ADRIAN, Michigan - New London's Derek Chaffins was named the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week earlier this season, pitching for Siena Heights University.

Chaffins, who is a freshman, picked up his first two collegiate victories over Goshen College (Indiana) and Rochester College (Michigan) to capture the honor. He pitched 14 innings and did not allow an earned run. He also struck out five batters.

The Saints just finished the regular season with 19 wins and start WHAC tournament play this weekend.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

WEST LIBERTY, West Virginia - Brothers Tony San Felippo and Dominic San Felippo had a chance to reunite on the baseball field last week.

Tony’s West Liberty State College Hilltoppers celebrated Senior Day by sweeping Dominic’s Wheeling Jesuit College Cardinals, 10-2 and 13-3 in a double header played at Kovalik Field in West Virginia.

Tony was acknowleged before the game with fellow seniors, while brother Dominic had a good seat from the opposing dugout to see his brother’s four-year career get honored.

Tony is currently batting .271 (13-for-48) with eight RBIs in 19 games played.

As a junior, Tony started in 36 of 38 games at shortstop. He hit .254 with six RBIs and 26 runs scored.

As a sophomore, he started in all 49 games at shortstop and batted .307 with a team-best 42 hits. He added 20 RBIs and scored 27 runs.

Dominic, who is a sophomore, has started 37 games and leads the Cardinals with a .357 batting average. He has four doubles, a triple and third-best on the team with 14 RBIs.

The brothers played together for two years at Firelands High School and have a younger brother Joe, an eighth grader that will play high school baseball next year.

PICTURE 1 - Tony San Felippo checks his swing during a game.
PICTURE 2 - Dominic San Felippo gets ready to hit during a game.
PICTURE 3 - Older brother Tony jokes from his shortstop position, while younger brother Dominic leads off and jokes back during a game last season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - Perkins' Monica Bressler enjoyed a super sophomore season, earning an All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection and making her first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III Championships, swimming for Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Knights scored 171 points for a seventh-place finish and made the top 10 for the fifth consecutive year.

Bressler broke two school records over the course of the weekend. Her time of 2:07.56 in the backstroke, along with her 58.45 time in the 100 backstroke were a school-best.

At the MIAA Championships held at Notre Dame earlier in the season, Bressler was the league runner-up in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. She also placed fourth in the 50 freestyle (24.10) and swam on Calvin's first-place 200 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 medley relay teams.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ALLIANCE, Ohio - Elyria’s Jack Sito (bottom, pictured) and Vermilion’s Mike Wilsey (top) had three hits each and helped lead Notre Dame to an eight-run comeback Sunday, coming back from an 11-3 deficit to win, 13-11, at Mount Union.

Sito and Wilsey led an 18 hit-attack for the Falcons, who snapped a four-game skid and came back to win a day after being outscored and embarrassed by Point Park (Pa.), 39-6.

In the comeback, Notre Dame tallied 10 of their 13 runs over the eighth and ninth innings.

Notre Dame (8-36) was down 11-3 heading into the eighth before exploding for eight runs to tie the game at 11. The Falcons scored two runs in the top of the ninth to win, 13-11.

North Ridgeville’s Jon Harnish pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win.

Sito has started 39 games thus far and leads Notre Dame with a .348 batting average, 13 doubles, four triples, four home runs and is second in RBIs with 25. He has only struck out eight times in 146 plate appearances.

Wilsey has appeared in 37 games, including 35 starts and is third in batting with a .325 average. He also has eight doubles, four home runs and leads the team with 26 RBIs.

Other area athletes on the team are senior Danny Yonkof (Avon) and freshman Sean Harnish (North Ridgeville).

Sean has made 10 pitching appearances, while brother Jon has made eight, including a start.

Notre Dame Baseball announced earlier this week that Elyria’s Jon Koepf has signed a letter of intent to continue his baseball career at Notre Dame.

Koepf, a three-year starter, batted .400 last year and led the Pioneers in hits, runs and total bases - earning him All-Northeast Ohio Conference (River Division) First Team.

Notre Dame Baseball plays in the nine-team American Mideast Conference as an NAIA program. Last month, the College announced plans to file for membership in NCAA Division II.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BEREA, Ohio - Western Reserve’s Greg Patrick has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year for Baldwin-Wallace, announced Saturday at the OAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Wilmington College.

