Centenary Athletics: Spring 2022 Recap

A conference tournament championship, an NCAA tournament berth, a handful of prestigious individual conference, regional, and national honors … An impressive 89 student-athletes named to the Dean's List and six named to the SCAC Spring All-Sportsmanship teams- what a spring it was!

Now that the book has closed on the 2021-22 Centenary College athletics season with the completion of all spring sports, let's take a look back at all of their highlights here:

BASEBALL:

The Diamond Gents won the 2022 SCAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship for just the second time in the division III era (2012-present). Centenary's memorable season came to an end on May 21 in LaGrange, Ga. when the Diamond Gents fell 14-9 to the Panthers after dropping a pair of games the day before to lose the "best of five" series 3-0. Centenary claimed the SCAC title on May 8 in Cleburne, Texas with a 10-5 victory over nationally-ranked Trinity.

Ten Diamond Gents earned All-SCAC honors this past season and seven were named to the 2022 SCAC Championship all-tournament team. Centenary finished 27-19 overall and 14-7 in SCAC play and its 27 wins are the third-most in a single season in the D3 era (2012-present). The Diamond Gents' 12-8 win over Trinity on May 7 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament was head coach Mike Diaz's 275^th win the program. He won his 250^th game on Feb. 6 with a 6-2 home win over Willamette University. Centenary, one of the top offensive teams in the nation all season, recorded 10+ hits in a game 31 times and scored 10 or more runs 18 times. The Diamond Gents started the season 6-8 but went on a 21-9 run entering the NCAA Tournament.

Senior 1B/RHP Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) finished his stellar career by reaching three individual milestones this season – 200 hits, 150 RBI, and 150 strikeouts on the mound. The versatile and dynamic Ludwick earned First-Team All-SCAC honors at first base, earning first-team all-conference honors for the third time in his decorated career and was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Team, earning first-team honors as a utility player.

Ludwick, the leading hitter in the conference (.405) ranked in the top 10 in the conference in multiple statistical categories and was the team leader in batting average, hits, walks, doubles, RBI, and on-base percentage. He was also one of Centenary's top pitchers this season, going 5-4 with a team-leading 13 starts. He became just the fourth player in the current division III era (2012-present) in program history to record 200 or more hits in a career and also became the 46th SCAC baseball player to reach 200 hits in his career. 

Freshman LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) was sensational this past season as he turned in one of the most statistically dominant seasons in program history and piled up an impressive collection of individual awards:

SCAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year

First-Team All-SCAC selection.

D3baseball.com West All-Region Team – First Team

D3baseball.com West All-Region Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year

ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Team - Second Team

Two-time SCAC Pitcher of the Week recipient

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Rookie of the Week on March 31.

Herrera finished in the top 10 in the country in ERA (1.59) and went 7-1 with two complete games. Herrera, whose ERA was under 1.00 for most of the season, made 16 appearances and nine starts and in 73.2 innings pitched allowed just 13 earned runs and 61 hits with 25 walks and 59 strikeouts. Herrera is the only Centenary player in the division III era (2012-present) to win both the conference Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same season. He tied former Centenary star Taylor Henry for the lowest ERA in a season by any Centenary pitcher in the D3 era.

Junior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) was one of the top pitchers in the conference all season and earned First-Team All-SCAC honors as the Relief Pitcher and was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Team (Third Team). Primeaux went 9-6 with a 4.09 ERA and had three saves and a pair of complete games.

He led the team in wins, saves, innings pitched (83.2), strikeouts (81) and was tied for the lead in complete games. He made a team-high 22 appearances including eight starts and allowed just 73 hits and 46 runs (38 earned) with only 20 walks. He ranked in the top five in the SCAC in ERA, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Primeaux picked up the save in Centenary's 2-1 win over Texas Lutheran on May 6 in the 2022 SCAC Tournament and now has 13 career saves as he is just four away from the D3 era career record.

GYMNASTICS:

It was a bittersweet season for the Ladies as head coach Jackie Fain retired after 11 successful seasons at the helm. Brittany Harris will take over for Fain in 2023.

The Ladies began their 2022 season in the national spotlight, as they faced nationally-ranked and annual powerhouse LSU in a dual meet televised live on the SEC Network in Baton Rouge on Jan. 7 and the season was capped by five Ladies competing at the USAG Collegiate Nationals hosted by Cornell University in April

Senior Kendall Sanders (Spring Branch, Texas) and junior Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, Tenn.) were each named First-Team All-Americans at the USAG Collegiate Nationals as Sanders earned her honors in the All-Around as she placed third with a 38.100 score while Wilson earned hers on bars, finishing in a tie for fifth place with a 9.825 score. The two were joined by three of their teammates, junior Leilani Johnson (Wichita, Kan.), junior Kendall Huff (Riviera, Texas), and freshman Emma Lavelle (Mandeville, La.).

The All-American honors were the second set for both Sanders and Wilson this past season after each were each named First-Team Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division III Regular Season All-Americans. Sanders was honored for the second-straight season by USA Gymnastics after she earned first-team distinction on both the floor and in the all-around as a junior. She was named an All-American by the WCGA three times in her decorated career.

All-American Xian Baumgartner (Albuquerque, N.M.), Kendall Knaps (Prairieville, La.), Madison McCary (Ozark, Mo.), and Sanders were all honored in March on Senior Night at the Gold Dome. Centenary earned its highest team score of the season as the Ladies posted a 191.575, also Centenary's best score since earning a 192.300 on March 12, 2021 against TWU also on Senior Night. Five Ladies set or tied career highs in the meet, highlighted by a new career high in the All-Around (38.875) by Sanders as she claimed her third AA title of the season. Centenary also recorded its highest score on floor (48.575) since the 2018 season and highest vault score (48.275) since 2015.

