NEW ORLEANS – Coastal Carolina’s Reese White and Josaiah Stewart and South Alabama’s Diego Guajardo claim Sun Belt weekly awards after propelling their teams to 2-0 starts. 

Football Offensive Player of the Week
Reese White, Coastal Carolina
(Jr., RB – Sandy Springs, Ga.)

Chanticleers junior running back Reese White rushed for a career-high 102 yards and three touchdowns in Coastal Carolina’s 49-22 victory over Kansas. The 100-yard rushing game was the first of the Sandy Springs, Ga., native’s career, while his three rushing touchdowns are the most by a Sun Belt running back in a single game this season. 

Football Defensive Player of the Week
Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina
(Fr., DL – Everett, Mass.) 

Chanticleers freshman defensive lineman Josaiah Stewart set a single-game program record with 3.5 sacks and tied the Coastal Carolina high-water mark with 3.5 tackles-for-loss. The Everett, Mass., product tallied eight total tackles to lead the Chanticleer defense that accumulated 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 6.0 sacks, a blocked punt and a blocked extra-point in a 49-22 win over Kansas.

Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Diego Guajardo, South Alabama
(So., K – Spanish Fort, Ala.) 

Jaguars sophomore kicker Diego Guajardo kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to lift South Alabama to a 22-19 win over Bowling Green. The Spanish Fort, Ala., native also connected from 22 and 41 yards out, as part of a 10-point effort. Guajardo’s three field goals tied his career high, while his walk-off kick provided the Jaguars their first win on the final play of the game since Oct. 20, 2012. 

2021 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State
Week 2 – Reese White, Coastal Carolina

2021 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Zion Williams, Troy
Week 2 – Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina

2021 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Britton Williams, Georgia Southern
Week 2 – Diego Guajardo, South Alabama

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. – South Alabama claimed its conference-best 13th all-time tournament title at the 2021 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University with a 10-4 victory over Georgia Southern in Sunday’s championship game. 

Sun Belt Player of the Year graduate student outfielder Mason McWhorter got things started for Georgia Southern with a solo shot to left field with two outs in the top of the first inning. The Eagles then manufactured a pair in the top of the second—stringing together a double, a single, a sacrifice fly and two more singles and chasing South Alabama starter senior right-handed pitcher Matt Boswell—to take a 3-0 lead. 

South Alabama got those three runs back on one swing, with a two-out, three-run home run by senior catcher Richard Sorrenti in the bottom half of the second to knot the game at 3-3. 

The Eagles and Jaguars combined to strand seven runners in the third and fourth innings, before South Alabama broke through with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Senior outfielder Michael Sandle drew a walk to open the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. A double down the left field line by redshirt senior second baseman Hunter Stokes plated the go-ahead run for the Jaguars.

South Alabama added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth—when senior outfielder Michael Sandle’s single to left center plated freshman outfielder Hunter Donaldson—and tacked on another in the seventh—when Donaldson beat out a throw for an infield single, allowing senior first baseman Kaleb DeLaTorre to score. 

A four-run bottom of the eighth cemented the Jaguar lead for good, though the Eagles plated one in the top half of the ninth to provide the final 10-4 margin. 

Senior right-handed pitcher Miles Smith, who came back on short rest and allowed just one run on six hits over the final 7.2 innings, earned the win for the Jaguars en route to Most Outstanding Player honors at the Sun Belt Baseball Championship. 

South Alabama will represent the Sun Belt in the NCAA Baseball Regionals as the conference’s automatic qualifier—and will learn its destination during the selection show on ESPN2 at 12 noon ET on Monday, May 31. 

Most Outstanding Player
Miles Smith, South Alabama (Sr., P – Laurel, Miss.) 

All-Tournament Team
Nick Lucky, Coastal Carolina (Jr., OF – Denver, Pa.) 
Parker Biederer, Georgia Southern (Sr., OF – Cumming, Ga.) 
Jordan Jackson, Georgia Southern (Sr., P – McDonough, Ga.) 
Jason Swan, Georgia Southern (Sr., 1B – Jacksonville, Fla.) 
Josh Smith, Georgia State (So., OF – College Park, Ga.)
Spencer Arrighetti, Louisiana (So., P – Katy, Texas) 
Ben Fitzgerald, Louisiana (Jr., DH – Mason City, Iowa)
Kaleb DeLaTorre, South Alabama (Sr., 1B – Fort Scott, Kan.) 
Hunter Donaldson, South Alabama (Fr., OF – Phenix City, Ala.) 
Santi Montiel, South Alabama (Jr., SS – Alpharetta, Ga.) 
Ethan Wilson, South Alabama (Jr., OF – Andalusia, Ala.)
Connor Aube, UTA (Sr., OF – Falmouth, Maine)
Caros Tavera, UTA (Jr., P – Fort Worth, Texas)

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. – South Alabama and Georgia Southern will square off in the championship final at the 2021 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Each team required a late-inning or extra-innings rally to earn a one-run victory in Saturday’s semifinals to advance to the championship game. 

Semifinal 1 – No. 1 South Alabama def. No. 2 UTA, 5-4
South Alabama used an eighth-inning rally to overcome UTA, 5-4, and advance to Sunday’s championship game. 

Both teams manufactured three runs between the third and fourth innings to knot the game at 3-3. UTA gained a one-run edge on a sacrifice fly from redshirt senior shortstop Josh Minjarez with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, before Jaguar junior reliever Tyler Perez struck out Mavericks senior outfielder Connor Aube to get out of the jam. 

The Jaguars responded with a rally of their own in the bottom of the eighth, with a hit by pitch, a single and a walk loading the bases. With two outs and a 3-2 count, junior third baseman Cameron Tissue singled to right center field to plate the tying and go-ahead runs for South Alabama in the 5-4 win. 

Senior left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego, who struck out two and allowed just one hit in the seventh and eighth innings, earned the win for the Jaguars. Senior right-handed pitcher Jase Dalton picked up the save following a three-up, three-down top of the ninth. 

South Alabama improves to 92-60 in Sun Belt Championship contests all-time and will have a shot at its 13th tournament championship on Sunday. 

Semifinal 2 – No. 2 Georgia Southern def. No. 1 Louisiana, 3-2 
Georgia Southern rallied to earn a 3-2 extra-innings victory over Louisiana and advance to Sunday’s championship game. 

Senior outfielder Parker Biederer had all three RBIs for the Eagles—including beating out a throw to first on a bunt in the top of the 11th inning to allow senior first baseman Jason Swan to score. 

Senior right-handed pitcher Jordan Jackson threw a gem for Georgia Southern, retiring 18-straight from the second through seven innings, to help the team maintain a 2-1 advantage. Louisiana manufactured the tying run in the bottom of the ninth—and had two men aboard with no outs—but could not plate the walk-off tally. 

Junior left-handed pitcher Jay Thompson, who worked the 10th and the 11th, earned the win for Georiga Southern. The Eagles move to 12-7 in Sun Belt Championship games all-time and will have a chance to earn their first tournament title on Sunday. 

The 2021 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University concludes Sunday, with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. CT. Tickets remain available, with prices ranging from $10 to $25. For more information on tickets and seating options, contact the Montgomery Biscuits ticket office by calling 334.819.7483. Each game of the Sun Belt Baseball Championship will also be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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