Patrick, who is a three-time All-OAC thrower, placed first in the shotput with a 54-foot throw, which qualified him for the NCAA Division III national meet. He also tossed the hammer (163-2) and the discus (152-5), both second place finishes. His Yellow Jackets’ team placed third in the conference meet.

Last year as a sophomore, Patrick earned All-Ohio honors by placing third in the shotput (49-6 1/2). As a freshman, he earned All-Ohio honors with a fourth-place finish with a discus throw of 141-3. He also received the Tim McCaig Outstanding Male Thrower award for the shotput and was named Co-Most Valuable Athlete for the Yellow Jackets.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

YPSILANTI, Michigan - Perkins’ Josh Lowe went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run for Cleveland State in a 16-5 loss to Eastern Michigan last week at Oestrike Stadium.

Lowe led the Viking offense, totaling four of CSU's 10 hits. He finished 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. His fifth homer of the season tied him for second-best on the team.

Lowe, a sophomore catcher, is currently third in batting with a .357 batting average. He has played in 31 games, including 26 starts. He also has seven doubles, a triple and 22 RBI’s, which is third-best on the team.

Southview’s John Brown has played in 17 games, including seven starts. He’s hitting .342 with four doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs.

Cleveland State is currently 14-22 overall and 6-8 in the Horizon League. The Vikings are 6-4 at Lorain’s Pipe Yard, but have had quite a few games cancelled due to the weather.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

OBERLIN, Ohio - Jordan Beard, who was Lorain County’s Mr. Basketball in 2003-04, was named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference’s First Team, after averaging 18.3 points per game for Oberlin College, which ranked him third in the league.

Beard, who has been hampered by injuries during his four years, scored in double figures in 23 of Oberlin’s 25 games and scored 20-plus points 11 times this season. He also set the single-season 3-point record with 75 and finished his career with 1,160 points.

He joins his father Byron Beard and uncle Elliot Beard on the 1,000 point club. His father Byron is Oberlin’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,013 points. Elliot remains the only Yeomen ever drafted to the NBA, as he was an eighth round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984.

Last year, Beard led the team in scoring six times before missing the last nine games of the season due to injury. He finished with a 12.6 points per game average and was third on the team with 215 points.

After suffering a stress fracture in his right knee in his first game as a sophomore, he received a medical red-shirt. He returned the following year to finish third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game, while breaking the Yeomen’s single-season record for free throw percentage (.889). He also made at least six 3-pointers in three different games and reached double figures in scoring 16 times.

His freshman season, he averaged 10.3 points per game and made 10 starts. He also dished out 21 assists, good for fourth on the team. He scored in double figures seven times. This was after recovering from a torn ACL he suffered after graduating high school.

As a senior at Oberlin High School, Beard was not only was recognized as Lorain County's Mr. Basketball, but he was also honorable mention All-Ohio. He earned four letters in basketball, baseball and football in his four years in high school. He was also named All-Lorain County in football and baseball.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - St. Mary's T.J. Blanton was named as the Mid American Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Week last week, playing centerfield for Bowling Green.

Blanton hit .429 (6-for-13) and scored a team-high seven runs last week, helping lead the Falcons to a 3-1 mark.

This past weekend in a three-game sweep of Ball State, Blanton went 6-for-13 with six runs, and scored the game-winning run after his bunt single led off the inning in a 3-2 win. In the third game, Blanton led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a single and scored on a walk-off home run to win 9-7.

For the season, Blanton, a junior, is batting .339 and has played in all 34 games, including 31 starts. He has five home runs and 17 RBIs.

Last year he played in 25 games, including 22 starts, but had his season end early when he fouled off a pitch fracturing his left tibia. He batted .341 with a home run and 12 RBIs before the injury.

His freshman season he played in 26 games with four starts and batted .400 (10-for-25) with a double and five RBIs.

Blanton was a three-year letter winner for Sandusky St. Mary, where he batted .488 with a home run, two triples and 10 doubles as a senior. As a junior, he hit .462 with four home runs, three triples and 10 doubles. He was the team MVP following both seasons. He still holds the St. Mary school record with hits in a season with 42. He also lettered in football and wrestling.

Stay tuned for an update on his college teammates Brennan Smith (Perkins) and Clay Duncan (Norwalk).

swalker@MorningJournal.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Admiral King's J.T. Feldkamp, who was Lorain County’s Mr. Baseball and Lake Erie League Player of the Year in 2007, is having a solid freshman season as Ohio Dominican’s starting catcher.

Last weekend, Feldkamp hit a two-run home run for his second homer of the season in a loss to the University of Rio Grande. The Panthers currently are 22-14 overall and 14-8 in the conference.

