By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
Area athletes update …
Two players from the area are rated among their organization’s top 10 prospects by Baseball America.
Jerry Sands (Catawba) is listed as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ No. 1 power prospect and the No. 6 prospect in the organization.
Baseball America projects Sands as a future starter in left field for the Dodgers.
Infielder Kyle Seager (NW Cabarrus, UNC) is ranked as the No. 9 prospect in Seattle’s organization.
Both are coming off tremendous minor league seasons. Seager batted .345 and scored 126 runs in 135 games in advanced A ball.
Sands belted 35 homers while batting .301 and stealing 18 bases in 20 attempts at the A and Double A levels.
n Pitcher Zach Ward (A.L. Brown) has signed with the Grand Prairie (Texas) AirHogs of the independent American Association.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Charlotte has been voted the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10.
The 49ers’ roster includes East Rowan products Corbin Shive, Justin Roland and Ross Steedley and Northwest Cabarrus grad Justin Seager.
PRO BASKETBALL
Carlos Dixon (South Rowan) led his team in Okinawa to a recent 98-96 overtime win with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Dixon is averaging a team-best 14.3 points a game.
FOOTBALL
Linebacker SaMario Houston (Catawba) signed with the Carolina Speed of the Southern Indoor Football League. The 220-pound Houston has had previous stints in Europe and Canada.
Houston was the SAC Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2002.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Charlotte sophomore K.J. Sherrill (West Rowan) shot 4-for-4 from the field in Saturday’s 83-67 loss to Duquesne.
nDoug Campbell (Salisbury) scored a team-high 16 points for Rio Grande on Friday in a 91-70 loss to Georgetown, Ky.
nDarius Moose (Carson) scored nine points for Brevard in Saturday’s 65-49 loss to Wingate.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Tallahassee Community College freshman Bubbles Phifer ([0x13]Salisbury) scored a career-high 16 points in 64-54 upset of Gulf Coast Community College, the nation’s 4th-ranked junior college, on Saturday.
nRashonda Mayfield (West) scored 11 points for Voorhees in a 77-56 win against Morris on Thursday. Mayfield also had nine assists and five rebounds.
SWIMMING
UNC Wilmington’s Tanner Lowman (East) placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 200 breast as the Seahawks beat South Carolina.
PRO GOLF
Elliot Gealy (Salisbury) earned his Nationwide card in December at PGA Qualifying School and will return to competitive golf when the Nationwide Tour begins play in late February in Panama.