From staff reports
On Wednesday, Davie County baseball coach Mike Herndon announced two upcoming signings and an ACC verbal commitment.
Pitcher Ryan Foster (8-2, 1.07 ERA, 66 Ks) plans to make things official with UNC Wilmington on Monday. Foster batted .358 with three homers and 24 RBIs as a junior. He gave a verbal commitment to the Seahawks in July.
Corey Randall, a pitcher and first baseman, plans to sign with UNC Asheville on Monday. He was 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA and batted .425 with eight homers and 27 RBIs as a junior. He verbally committed to the Bulldogs in July.
New War Eagle Matt Vernon has verbally committed to N.C. State.
The junior infielder is a transfer from Forsyth Country Day where he helped the Furies win the 3A NCISAA championship last season.
Vernon has grown up in Davie County. A key reason for him playing for the War Eagles this spring is that FCD’s longtime coach Andy Partin resigned after last season.
Vernon has power, speed and a good throwing arm. He’ll likely play shortstop for Herndon this spring, but he projects as a third baseman or second baseman in the ACC.
Hoops signings
Teven Jones, an A.L. Brown grad playing this season at Fishburne Military School, officially signed with Virginia on Monday.
Jones averaged 21.6 points as a senior for the Wonders.
Jones is making the transition to point guard at Fishburne and had 13 assists in a little over a half in the Caissons’ opening game.
Mooresville’s Shawn Lester, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 18 points and 5 assists, signed with the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday.
College hoops
The Catawba, Livingstone and Pfeiffer men’s basketball teams will be joined in this year’s season-opening Shootout event by Morris.
On Friday, Catawba plays Pfeiffer at 6 p.m. at Livingstone’s New Trent Gym, with the Blue Bears taking on Morris at approximately 8 p.m.
Saturday’s games are scheduled for 3 and 5 p.m. at New Trent Gym, with Friday’s winners meeting for the championship at 5.
College football
Mars Hill and Lenoir-Rhyne enter Saturday’s SAC games tied for first place and ranked in the Southeast Region. Mars Hill is ranked second behind Delta State, while L-R is eighth.
Ranked 23rd nationally in D-II, Mars Hill closes the regular season against Carson-Newman at home.
Lenoir-Rhyne is at Catawba on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The regional rankings are the official poll used by the Division II committee for the selection of playoff teams. Access to the playoffs is earned by finishing in the top six of the final region rankings and does not require a team to have won its conference championship.
A conference is guaranteed a spot in the playoff field only if one of its members finishes in the top eight in the regional rankings.
Livingstone’s Terry Anderson, a freshman from Newark, N.J., was named to the All-CIAA first team and to the league’s All-Rookie team as a kick returner.
Anderson ranks 15th in Division II in kickoff returns.
Livingstone’s sophomore linebacker Tyheim Pitt made the All-CIAA second team. He ranks fourth in the CIAA and 19th in D-II in tackles.
College volleyball
Catawba volleyball will carry a No. 5 ranking in the Southeast Region into this weekend’s SAC tournament at Lincoln Memorial.
Wingate is ranked first in the region, with Lincoln Memorial fourth, Tusculum sixth, Newberry seventh and Lenoir-Rhyne eighth.
Pfeiffer’s women’s volleyball season ended at 10-15 with a 3-0 loss to Erskine in the Conference Carolinas Tournament.
College lacrosse
Meredith announced Wednesday that it is adding lacrosse as a sport for the 2012-13 academic year.
Prep soccer
Shelby (23-1) continued its march in the 2A soccer playoffs with a 2-0 win against Black Mountain Owen on Wednesday.
Shelby got goals from Michael Cheaney and Tyler Williams in a span of 66 seconds in the first half.
Shelby and Salisbury (21-1-1) will be favored to win again on Saturday. If both powers advance, they’ll clash in next week’s West final.
Shelby is ranked second in 2A behind Carrboro, which is still alive in the East bracket. Shelby’s lone loss this season was to T.C. Roberson, which is still contending for the 4A title.
Salisbury is ranked fourth.
Prep football
Today only, A.L. Brown is pre-selling tickets for Friday’s home playoff game. Sales are from 11:30-1:30. The cost is $7 in advance or at the gate. Gates will open Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Golden Games
Salisbury native Michael Edwards, 64, recently brought home seven medals in track and field at the Golden Age Games held in Sanford, Fla.
The Golden Age games are the nation’s oldest senior games.
Edwards also recently won two gold medals in the Gainesville, Fla., Senior Games. He will be participating in the Florida State Games in Lakeland next month.
A Boyden graduate, Edwards works for the Department of Defense as the Health Education Program Manager at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga.