Orange Softball

Landon Riley: The Liberty Flames baseball team has won three of its last four games. Former Orange Panthers pitcher Landon Riley had saves in two of them. Last Wednesday, the Flames defeated Radford 4-2 for its first victory of the season at Worthington Field in Lynchburg, VA. Riley had a four-out save, striking out three. He faced five batters. Over the weekend, the Flames took the final two games of its series against Seton Hall. On Saturday, Riley picked up his second save of the season. He threw two-and-two-thirds innings. Riley struck out two, yielded two hits and one earned run. He also appeared in Liberty’s game against Clemson on February 16, a 6-2 Tiger win. In one-and-one-thirds inning, Riley faced six batters. He struck out one and surrendered two hits and one earned run. The Flames are 3-4 and will host Longwood on Tuesday before preparing for a weekend series against Marist.

Brad Debo: The #12 N.C. State baseball team remains undefeated after sweeping Tennessee Tech at Doak Field in Raleigh over the weekend. Debo started as designated hitter in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, a 10-3 Wolfpack win. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the sixth inning. On Sunday, Debo started again and went 0-for-2. N.C. State is 7-0 and will face UNC Wilmington on Tuesday in Raleigh.

Phillip Berger: In his first start for the Division III William Peace Pacers, Berger threw a three-hit shutout (seven innings) as Peace defeated Mary Washington 7-0 at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary on Sunday. Berger struck out five and walked only one. Berger, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in June with 21 career wins, made his first appearance with the Pacers in a 9-1 victory over Brevard on February 8. He struck out the only batter he faced in the first game of a doubleheader. Later that afternoon, Berger threw one-and-two-thirds innings in the second game of the doubleheader, striking out four over one-and-two-thirds innings. He yielded two hits and one run. Berger came out of the bullpen for long relief in a 17-inning marathon against Hampden-Sydney. Peace scored two in the top of the 17th to win 5-3 at Ty Cobb Ballpark in Hampton-Sydney, VA. Berger threw four-and-two-thirds innings, striking out four. He gave up only three hits, one run with no walks. Peace is 8-1.

Montana Davidson: Montana hit her first home run of the season for Mississippi State in its 10-4 victory over San Diego State on Saturday night. Montana went 2-for-5 in a doubleheader that started with a 6-2 loss to BYU in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at Palm Springs, CA. Against the Cougars, Davidson singled in her first at-bat and made a diving catch along the third base line. Montana is hitting .231.

Mia Davidson: Mia hit .294 with a triple and two RBIs over five games in the Mary Nutter Classic. Davidson went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 6-3 victory over UC Riverside. She went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the 10-4 win against San Diego State. Mississippi State is 12-3 overall and will host Central Arkansas on Wednesday.

Icez Barnett: As her freshman year winds down, Barnett continues to start for the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team. On top of that, Chowan has won consecutive games for the first time since the start of 2020. On Wednesday, Chowan defeated Southern Wesleyan 69-58 at Tysinger Gym in Central, S.C. Barnett, who started at forward, scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 12 minutes. She also had two blocks and one steal. On Saturday, Chowan won a thriller over Lees-McRae 71-68 in overtime in Murfreesboro at the Helms Center. Barnett scored three points, grabbed two rebounds, dished out two assists and made two steals in 16 minutes. Chowan is fighting for a spot in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. The Hawks will commemorate senior night against Limestone on Tuesday night. If Chowan wins, they will clinch eighth place and a trip to the conference tournament. The Hawks are 6-19, 6-15 in Conference Carolinas.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team lost to Catawba Valley Community College 62-52 at Tarlton Complex in Hickory on Thursday. Cates started but shot 0-2 from the field. She had three rebounds and five assists. Wake Tech will have its final home game on Monday night (February 24) against South Carolina Faith A&M. The Eagles are 16-7 overall, 9-6 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Photo by HailState.com

