Crouch impresses as freshman softball player at Southern Wesleyan
Previously a standout softball player at Draughn High School who graduated last June, Maddie Crouch was one of the top hitters on Southern Wesleyan’s squad this spring.
Crouch
A shortstop who appeared in 43 games (42 starts) for the Warriors (30-15, 16-8 NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas), Crouch batted .318 (fourth on team) with 41 hits (third) including nine doubles (T-third), three home runs (T-sixth), and two triples (first). She also tied for second on the team in runs scored (32) and knocked in 19 runs (T-seventh) while stealing a team-high 14 bases.
The Conference Carolinas Southwest Division champion during the regular season, Southern Wesleyan ended the year by going 1-2 in the Conference Carolinas tournament April 25-26 at Tyger River Park in Duncan, S.C.
Winkler at Brevard
Winkler
Junior first baseman Regan Winkler (Draughn 2022) batted .381 (second on team) for the Tornados (9-20, 5-13 NCAA D-III USA South Athletic Conference) this season, also recording a team-high 32 hits including seven doubles (second) and two triples (first).
Winkler had more RBIs (13) than any other Brevard player as well, and she also scored six runs (T-sixth) while being the only member of the squad to appear in and start every game.
Powell at Caldwell Tech
Powell
Maddison Powell (Draughn 2023) played in 44 games as a sophomore infielder for the Cobras (24-22, 7-5 National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 D-III), posting a .269 batting average while amassing 29 hits including seven doubles and a triple, 21 RBIs, 32 runs scored, seven stolen bases, and more walks (18) than strikeouts (16).
The No. 2 seed in the Region 10 D-III tournament by virtue of where it finished during the regular season, Caldwell Tech was eliminated from the double-elimination event thanks to back-to-back losses to third-seeded Surry Community College and top-seeded Patrick & Henry Community College — the tournament hosts — on May 2 in Martinsville, Va.
BASEBALL
Logan at L-R
Logan
The No. 3 seed in the NCAA D-II Southeast Regional tournament, Lenoir-Rhyne (43-12, 23-7 South Atlantic Conference) was scheduled to face sixth-seeded North Georgia in the opening round of the double-elimination event late Thursday at Belmont Abbey College after finishing second to Catawba in both the SAC regular-season standings and the league tournament.
Graduate student outfielder Michael Logan (Freedom 2019) entered regionals – which continue through at least today (Saturday, May 17) and will wrap up no later than Sunday — with a batting average of .323 (sixth on team), 65 hits (sixth) including 14 doubles (fifth), six homers (T-seventh), and five triples (second). He also has 47 RBIs (fourth), 51 runs scored (fifth), and 15 stolen bases (third) in 53 games (all starts).
Mozeley at CVCC
Mozeley
A redshirt sophomore catcher/corner infielder at Catawba Valley Community College (42-16, 28-7 NJCAA Region 10 D-II West Division), Mason Mozeley (Freedom 2022) carried a .326 batting average into Friday’s Region 10/South Atlantic District tournament title game at Burlington Athletic Park.
Mozeley has 58 hits (second on team) including 11 homers (second), nine doubles (T-fourth), and a triple as well, and he also has 54 RBIs (second), 45 runs scored (third), a team-high 44 walks, and a stolen base.
NOTE: Look for more on Logan, Mozeley, and other college athletes from Burke County in an upcoming edition of The Paper.
PRO
Bock (back) out for Straka win, gifts him golf
Morganton caddie Duane Bock was not on the bag for his PGA Tour pro Sepp Straka’s victory on Sunday at the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club as Bock was out with a back injury.
Bock, however, was on hand to see Straka’s fourth career tour win and third in the last 22 months, and he was also around to give Straka his birthday present after Straka turned 32 years old on May 1.
Straka told reporters after the win that Bock on Monday was taking him to Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey, which has been Golf Digest’s top-ranked course since 1985. From there, Straka flew to Charlotte as he seeks his first major title last week at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
The last time the event was held at Quail Hollow in 2017, Bock’s former pro, Kevin Kisner, led through each of the first three rounds. And Straka figures to be among the favorites last week as the win moved him to No. 2 in this year’s PGA Tour FedEx Cup rankings and No. 9 in this week’s Official World Golf Rankings.
Straka has posted 10 top-25 finishes in 14 events in 2025 and has earned more than $8 million on tour since the start of January, nearly half of which came in the form of $3.6 million at the Truist. Straka’s fill-in caddie, Drew Mathers, is a former college teammate of his and got the normal looper share of 10 percent, which will help greatly as he seeks a playing career on tour as well.
“It sucks to be out,” Bock told golf reporter Garrett Johnson over the weekend, “but love seeing Sepp playing well with his friend Drew Mathers out there in some tough conditions.”
Josh McKinney and Paul Schenkel can be reached at 828-445-8595 or josh@thepaper.media and paul@thepaper.media.
