Chelsea Campbell

The Lady Wasps (3-19, 3-13 ODAC) dominated the opening match, scoring five runs in the first inning and four in the second to jump out to a 9-1 lead. All but two E&H starters notched hits in the game, and Ashley Ebersole, Sierra Waters, Amanda Bradley and Chelsea Campbell each had two RBIs. Waters picked up the win inside the circle.

The second game was much more exciting, and still ended favorably for Emory & Henry. The Lady Wasps overcame eight fielding errors to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 6-5 walk-off win.

Chelsea Campbell tied the game in the seventh inning with a RBI single to left field, and Anne Saville singled up the middle to drive in the winning run with two outs.

Campbell stung three hits in the second contest to lead E&H. Ashley Ebersole had two hits, including a two-run home run in the first inning. Saville had two hits and Amanda Bradley had 2 RBI in the game. Megan Smith pitched all seven innings for the Lady Wasps, picking up the win and surrendering no earned runs.

The rally was ignited by a bunt single by Anthony Lowry and followed by a double to right field by Keith Fenner. Codie Mitchell was walked by Virginia Intermont to load the bases for E&H. VanLear, a senior, singled to center field to score Lowry and Fenner and clinch the Wasps’ (1-5) first win on the young season.

Jared Surber scattered five hits over five innings for Emory & Henry, surrendering only one earned run. Freshman Will Dingus picked up the win in relief.

The Cobras took the second game by a count of 14-5, but E&H junior Nick Windom and freshman Eric Houff hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make things interesting. The home run was Houff’s first of his college career.

Nelson and doubles partner Chip Wintringham led the Wasps to team wins over Heidelberg, Penn State-Behrend , Northwestern College  and Juniata.

Nelson lost only seven games in his four singles matches through the week, holding down his spot at No. 2 in E&H’s rotation.

Wintringham, the No. 1 singles player for the Wasps, was named ODAC player of the week in February.

A graduate of nearby East Tennessee State University, Barker also served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam for a time. After graduating from ETSU, where he fell in love with tennis, he decided to move to Florida.

“I decided that I wanted to go somewhere that I could play tennis on a regular basis,” Barker said.

After a stint working in the Florida Department of Education, Barker moved to an occupation in his true passion, tennis. He became an assistant professional at a YMCA before continuing to own and operate a tennis facility near Fort Myers, Florida where he met John Biffar, who would become a long-time friend and business partner. Biffar, who owns Dreamtime Entertainment, was working with the CBS affiliate station in Fort Myers at the time and coerced Barker into his involvement in the entertainment world.

“I have extreme OCD,” Barker said, possibly joking, possibly not. “It’s nice to switch up things from time to time because I get bored.”

When Biffar started Dreamtime, previously known as Long John Productions, Barker was hired full time as a videographer. During his time with Long John Productions, Barker and Biffar produced documentaries on Mel Fisher, one of the world’s most successful treasure hunters, Pope John Paul II, and many philanthropic issues, most notably his film Children of the Fourth World about underprivileged children in Guatemala. Barker and his colleagues have also done multiple pieces for the History Channel and the Travel Channel over the years. He is planning to make a trip to Haiti to document the devastation from the recent earthquake there, as well as to do some humanitarian work.

Barker combined his love for tennis with his love for entertainment, specializing in frying pan tennis (yes, that is tennis using a frying pan rather than a racket). He and Biffar traveled around Florida to challenge the best in frying pan tennis, and Barker even earned the nickname ‘Frying Pan’ Barker. His most noteworthy opponent was five-time U.S. Open and two time Wimbledon champion Jimmy Connors, who owned a resort in Fort Myers. Barker challenged the former world No. 1, saying that the town was “only big enough for one Jimmy.” Connors beat him in straight sets.

“That was my only frying pan tennis loss,” said Barker.

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992, Barker and his wife moved to Virginia, where he began work as the tennis coach at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol. When the tennis coaching position came open at E&H, Barker jumped all over it, and he’s been here ever since.

“The thing that satisfies my OCD at Emory & Henry is that I get to wear a lot of hats here,” Barker said.

