T he S ports L edger
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JUNE 2023
College Notes Nashville to Host SEC Football Media Days On July 17-20 The 2023 SEC Football Media Days will be held on Nashville on July 17-20. During the event, GRAMMY-nominated band Midland will headline a free concert in Nashville in July 18, 2023 as part of SEC Kickoff.
NATIONAL CHAMPS - The University of Oklahoma defeated Florida State 3-1 in the championship game of the 2023 Women's College World Series. The victory extended the Sooners winning streak to 53 games and earned the program the 2023 National Title. It is Oklahoma's third straight World Series Championship. GATORS OPEN SEASON IN UTAH - The Florida Gators football program will kick off the upcoming 2023 season against Utah on Thursday, August 31. The Gators will be traveling to Salt Lake City for the first time in program history. Florida will then return to Gainesville for the season opener against McNeese State on September 9 followed by hosting its 2023 SEC opener against Tennessee on September 16. UGA NAMES BASEBALL COACH - Wes Johnson, the renowned pitching coach for LSU, has been named the Ike Cousins head baseball coach at the University of Georgia. A native of Sherwood, Ark., Johnson became the first pitching coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to make the move directly from the college ranks to the big leagues when he was hired by the Minnesota Twins in November of 2018. He served as a collegiate pitching coach since 2008 with stints in the Southeastern Conference at Mississippi State and Arkansas before joining the Twins. Minnesota was leading the American League Central Division in June of 2022 when he opted to return to the college game at LSU. Read more about the new UGA coach online at www.thesportsledger.com. ASSISTANT ALABAMA COACH - University of Alabama women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry has announced that Tennille Adams will serve as an assistant coach for the Crimson Tide. Adams brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience with her. She joins the Crimson Tide staff after serving as the associate head coach at UCF last season. Read more online at www.thesportsledger.com. AUBURN EQUESTRIAN COACH - Jessica Braswell has been named Auburn equestrian’s head coach. She becomes the second head coach in program history after finishing her 12th season on Tiger's staff and ninth as associate head coach. During her time as a coach, she has overseen the Jumping Seat discipline and the group has become one of the most elite collegiate riders in the nation, proving it each year. Braswell succeeds Greg Williams, who transitioned to his new role as head coach emeritus. Read more online at www.thesportsledger.com. AUBURN DIVING COACH - John Fox has been named Auburn's head Diving coach. Fox arrives on the Plains following a prolific coaching career in the club ranks, most recently serving as both the head coach and CFO of Moss Farms Diving Club in Moultrie, Georgia. Over the last decade, Fox has developed more than 30 divers who went on to compete at the Division I level. ALABAMA VOLLEYBALL - The University of Alabama volleyball program has announced its 2023 schedule. The Crimson Tide is set to host North Alabama in a preseason exhibition on Saturday, August 19. The program will host the Crimson Tide Invitational August 25-26 to officially kickoff the season. Alabama will face Mississippi Valley State and Saint Louis on the opening day of the tournament before concluding against Mercer. Alabama will be on the road at Tulane (Sept. 1-3) and UAB (Sept. 8-10) and at Troy (Sept. 14). Alabama returns to Foster Auditorium on Saturday, Sept. 16 against Grambling State to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule. The 18-match SEC slate features home contests against Kentucky (Oct. 1), Tennessee (Oct. 4), Missouri (Oct. 11), LSU (Oct. 22), Mississippi State (Oct. 27), Auburn (Oct. 29), Arkansas (Nov. 10), Florida (Nov. 12) and Texas A&M (Nov. 25). Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. Season tickets will go on sale on June 26, with additional mini plan ticket packages going live on Aug. 7 and single match tickets on Aug. 14. This year’s roster features eight returners from last season’s squad along with eight freshmen, the first signing class under second-year Alabama head coach Rashinda Reed. BASEBALL ALL-AMERICAN - Snead State baseball standout Carter Frederick has been selected to the NJCAA Division I All-American First Team. Frederick, of Chelsea, posted a NJCAA regular season best .493 batting average, which marked a new Snead State record. He also recorded 13 homeruns, 49 RBIs and 55 runs in 193 plate appearances. Among his 75 total hits, 22 were doubles and three were triples. He also tallied seven stolen bases. His On Base Percentage was .596 and his Slugging Percentage was .934. Including the postseason, Frederick finished his sophomore campaign with a batting average of .463 – fifth best in the nation. In addition to being named an All- American, Frederick was selected the 2023 ACCC-North Baseball Player of the Year and was an ACCC Athlete of the Week during this past season. Frederick helped lead the Parsons to a 34-25 overall record in 2023 and a third-place finish in the ACCC Baseball Championship Tournament. This spring, Frederick earned his Associate Degree in Science for General Education with a 3.1 GPA. At graduation, he was awarded the Civitan Award, which is given annually to the "Best All-Around Student". AUBURN VOLLEYBALL COACH - Auburn Volleyball head coach Brent Crouch has signed a new five- year extension, which will keep him on the Plains through the 2027 season. The 2022 AVCA South Region coach of the year has lifted the Tigers to sights unseen in more than a decade on the Plains. In just three short years, Crouch has led Auburn to a 35-32 record, including a 22-9 mark in 2022, the most wins in the 25-point rally-scoring era and the most since 1998. Entering the 2023 campaign, Crouch holds a career coaching record of 130-123. Under Crouch’s leadership, the Tigers also claimed its second berth to the NCAA Tournament in program history.
The SEC’s annual football media event is being hosted for the first time in Nashville. The event on Lower Broadway will activate at 5 p.m. CT and will be part of a special edition of SEC Nation presented by Regions telecast on ESPN2 and SEC Network at 6 p.m. CT. The street concert will follow at approximately 7 p.m. The concert stage will be located near Fourth and Broadway in Nashville and is the first time SEC Media Days has incorporated a street party and live music concert into the event. The concert is free and open to the public. The 2023 Football Kickoff will bring more than 1,000 credentialed media members to Nashville. The event previews the upcoming college football season with coaches and players from each SEC school providing overviews of their teams. The event has been held in Hoover for many years and this is the third time the SEC has taken it to another city. “We are excited to bring SEC Football Media Days to Nashville as we kick off the 2023 season,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “When we began moving SEC Media Days to new locations, we wanted to enjoy the experiences uniquely present in each community and we look forward to the Tuesday night concert blending Music City with SEC Football.” “Partnering with the SEC to host this high-profile event is both an honor and opportunity for our city,” said Butch Spyridon, CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We are adding live music to give the event a Music City touch, and we hope it’s only the beginning of a long-lasting relationship. We want all the SEC fans in Middle Tennessee to come out, represent their teams and enjoy a free show right in their backyard.” Midland has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song. They won New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year at the ACM Awards in 2018. Members are lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach, bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy and lead guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson. Please note that the Broadway Bridge will be closed for construction in July. Concert attendees should plan extra time to travel downtown with detours on Demonbreun and Church or by entering downtown from the east. All-Star Softball Snapshots
Photos By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
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