Around the Wall – February 8, 2022
Around the Wall is a weekly look at Troy Athletics, recapping the previous week and looking ahead to the next opponent.
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Men’s Basketball
Record: 16-7, 7-3 (2nd Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: Arkansas State (Thursday), Little Rock (Saturday)
Stat of the week: Troy is second in the conference in defensive rebounds with 592.
Troy is starting to get hot, and that win over Georgia Southern is one of the most dominant performances the team has had all year. Southern clawed its way back into the game, but Troy never fell behind more than a single shot, let alone a single possession.
The Georgia State game on Thursday was more competitive, as the Trojans couldn’t pull away as easily. That said, it showed how strong the competition is in conference from top to bottom.
February is the right time for a run, so a win over No. 3 Arkansas State would be a massive boost for this team, especially as the date with destiny—I mean, Appalachian State looms. Pull off a win in one of those games, and the Trojans could be looking at something they haven’t seen in a long time: a bye week.
Oh, and Saturday is the makeup date for the DeVry anniversary game! Don’t miss it!
Women’s Basketball
Record: 18-7, 9-2 (1st Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: @ South Alabama (Saturday)
Stat of the week: Troy has played more games than any other team in the conference (25) and ranks second in points per game.
Once again, the Trojans are on top of the Sun Belt. The two-time defending champions are back in the driver’s seat, with five games left before the conference tournament.
Unlike the men’s matchup against That Team in Mobile, the women did not have much of a competition. The first quarter ended with a 31-4 lead for the Trojans. Think about that. The Jaguars made just two buckets the entire first quarter, and the Trojans scored nearly half their points.
Of course, it was a home game, and it was the most attended game of the season for the most attended team in the conference. Of course Troy was hyped.
Now, the ladies pack up and play That Team in the Mitchell Center Saturday. It may be a bit closer, but between the Jags’ season-long issues and Troy’s sheer domination, it’s still going to be a big win.
Softball
Upcoming events: Trojan Classic (College of Charleston, Southern Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne)
One of the diamond sports is finally here! The ladies are shrugging off the heartbreaking loss to That Team in Mobile in last year’s conference tournament, as well as the close loss to Clemson in the NCAA tournament.
That’s a negative way of looking at it though. Troy was one of FOUR* Sun Belt teams in the NCAA Regionals, more than any other Non-Power Five conference… and more than the mighty Big Ten. Plus, Troy was the only team in that particular regional to score as a losing team. Everyone else lost in a shutout.
Not five minutes after I wrote my first draft of this section, the news broke that Coach Mullins would be taking a leave of absence for a medical issue. We wish her the best of luck. Taylor Smartt and Holly Ward will step in to run the team.
This year, it’s about bigger and better. Leanna Johnson was named Preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, while Kelly Horne and Jade Sinness joined her on the first team. Louisiana and South Alabama also have three players on the first team, and the preseason player of the year is at Texas State.
So, we’re looking at the same cast of big teams, and the same strong Sun Belt* this season. The Trojans are in capable hands, and they aren’t going anywhere.
(* – This is the part where we mention James Madison, whose softball team made it to the College World Series last year. The Sun Belt is only getting stronger in Softball.)
Women’s Golf
Rank: 8th Sun Belt
Upcoming events: First Coast Classic (Hosted by North Florida in Jacksonville)
Update: The Trojans placed 7th of 15 at the Lady Bison Classic, behind Georgia State and in front of Appalachian State. Elizabeth Preus tied for seventh overall.
Unfortunately that means the Trojans slipped in the rankings. It’s not a concern at the moment, as there are four other events before the conference tournament in April.
Meanwhile, the ladies will wrap up their two-week Florida trip next Tuesday, before a return trip to Jacksonville in March.
Men’s Tennis
Record: 5-2 (4th Sun Belt)
Upcoming opponents: Alabama A&M (Friday), @ UNC Wilmington (Sunday)
Stat of the week: Carlos Anton and Pelayo Atuna lead the conference with a 5-0 record in doubles.