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team won the Bulldog Kickoff Classic at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS last weekend. Davidson hit three home runs over five games during the weekend, which ended with a 4-0 victory over Tennessee State on Sunday. Tulsa handed Mississippi State its first loss of the season on Friday. In a 2-1 loss, Davidson scored the Bulldogs only run with a homer to centerfield in the 5h inning. Later that night, Mississippi State defeated North Alabama 6-0. On Saturday, Mississippi State shutout Tennessee State 3-0, then rolled past North Alabama 9-1. Against the Lions, Davidson went 3-for-4 with two home runs. She finished with four RBIs and scored three times. It was the fifth time in her career that Davidson had a multiple home run game. The previous time was against Memphis on April 10, 2019. Davidson had a four RBI game for the sixth time in her career. Davidson has had a hit in seven of Mississippi State’s ten games this year. At 9-1, new Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts is off to the best 10-game start of any coach in school history. Through ten games, Mia is hitting .290 with four home runs and six RBIs. She is 2nd on the team with 23 total bases.

Montana Davidson: In Mississippi State’s loss to Tulsa, Montana went 2-for-3 with two singles. The following day in a 6-0 win over North Alabama, Davidson scored a run in the sixth inning off a single by Christian Quinn. Montana, who played shortstop at Orange, has started all ten games this season for the Bulldogs. She is hitting .231 with two RBIs. Mississippi State starts play Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Spring, CA on Thursday. They open with Oregon State on Thursday. The Bulldogs also play BYU, Oregon, UC Riverside and San Diego State during the three-day event.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State baseball team started its season with a sweep of James Madison last weekend. Debo, who is now a senior, went 1-for-3 as a designated hitter in the Wolfpack’s 4-0 win over the Dukes. Overall, Debo went 2-for-9 for the weekend. N.C. State is 4-0 after Tuesday’s win over Longwood.

Bowen Collins: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team, ranked #17 in the country, defeated Westminster 17-8 Moretz Stadium in Hickory on Friday. Collins, a senior from Hillsborough, scored a man-advantage goal for the Bears in the 2nd quarter, his fourth of the year. Lenoir-Rhyne will face #6 Belmont Abbey in Hickory on Friday night.

Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team defeated Lees-McRae 20-13 at Meares Stadium on February 11. Wright had two shots and scooped up two ground balls for the Lions. On February 15, Lindenwood defeated Mars Hill 23-6. Wright assisted on a goal scored by Devin Napol in the fourth quarter. Mars Hill is 1-2.

Jonathan Hall: Now in his senior year as a runner at Wofford, Hall competed in the VMI Indoor Classic in Lexington, VA last weekend. He reached the semifinals of the 60 meter hurdles and finished 8th with a time of 8.74 seconds. In the Carolina Challenge at the South Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex on January 31, Hall finished 21st in the 60 meter hurdles. In 2018-19, Hall made the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Marvin Jones: The former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Week. Jones, a junior on the North Carolina Central track & field team, won his third high jump competition of the season at the Darius Dixon Memorial at Liberty University on Saturday. Jones had a career-best jump of 2.10 meters. He also won the Camel City Invitational and the JDL January College Kickoff for the Eagles. Jones will compete in the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD starting Thursday.

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State indoor track & field team competed in the Don Kirby Elite Invitational at New Mexico University in Albuquerque, NM. Davis finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 50’6.25″. He has already qualified for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held at South Bend, IN starting February 27.

Braden Homsey: Wrestling at 197 pounds for Division III Ferrum College, Homsey won the Southeast Wrestling Conference Tournament at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL on Saturday. In the championship match, Homsey edged Huntingdon’s Jack Haury 11-10. Homsey scored a technical fall over D.J. Adams of Huntingdon in the opening round and pinned Montana Doty of the University of the Ozarks in 6:14 to reach the finals. Ferrum won the team championship, as well. Homsey is 25-9 with two pins this season.

Icez Barnett: The freshman for the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team earned her first college start on Saturday. Barnett played 16 minutes as King defeated Chowan 72-45. Barnett scored six points off 3-of-7 shooting, and grabbed two rebounds. On February 11, Barton routed Chowan 88-58 in the Helms Center in Murfreesboro. Barnett came off the bench and scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in 17 minutes. Chowan is 4-19, 4-15 in Conference Carolinas. Icez has played in 15 games this season for the Hawks. She has averaged 9.2 minutes per game and has scored 32 points. Chowan will return to action against Southern Wesleyan in Central, S.C. on Wednesday.

