SIGNEES

Cumberland will add four new area athletes to its roster this week. Tuesday Corbin’s Nick Tankersley signed to play on Bill Sergent’s Mid-South Golf champions. And, today Samantha Hundley, Linda Sawyers and Jessica Fritts will sign to play softball. Hundley and Sawyers will also play volleyball at Cumberland.
Cumberland has signed numerous players from Corbin, Whitley County and Williamsburg this spring in football, basketball and track. It has to be an honor for these athletes to sign with the Patriots. Cumberland won the all-sports banner for the second year in a row and with the local talent heading that way, it’s something they should be able to hold on to.
I’ve watched Hundley, Sawyers and Fritts play for the last two years and have been impressed. Hundley got to the play in the Kentucky East-West All-Star Games last summer and held her own against the best players from across the state.
I believe her appearance in the games helped give Whitley County a little recognition. The Lady Colonels are 13-5 and have received votes for the state’s top 25 in the last three weeks.
The trio will lead the Lady Colonels into some of their toughest games of their career this weekend in the Kentucky Prep 5-Star Showcase at North Laurel but I believe they will hold their own.
•The Cumberland College baseball Patriots were awarded a spot in the NAIA Nationals playoffs once again. They will play in the Region XI that begins today in Lebanon, Tenn.
“We have been on pins and needles,” said coach Brad Shelton. “There were a lot of teams trying to get in the regional but I think the pollsters saw that we played a very tough schedule.”
Cumberland was awarded the number six spot in the field and will have to take on Trevecca Nazarene. The Trojans walked through the TranSouth Conference Tournament, giving up just three runs while scoring 35.
Trevecca, out of Nashville, is ranked 8th in the latest poll with a 41-15 record. Shelton says the Trojans have one of the “fastest” players in NAIA. “We just can’t let him beat us,” Shelton said of Brad Coon.
The senior outfielder is hitting .370 on the season but it’s in his speed that he is a threat when he gets on base. He has stolen 50 bases out of 54 attempts. He was a honorable mention All-American last season for the Trojans.
The TranSouth regular season and tournament champions have two very nice pitchers in Todd Dunlap (9-2) and Barrett Brown (8-3).
But, Shelton is confident in his team. “If we play baseball, we can beat anyone in the country.” The Patriots proved that back in April when they nearly knocked off the University of Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. It was a game Cumberland outplayed the Wildcats but lost on the scoreboard by a single run.
•Speaking of baseball. The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets may have lost to the Lexington Christian Eagles, 10-0, but they are a much better team that faced the Lexington team Saturday.
Just to prove a point, the Yellow Jackets responded from the loss to beat South Laurel in London Monday night, 9-7. This may be the first time Williamsburg has beaten the South Laurel Cardinals.
They had plenty of reason to quit against the Cardinals Monday night after getting down 4-0 in the first inning. But whether the Cardinals were overconfident or the Yellow Jackets just wanted to prove something, they came to life and played some outstanding baseball.
When I first saw the Yellow Jackets schedule before the season started, I thought someone was nuts for putting together such a tough schedule. I have no doubt that Williamsburg has the toughest schedule in the state for a Class A school. And they have responded to coach Don Stricklin.
Williamsburg, Whitley County and Corbin are the cream of the crop this year in the district baseball race. I look for those teams to battle it out for the two region spots.
•The district softball tournament pairings were announced last week at Knox Central. The Lady Panthers will host the tournament, May 23-24-26.
Williamsburg will take on Barbourville Monday, May 23 at 4:30 with the winner meeting Corbin Tuesday night. Whitley County will play Lynn Camp Monday at 6 p.m. with the winner taking on Knox Central the next night. The finals are set for Thursday, May 26 at 5 p.m.
The pairings worked out to be close to a seed with Corbin and Whitley County drawing in opposite brackets. The two have dominated play the last two years and it’s only fitting that they drew away from each other until the final game.