The Ladies finished fifth in the 2022 Midwest Independent Conference Championships in March in Denton, Texas as they recorded a 189.350 team score.

Sanders was named to the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All‐America At‐Large Team in June, earning a spot on the first team preceded by being named to the 2021‐22 Academic All‐District® Women's At‐Large Team in May. Sanders was one of just 16 student-athletes across the country in division III to be named to the All-America first team and one of only 46 in total to earn the prestigious and exclusive honor.

LACROSSE:

The Gents closed their 2022 season with a dominant 17-3 non-conference victory over the Warren Wilson College Owls on April 15 as they finished with four wins in the final five games. Centenary went 4-7 overall this season and finished 4-1 on the road this season. The Gents recorded a 16-12 win over the Huntingdon College Hawks on April 13 in Montgomery, Ala. and wasted no time in establishing a new season high in goals in the season finale, scoring a whopping 33 goals in the final two games.

Sophomore D Matthew Lulich (New Orleans, La.) was named to the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference (HCLC) second team. Lulich, one of the conference's top defensive players, started all 11 games and recorded 27 ground balls (third on team), 17 caused turnovers, and one assist. 

Junior John-Mark Waniewski (Bossier City, La.) was named to the conference's Spring Sportsmanship Team and also excelled and impressed on the field as he ranked second on the team with 21 goals and added three assists for a total of 24 points, third-most on the team.

Sophomore M/A Jordan Cook (Bryant, Ark.) scored a team-best 25 goals and added eight assists for 33 points, freshman A G'Colby Spivey (Dallas, Texas) turned in a stellar rookie season with 20 goals, five assists, and 25 points, and fellow freshman, A Braxton Parchman (Shreveport, La.) finished with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 total points. Junior M/A Kyle Comi (Allen, Texas) had 12 goals and six assists (18 points) while freshman MF Marc Mackey (Houston, Texas) finished the season with 10 goals and five assists for 15 points.

MEN'S GOLF:

The Gents finished seventh at the 2022 SCAC Championships in Blanco, Texas highlighted by a third-place individual finish from junior Richard Polan (Brno, Czech Republic) as he shot a 1-under par 215. Polan was one of just four golfers to finish at or under par for the event and earned First-Team All-SCAC honors with his top-three finish. Polan recorded his first-career victory this past season at the 2022 Rhodes Spring Classic and now owns six-career top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. Polan, named SCAC Men's Golfer-of-the-Week, after his win, was named to the CoSIDA Academic All‐District At‐Large Team which recognizes the nation's top student‐athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. Sophomore Andrew Bennett (Bossier City, La.) recorded four top-20 finishes this season. While fellow sophomore Ricky Blair (Bossier City, La.) recorded five top-30 finishes.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD:

Sophomore Devante' Jack (Jena, La.) splashed onto the national scene this past season as he ran a conference-record time of 1:52.37 in the men's 800-meters at the 2022 SCAC Championships in San Antonio. Jack became the first Centenary student-athlete ever to win an event at the SCAC Championships and bested several athletes from Division I schools and his 1:52.37 at the time was the 15^th-fastest time run all season in division III. He missed out in his final attempt competing in the 800-meter run to qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in May but overall had a stellar season as he recorded two individual wins, a runner-up finish, four top-10 finishes, and was named the SCAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week following his win at the conference meet. He was also named the 2022 SCAC Newcomer of the Year.

Centenary recorded 11 top-15 individual finishes as well as eight top-five finishes men and women combined this season under first-year head coach Joseph Moses Jr. Freshman Madeline Vacula (Belton, Texas), junior Sydney Bascomb (Mesquite, Texas), senior Veronica Dougherty (McAllen, Texas), and sophomore Coby Harris (Lafayette, La.) all turned in solid individual seasons for the Maroon and White.

SOFTBALL:

The Ladies finished 15-21 and 7-14 in SCAC play and made their sixth-consecutive appearance in the SCAC Tournament. Four Ladies earned spots on the 2022 All-SCAC Team - sophomore RF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) was named First-Team All-SCAC as an outfielder, earning a spot on the First Team for the second season in a row, senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) was named Second-Team All-SCAC, and junior SS/LF Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.) and junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) were each named Honorable-Mention All-SCAC. Cox and Lewis were both named to the SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team.

Centenary, led by head coach Whitney Patterson, had one of its best offensive seasons in the division III era (2012-present) as the Maroon and White top five or better single-season marks for batting average, on-base percentage, RBI, and slugging percentage. The Ladies also stole 56 bases and were only caught four times all season. Cox stole 35 and was only caught twice and became the program leader in stolen bases in a season and in a career in the division III era (2012-present) in April and now has an impressive 56 in 62 career attempts. 

Freshman Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.) was named SCAC Pitcher of the Week once during the season, Lewis was named the SCAC Hitter of the Week once, and both Cox and Lewis were named to the 2022 SCAC All-Tournament Team.

WOMEN'S GOLF:

The Ladies finished sixth at the 2022 SCAC Championships in Blanco, Texas. Freshman Kiley Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) was the Ladies' top finisher as she tied for 24^th while senior Abigail Hayes (Plano, Texas) finished 27th as she concluded her impressive career with 12 top-25 individual finishes, doing so in nine of her final 11 tournaments. Smith finished in the top 20 in three of the final four tournaments this past season. Senior Lindsay Strohm (McKinney, Texas) and sophomore Madison Wing (Shreveport, La.) joined Smith and Hayes as the Ladies produced the same lineup all season.

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