by Megan Murray
sports editor
As the semester comes to a close, so does the season for all spring sports. Perhaps no one understands the true meaning of this more than the seniors. All the seniors offered dedication, diligence and leadership to Millsaps College, and will leave their mark for Major athletics and future Major athletes.
Millsaps baseball has eight seniors this year. They have helped propel the Majors to an impressive 25-7 overall record and the opportunity to host the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Southern Athletic Association.
Photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information
Bryce Blackburn is an infielder from Collierville, Tennessee. He has played in 61 career games with an overall fielding percentage of .930.
William Chenoweth is from Houston, Texas, and an outfielder and pitcher for the Majors. He records a career batting average of .302, with 10 home runs and 132 total hits. He has played in 138 games, including 28 appearances from the mound with a record of 4-1.
From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Samuel (Sammy) Doucet played shortstop and pitched for the Majors. In the 2013 season, he was named to the First team All-SAA team as a shortstop. In his 149 career games, he tallied 173 hits and a .324 batting average, with a whopping 72 double plays turned in the field.
Annon Etheridge is an infielder from Brandon, Mississippi. He has a career fielding percentage of .951 in his 95 total games. He also recorded 84 hits in his 254 career at bats.
Smokey Ethridge is from Collinsville, Mississippi, and is a right-handed pitcher. He has started in a career 23 games, with an overall record of 9-8. He has pitched five complete games and 142.2 innings in his two-year career at Millsaps. He has an outstanding 108-27 strikeouts to walks ratio and a 2.46 career earned run average.
From Winona, Mississippi, West Hammond is a pitcher for the Majors. He appeared in 51 games on the mound. In his 105 innings, Hammond recorded 5.31 strikeouts per game and a 4.11 overall earned run average.
Colin Peak is a right-handed pitcher from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He pitched in 15 games for the Majors. He also recorded an impressive 6.97 strikeouts per game.
Keith Shumaker is from Brandon, Mississippi, and plays infield and pitches for Majors. In his sophomore season, he was selected SAA and South Region Player of the Year as well as First team All-American. He was also named to the First team All-SAA his junior year. In his 169 career games for the Majors, Shumaker recorded 245 hits, 10 home runs and an outstanding .364 career batting average. On the mound, he pitched 228 innings with an overall earned run average of only 3.00.
The Majors men’s lacrosse team has an overall record of 3-11 this season. Four seniors help advanced the Majors to a win on Senior Day last weekend.
Photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information
Scott Budd is from Harrisonburg, Virginia, and is an attacker for the Majors. In his 57 games played, he tallied 81 goals and 17 assists. He also added 63 ground balls to his career statistics.
Jake Kaple is a midfielder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He played in 55 games for the Majors and recorded 149 ground balls. He also forced 95 turnovers.
From Ft. Myers, Florida, Will Oakley plays defense for the Majors. In his 38 games, Oakley forced 12 turnovers and recorded 10 ground balls. He was also 6-31 in face off opportunities.
Greyson Smothers plays defense for the Majors and is from right here in Jackson. He helped the Majors on defense during his career.
Two seniors helped propel the Majors men’s tennis team to an overall record of 14-3 this season. They will travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, next weekend to compete in the SAA Conference tournament.
Photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information
Emerson Brundick is from Jacksonville, Florida. In his junior season, Brundick was named Second team All-SAA, with a 16-3 record in singles. He also teamed with Rees to go 11-8 in doubles.
Charles Rees is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was named to Second team All-SAA his junior season. Rees was also recognized as a three-time Academic All-conference and won the Huntingdon tournament sportsmanship award. He had a 10-8 record at number one singles his junior season.
The Majors men’s track and field team enjoyed a good season with the help of four seniors.
Chucky Hayden is a sprinter for the Majors from Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the Rhodes College Invitational, Hayden recorded the fourth fastest time in the 400 meter sprint by any SAA athlete this season, with a time of 51.26.
Travis Hebeler is from Dallas, Texas, and is a distance runner for the Majors. As a junior, Hebeler had the 12th fastest time in the SAA for the 3,000 meter steeplechase, recording a time of 10.31.18. He also placed tenth overall at the 2014 SAA Conference meet.
Sam Martin is a distance runner from Jackson, Mississippi. As a freshman, he placed sixteenth in conference in the steeplechase, with a time of 11:01. He also set a personal record during his junior season in the 5K, running 18:37.
Ben Parva, from Kingwood, Texas, runs distance for the Majors. He was named three-time All-conference Academic team. He was also the first male distance runner to receive All-Conference honors, being named All-Conference Honorable mention in his junior season. Parva placed third in the 2014 conference meet at the 10K distance, with a time of 33.15.93.
Garrett Barnes is the sole senior for the Majors men’s golf team. He is from Biloxi, Mississippi. In his sophomore season, Barnes led the Majors in fairways hit with 68.7 percent. He also helped lead his freshman class to be ranked twenty-fifth in NCAA division III.
Photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information
The Millsaps women’s lacrosse team has three seniors who have helped lead the Majors to an 8-4 overall record.
Kendall Fann is a midfielder from Birmingham, Alabama. She was named All-Conference honorable mention in her junior season, scoring 11 goals in 12 games. Fann is also co-captain of the team this season and has recorded 35 ground balls on the season.
Sarah Gaudet is from Covington, Louisiana, and plays defense for the Majors. She was named a core leader this season. She also tallied 16 ground balls and forced eight turnovers.
Kelsey Ingraham, from Greenwich, Connecticut, plays attack for the Majors. She is also a core leader for the Majors. She scored 13 goals and added 10 assists in her senior season. Ingraham also recorded 15 ground balls and forced 10 turnovers.
The Majors women’s tennis team had only one senior this season. The team has an overall record of 7-9 with a conference record of 3-2.
Photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information
Deena Li Kam Wa is from Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. As a junior, she went 17-1 at number one singles. She was also elected to SAA First team and All-Academic All-Conference. Li Kam Wa made the Sweet 16 at the NCAA national tournament in her junior season.
Women’s track and field has had a successful season thanks to the help of four seniors.
Susan Fasano is a distance runner from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was an All-Academic All-Conference her sophomore season. She also has the sixth fastest time in the SAA this season in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, posting a time of 12.45.40.
Jenna Johnson is a thrower for the Majors from Brandon, Mississippi. She finished second at the conference meet last season in hammer. She is also tops on the SAA leaderboard this season in both the discus and hammer throws.
Melinda Solomon, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, runs distance for the Majors. She was named Academic All-Conference her sophomore and junior seasons. She placed fifth in the 2014 championship meet in the 10,000 meter distance, with a personal best time of 43:02. She also posted the fourteenth faster time in the SAA this season at the 5,000 meter run with a time of 20.16.69.
Mikaela Thurber is a distance runner from Mandeville, Louisiana. She was named Academic All-Conference her freshman year. This season, Thurber ranks ninth in the conference in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meter runs.
Congratulations to all these spring season seniors. They have continued the reputation for excellence in academics and athletics for Millsaps College. The Purple & White wishes the best of luck to all graduating athletes.