By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The City of Cookeville took time to recognize four Tennessee Tech athletics teams for their respective success during the 2017-18 season Thursday evening at its monthly council meeting.
The Golden Eagle baseball, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and tennis teams were honored with a city proclamation, acknowledging the championship seasons each produced throughout the past athletic year.
"It is just special when your hometown recognizes the success of your student-athletes and your coaches," said Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. "I appreciate the time and effort they put into this and recognizing what Tennessee Tech athletics and its success means to this community.
"These are young men and women who, when recruited, may not have ever heard of Cookeville, but by the time they're done, they've helped put Cookeville on the map. You think about the runs and the success our teams have had, there are people who are googling Cookeville, learning about Cookeville and what a great community we have. Hopefully, they'll come here and visit and see our waterfalls, come to our county fair, come to the museum, come to the depot and experience our city."
For the third straight year, the Tech tennis team took the OVC Tournament title, besting Belmont in a thrilling, 4-3 victory in April. With the championship, the team also advanced to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament, matching up against Mississippi State.
Senior Eduardo Mena rose to the national ranking of as high as 28 during the season, by far the highest individual ranking in program and OVC history. He became the first player in school history to win multiple matches in the NCAA Division I Singles Championships, earning a bid for the second straight year, and was also the first to compete in the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.
The purple and gold's indoor track & field team claimed the program's first-ever OVC title, claiming a monster eight medalists at the league's championship event in February. The team ranked as high as No. 8 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region.
Senior Micayla Rennick was dominant in capturing the team's first-ever Indoor OVC Track Athlete of the Year honor and the program's first-ever Indoor OVC Athlete of the Championship accolade. The team set two OVC Indoor Championship records at the event as well.
The Golden Eagle outdoor track & field team kept the momentum from the winter and used it to claim the team's first-ever OVC championship, becoming one of just seven track & field programs in OVC history to sweep both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same season. The outdoor squad ranked as high as No. 14 in the USTFCCCA South Region during the season.
Again, Rennick swept the awards ceremonies, claiming the program's first-ever Outdoor OVC Track Athlete of the Year and Outdoor OVC Athlete of the Championship honors. The team set three OVC Outdoor Championship records on the way to seven medalists and sending a program-best five student-athletes to the NCAAs.
Head coach Wayne Angel completed his own awards sweep as well, winning OVC Indoor and OVC Outdoor Coach of the Year honors.
The Tech baseball team turned in arguable the greatest season in conference history, setting league and school records with 53 wins, 27 league wins, 28 consecutive wins. The Golden Eagles, became the first OVC team ever to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals, capturing the NCAA Oxford Regional title with back-to-back wins over No. 4 Ole Miss. The team would finish the season ranked as high as No. 11 nationally (reached No. 10 during the season) and as a consensus top-20 team, both records for the conference.
The Golden Eagles led the nation in batting average, hits, home runs, home runs per game, on base percentage, runs, scoring and slugging percentage while smashing the most home runs in the history of the BBCOR bat era and in OVC history. The team finished a remarkable 7-3 against Power-5 Conference competition while winning 13 of its 14 weekend series and all 11 midweek contests.
Boasting the OVC's Coach of the Year (Matt Bragga), Pitcher of the Year (Travis Moths) and Player of the Year (Kevin Strohschein), the Golden Eagles saw five different players claim a total of 17 All-American honors. Strohschein became the first Golden Eagle named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award while both he and teammate Chase Chambers were the first Tech players named semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy.
An OVC record eight Tech players were selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft, with a ninth signing as a free agent.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
