BASEBALL
ASU eighth, UALR ninth in preseason poll
Arkansas State was voted eighth and UALR ninth in the preseason Sun Belt Conference baseball poll that was released by the league office Tuesday. ASU, 27-30 last season, earned 50 points in the poll, while UALR, 16-33 a year ago, earned 35, ahead of Louisiana-Monroe, picked 10th, and Appalachian State, 11th. Louisiana-Lafayette earned eight first-place votes and was picked as the preseason favorite ahead of South Alabama, which earned three first-place votes. Texas State was third, followed by Troy, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Texas-Arlington. ASU third baseman Tanner Ring, who hit .275 with 37 RBI last year, was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt team.
UCA picked sixth in the Southland
Central Arkansas was picked sixth in a preseason Southland Conference poll of league coaches and sports information directors that was released by the conference on Tuesday. UCA, 29-24 last season, was picked behind preseason favorite Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State, Sam Houston, Mc-Neese State and Nicholls State in the coaches poll, and behind Southeastern State, Northwestern State, McNeese State, Sam Houston State and Nicholls State in the sports information poll. Southeastern Louisiana earned 10 first-place votes in both polls, Northwestern State earned two in each poll and Houston Baptist earned one in each.
SOFTBALL
Harding's Hendricks, Smith tabbed
Harding's Kimmy Hendricks and Ashley Smith were named the Great American Conference's player and pitcher of the week Tuesday.
Hendricks hit the second grand slam in school history during the second game of a doubleheader sweep against Christian Brothers. She went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, 1 run scored and 1 stolen base in the first game.
Smith threw a complete game shutout for her first victory with the Bisons, 12-0 over Christian Brothers. She limited the Lady Bucs to 2 hits and 3 baserunners in 5 innings. She became the first Lady Bison pitcher to throw a shutout in her debut.
UCA lands four on SLC preseason team
Central Arkansas infielders Sarah Bigej and Sam Forrest were named preseason first-team all-Southland Conference selections Tuesday, while catcher Jessie Taylor and outfielder Briana Whisenhunt were second-team selections.
It was Bigej's third selection to the preseason team and Forrest's second. Bigej led the Bears and was third in the conference with a school-record .495 on-base percentage last season. Forrest was third in the conference with 14 doubles, while Taylor led the conference with 18 runners caught stealing and Whisenhunt led the conference with 27 stolen bases.
The Bears open the season at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala., beginning Feb. 12.
SWIMMING AND DIVING
UALR duo recognized
UALR freshman Laura Ruiz Astorga and sophomore Samantha Gray were named the Missouri Valley Conference's swimmer and diver of the week Tuesday.
Ruiz Astorga won three events, the 200-yard freestyle, 50-yard butterfly and 100-yard individual medley, in a meet against Henderson State. She also helped the Trojans to a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1 minute, 40 seconds.
Gray finished second in the one-meter dive against Henderson State with a score of 252.76, her second-highest career score in the event. She finished third in the three-meter dive with a score of 201.00.
TRACK AND FIELD
Ellis-Watson, Weeks honored
Arkansas senior Taylor Ellis-Watson and freshman Tori Weeks picked up SEC weekly honors Tuesday.
Ellis-Watson made her season debut in the 400-meter dash at last weekend's Razorback Invitational, winning the event with a time of 52.26 seconds. In her third collegiate meet, Weeks surpassed the 14-foot mark in the pole vault and reached a final height of 14 feet, 2½ inches. Weeks, the national high school indoor pole vault record holder, is one of two freshmen with height clearances in the NCAA's top 10 this season and is in second place among SEC vaulters.
Sports on 02/03/2016