Whiteville’s Shaun Kirk now considering Kentucky; NC State still in the picture

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — Whiteville basketball standout Shaun Kirk made a verbal commitment to play basketball at NC State on Monday, but there’s now confusion as to where Kirk will land. The Whiteville senior plans to visit the University of Kentucky this weekend after head coach John Calipari reached out to Kirk late Monday night.

Ironically the only three schools showing loads of interest are Kentucky, NC State and UNCW. Seahawk head coach Kevin Keatts made an official offer to Shaun Kirk several months ago.

Click the icon above to see Whiteville’s Shaun Kirk in action.

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Tuesday’s High School Scoreboard

SOFTBALL
TRASK 3 – WEST BLADEN 1
LANEY 4 – TOPSAIL 3
WEST BRUNSWICK 16 – HOGGARD 0
NORTH BRUNSWICK 10 – DIXON 2
EAST BLADEN 15 – PENDER 5

BOYS LACROSSE
HOGGARD 19 – ASHLEY 2
LANEY 6 – NEW HANOVER 4

GIRLS SOCCER
WHITEVILLE 9 – SOUTH COLUMBUS 0
TRASK 3 – WEST BLADEN 0

BASEBALL
EAST BLADEN 10 – PENDER 6
TRASK 5 – WEST BLADEN 3
WHITEVILLE 7 – SOUTH ROBESON 3
DIXON 8 – NORTH BRUNSWICK 1
TOPSAIL 10 – LANEY 5 **Click icon above for video, Pirates claim Mideastern title

GIRLS LACROSSE
ASHLEY 8 – HOGGARD 7, FIRST WIN EVER FOR ASHLEY OVER HOGGARD IN GIRLS LACROSSE
TOPSAIL 21 – WEST BRUNSWICK 4

BOYS TENNIS
NEW HANOVER 9 – EAST WAKE 0 **Click icon above for video
CAPE FEAR ACADEMY 9 – COASTAL CHRISTIAN 0

BOYS GOLF
LANEY WON MIDEASTERN CONFERENCE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP **Click to see video

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) —

 Behind the bats of Zach Remillard and Casey Schroeder, 25th-ranked Coastal Carolina dealt UNCW a 5-2 loss on Tuesday at Brooks Field.

The chanticleers (31-13) earned their fourth consecutive win and improved to 12-2 on the road. The Seahawks, meanwhile, dropped their fourth game in their last five to slide to 29-12 overall and 22-6 at home.

Anthony Marks led CCU with two hits, but it was home runs off the bats of Remillard, a two-run shot, and Schroeder that provided the difference making runs. G.K. Young finished with two runs batted in.

Three Chanticleer pitchers combined to limit the Seahawks to two runs on eight hits. Brock Hunter (2-0), the first man out of the bullpen, picked up the win after allowing just one run on three hits and three walks over a season-long 3.1 innings. He finished with four strikeouts.

UNCW freshman starter Austin Eastern (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks over 3.1 innings.

Casey Golden, Gavin Stupienski and Terence Connelly had two hits apiece for the Seahawks, who went 3-for-21 with runners on base.

Up next: The Seahawks cap an annual home-and-home series at Campbell on Wednesday. First-pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.

How it happened: Coastal Carolina broke through in the top of the third when it started a two-out rally. Michael Paez reached base on a UNCW fielding error and moved into scoring position following a walk to Connor Owings. Paez advanced to third on a second UNCW error and scored one batter later on a single by Young. Schroeder then pushed the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run off Easter to lead off the fourth inning.

Inside the box score: Both teams struggled to get any offense going as CCU landed its leadoff hitter on base safely twice … Both teams combined to go 3-for-19 with RISP, UNCW was 2-for-11 … The Seahawks did manage to get their leadoff hitter on base a season-high six times … UNCW was 2-for-11 with two outs while CCU was 3-for-13.

Notes: Whitman Barnes tied his career-high with six strikeouts … Gavin Stupienski extended his on-base streak to 30 games, tying for fifth longest in UNCW history … CCU reliever Bobby Holmes struck out five of the eight Seahawks he faced … Corey Dick and Terence Connelly pushed their modest hitting streaks to five games.

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) —

First-Team All-CAA women’s basketball selection Kelva Atkins and men’s soccer scoring phenom Jamie Dell received the Thomas V. Moseley Awards as UNCW’s top student-athletes for 2014-15 at Tuesday’s Athletic Awards Banquet at the Burney Center.

In other major awards, Alyssa Ritchie (women’s tennis) and Zach Hublitz (men’s tennis) collected the Chancellor’s Cup Awards for Athletic and Academic Excellence, Meredith Peacock (volleyball)  received the Soaring Seahawk Award, the softball team earned the Team Leadership Award, and the men’s soccer team collected the inaugural athletic director’s award.

A senior from Stem, N.C., Atkins earned First-Team All-CAA honors this past season to cap a stellar career. The three-year letter winner played in 93 games during her career with the Seahawks and concluded her career at the school’s fifth all-time scorer with 1,329 points.

The fleet-footed playmaker is one of three players in the program’s history with at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds, 250 steals and 150 steals. She was the CAA’s third leading scorer in 2014-15 and scored at least 20 points eight times, including a 40 point outburst vs. Charleston Southern on Dec. 20 at Trask Coliseum.

Dell led the Seahawk men’s soccer team to one of the best seasons in school history. The striker from Chapel Hill scored 10 goals as the Seahawks went 13-5-2 to win the CAA regular season crown and earn the school’s first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Dell, who became UNCW’s first men’s soccer All-American since 2009, powered the Seahawks past Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament to cap a season that included six game-winning goals in a spectacular senior campaign.

Ritchie, a senior from Franklin, Ohio, was presented the Chancellor’s Cup for her work on the court and in the classroom. She went 14-3 in singles this spring and earned First-Team All-CAA honors in singles and All-Academic honors for the successful women’s tennis team.

Ritchie was near perfect in the classroom, compiling a 3.971 grade point average as a biology major. A regular on the Dean’s List, the Honors student was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma and was active in the Sigma Alpha Lambda leadership organization.

Like Ritchie, Hublitz excelled academically during his senior year on the tennis team. He earned CAA All-Academic honors after posting a 3.89 GPA in accounting. The Vienna, Va., netter, who completed an internship with the prestigious firm of Ernst & Young, played a key role as UNCW earned the top seed in the CAA Tournament and advanced to the CAA semifinals for the eighth consecutive season.

Peacock, a junior middle blocker from Charlotte, N.C., captured the eighth Soaring Seahawk Award, which is presented to an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to their team and exhibited good sportsmanship and conduct.

Peacock ranked fifth in the nation in blocks per set and was the only junior to earn First-Team All-CAA accolades. She became UNCW’s career block assist leader this past season and collected AVCA East Coast Region Honorable Mention All-America laurels.

For the 15th year, the Team Leadership Award was presented to recognize an athletic team that demonstrated excellent leadership skills through community service, charitable and educational events. The softball team set a school record for home victories with 15 wins while contributing more than 1,000 hours of service to the Wilmington community.

The men’s soccer team was the recipient of the first Athletic Director’s Award following its memorable campaign. The award was introduced to recognize a team that aligns with the department’s strategic goals and the team’s thrilling NCAA season fit the bill. Coach Aidan Heaney’s team scored first against eventual national champion Virginia in the NCAA Second Round before falling to the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.

2014-15 UNCW Athletic Awards Banquet Special Award Winners