Kaylen Campbell: On Saturday, the Division III Trinity Bantams women’s college basketball team defeated Hamilton 74-71 in double overtime at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. It was the New England Small College Athletic Conference regular season finale for Trinity. Campbell came off the bench and played seven minutes. The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the Bantams. On Friday, Campbell scored two points in six minutes as Trinity lost to Amherst 58-53. Trinity concludes the regular season 16-8 and will play at Williams at Williamstown, MA in the opening round of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday. This season, Campbell has played in 19 of the Bantam’s 24 games. She is averaging 11.3 minutes per game and 2.7 points per game.

Lauren Cates: On Thursday, Catawba Valley Community College defeated Wake Technical Community College 62-52. On February 8, Cape Fear Community College beat Wake Tech 90-83. Cates, a freshman guard for Wake Tech, started but didn’t take any shots. In 22 games this season, Cates is averaging 8.7 points per game and shooting 35.3% from the field. Wake Tech is 16-7 overall, 9-6 in Region X.

There’s so much spring sports news between baseball, softball and men’s lacrosse that will have another alumni update early Tuesday morning. It was another strong weekend for Mia Davidson and the Mississippi State Bulldogs softball team. Plus, Brad Debo started his senior season with the N.C. State baseball team and the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team kicked off its season.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team opened the 2020 season by winning the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, FL. The Bulldogs defeated Missouri State 5-0 on Friday, romped past Liberty 9-2 and edged Louisville 3-2 in eight innings on Saturday, then shut out N.C. State 9-0 in five innings on Sunday to clinch the championship. Davidson hit her first home run fo the season against Liberty, a solo blast in the fourth inning. For the weekend, Mia hit .385 for the weekend. She finished 5-for-13. In the season opener against Missouri State, Davidson went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Montana Davidson: Montana started her redshirt junior season by playing all four games this weekend for Mississippi State, as well. Montana went 1-for-2 against Missouri State and had an RBI off a sacrifice fly. She finished .273 with two RBIs. Mississippi State will host Alabama State in hits home opener at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS on Wednesday.

Marvin Jones: The North Carolina Central junior continued a strong season for the Eagles’ indoor track & field team. In the Camel City Invitational at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, Jones won the high jump on Saturday. Jones matched his career-best leap by clearing 2.10 meters. Jones, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2017, has now won the high jump twice and finished second twice this season. He has also qualified for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships, which starts February 20 in Landover, MD. The Eagles will return to action in the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational, hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA on Friday.

Bowen Collins: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team opened its season with a 22-11 victory over Young Harris at Moretz Stadium in Hickory on Saturday. Collins had three goals and two assists for the Bears, who are ranked #16 in Division II. With his first career hat trick, Collins matched his total goal output from all of last season. Collins, a redshirt senior, had five shots, four of them on goal. The Bears face Westminster on Friday in Hickory.

Zach Wright: The former Orange attacker started lacrosse season for the Division II Mars Hill Lions. Montevallo defeated Mars Hill 19-12 at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill on Saturday. Wright scored Mars Hill’s last goal of the third period. He had three shots, two on goal. Mars Hill will host Lees-McRae on Tuesday.

Kaylen Campbell: After starting the year 9-1, the Division III Trinity women’s basketball team has lost three straight. On February 1, Williams defeated the Bantams 83-76 in Williamstown, MA. On Friday, Tufts upended the Bantams 77-61 in Medford, MA. Campbell scored two points and grabbed five rebounds in 16 minutes. Tufts, the top-ranked team in Division III, improved to 21-0. On Saturday, Bates edged Trinity 54-50 in Lewiston, ME. Campbell didn’t score in three minutes of action. Trinity is 15-7 overall, 4-4 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Campbell has played in 17 games this season. She’s averaging 11.9 minutes per game, 2.9 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game. Trinity will host Amherst on Friday in Hartford, CT in an attempt to break its losing streak.

Icez Barnett: Erskine defeated the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team 60-57 on Saturday in Due West, S.C. Barnett didn’t play. Last Tuesday, #21 Belmont-Abbey defeated Chowan 95-84. Barnett scored two points in three minutes. The Hawks are 4-16, 4-12 in Conference Carolinas.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech women’s basketball team edged Bryant & Stratton College 62-59 on Saturday at Maury High School in Norfolk, VA. Cates, who graduated from Orange in 2019, finished with four points, one rebound, two assists and two steals. She shot 1-of-5 from the field. On Wednesday, Louisburg College defeated Wake Tech 80-66 in a game where the two teams combined for seven technical fouls. Cates finished with six points. Wake Tech is 15-5 overall, 8-4 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State indoor track & field team competed at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, TX over the weekend. Davis finished 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 15.38 meters.

