From staff reports

Catawba College was picked fourth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason football poll that was released on Wednesday.

Newberry College was picked first for the first time. The Wolves, the defending champs, received six of eight first-place votes. Newberry (10-2) was ranked 16th nationally in the final 2016 coaches poll.

Wingate (8-3) was picked second, with Mars Hill (5-6)  picked third.

Catawba was 5-6 overall  in 2016 and tied for second in the SAC at 5-2. Linebacker Kyle Kitchens was named preseason All-America by Street and Smith’s and Lindy’s.

Catawba’s defense came up with 36 turnovers last season and blocked five kicks.

  

1. Newberry (6) 55

2. Wingate (1) 47

3. Mars Hill (1) 42

4. Catawba 39

5. Carson-Newman 33

6. Tusculum 26

7. Lenoir-Rhyne 19

7. Limestone 19

Local golf

Eric Edwards (Salisbury, George Mason) shot 69 to tie for third place after the first round of the North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship at Treyburn Country Club in Durham.

Two rounds of stroke play will set the field and the pairings for match play. The second round is today.

Minor leagues 

  Luis Gonzalez mashed his second home run of the season as the Kannapolis Intimidators beat Delmarva on Wednesday, 3-2, to finish a series sweep.

Andre Davis  struck out eight batters in six innings for Kannapolis (57-50, 18-21 second half).

Kannapolis is at Greensboro tonight.

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Blue Jays draft pick Colton Laws (Carson, Charlotte) is still pitching brilliantly.

Laws (1-0, 0.82 ERA) has struck out 11 in 11 innings while walking one. He’s been promoted from Bluefield to Vancouver in the Northwest League.

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Craig Brooks (Catawba) has a 1.54 ERA in 33 relief appearances this season at Myrtle Beach and Tennessee. Brooks has struck out 66 in 46 2/3 innings.

College football

Former A.l. Brown defensive lineman Dantrell Barkley committed to South Carolina.

Barkley (6-4, 285) plays at Independence Community College in Kansas.

Barkley was a redshirt his first year at the community college and will have three years of eligibility with the Gamecocks.

Barkley also had offers from Colorado, Colorado State and Arkansas State.

Prep football

Ten teams are lined up for the  Carolina Preps Jamboree, an Aug. 11 scrimmage at Mooresville, starting at 5 p.m.

Lake Norman-Richmond County, Statesville-Davie County, North Rowan-West Caldwell, West Rowan-Hickory Ridge and Mooresville-Charlotte Catholic are the matchups at Joe Popp Field.

Wood bat leagues

Morehead City’s Heath Mitchem (Carson, Catawba) pitched a complete game in a 10-2 win against Wilson in the Coastal Plain League.

Mitchem (3-4) allowed five hits and four walks and struck out four.

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Luke Setzer (East Rowan, Catawba) is batting .261 with four homers and 21 RBIs for the Gastonia Grizzlies in the Coastal Plain League.

A wrist ailment ended the season early for Gastonia’s Chance Bowden (Salisbury, Catawba).

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Ike Freeman (East Rowan, UNC) is batting .274 with two homers and eight RBIs for the High Point-Thomasville team in the CPL.

Clay Young (Catawba) is  2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 47 innings for High Point.

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Riley Myers (Salisbury, Catawba) has recovered from a back injury and is pitching for the Asheboro Copperheads in the CPL. Myers pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts on Wednesday.

Jeremy Simpson (West Rowan, Catawba) is batting .277 for Asheboro, while Kyle Smith (Catawba) is batting .252 with 16 RBIs.

Legion baseball

Ryan Hill hurled seven strong innings as Randolph Post 45, the NC state champs, beat Troy (Alabama), 10-4, in the first round of the Southeast Regional on Wednesday at McCrary Park.

Randolph built a 5-0 lead. Alabama got back within 5-4 before Randolph pulled away. Trevor Marsh had a two-run double.

Randolph County (34-8) plays Covington, Georgia (30-7) today at 4:30 p.m.

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Florida state champ Tallahassee scored three runs in the eighth inning and beat Wilmington, 4-1, in the first round of the Southeast Regional at McCrary Park.

Kyle Smith went 2-for-4 for Wilmington. Brad Pennington had a run-scoring triple.

Wilmington is in a 12:30 p.m.elimination game today against Kentucky.