A SportsWeek?
Also More Stories, Religion and Classifieds April 7, 201 e
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SOFTBALL
Riley is just beginning to scratch the surface
BY CRAKJT. GREENLEE
POR THE CHRONICLE
For Chyna Riley,
there's no such thing as hit
ting a routine ground ball.
That's because she's as
swift as they come in jet
ting from home plate to
first base.
Riley, a utility player on
Winston-Salem State's
softball team, is a headache
for opposing infieldfcrs.
Speed allows her to beat
out more than her share of
infield hits. When Riley
hits a grounder, it's not
unusual for opposing
infielders to rush their
Kilty
throws. Sometimes they
throw the ball away. At
other times, inaccurate
tosses pull the first base
man off the bag.
In either case, Riley, a
slap hitter who bats from
the left side, reaches base
safely, which frequently
leads to Rams scoring
opportunities.
"Teams know that I
have speed," said Riley,
who majors in exercise sci
ence and minors in sports
medicine. "If I hit a ground
ball, they know they have
to be fast at getting the ball
out. If they don't, they
know I'm going to beat the
throw."
Riley, a junior and
three-year starter, was All
CIAA as a utility player a
year ago. This season, she's
continuing her all-star level
of play for WSSU, which
had a four-game win streak
prior to Wednesday's road
game against Barton
College. Riley was hitting
.289 with 14 RBls and she
leads the team in hits (22)
and runs scored (22).
"There's no question
that Chyna's speed helps
her get on base," said
Winston-Salem State coach
LaTaya Hilliard-Gray.
"The main thing we're
working on right now is
helping her develop consis
tency."
Speed, however, isn't
the only major positive that
makes Riley a valued con
tributor. She's also the
Rams No. 2 pitcher. In 13
starts, Riley has a 7-4
record with a 3.24 ERA.
When she's not handling
pitching chores, she splits
time between second base
and the outfield.
See Riley on B2
? Photo by Craig T Greenlee
Entering the first week of April, Chyna Riley of the Rams led the team in hits
and runs scored.
getting close to decision I
IlEk QEA's Coprew
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
It was 10 months ago when Deshawn
Corprew of Quality Education Academy
made a summer trip that planted the seeds
for what proved to be a spectacular bas
ketball season. The 6'-5", 180-pound
shooting guard opened a lot of eyes at the
NBPA Top 100 Camp, which annually
attracts the best of the best college
prospects.
As a late selection to the camp,
Corprew came in without any fanfare to
speak of. But after four days of showcas
ing his talents against elite-level players,
there was no doubt that he deserved to be
ranked among the nation's best. Some
scouting services have him ranked among
the top 60. He was 98th in ESPN's Top
100.
Corprew added to his resume consid
erably as the prime factor for the
Pharaohs, who recently advanced to the
Grind Session's national championship
game before bowing out to Victory Rock
Prep (Fla.). Over
the course of the
season, Corprew
became a prize
recruit for a host of
major-college pro
grams, which
included Kansas,
Florida State,
Cincinnati, Texas
A&M, Nebraska
and Missouri - to
name a few.
Here's a brief
summary of observations from die col- |.
lege scouts: Corprew is athletic and quick
enough to defend any position on the
perimeter. Offensively, he has the com- E
plete package as a ball handler who can
score off the bounce and from mid-range,
as well as from beyond the 3-point arc.
He is a physical player who routinely Hn
ishes at the basket in spite of body con
tact. *
For the season, Corprew, a senior
from Norfolk, Va., averaged 32 points, 7
rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
There was never a question in coach
Isaac Pitts's mind that Corprew would
prove himself as one of the top high |:
school players in the country. "Deshawn
has always been a very good player,"
Pitts said. "The biggest area of improve
ment is basketball IQ. For him, it became
a thinking game.
He performed at a level which made
everybody around him better. Not only
that, but he learned how to pick his spots
(to take over a game) and make the right
plays at the right time."
Looking back on last summer,
Corprew realized that compared to many
of his camp counterparts, he was an j
unknown and definitely not on the
recruiting radar screen of a lot of big-time
college basketball schools. As far as he
was concerned, that was never an issue, f
All he wanted was the chance to show
what he could do.
"They gave me a chance, so I had to
take advantage of it," said Corprew. "I
went out and played and people respected
See Dedstoa oa B3
' jw? , Etatt ty Craig T. Qranfc* I
QEA 's Deshawn Corprew has the quickness and Strength to get his shot
off in tight spaces on drives to the basket. '* "
Corprew
Rams seeking turnaround for second half of season
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
TOR THE CHRONICLE
Mental errors and sporadic bats are the
key reasons why Winston-Salem State's
baseball team is hovering around the .500
mark so far this season. As of April 4, the
Rams were 16-16.
There are signs, however, that the
Rams (16-16 as of April 4) are starting to
pick up momentum. WSSU went on the
road and had three wins in a four-game set
it Virginia State last weekend.
For now, though, the won-loss record is
somewhat surprising. That's because the
Rams were slotted 21st in the pre season
NCAA Division II national rankings com
piled by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
WSSU is
^coming off a
record-set
ting year in
which it fin
ished up at
42-15 and
fell two
games short
of advancing
to the
Division II College World Series. It was
See Rams on B2
WSSU Rams, VSU Ttojans split
double header on Sunday
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State University split a
double header with the Virginia State
Trojans on Sunday, April 3, dropping
game one 4-3, before bouncing back with
a 5-2 win in the nightcap.
With the split on Sunday, WSSU
improves to 16-16 overall and 5-3 in the
CIAA. Virginia State improves to 3-22
overall and 2-5 in the CIAA.
In game one, WSSU got on the board
first when Phillip Page scored off of a wild
pitch in the third inning, giving the Rams
the early 1-0 lead.
Virginia State answered in their half of
the third, and added two more runs in the
See SpHt on B2
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