He logged innings for the junior varsity squad last season and came into the season as the No. 1 catcher after the departure of All-American Joe Janusik.

At Admiral King, Feldkamp was a three-sport star in baseball, football and basketball.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Tallahassee, Fla. – Perkins’ Cierra Bravard capped off her freshman season at Florida State, earning Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team honors.

Bravard averaged 9.7 points and nearly five rebounds per game, while playing in all 34 games, including 15 starts. The Seminoles finished 26-8 overall, but lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Arizona State, 63-58.

Bravard was named the ACC Rookie Of The Week twice this season.

The first time in January, she helped the Seminoles to three-straight wins, including a victory over No. 3 Texas A&M. In just 17.7 minutes coming off the bench, Bravard averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during the three-game streak.

Her second Rookie of the Week honor, Bravard recorded her first double-double in ACC play, and second in her career, with 16 points and 10 rebounds – both team-highs – to help the Seminoles to a 77-70 win over No. 7 North Carolina.

Bravard was a four-year letter winner at Sandusky Perkins and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,966 points. As a senior, she was named the Ohio Player of the Year and was a WBCA All-America selection, among other accolades. She was also an All-Ohio selection in her sophomore and junior season, after getting honorable mention her freshman year.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Perkins’ Trisha Krewson capped off a solid freshman season playing basketball at Bucknell University this season, earning Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors.

She averaged nearly six points and three rebounds in 28 games, including 18 starts in just her freshman season.

Krewson’s also notched a selection to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team and was the Rookie of the Week twice during the season.

She earned her first Rookie of the Week honor after earning her first career start in January against Buffalo. She tallied 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed five rebounds, while dishing four assists.

The second Rookie of the Week claim came after another break-out performance at Navy in February. Krewson scored her career-high 18 points as she hit her first four three-pointers. She also tied a personal high in rebounds with seven and shot 2-for-2 from the free throw line, helping the Bison to a perfect 12-for-12 night at the line.

The Bisons went 16-12 and earned a No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, but were disappointed in a quarterfinal round loss to sixth-seeded Navy.

Krewson was a four-year letter winner in basketball and soccer at Sandusky Perkins. Her senior year she was selected McDonald’s All-American and second team All-Ohio. She was an All-Ohio honorable mention her junior season.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's update on her former teammate Cierra Bravard.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

FORT WAYNE, Indiana - Elyria’s Alex Boros, a senior at Butler, slugged a pair of home runs, and hit another in the second game of a double header, giving her three homers on the day, as Butler swept a doubleheader over Green Bay on Saturday at Butler Softball Field.

On Sunday, freshman Lauren McNulty slugged her first career home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Butler a 1-0 walk-off victory over Green Bay and complete a three-game Horizon League sweep. The victory improved the Bulldogs to 16-22 on the year and 7-7 in league play.

Boros is currently second in batting average (.306) and has started all 38 games. She is second on the team in RBIs with 21. She still has not made an error in 44 chances, sporting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage from her left field position.

Last year, Boros started 45 games and finished second in hitting (.265), while leading the Bulldogs in RBIs (27), doubles (nine) and home runs (five).

Her sophomore year, she started 33 of 36 games played and was third in batting average (.286) and had four doubles and three home runs.

As a freshman, she started in 47 of 48 games played, but struggled with a .220 average. She had nine doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs.

Keystone’s Kristie Malinkey, a junior, pitched three innings Thursday, allowing just one hit and two unearned runs, while striking out two batters in a 4-2 loss to Wright State.

On the season, Malinkey is 2-5 with 22 appearances (eight starts) and has a 5.23 ERA in 51 2/3 innings. She also has 24 strikeouts.

Last year, Malinkey pitched in 21 games, including 16 as a starter. She was second on the team in wins with five and had a 3.28 ERA, while also striking out 42 batters. Her highlights were a 2-1 win over Michigan State and a complete-game 7-0 win over Penn.

As a freshman, she appeared in 15 games, including three as a starter. She was second on the team with a 2.79 ERA and led the team with two saves in relief.

And who could forget the most impressive feat in Lorain County softball history when Malinkey pitched a perfect game in the state championship as Keystone won the state title in 2006.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Western Reserve’s Andrew Chafin was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week for games played March 30-April 5, while pitching at Kent State.