Braden Homsey: Over the weekend, the Division III Ferrum Panthers wrestling team finished 16th at the Pete Wilson Invitational at Wheaton University in Wheaton, IL. Homsey came in 7th at 197 pounds, one of three Panthers to place individually. Homsey finished 5-2 with two pins in the tournament. This season, Homsey is 24-9 with two pins.

Next weekend will start the spring sports season for many college across the state. Hillsborough will be represented in baseball, softball and men’s lacrosse. Here are some of the local athletes that will return to action at colleges across the southeast.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State catcher was named a Preseason All-American by Softball America. Davidson, who led Orange to the 2017 3A State Championship, is 10th among active players with 45 home runs in her first two years in Starkville. She led Mississippi State in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBIs and total bases in 2019. Davidson was a top-10 finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year in 2019.

Montana Davidson: Montana will join Mia Davidson for a Mississippi State team that hired Samantha Ricketts as its new head coach in the offseason. After Montana received a medical redshirt during her sophomore season due to a knee injury, she started all 58 games for the Bulldogs in 2019. As a redshirt sophomore, she hit .269 with seven doubles and 21 RBIs. Mississippi State will play Missouri State to start its season on Friday during a weekend series in Clearwater, FL. That series will also include N.C. State, Louisville, and Liberty.

Amy Stutzer: Stutzer, a 2019 Cedar Ridge graduate, will start her softball career at Division III Salem College in Virginia against Southern Virginia on February 14.

Brad Debo: This upcoming season will be the senior campaign for Debo, who was the catcher for four consecutive Big 8 Conference championship teams for the Orange Panthers. Last season for N.C. State, Debo appeared in 59 of the Wolfpack’s 61 games. He hit .242 with 47 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, four homers and 39 RBIs. The Wolfpack will start its season against James Madison on February 14.

Brandon Andrews: Andrews will start his junior season with the Nicholls Colonels against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Thibodaux, LA on February 14. Andrews appeared in 24 games as a pitcher last season for the Colonels. He was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA and two saves.

Jaylin Jones: The Division II Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team has become Hillsborough south. There are three former Orange and Cedar Ridge players who will suit up for the Falcons this year. Jones will start his junior season in Misenheimer. In his sophomore season, Jones made six starts and played in 16 games. He scored two goals and added three assists for the Falcons.

Zach Berry: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper transferred from the Virginia Military Institute to Pfeiffer last season. In his only year at VMI, Berry was between the pipes for five games. He gave up seven goals in 55 minutes and made six saves.

Luke Hernandez: Also now at Pfeiffer. Hernandez played in one game for the Falcons last season. Pfeiffer faces Emmanuel in Franklin Springs, GA on Saturday.

Bowen Collins: A former star at Orange, Collins is now at redshirt senior at Division Lenoir-Rhyne. Last season, Collins played in 15 games for the Bears. He scored seven points with ten shots on goal.

Zach Wright: Now a senior at Division II Mars Hill, Wright had nine goals in 15 games last season. Mars Hill hosts Montevallo on Saturday.

Aidan Poole: A former defenseman at Cedar Ridge, Poole is now at Division III Greensboro College. Greensboro opens its season on February 15 against Virginia Wesleyan at Pride Field in Greensboro.

Featuring Josh Jackson, Jimmy Rogers, Carson Bradsher, Caitlin Carden and Maddie Bartlett

Featuring Marlee Rakouskas, Jaden Hurdle, Rachel Tilley and Ian Johnson.

In this edition of Thanksgiving wishes, we hear from Orange’s Cooper Porter, Grace Andrews and Taylor Montague, along with Cedar Ridge’s Anaya Carter.

“She shall strip her sleeves and show her scars and say these wounds I had. And the good story shall be told from mother to her daughter, for what shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we sisters. For she who sheds her blood with me today shall be my sister.” –From Henry V by William Shakespeare. (The gender language was changed for the purpose of this story)

Overcoming life’s obstacles is the best the human spirit can offer. It’s something Jaden Hurdle has become all too familiar with in her young life.

