Coker Teams Prepare for Spring Conference Tournaments

by Christian Stryker, SID Coker College
4/16/2009

Hartsville, S.C. - With the end of the spring semester comes the busiest weekend in Conference Carolinas Athletics, the spring sports championship weekend. Starting Thursday, April 16, through Tuesday, April 21, more than 20 softball games, 16 baseball games, 24 tennis matches and three rounds of golf will be played, with the Coker Cobras looking to bring a championship back to Hartsville in each sport. Four of Coker's five spring sports have qualified for the conference championship tournaments that begin with Coker baseball playing at 10:00 a.m. Thursday.

The Coker Softball team is the No. 8 seed as they enter the conference softball tournament. The Lady Cobras are looking to use a "home field" advantage to their favor, as the conference tournament will be played in Hartsville at the Byerly Park Recreational Complex. Last time Coker hosted the softball tournament, 2007, the Lady Cobras were able to bring the conference championship back home defeating Queens University of Charlotte 1-0 in the championship game. Coker (16-17, 8-10 Conf. Carolinas) will take on the No. 9 seed Barton Bulldogs in their first game of the tournament on Friday at 10:00 a.m.

The Cobra Baseball team will be the first Coker team to take the field as the No. 9 seed in their tournament. They will face No. 8 seed St. Andrews at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, at Barton College in Wilson, NC, with the winner advancing to play No. 1 seed Belmont Abbey College. Coker (17-23, 4-15 Conf. Carolinas) is looking to bounce back after a tough season, and hopefully make a run at the conference championship.

The Women's Tennis team enters their championship with one of the best records in the conference. The Lady Cobras enter the No. 4 seed in the tournament, their highest seed in school history. Coker (8-4, 5-3 Conf. Carolinas) will face the No. 5 seed Limestone in their opening match Friday at noon at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, SC. Unfortunately for the Cobra men, they did not qualify for tournament play, as only the top eight teams advance to the post season. Coker (0-12, 0-7 Conf. Carolinas) finished in ninth place in the conference standings.

Finally, there is the Coker College Golf team. The Cobras will be traveling to Clemmons, NC, to play their tournament at Salem Glenn Country Club. The Cobras enter the tournament as the favorite to win, having placed in the top five in eight of their nine tournaments this year, including three tournament victories; Coker College Intercollegiate, Tusculum Invitational and Carolina Sands Intercollegiate. The Cobras are led by two-time Conference Carolinas Golfer of the Month and 2008 Second Team All-Conference performer, Chris Marsh. Marsh has a 72.2 stroke average in 20 rounds played this year, while taking medalist honors at three tournaments, including setting a course record 64 at the Cougar Point Golf Club at Kiawah Island. The Cobras tee it up starting Monday at Salem Glenn.