For the week, Chafin went 1-0 with a save in six innings of work. Against Malone last Tuesday, he threw the final three innings and struck out six. Last Friday against Northern Illinois, he struck out seven batters in the final three innings for his team-leading fourth save of the year.

He is currently 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA. That includes nine appearances with two starts. Opposing batters are batting .215 against him. In 22.1 innings pitched this year, Chafin is also second in strikeouts (34).

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock, who is in his sophomore year, is currently 1-1 with a save in six appearances, including five starts. He has pitched 26 innnings and has 14 strikeouts, along with 3.46 ERA.

Last year as a freshman, he made 18 appearances, including five starts. He struck out 38 batters and also earned two saves.

Hallock was an impressive athlete at Perkins. He lettered four times in baseball and basketball. He was named first team All-Ohio, the Ohio District IV Player of the Year and the Sandusky Bay Conference Player of the Year. He is also Perkins’ all-time leading scorer in basketball with 1,293 points.

Kent State went 5-0 last week and swept Northern Illinois in a key conference weekend series. The Golden Flashes are currently 23-7 on the year.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BEREA, OHIO – Elyria's Caitlin Myor and Sandusky's Mackenzie Rohrbacher were named the Ohio Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, for their play last week during Baldwin Wallace's six-game win streak.

The Yellow Jackets opened last week with a doubleheader sweep at Wooster and then swept twin bills against Heidelberg and Capital.

Myor, a 2008 honorable mention All-OAC selection, batted .579 (11-for-19) with three home runs and six RBIs, which earned her player of the week honors for the second time this season. She currently ranks second all-time in B-W history with 28 homers and 117 RBI.

Myor is already close to breaking her own school-records of 12 homers and 46 RBI in the 2008 season. She also has nine triples and 35 RBIs.

Rohrbacher was a perfect 3-0 for the week with a 0.41 ERA. She struck out 16 batters in 17 innings. For the year, her record is 7-4 with a 2.11 ERA, which includes seven complete games.

The Yellow Jackets have now won 10 in a row and are currently 20-8 overall. They are also in first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 6-2 record.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Southview's Adrienne Rodriguez was named honorable mention All-American Mideast Conference for his play this season at Ohio Dominican University, announced last month.

Rodriguez, a junior, finished his second straight year as the Panthers' starting point guard. He averaged nearly 13 points per game this season on an up-and-down year, adjusting to a new coach Artie Taylor, who completed his second year at the helm.

Rodriguez battled some injuries his sophomore season, and made 11 starts in 26 games played for the Panthers. He still finished fifth on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and was third in assists (61). He also recorded 21 steals.

His freshman year, he appeared in all 31 games and averaged 29 minutes and eight points per game, while leading the team in assists with 91.

While at Southview, Rodriguez averaged 22 points and four assists per game and was selected the Lake Erie League Player of the Year, along with first team All-Lorain County and All-Morning Journal. He was also an honorable mention All-Ohio and second team All-District.

Ohio Dominican won three straight to end the regular season and finished .500 at 15-15 overall. The Panthers just missed the conference tournament after finishing in a four-way tie with Notre Dame, Rio Grande, and Daemon - who won the tie-breaker to earn a postseason berth.

Rodriguez will enter his senior season at ODU next year and it should be a promising one.

I had the honor of coaching him in baseball when he was 8 and 9 years old, and he is one of the best overall athletes I've coached in my 14 years of coaching.

No one has still been able to do what he did one summer afternoon - hit for the cycle and pull off an unassisted triple play in the same game. Oh yea, he also had six RBIs.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

WOOSTER, Ohio - Avon Lake's Matt Chiricosta (St. Ignatius) is enjoying his senior season at Allegheny College.

On Sunday, Chiricosta defeated Wooster’s Pat Grab, 6-1, 6-2 in first singles action and then teamed up with Ben Hurtuk in doubles to defeat Grab and Ethan Arenstein, 8-5.

The Gators slipped to 8-7 in losing to Wooster, but Chiricosta improved his singles’ mark to 11-4, while also sporting a 12-3 doubles’ record.

Allegheny was just coming off a 9-0 sweep over Oberlin College on Saturday where Chiricosta outlasted Ben Godlove in first singles, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 in North Coast Athletic Conference East Division action.

Chiricosta also won his doubles match with Hurtuk, as they defeated Godlove and Joe Leffler, 8-4.

Allegheny (8-7, 1-1) will not return to action until April 14 when it hosts Westminster in non-conference action.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

PERRYSBURG, Ohio - Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta is living up to the hype at Bowling Green.

