By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director
Spring sports are starting and a new sport is emerging in the Centenary athletic department while the final home basketball weekend of the year is here.
STUNT: The program opened its inaugural season this past Saturday with four games versus Southwest Baptist and Connors State in a tournament hosted by Connors State inside Warner Events Center in Warner, Okla.
In game one, the Ladies shut out the Bearcats of SBU (a Division II program) with a 6-0 win. Centenary posted a point in quarter one partner stunts rounds one and two. In the second quarter neither team was able to put points on the board in pyramids and tosses before heading into halftime. In the second half, the Ladies snagged one point in jumps and tumbling during the second routine. To cap off the game, Centenary claimed the partner stunt points in both routines one and two while going 0-0 in jumps and tumbling and pyramids and tosses with the Bearcats.
“We came out the gate strong for our first-ever game,” said Centenary head coach Kaylee King. “The team was excited and of course nervous. We weren’t perfect, but we still played great and got to finally understand what it meant to fully play a game. It made the months of preparation worth it. And to claim a win the first game out was really the cherry on top!
“I am beyond proud of the way our season has started. From the inception of our team, our one goal was to put a point on the board, which doesn’t sound like much to anyone not in the game, but it’s tougher than it looks. So, to go out there and claim two wins and put three other points on the board was beyond my expectations and these Ladies deserve to be celebrated for making history not only by playing but also winning.
“However, the work doesn’t stop there. They have four more tournament weekends ahead of them with some very seasoned teams, but they are capable of continuing this positive trajectory they are on and I look forward to seeing how it plays out.”
Centenary is in action again on Feb. 20 against Hope International and will compete four times that weekend in Warner, Okla.
SOFTBALL: A doubleheader sweep over the Millsaps College Majors started the season in non-conference action on Saturday at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies started with prevailing 4-3 in nine innings and won Game 2 10-3. Centenary won its first two games for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign.
Senior utility Viviana Rivero got off to a hot start as she hit .571 with a .500 OBP and slugged .571 with four hits, four RBI, and a run scored.
Senior Anna Scarbrock pitched a complete Game 1 and allowed just two earned runs and a pair of walks with six strikeouts. She faced 37 batters and threw 106 pitches (74 strikes) as she tossed her 21st career CG.
A doubleheader scheduled Saturday at home against Belhaven has been postponed due to expected inclement weather. The Ladies’ Sunday home DH against Lyon College could also be affected.
BASEBALL: Opening Weekend worked out well with a 2-1 start for the Diamond Gents, who split a pair of games on Sunday afternoon, edging Huntingdon College by a score of 2-1 and falling 5-2 to Rhodes College on the final day of the Gents Classic at Shehee Stadium.
Centenary started with a 10-5 win over the LaGrange College Panthers on Saturday. Centenary was tested by a strong weekend field as LaGrange was receiving votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 poll while Rhodes was ranked 24th.
Centenary opens Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play this weekend at home if the weather cooperates. The Maroon and White welcome Texas Lutheran University to town for a three-game series with the opener set for 6 p.m. on Friday. The Diamond Gents and Bulldogs, who also received votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 poll, hope to conclude the series with a DH on Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m.
Centenary was picked to finish third in the league this season in the preseason coaches’ poll. Centenary has been tabbed to finish fourth or better in the conference in each of the last nine seasons.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: The Ladies (2-18, 1-11 SCAC) have dropped nine straight and are 1-9 at home this season. Centenary will play its final two home games thus weekend against Colorado College on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and St. Thomas on Sunday at noon.
Freshman Shyanne Phillips had another big weekend for the Ladies as she posted double-doubles in both contests. She averaged 14 points, 16 rebounds and totaled three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. She has 10 double-doubles this season and scored in double figures 11 times.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: The Gents (6-15, 4-8 SCAC) are in a seven-game skid and are 5-8 at home heading into the last two Gold Dome appearances Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
Junior guard Quentin Beverly averaged 24 points over the weekend highlighted by a career-high tying 32 points on Sunday. Beverly made 10 treys, averaged 37.5 minutes/game, and had five rebounds, three steals, and an assist in two games last weekend. Beverly has scored 20+ six times this season.
SWIMMING: The Ladies and Gents finish their seasons in the annual SCAC Championships in Garland, Texas beginning today and concluding on Saturday inside the Garland ISD Natatorium.
Centenary will be joined by Austin College, Colorado College, McMurry, Southwestern, Ozarks, Trinity, and St. Thomas.
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu