Winthrop roundup: women’s golf in Florida to start 2019 season

Winthrop’s women’s golf team starts its 2019 spring slate this week with the Amelia Island Collegiate tournament in Amelia Island, Fla. The event, which wraps up Tuesday, features 16 teams. Fellow Big South club USC Upstate is in the field, along with Cincinnati, Marshall, UAB, Western Kentucky, and others.

“We had a great fall. We ended the fall season with our best finish. We finished tied for second at the Wofford Intercollegiate, where there were 16 teams,” head coach Jodi Wendt said in comments previewing the season. “I’m relying on those seniors to continue playing well. Everybody’s been working hard in the offseason and getting ready for the spring.”

The women will compete in three March events in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia as part of the spring schedule. The season will conclude with the Big South Championship in Ninety-Six, South Carolina, April 11-14.

Softball takes 3-of-5 for second-straight weekend

Windy Thees’ Eagles enjoyed another successful weekend at the Red & Black Showcase in Athens, Ga. The Eagles dropped two 11-0 results to sixth-ranked host Georgia, but earned 3-2 and 11-9 victories over Buffalo before defeating Omaha, 9-2, Sunday morning.

Winthrop (6-4) got a big weekend from junior outfielder Morgan Lowers, who turned in two four-hit outings over the weekend and now leads the Eagles in six offensive categories. The Eagles have also eclipsed last season’s three games with seven runs scored or greater, with the Omaha victory marking the club’s fourth such win this year.

The Eagles return to action for five more contests this coming weekend, participating in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic at Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium on the campus of UNC Charlotte. Winthrop will face Lehigh and Youngstown State Friday, with contests against Youngstown State and Charlotte Saturday and a single game against South Carolina Sunday.

Baseball wins 1-of-3 to open season

Winthrop dropped one-run contests to bookend the club’s opening weekend of the 2019 spring slate, with a blowout win to begin Saturday’s doubleheader.

Mid-American Conference foe Toledo got a three-run ninth to secure a 5-4 victory over Winthrop Friday afternoon. The Eagles bounced back with a decisive 17-3 victory in Saturday’s first game, recording a nine-hit, nine-run second inning. Junior righthander Nate Pawelczyk recorded the victory, striking out five in five innings, while walking two.

Toledo used a five-run eighth in the series finale to catapult Winthrop, 8-7. The Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but left the tying run on second, as a flyout ended the contest.

Winthrop (1-2) travels to Founders Park in Columbia to take on South Carolina Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

Mixed results for tennis

Winthrop’s men’s tennis team continued its strong start to Big South play, dropping USC Upstate in a 6-1 result in Spartanburg Friday afternoon. The Eagles took the doubles point for the sixth time this season, with the pairs of Gabriel Dias/Diego Quiroz and Connor Williamson/Lluis Miralles securing the result. The Eagles then took five-of-six singles courts to move to 2-0 in Big South play.

The men were edged out by Coastal Carolina, 4-3, in Conway Sunday afternoon.

The women played just once this week, dropping a 6-1 decision at Wake Forest Sunday. The Demon Deacons handed doubles stalwarts Megan Kauffman and Lauren Proctor their first loss of the season, taking the doubles point in the process. Junior Alisa Soloveva took a third-set tiebreaker from nationally-ranked Anna Ulyashchenko for Winthrop’s lone court victory.

The Eagle men (6-4, 2-0 Big South) return to the Rock Hill Tennis Center Friday for a 1 p.m. Big South match against Radford, followed by a 2 p.m. contest Sunday at Elon. The Winthrop women (4-3) will also compete at the Rock Hill Tennis Center Friday, with a 2 p.m. match slated with Charlotte.

Indoor track completes season

Winthrop’s indoor track teams completed their season at the Big South Conference Indoor Championship in Lynchburg, Va., over the weekend. Junior Jalen Hodges earned all-conference honors, recording a second-place finish in the men’s high jump. Harper Henson and Hunter Schiers also earned places on the Big South Conference All-Academic Team.

This story was originally published February 18, 2019 at 4:21 PM.