The former #1 ranked high school tennis player in Ohio (2007), Chiricosta has made the adjustment to college tennis a quite successful one.

So far in her sophomore season she is currently 10-2 in singles play and 9-2 in doubles action.

Last year, in just her freshman season, she led the team in singles wins and overall wins. Her record was 46-15, which includes 22-7 in singles play and 24-8 in doubles. She also notched All-MAC Second Team honors and was the MAC Player of the Week during the season. In her first weekend playing college tennis, she went an impressive 6-0. And to add to her impressive start, she had a perfect 4.0 GPA in her first semester.

At Avon Lake, she was a state qualifier all four years. Her senior season, she teamed up with her freshman sister Nikki Chiricosta to win the state doubles title. The Chiricosta sisters defeated another pair of sisters - Christie and Katie Pleiman, of Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 6-4, 6-1.

In her four years at Avon Lake, the Shoregals won the Southwestern Conference title and never lost a match - going 68-0.

The Chiricosta family are all great tennis players. Both her parents, Rick and Sheila Chiricosta played collegiate tennis at Toledo, while her brother Matt Chiricosta is having a superb senior season at Allegheny College. Her younger sister Nikki was a state-qualifier last season and has a bright future in tennis also.

Two years ago, Christine teamed with her mother to win the title at the National Mother-Daughter Clay Court.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on her brother Matt's success at Allegheny.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

I am pleased to announce my first blog with college signings. I know I missed some so feel free to email any information so I can include it in my next signings entry.

Local college signings

• Rey Carrion (Southview) made it official today, signing a national letter of intent to continue his baseball career at Lake Erie College, a Division II college in Painesville, Ohio.
  
• Hannah Duran (Midview) will continue her volleyball career at Walsh University, an NAIA school that went 29-13 last season, won the American Mideast Conference and qualified for the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Duran, a 5-foot-9 setter was the MVP of the West Shore Conference and an Honorable Mention in the All-Northeast District.
• Kalli Wakefield (Avon Lake), a volleyball and softball standout, has picked volleyball to continue playing at Slippery Rock University, a Division II school.
• Tyler Minnich (Keystone) will continue his baseball career at Lake Erie College, playing for the D-II Storm.
  
• Sean McCann (Avon Lake), a football and track and field athlete, will play football at the University of New Hampshire, a Division I-AA school.
• Logan Wright (Vermilion) has decided on Notre Dame College of Ohio to continue to play football. Wright was named first team All-West Shore Conference, first team All-Lorain County, second team All-District and was the Sailors' Lineman of the Year.
  
• Halle Orlinski (Avon Lake) will continue her soccer career at Ohio Northern University, a D-III school.
  
• Nick Siko (Avon Lake) will continue his soccer career at the College of Mount St. Joseph, a D-III school.
• Alexis Washington (Southview) will continue her track and field career at Division I Youngstown State University.
• Morgan Henry (Vermilion) will continue her softball career and will sign next week, committing to Notre Dame College of Ohio, a D-II school.
  
• Jonathan Hawkins (Vermilion) will sign today at 3 p.m. to continue his football career at Concord University, a D-II school.
  

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Southview’s Jeremy Coleman is playing baseball at Western Kentucky, where he is batting .241 (14-for-58) and has started in 14 of 22 games played. He has one double, one triple and three RBIs. He has also stolen four bases.

Coleman, a senior, enters his second season at Western Kentucky after playing at Lakeland Community College. Last year as a newcomer at WKU, Coleman started in 32 of 53 games and batted .325 with 25 runs scored, 14 RBIs, one double, one triple and one homerun. He also recorded nine stolen bases.

Last year after hitting his first Division I college homerun on May 10 against Louisiana-Lafayette, he came back the next day and went 3-for-4 against the Ragin’ Cajuns with a pair of runs scored, finishing off that three-game Sun Belt Conference series going 6-for-10 with five runs scored, three RBI, one double, and one home run.

Prior to going to Western Kentucky, Coleman played two years at Lakeland Community College, where he earned Conference Player of the Year honors in 2006. He batted .428 as a sophomore with 17 doubles, 44 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He also earned All-Conference and All-Region honors.

Coleman and the Hilltoppers are currently 21-9, including an impressive 17-1 at home and 9-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. The SBC also includes Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, University of Denver, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, University of New Orleans, North Texas, South Alabama and Troy.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Lorain’s Anthony Toth is back playing baseball at the University of Michigan.

