PBC tournaments begin April 15

By Myra Frederick
Staff Writer

Three of UNCP’s sports team will participate in separate Peach Belt Tournaments beginning April 15. The Braves’ women’s tennis team, along with the Braves’ softball and golf teams will be competing in tournaments, respectively.

Lady Braves Tennis

The Braves’ tennis team will be competing in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament at University of South Carolina-Spartanburg beginning April 15. The Lady Braves will go into the tournament with a 13-12 record.

Head coach Robin Langley said that all of the six ladies are scheduled to play in the tournament. The players will play singles and doubles. Langley also said that the team is focusing a great deal on their upcoming doubles matches.

“Our goal is to basically get two out of three doubles,” Langley said. If the ladies win two points in the doubles’ division, then they will only need three points in the singles’ division to win the game.

The doubles’ games are very essential to the Braves’ winning strategy. Their doubles matches are somewhat different from the other teams in the conference.

“We tend to play a more aggressive form of doubles,” Langley said.

The ladies use the doubles’ matches as an energy and confidence booster. “The girls have a lot more confidence going into the singles matches,” Langley said of when the ladies go into single matches following doubles matches.

Overall, the Lady Braves are hoping to go to the tournament to retrieve some of the matches that they lost during the season against the Francis Marion Patriots and the Augusta State Jacquars. It is not yet known who the Braves will go up against first but it is known that the Braves must play their game and play it well.

“We are looking to play consistently,” Langley said. “We have been losing too many games.”

The tennis tournament will end on April 17.

Lady Braves Softball

The Braves’ softball team will compete in the Peach Belt Conference softball tournament April 16-18. The tournament will also be at USC-Spartanburg. The softball team currently has an overall win-loss record of 17-26. They have a conference record of 4-14.

Head coach Steve Johnson hopes to up their conference record upon entering the tournament.

“Hopefully, we can be 7-13 going into the tournament,” Johnson said.

The team will continue to play as they have this season moderating their game play between their offense and defense, according to Johnson.

The softball team wants to first look at winning two or three games, according to Johnson. The team has never advanced in the tournament and this year they would like to turn that around.

“Six or seven freshmen are starting full time,” Johnson said.

Johnson also mentioned freshman Nicole McCorkle as their number one pitcher. McCorkle was named the Peach Belt Conference’s Pitcher of the Week earlier this month.

Above all, the softball team would like to win. Johnson said there is no team in particular that they would like to beat.

“We want to beat all of them,” Johnson said.

The team, along with McCorkle, certainly have the potential to go far in the tournament.

Braves Golf

The UNCP golf team will contend in the Peach Belt Conference golf tournament on Sunday April 18. Clayton State University of Morrow, Georgia will host the tournament.
The UNCP golf team is presently in good standing in the conference. The men recently finished sixth place at the Carolina Sands Intercollegiate on April 3-4. Head coach John Haskins said the team is doing a good job.

“We have a couple of guys that are doing well,” Haskins said.

Among the names that Haskins pointed out were juniors Rex Willoughby and Greg Dobbins and freshman Mark Long. Willoughby has a stroke average of 74.4. Following close behind, Dobbins has a stroke average of 75.3 and Long has an average of 75.2.

“Everybody on the team has different things to work on,” Haskins said of his team as a whole.

All of the men will be playing in the tournament. Haskins also said that some of the men face the possibility of being named All-Conference players.

The golf team is also seeking to go to the upcoming NCAA Regional golf tournament. The key to the men getting to the NCAA Regional golf tournament and succeeding in the Peach Belt Conference tournament is winning continuously.

“We are trying to be as consistent as we can,” Haskins said.

The UNCP team will put their best foot forward and attempt to make something spectacular happen in Georgia.

“We just want to go down there and do the best we can,” Haskins said.
The upcoming golf tournament will conclude on Tuesday April 20.