Nick Morgan – Sports Editor
Baseball
The Asbury University baseball team finished its regular season with a record of 24-20 overall and 15-12 in conference play. The team’s performance this season warranted a spot in the River States Conference (RSC) playoffs — its first berth in the new RSC playoff format.
In the batter’s box, the Eagles were led by the hard-hitting underclassmen duo of sophomore Paul Haupt and freshman Trevor Campbell. The two combined for 107 hits, 71 runs and 77 RBIs. Haupt led the team in home runs this season as well, sending nine balls out of the park. As a team, the Eagles put up a combined batting average of .287 and averaged nearly seven runs a game.
On the mound, Alec Lush, a freshman from Shepherdsville, Kentucky, put on an impressive showing in his first year in the purple and white. The lefty posted a team best 1.48 ERA and won all five of his starts, giving up zero home runs and walking only 18 batters the whole season. The Eagles bullpen had a combined team ERA of 3.98 on the season.
The No. 5 seed Eagles face the No. 2 seed Point Park in the RSC Tournament. The double elimination tournament began May 2 in Chillicothe, Ohio, and will continue through the weekend. Asbury went 1-2 against Point Park in the regular season.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis squad claimed its third consecutive RSC title this year. After starting 2-3, the Eagles went on a tear, winning 11 straight matches to finish 13-3. They have also qualified for the NAIA National Championship that will take place May 14-17 in Mobile, Alabama.
Josh Turnquest, who is ranked No. 21 in the ITA ational rankings, took home his third consecutive RSC Player of the Year award and looks to receive NAIA All-American honors once again. The duo of sophomore Choopat Suvimolstean and senior Aquille Trotman also made headway this year, winning the No. 1 doubles title at the RSC championship in Mason, Ohio.
Joining Turnquest on the RSC All-Conference First Team this season is Suvimolstean. Trotman, sophomore Luiz Gustavo Hartkopf and senior Julian Tellez were all selected to the RSC All-Conference Second Team. Head coach Jarred Miller was also named RSC Coach of the Year.
Men’s Golf
The Asbury men’s golf team took home second place in the RSC Championship after an impressive second day showing at the event. The Eagles finished only five strokes back from Brescia University, the eventual champion.
Freshman Victor Vargas shot par (72) on the afternoon and finished in third place at the RSC championship. Three other Eagles placed in the top twenty; sophomore Gavin Smith, freshman Marcos Ezcurra and senior Ben Campbell took home 12th, 15th and 18th place respectively.
Gavin Smith and Marcos Ezcurra were also awarded All-RSC Second-Team honors. Campbell was also awarded the RSC Champion of Character award.