Toth, who grew up in Lorain, but played high school baseball at St. Ignatius, is coming off a red-shirt sophomore season.

So far this season, Toth has started in all 28 games, mostly at shortstop. He is batting .323 (31-for-96) with five doubles and 15 RBIs. He has also stolen three bases.

He made four starts his freshman year at second base, and had an RBI single in his first career at bat. He also hit his first career triple against Eastern Michigan.

At St. Ignatius, he was named to the second-team All-Cuyahoga River Baseball Conference as a senior. His high school highlight was defeating arch rival St. Edwards, 6-1, in the District Championship game.

His greatest sports memory is throwing no-hitter at age 14 in AABC state championship game.

Michigan is currently 18-10, including 3-3 in the Big Ten.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

DETROIT, Mich. - When I first met Michigan State’s Delvon Roe, he was a sophomore sensation at St. Ed’s.

His team had just ousted Midview in the district final and I decided to interview Roe for my game story - seeing that Roe was by-far St. Ed’s best player. He had a modest 17-point game (along with seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals), but I could definately tell he was a special player. After the interview - I could tell he was already seasoned for the media. For just being a sophomore, he was very well-spoken, modest, and said all the right things.

He was touted as one of the best high school basketball players in the nation and had all the top Division I schools drooling over him, including North Carolina.

Then came his senior year.

Roe had a career-threatening injury to his right knee and underwent microfracture surgery, not knowing if he had a life in basketball anymore.

Michigan State stayed in contact with him and checked up on him during his rehab, while North Carolina didn't go the "extra mile". Hence the reason he chose to be a Spartan, instead of a Tar Heel.

"I was leaning toward (North Carolina) heavily,'' Roe said. "But, at the end of the day, I just didn't feel very comfortable (with) it being a family organization and a place I would feel comfortable with for four years. From the fans to the players to the people in the media, everybody is close at Michigan State.

"They're always there for you," Roe added. "When I was hurt, Michigan State people were always there for me, telling me to get better. No matter what situation you're in, as long as you have that green and white on, they're family for the rest of your life."

I was rooting for Roe tonight in the National Championship Game. He deserved it. After not getting to play for his high school team in the state championship (a loss to Newark, 65-52), he got the chance last night to play on a bigger stage - the NCAA National Championship.

"God does things for a reason," Roe said "He put me in a position where I can miss a state championship game to play in a national championship game with my family. I'll take that any day of the week.''

Too bad the Tar Heels were just too much for the upstart Spartans. As North Carolina jumped on Michigan State early and often, enroute to a 89-72 win tonight, claiming the National title. Roe scored just two points, but grabbed eight rebounds.

Roe, a freshman, started 30 of 37 games this season, including the Big Game. He averaged 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while playing 18 minutes a game during the season. He also dished 35 assists, had 28 blocks and snatched 16 steals. The only thing he struggled with - free-throws. He shot a dismal 46 percent (51-of-111). Ouch!

If Roe doesn't leave Michigan State for the NBA, the Spartans could be back in the championship next year, and possibly beat Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship - something they failed to do this year.

Other Ohioans on the Spartans’ basketball roster are: Raymar Morgan (Canton McKinley) and Travis Walton (Lima Sr.).

Michigan State also has two other area athletes in Avon Lake’s Mike Haddad and Vermilion’s Derek Hoebing, who are both football players. Haddad will be entering his sophomore year, while Hoebing will be a freshman.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

By STEVE WALKER

KENNESAW, Ga. - Amherst’s Gianni Catalano was named the Atlantic Sun Track and Field Athlete of the Week, running for Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

Catalano, a mid-distance runner, received the award after placing first in the 800 meter run (1:53.89) at the Spring Break Open at the University of North Florida. He was also part of the 4 x 800 relay team's first-place finish at the Georgia Relays last weekend. Catalano ran the anchor leg of that race to help the team record a time of 7:39.54.

This is the second year in a row he has earned those honors. Last year he received it after taking first place in the 800 at the Clemson Orange and Gold Classic.

Catalano, who is currently the reigning Indoor and Outdoor 800 Champion with the fastest time in the conference, was also named athlete of the week twice during Indoor season.

Catalano and the Owls were supposed to compete in the Yellow Jacket Invitational at Georgia Tech last weekend, but it was officially cancelled due to severe weather. Their next meet is Friday, April 10-11 - the Seminole Twilight, hosted by Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Kelsey Williams

Jerial Nixon

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Admiral King’s Jerial Nixon and Sandusky’s Kelsey Williams had tremendous first years for California University of Pennsylvania’s basketball team this season.

Nixon, a junior transfer from Lakeland Community College playing in his first year with the Vulcans, earned all-conference honors from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) after averaging 11.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He was named to the All-PSAC West second team after finishing second in scoring and third in rebounds.

Nixon scored in double figures 15 times this season with a season-high 24 points at Edinboro University. In a road win against Wooster, Nixon tied the game with a field goal and converted a three-point play with 6.3 seconds remaining to give the Vulcans a 73-72 comeback win. Nixon also hit the game-winning shot in a 63-61 victory against Chestnut Hill (Pa.).

Williams was phenomenal in just his freshman season. Williams led the Vulcans in scoring (12.0) and rebounding (5.9) and was named the PSAC West freshman of the week a league-best six times.

In a game against Slippery Rock, the 6-foot-7, 220 pound forward netted 19 points - his third-highest total of the season. He was 9-of-17 from the floor and added eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Williams collected his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a season-high 12 rebounds against Mercyhurst in the final game of the season.

He finished among the league leaders with a .512 field-goal percentage (128-of-250) and 1.0 block per game. Williams started in 23 of 26 games played.

The California University of Pennsylvania just completed its 23rd straight season without a losing record. With Nixon and Williams coming back next year for their second seasons together - I see nothing but good things ahead for these Vulcans.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

STILLWATER, Okla. - Vermilion's Andy Oliver fell to 4-3, as he allowed six runs on seven hits in seven innings. His downfall - a five-run second inning that doomed his Oklahoma State Cowboys in a 7-2 loss to No. 9 Texas at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium Friday night.

The nightmare inning all came with two outs, as Oliver retired the first two batters of the inning, before allowing a double, a walk and a three-run homerun. That was followed with a solo homer, and an RBI double. When it was all done, Texas (15-5, 9-9) took a 5-0 lead.

The loss was OSU’s second straight in Big 12 Conference play as the Cowboys fell to 3-4 in the league and 20-9 overall.

He finished with four walks and three strikeouts.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

By STEVE WALKER

HANOVER, N.H. - Former Lorain County’s Mr. Basketball and Admiral King grad Dan Biber returned to play basketball at Dartmouth College this past season after taking a leave of absence in the 2007-08 season.

Although the team struggled with a 9-19 record, Biber started six of 25 games played, and was fourth on the team in scoring. He averaged 5.8 points and nearly three rebounds per game, while playing nearly 16 minutes per game.

In the 2006-07 season, Biber was fifth on the team in scoring and rebounding.In his freshman campaign in ‘05-’06, he scored his career high of 16 points against Yale, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor, including two 3-pointers.

Biber is the only Lorain County graduate currently playing Division I basketball, but his brother Josh Biber, of Southview, hopes to follow him.

After reading his biography at Dartmouth’s website, I found his family very interesting.

Not only is his dad Paul Biber a former legendary coach in Lorain County, but he also played football at Navy and Toledo in his younger days. His uncle Patrick Biber played college basketball at N.C. State and Tampa, and was drafted by an ABA team and later signed with the Boston Celtics. His aunt Diana played basketball and volleyball at Ohio, and briefly in pro leagues. His grandfather Paul Biber Sr. played football at Wisconsin. His great uncle John “Knuckles” Biber was a pro boxer and his other great uncle Al Kellar was a catcher in the Cleveland Indians’ organization and once caught the great Bob Feller.

Sounds like sports runs in the Biber blood.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

PAINSVILLE, Ohio - The jump from Division III to Division II isn’t always easy.

Just ask Amherst graduate Brian McGee, who is entering his second season as manager of Lake Erie College’s baseball team.

Although McGee, a 1996 graduate of Amherst and a 2000 graduate of Tiffin University, is struggling through a 2-13 season. Thursday night’s home-opening 22-1 win over Case Western Reserve snapped an 11-game losing streak.

“It‘s a tremendous jump,” said McGee, who has 21 freshmen on the team. “We’re playing a real tough schedule and we’re challenging the guys. Even with the enormous jump, we’re at the front end of it . ... I always tell the guys, ‘If we want to be the best team — we gotta be able to beat the best teams.’”

After 15 games, the Storm are far from the best team, but McGee believes in his team that they will turn it around.

