State sports briefs

CWD confirmed in 3 more Arkansas counties

FILE — Levi Horrell, private lands biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, takes tissue samples from a roadkill white-tail deer along Arkansas 221 outside Berryville in April 2016.
FILE — Levi Horrell, private lands biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, takes tissue samples from a roadkill white-tail deer along Arkansas 221 outside Berryville in April 2016.

Chronic wasting disease has been found in three more counties in Northwest Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Four white-tailed deer in Benton, Washington and Sebastian counties recently tested positive for the disease.

Two deer from Benton County, a 2½-year-old doe near Decatur and a 5½-year-old doe near Springtown, tested positive. An adult buck near Lavaca and a 1½-year-old buck near Prairie Grove also were found to have the disease.

Test results have not been received for all samples that were collected, so it’s possible more deer and elk could test positive for the disease. Since these positive samples were detected outside the current CWD management zone, the AGFC will continue its review to ensure all information is accurate, according to a news release. CWD was first detected in Arkansas when a hunter-harvested elk in Newton County tested positive in February 2016. The first Arkansas deer with CWD also was from Newton County and was verified eight days later.

Public meetings in the area will be scheduled as forums to discuss plans and answer questions. Visit ArkansasCWD.com for more information.

BASEBALL

Little Rock Christian outfielder commits to Hogs

Arkansas gained a verbal commitment Tuesday from a senior outfielder in Little Rock.

Trey Harris of Little Rock Christian chose the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville over a baseball scholarship offer from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and football offers from Air Force and Missouri Western. Harris (5-10, 160 pounds) is the sixth player from the state to verbally commit or sign with Arkansas in the high school Class of 2018.

“I’ve always wanted to be a Hog since I started playing baseball,” Harris said. “They’ve always had a very good program.”

Harris was a football standout as a senior with 70 receptions for 1,184 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he also began to blossom as a baseball player last fall while playing for the Arkansas Sticks travel team. With the Sticks, Harris batted .408 and was successful on all eight stolen base attempts.

As a junior, Harris helped Little Rock Christian to the Class 5A state semifinals. The playoff run included Harris’ game-winning home run off Watson Chapel pitcher Kaleb Hill, who is signed to play at Ole Miss.

Arkansas coaches offered Harris after he participated in a team camp last month. Verbal commitments are not binding.

DIVING

Schultz claims weekly honor again

After a record-breaking performance at the Tennessee Diving Invitational last weekend, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville freshman diver Brooke Schultz was named the SEC Diver of the Week on Tuesday for the fifth time this season.

Schultz broke her own school record on the 3-meter platform for the third time this season, scoring a 383.40 to win the event at the invite. It was her fifth school record this season, since she had already twice broken the 1-meter record.

SOFTBALL

SAU picked to win GAC

Southern Arkansas University was chosen Tuesday as the preseason favorite to win the Great American Conference championship.

Southern Arkansas, coming off its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament, received six of the 12 first-place votes and finished with 112 points in the voting. Harding University, which won the regular-season and tournament championships last season, received three first-place votes and finished with 104 points to finish second in the poll.

Arkansas Tech University also received three first-place votes and finished with 102 points to come in third, followed by Henderson State University (87 points) and the University of Arkansas-Monticello (81 points). Ouachita Baptist University finished with 47 points in a tie for eighth place.

VOLLEYBALL

Lakeside coach hired to lead OBU

Hot Springs Lakeside Coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer will return to her college alma mater as she was named Tuesday to replace Danny Prescott at Ouachita Baptist.

Frizzell-Kizer served as a graduate assistant under Prescott after serving as a team captain in all four years as a player. She was a first-team all-conference selection and the Gulf South Conference West Freshman of the Year in 2010.

Frizzell-Kizer earned 5A-South Coach of the Year honors in each of her four seasons at Hot Springs Lakeside, where she also taught mathematics and coached girls soccer for three seasons.

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