hit three more round-trippers in a doubleheader sweep of UNCW three days later, driving in six runs on the day. She hit a home run in each game of a sweep of Charlotte on April 16, going a combined 6-for-6 with a seven RBIs on the day en route to earning SoCon player of the week honors on April 21. Bedwell hit a solo homer against the 49ers in another doubleheader the following week before closing her month by hitting .538 in a three-game sweep at Appalachian State. Bedwell had three hits in each of the first two games against the Mountaineers, hitting a pair of two-run home runs and a two-run single for six RBIs in the second game of the series.

Others nominated: Taylor Rogers (Georgia Southern), Callie Brister (Samford), Nicole Osterman (Chattanooga) and Courtney Price (Western Carolina).

Pitcher
Mollie Hanson, Samford, RHP, R-So.
Samford right-hander Mollie Hanson went 6-2 with a 0.99 ERA in April. The redshirt sophomore from Dothan, Ala., struck out 37 batters against just 15 walks in 49 2/3 innings and allowed just five extra-base hits. Hanson opened her month with a 2-1 win over Western Carolina on April 5 before dropping a 1-0 decision the following day. She rebounded by picking up a pair of wins in relief against Tennessee State on April 9, not allowing an earned run in seven innings in the doubleheader. She worked the final three frames of the 11-inning, game-two marathon, striking out five. Hanson threw a four-hit shutout against Chattanooga on April 12 and followed with another win against the Mocs the following day, notching her program-record 20th win of the season. She picked up a 3-1 win over Elon on April 26, striking out seven, before striking out eight in an extra-inning loss the following day in which she went 8 2/3 innings. Hanson did not allow more than six hits in any of her eight appearances in April and allowed more than one earned run just once.

Others nominated: Lauren Collier (Furman), Sarah Purvis (Georgia Southern) and Katie Henderson (Chattanooga).


MEN’S TENNIS
Stefan Fortmann, Elon, Jr.
Elon junior Stefan Fortmann repeated as men’s tennis player of the month by going a combined 14-0 in April, turning in 7-0 records in both singles and doubles action. All seven of Fortmann’s singles wins came at No. 2, with five of them coming in straight sets. The Wartburg, South Africa, native opened his month with a 6-4, 6-1 win over UNCG’s James Dougherty and followed that up with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 over Matt Browne of No. 75 Furman. Fortmann rallied from a second-set loss to take a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over Wofford’s Hans Poric and then rattled off straight-sets wins over Appalachian State’s Oliver Casey and East Carolina’s Mario Martinez. In SoCon tournament action, he was leading his match against Chattanooga’s Jorge Varon in the second set before it was abandoned, but he picked up wins against App’s Casey and Furman’s Browne as the Phoenix won the SoCon title. Fortmann teamed with Juan Madrid in each of his doubles matches in April, as Elon’s No. 3 duo rolled to the undefeated month. Fortmann and Madrid earned an 8-7 (7-5) win over Furman’s Alex Christ and Ben Horst on April 5 but didn’t allow more than four points in any of their last four matches, three of which came in the Phoenix’s tournament run.   

Others nominated: Jack Maddocks (Appalachian State), Juan Sheppard (Furman), Fares Kilani (Samford) and Pavels Grigorjevs (Chattanooga).


WOMEN’S TENNIS
Frida Jansaker, Elon, Sr.
Elon senior Frida Jansaker went 8-0 in singles play and 6-2 in doubles action in April as the Phoenix won its first SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship. All eight of Jansaker’s singles matches came at No. 2, where she posted six straight-sets wins. The Kristianstad, Sweden, native’s first win came against Appalachian State’s Mackenzie LaSure via a 6-3, 6-4 score. Jansaker rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Samford’s Kristin Lewis on April 5 before posting consecutive wins in three sets over Chattanooga’s Kaylene Chadwell and UNCG’s Stephanie Falcon. Jansaker surrendered just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win over Shannon Bettiol of Western Carolina before picking up three straight wins at the conference tournament against opponents from UNCG, top-seeded Furman and Samford. In doubles play, she teamed with Maria Camara Ruiz at No. 2. The duo lost two of its first three matches of the month before winning its final five, including an 8-0 win over WCU’s Nicole Nielly and Megan McLinden and three straight at the SoCon Championship. Jansaker, who went 3-0 in both singles and doubles at the tournament, earned Most Outstanding Player honors.

Others nominated: Clare Cox (Appalachian State), Brites Moniz-Soares (Davidson), Ansley Speaks (Furman), Giulia Riepe (Georgia Southern), Yasmeen Ebada (Samford), Alexa Flynn (Chattanooga) and Stacia Kissell (Western Carolina).


Southern Conference April Athletes of the Month
Baseball – Player    Hunter King, UNCG
Baseball – Pitcher    Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
Men’s Golf    J.T. Poston, Western Carolina
Women’s Golf    Emily McLennan, Chattanooga
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field – Track    Brandon Hazouri, Samford
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field – Field    Sidney Jordan, Samford
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field – Track    Jasmin Walker, Georgia Southern
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field – Field    Emily Allen, Samford
Softball – Player    Katelyn Bedwell, UNCG
Softball – Pitcher    Mollie Hanson, Samford
Men’s Tennis    Stefan Fortmann, Elon
Women’s Tennis    Frida Jansaker, Elon