On Tuesday night, Hurdle sat down at a table inside the Orange High Library flanked by her mother Angie, whom Jaden calls her “personal cheerleader” and “best friend.” Angie isn’t hard to find in the summer. She’s the one sitting in the bleachers wearing a “proud to be her mother” tank top to her daughter’s games.

To Jaden’s left was her father, Ron, whom she called “her hero” that devoted endless hours of practice in their backyard batting cage.

Surrounding them was dozens of longtime friends, family and supporters from the Caldwell community, and throughout Orange County.

Hurdle formally signed with Patrick Henry Community College to play softball in Martinsville, VA, roughly 90 minutes from her home.

Trips to Virginia is second nature for the Hurdle family. Ron drove Jaden to Danville, twice a week, just so she could practice with her travel team through the last five years.

“Patrick Henry is getting a person of the highest character,” said Orange assistant principal Will Okun. “Jaden is somebody who treats people just how they want to be treated. She represents the best of what Orange High is and we’re excited to see what happens next.”

Some people, including Orange Coach Henry Horn, know Jaden only as “J.J.” It was a name that her aunt, Janice Hall, called her as an adolescent. Not even Janice can remember why she called her that to begin with, but it stuck. 

“I want to thank my mom for being my personal cheerleader and being at every one of my games that she could come to,” Hurdle said. “She always had my favorite sacks at every tournament and made sure we had everything we needed.”

As the laughs blended in with the tears during the ceremony, there was no mistaking how much Jaden has overcome to reach the next phase of her life.

Over the course of four years, she’s tore her ACL twice, undergoing surgery again last summer. Hurdle started as a freshman first baseman for the 2017 state championship team, the only female squad to win a state title in Orange history.

She’s a three-time All-Big 8 Conference performer with a career batting average of .437. At Stanford Middle School, Hurdle was the team MVP twice. She was even the Orange “Ag Queen.” 

Of course, in a perfect world, this wouldn’t have been the first time that Jaden would have been an instrumental part of a college signing ceremony. 

But it isn’t a perfect world. 

Her sister, Kacie, was a pitcher for Orange softball who was tragically killed in December 2012. As a tribute, she wears Kacie’s #14.

“She is the face of what adversity is and what it means to be resilient in life,” said Orange assistant coach Amber Palmer, who tried but failed to hold back tears at the podium. “There is no one more deserving of getting this experience than Jayden Hurdle.” 

Because of her most recent surgery, Hurdle’s chances of playing again at Orange are up in the air. Her classmate, Grace Andrews, may take her spot at first base when the season starts in March.

That doesn’t mean she’s done with Orange softball.

Horn plans to have Hurdle around to help Orange’s younger players. 

“It’s been an honor to coach you,” Horn said. “It’s going to be an honor to have you sit on a ball bucket beside me and prep you for college. We’re still going to let you swing a bat. Not in a game, but we’re going to prepare you for college because we owe that for you. You gave us so much more in return.”

Hurdle has a 3.9 grade point average. She is a member of the Link Crew, which supports freshmen starting out at Orange. She is also a member of the Future Farmers of America. 

At the end of her speech, Hurdle remembered her biggest inspiration. 

“I want to thank the coaches who gave me my opportunity to live my dream of being a college athlete and living the dream that my sister was never able to reach,” Hurdle said. “I played for her every time I stepped on the field and dedicate all my hard work to her.”

Orange softball senior Jaden Hurdle signed with Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA on Tuesday night in a ceremony inside Orange High Library. Hurdle is a three-time All-Big 8 Conference performer with a career batting average of .437. As a freshman, Hurdle started at first base for the 2017 3A State Championship team. In the run to the title, Hurdle belted a two-run homer in game one of the Eastern Regional Championship series against West Brunswick. Hurdle was also a two-time Most Valuable Player for the Stanford Chargers in middle school. Tuesday’s ceremony was attended by many of Jaden!s friends and family, including her mother Angie and her father Ron. Also on hand was Orange assistant principal Will Okun, Orange softball coach Henry Horn and assistants Tonya Daye and Amber Palmer.