The Van Buren Pointers have at least eight current collegiate baseball players. You can add Presley Nichols' name to the list of those with home runs.
Nichols smashed a two-run homer in Crowder College's 12-1 victory over St. Louis Community College last week. The Roughriders (25-6, 8-0) have won 10 straight games and 20 of 21.
Nichols is currently hitting .292 with one home run and 13 RBI. Nichols is slugging .521 with four doubles and two triples.
Nichols has hit safely in 13 of the 19 games he's appeared in. The former Van Buren standout has also been perfect in the outfield, fielding all 13 chances (with assists) for a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage.
The left-handed slugging outfielder is a 2023 Van Buren graduate.
Kinley Fisher
UCA (Greenwood)
What a turnaround.
The University of Central Arkansas women's basketball team dropped a heartwrenching 66-61 decision to St. Louis University on Thursday in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
Despite the loss, UCA finished the season nine games over .500 (21-12) after boasting just eight victories (8-18) the previous season.
It was the Sugar Bears' first and only home loss of the 2023-24 season as well.
Former Greenwood star Kinley Fisher finished with eight points in the loss. The team's point guard averaged 11.9 points per game for the Sugar Bears. Fisher averaged 13 points a game over the team's final five games.
She scored a career-high 24 during a Jan. 4, 2024 win over North Alabama.
Makenzie Martin
Eastern Oklahoma (Alma)
Eastern Oklahoma State College sophomore Mackenzie Martin is locked in.
The two-way star has won three straight games in the circle while putting together a monster nine-game hitting streak that has produced 17 hits, 3 doubles and 15 RBI.
Martin smacked a three-run homer and drove in five runs while pitching seven strong innings in the Lady Mountaineers' 12-4 victory over Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.
Martin, who started the season 2-5 in the circle, is currently 5-5 with a 3.87 earned run average while logging a team-high 63 ⅓ innings. She has 28 strikeouts over 19 ⅓ innings of work during her three-game winning streak.
Martin is hitting a blistering .654 (17-for-26) during her nine-game winning streak.
Eastern (17-8) has won 10 of 11 overall.
Martin, 18-9 as a freshman pitcher, now has 23 career victories. Last week's home run gives her 14 career round-trippers with 69 RBI and a two-year batting average of .381.
Dakota Peters
UAFS (Van Buren)
Former Van Buren first baseman Dakota Peters appeared in three of the four games with Texas A&M-Kingsville last week, collecting three hits in nine at-bats with a pair of RBIs.
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith slugger raised his batting average to .364. But the Lions, who started the season with six straight victories and eight of nine overall, dropped to 12-12 heading into this weekend's tournament with St. Edwards University.
Peters, who transferred to UAFS from Connors State two years ago, has hit safely in 10 of the 13 games he's appeared in, with two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Peters has a .980 fielding percentage with eight assists and a pair of errors.
UAFS returned home this weekend to host West Texas A&M.
Sydney Ward
Southern Arkansas (Paris)
Southern Arkansas senior Sydney Ward earned her 50th career vitory last week with four innings of work in a win over Delta State.
Ward, who spun together a 24-7 record while pitching 200 innings as a junior, is currently 10-4 for the Muleriders. She has a 1.52 earned run average, and opponents are hitting just .202 against her.
Ward transferred to Southern Arkansas from Crowder College. She went 16-4 in 2022.
During her SAU career, Ward has logged 434 innings while striking out 394 batters, and limiting opponents to a .213 batting average.
Matt Schilling
UAFS (Fort Smith Southside)
Former Fort Smith Southside standout Matthew Schilling is hitting .253 with a pair of home runs and 17 RBI at UAFS this season.
In 2022, Schilling blasted 13 home runs and drove in 48 runs at Carl Albert State College. Last season, Schilling hit .273 with seven homers and 24 RBI.
The junior infielder, who graduated from Fort Smith Southside in 2020, has been solid defensively with just nine errors (.827 percent) after committing 22 miscues in 2023.
Makenzie Martin
Presley Nichols
Sydney Ward
Dakota Peters
Matt Schilling