From staff reports

   East Rowan right-handed pitcher John Owen has signed with Pitt Community College.

Owen is 3-1 this season with an 0.92 ERA. He’s struck out 46 batters and walked two in 30 1/3 innings.

Owen was 10-2 as a junior with a 1.14 ERA. He struck out 68 and walked 13. He won the Patrick Snider Memorial Award as Rowan County Pitcher of the Year and was South Piedmont Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Owen was 6-2 for the Rowan County American Legion team that was national runner-up last summer.

A story on Owen is upcoming.

College football

  Limestone College  and the South Atlantic Conference have announced that the Saints will join the league as an associate member in football and will be eligible for the championship starting in the 2017 season.

Limestone announced the addition of football  on October 31, 2012, and began its first season of competition in 2014.

The Saints started a four-year scheduling agreement with the South Atlantic Conference in 2015, but the program competed as an independent during that time.

The Saints will replace Brevard.

NCHSAA

A total of 19 student-athletes from North Carolina High School Athletic Association member schools will be honored for their outstanding sportsmanship as winners of “Heart of a Champion” recognition.

Each of the NCHSAA member schools had the opportunity to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the recognition. The students must have participated in at least one varsity sport or activity, including cheerleading, during the 2016-17 school year, have not been ejected from any contest, and must have demonstrated outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship during their high school careers.

The students filled out an application questionnaire and then a school official, such as the principal or athletic director, also provided an evaluation.

The students will be honored Saturday at a luncheon at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel-RDU. The award and luncheon is sponsored by NC Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company.

   Heart of a Champion 2016-17 Honorees:

Regan Allen, North Iredell

Nyilah Anderson, C.E. Jordan

Jacqueline Blabon, West Rowan —Nominated by Todd Bell

Emily Childers, North Wilkes

Ryan Darden, High Point Central

Lauren Dulin, High Point Central

Grant Gibson, Mallard Creek

Samara Gibson, Corinth Holders

Toliy Givens, Lincoln Charter

Wilson Hoyle, IV, C.E. Jordan

Henderson Lentz, North Rowan —Nominated by Ben Hampton

Luke Miles, North Wilkes

Meredith Mize, John A. Holmes

Samantha Pritchard, North Rowan — Nominated by Ben Hampton

Callista Rice, North Buncombe

Robert Sipes, North Iredell

Jessica Utter, A.C. Reynolds   

Railey White, Maiden –

Samuel Williams, South Iredell

College baseball

Dylan Goodman (South Rowan) was the winning pitcher for Pfeiffer in an 8-5 win against Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday.

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The Catawba-USC Aiken game was postponed by rain on Wednesday.

College golf

George Mason’s Eric Edwards (Salisbury) shot 68-70 (6-under) for two rounds and tied for second in the Wofford Invitational.

College softball

Pfeiffer (33-3) has moved up to No. 3 in the D-II national rankings.

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Western Carolina’s Hunter Gibbons (West Rowan) hit her fifth homer of the season for Western Carolina on Sunday against Furman.

Prep track and field

In a meet held in Kannapolis, A.L. Brown’s track teams swept against Concord and Statesville.

A.L. Brown’s boys won the 4×800 (9:22) and 4×100 (44.0 seconds).

A.L. Brown individual winners were JaQuerius Bost in the 100 (10.9); Salbador Fuentes in the 800 (2:18.1); Brandon Hernandez in the 1600 (4:29) and 3200 (10:02), and Joshua Parks in the triple jump (38 feet, 10 inches) and 400 (51.0).

A.L. Brown’s girls won the 4×800 (11:10) and 4×100 (50.8).

Individual winners for the Wonders were Akeena Maxwell in the 100 (12.2) and 200 (25.2); Savannah Jordan in the 100 hurdles (16.8); Jada Smith in the triple jump (31-11); Christina D’Amelio in the 1600 (5:58) and 3200 (13:33), and Ajianna Britt in the discus (108-1) and shot put (33-2).

Prep basketball

Salisbury will hold a signing celebration for  Will Leckonby next Tuesday. Leckonby is headed to Guilford.

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Cox Mill’s Wendell Moore Jr., Robinson’s Lavar Batts Jr. and Central Cabarrus’ Mahaley Holit were named to the prestigious Associated Press All-State team on  Wednesday.

Sage Surratt of Lincolnton and Mikayla Boykin of Clinton headline the 2016-17 All-State teams.

Local golf

Sixty-two GARS members played a Captains Choice at Corbin Hills .

The first-place team with a minus-14 consisted of Tony Labarbera, Bob Sidden, Ray Pope and Gordon Correll.

Second place with a minus-12 went to Andy Griffin, John Goodman, Tom Talbert, and Allen Hammill.

Third place with a minus-11 was won by the team of Ross Howard, Ernest Wagner, Bobby Bryant and Dick Hatoway in a scorecard playoff over  Buddy Barger, Clive Mahaffey and Bobby Clark.

Closest to the pin on No. 2 was Correll.

Longest putt on No. 9 was by Gary Schenk.

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Corbin Hills Women’s Golf Association opened the season on Tuesday with a  Low Gross/Low Net Tournament.

First Flight

Low Gross  —  Kristi Laton

Low Net   — Beth Calhoun

Second Flight

Low Gross — Susan Houston

Low Net  — Faye Cline

Third Flight

Low Gross  — Eileen Full

Low Net  —  Monica Green

Salisbury Academy

Salisbury Academy’s varsity girls soccer team won against North Hills, 6-1.

Scorers for the Jaguars were Anna Mead and Morgan Jeter.  Outstanding defense was played by Madelynn Castor, Emily Frick, Abbey Lawson, Sadie Miller and Camille Palmer.

Mid. school tennis

Erwin  defeated Knox, 9-0, in a tennis match at Erwin on Tuesday.

Singles: Landon Shuping (E) over A. Blumenthal, 8-0; Jaden Collins (E) over J. Serrano, 8-1; Ryan Brady (E) over M. Fuller, 8-6; Greyson Trexler (E) over C. Conforti, 8-0; Caleb Nesbitt (E) over C. Kafitz, 8-2; Jayden Hopper (E) over D. Luttrell, 8-7.

  Doubles: Shuping-Collins (E) over Blumenthal-Serrano, 6-1; Brady-Trexler (E) over Kafitz- Venne, 6-3; Nesbitt-Berg (E) over Navarro-Pastor, 6-3.