He has served primarily as the tennis coach, but he also hosts his own radio show on WEHC-FM, The Eclectic Hour, and has even done some teaching. Barker took the tiller on one of the Transitions I courses in the College’s new Engaging the Liberal Arts curriculum this past fall.

The Eclectic Hour is designed to be half interview and half music. Barker encourages his guests to bring in their own tunes.

“I try to focus more on their music, and how they use music,” he said. “Music is like the eyes; it’s a window into the soul.”

Barker has also been a contributing member of the community since moving to Glade Spring. He served on the town council for four years and even ran for mayor once.

“I developed a sense of community,” Barker said.

Barker decided not to run for reelection after his term ended in 2008 because he wanted to get more involved here at Emory & Henry.

“Every couple of years, you find something that keeps you going,” Barker said. “I imagine I’ll always be doing tennis…I love playing tennis and I love being a teacher.”

Baylie Snyder scored 20 points for E&H.

Jasmine Greene led Hollins (2-21, 1-17 ODAC) with 29 points.

The game marked the end of a 69 game conference losing streak for the Green & Gold.

Myra Sims

Sims, a native of Hiltons, Virginia and a graduate of nearby Gate City High School, is a former women’s basketball coach at Emory, where she took the Lady Eagles to two NCAA Sweet 16s. She organized both women’s baseketball and volleyball at Emory University, coaching both sports at times.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Sims played both basketball and volleyball for the Bulldogs. Sims earned a B.A. in Psychology from UNC Asheville as well as an M.A. in Recreation Administration from Georgia State University.

Grigg, a junior, finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for E&H. J.D. Dyson netted a game-high 21 points for the Wasps (3-19, 1-11 ODAC). Bobby Stafford dished out seven assists.

In a game that sported 15 lead changes and 10 ties, Emory & Henry found themselves down by as much as nine points early in the second half, but fought back to take the lead on clutch consecutive 3-pointers by Malcolm Green and Josh Cunningham. Green and Cunningham finished with eight and nine points, respectively.

The Tigers (11-11, 6-7 ODAC), however, also demonstrated their resilience. E&H took a 65-55 lead with less than three minutes to go, but Hampden-Sydney mustered a 14-4 run on three quick baskets and two free throws to tie the game at 69 with just seconds left in the game.

Emory & Henry shot an astounding 45.8 percent from 3-point range, knocking down six of 12 second half treys. Along with Cunningham and Green, Michael Owens and Jordan Short both added big threes off the bench.

E&H point guard J.D. Dyson

Lynchburg finished with five scorers in double-digits and was led by senior Steven Echols, who tallied 36 points and made seven of nine 3-point attempts. Danny Reed finished with 16 points for the Hornets and Jeff Langrock, Nate Campbell and Brandan Connor each tacked on 10 points.

The Wasps were paced by forward Terrance Grigg, who netted 28 points. Jordan Short and J.D. Dyson added 22 and 18 points, respectively.

“We didn’t have any problems scoring,” said Short, a freshman. “We just couldn’t stop them… especially [Echols].”

Despite a disappointing first half result, the Wasps mustered an exciting comeback, cutting the deficit to three points (from 19 points at the half and 24 late in the first half) on two occasions. However, E&H was never able to gain the lead and the Hornets didn’t miss any free throws down the stretch.

“It didn’t matter if we fouled them,” Short said. “They were just going to go to the line and get two points there. That really killed us.”

Another stat that hurt the Wasps was rebounding. Lynchburg out-rebounded E&H 42-29, and outscored the Wasps 30-18 in the paint.

“We were almost there,” said Short. “We just couldn’t get over that hump.”

Point guard J.D. Dyson paced the Wasps with 18 points, made all six of his free throws, and had a team-high five assists. Malcolm Green and Terrance Grigg scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

E&H went into halftime only trailing by two points, but the Cavaliers pulled away in the second period to win the game handily.

The Wasps (1-7, 0-2 ODAC) don’t play again until after Christmas, when they will host Randolph College on January 2.