The Trojans are already looking like a formidable team just seven matches into the season. Many Sun Belt teams haven’t played half that many, and South and Louisiana are sitting at five.
The Trojans knocked off Alabama State 7-0 last week, including a 6-3 win over the No. 56 doubles team in the country. What’s more, Anton and Atuna were on a different court. This Trojan team hasn’t folded in the face of competition.
The problem is, it’s a long season still to come. I expect the Trojans can keep it up until the conference tournament in April.
Women’s Tennis
Record: 0-2 (t-6th Sun Belt, but who’s counting right now?)
Upcoming opponents: Alabama State (Wednesday), at Florida A&M (Saturday), Alabama A&M (Sunday)
On the other hand, the women have only had two matches all year. After getting blanked by Alabama, the women stood up against Stetson, losing 4-2 in a tight battle.
The Trojans are tied for 6th, but that includes five other teams who played three matches or fewer and haven’t won one yet. The women have a pretty packed week this week, so I’m sure they’ll start making up ground.
Indoor Track and Field
Record: 25th South (Men), 21st South (Women), 8th Sun Belt (Men), 9th Sun Belt (Women), NR National
Upcoming opponents: Samford Invite No. 2
Stat of the week: Jordan McCeskey won the Men’s 400 Meter Run at the Camel City Invitational, and Alan Johnson won the Men’s 600.
Troy pulled off another strong showing in the Camel City Invitational this weekend, earning a season-high 19 top-five finishes across several events… and many in the same event. Let’s just say Maya Kelly and Naveyh Frost like to stick together.
The Carolina Challenge performance pushed the women to No. 21 in the USTFCCCA Rankings for the South region. The men stepped up in Camel City, pushing them up four spots to the No. 25 ranking in the South region.
The Trojans are also scheduled to be in the Jaguar Invitational in Birmingham, but those results are not in at press time. I’ll update that info when I get it.
Some Trojans did compete at the Jaguar Invitational. Edita Sklenska won the Women’s 800 and Malik Dennis placed tenth in the Men’s 400 Dash.
In the meantime, Troy is for sure heading back to Birmingham for the Samford Invite No. 2 this weekend. It’s the last indoor event before the conference tournament starts February 21.
Football
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two news items from the Football world: National Signing Day and more hires.
First, Troy finalized its 2022 class with ten roster additions, including Nasir Pogue, the son of coach Al Pogue. Here’s the full list:
- Jeremiah Frazier, OL, 6-3, 305, Pike Road, Ala. | Tennessee State
- Kyler Gibson, OL, 6-5, 285, Munford, Ala. / Munford HS
- Luke Hodge, LB/FB, 6-1, 225, Oneonta, Ala. / Oneonta HS
- Matthew Johnson, OL, 6-4, 285, Marbury, Ala. / Marbury HS
- RaJae’ Johnson, WR, 6-4, 215, St. Louis, Mo. | UAB
- Tucker Kilcrease, QB, 6-1, 190, Brantley, Ala. / Brantley HS
- Daniel King, OL, 6-5, 295, Cairo, Ga. | Georgia Military College
- Blake Matthews, LB, 6-3, 200, Bremen, Ga. / Bremen HS
- Nasir Pogue, CB, 6-2, 170, Auburn, Ala. | Auburn HS
- Michael Vice, TE, 6-4, 253, Vestavia Hills, Ala. | Samford
Elsewhere in the football offices, Troy made a few notable staff additions:
- Cortlynn Harris is now the director of on-campus recruiting. She’s worked at Liberty and graduated from Ole Miss.
- Hunter Reese (BAN, 2014-18) and Trey Page (WR, 2011-14) are back as graduate assistants.
The staff hasn’t announced spring practice dates yet, but they tend to start around the beginning of March. I expect that announcement might come this week.
One Cool Thing
How about Craig Slocum lifting 600 pounds!?!?! Like WHAT?!?!?