“I’m a tough guy to play for,” McGee said. “I’m not the kind of guy that is going to sugarcoat anything. I’m not the kind of coach that’s always going to be there to pat them on the back. My expectations of these guys are extremely high. I don’t care if they’re freshmen or seniors — they’re the guys that I believe in and I believe they can get the job done.”

Last year in his first year at the helm, he led the Storm to the most wins (17) in a season in school history. The team also earned its highest Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) finish of third place and earned its first bid to the postseason, winning twice in the first round of the AMCC Tournament in order to make it to the semifinals.

“This is the place where you want to be,” McGee said. “This is a program on the rise. We have exceptionally good talent on this program and they’re going to learn and build together. Right now people may be laughing and saying ‘They’re not as good as people were saying they were going to be’, but the jokes going to be on them in the next couple years.”

McGee’s early coaching stints include a head position at Lorain Catholic High School in the spring of 2003, an assistant position at the University of Toledo from 2001-02 and an assistant varsity and head freshman position at St. Frances High School in 2001. He also served as the assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Greensboro College from 2003-07.

“I‘ve always felt that Lorain had a lot of players that were overlooked,” McGee said. “Lorain County is an untapped resource. I’ve always thought about two things when I got out of college and I got my own head coaching job. One — I wanted to give back to the community that gave me the opportunity to excel to play the game of baseball that I love; and two — I wanted to be the first one to come in and tap into those resources.”

Freshmen Ryan Rua (Amherst), Cameron Castro (Southview), Matt Toth (Admiral King), Kyle Koberna (Elyria Catholic) and Adam Beach (Vermilion), along with sophomore Dan Dowdell (North Ridgeville), are locals that made the team this year.

Rua is batting .373 and has started all 14 games and sports a .967 fielding percentage from his shortstop position. He has also hit four homeruns, two triples, four doubles and has 17 RBIs, which all lead the team. He has also pitched 2 2/3 innings and has four strikeouts.

“Ryan has been a tremendous asset to this program,” McGee said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the type of character he holds and the ability and the way he’s performed on the field for us. He’s playing at a higher level than I thought he would be, starting off at, but it does not surprise me — because he works really hard.”

Castro has made six pitching appearances and is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He has pitched 8 2/3 innings and has allowed just three earned runs.

“Cameron is academically very sound, coming in with a 4.0 GPA or close to,” McGee said. “He’s very smart and fields his position very well. On the pitching side of things, he’s been a go-to guy therefore he leads the team in appearances.”

Toth has started 11 games and is batting .231 (9 of 39) with a double, triple and three RBIs.

“Matt’s working real hard,” McGee said. “He is a little tough on himself right now — he’s not hitting the way that he’d want to, but he’s making a lot of hard outs. A batting average doesn’t dictate to me how well a guy is swinging a bat. He’s a total team guy. He’s contributed in more ways than people would understand.”

Dowdell, a sophomore, splits time in the outfield and is batting .261 with three RBIs. Koberna, a left hand pitcher, who is battling with arm troubles has made three appearances. Beach is a red-shirt freshman that McGee is excited about — even saying he might just be his best arm on the team.

“I try to stay positive with them as much as possible,” McGee said. “I’m hard on them, but at the same time, I give them a lot of love and a lot of respect. They know that I care about them.”

McGee himself was a four-year letter winner as a starting third baseman and outfielder at Tiffin. He was a team captain, earned all-conference and was selected to Team USA to compete in Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany.

Tyler Minnich (Keystone) and Rey Carrion (Southview) are also two local prospects that McGee is pursuing for next year.

“I want to represent my alumni well and the community I was raised in and grew up in,” McGee added. “I’m very proud of where I’m from.”

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ATHENS, Ohio - Southview’s John Brown drove in five runs, Perkins’ Josh Lowe had four, and both players drilled three-run homeruns as Cleveland State defeated Ohio University, 16-5 Tuesday night at Bob Wren Stadium.

Brown finished 3-for-4 with three runs to go along with his five RBI, while Lowe went 2-for-4 with two runs.

Brown hit his three-run home run in the second inning and Lowe hit his three-run dinger in the seventh, his fourth of the season.

Lowe has started 15 of 19 games played and is batting .362 (21-for-58) with four homers and 16 RBIs.

Brown is currently batting .367 (11-for-30) with 10 RBIs and eight runs scored through 12 games played, including six starts.

With their 10-7 win over Eastern Michigan Wednesday night at Lorain's Pipe Yard, the Vikings have won four straight, improving to 6-15.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

STILLWATER, Okla. — Vermilion’s Andy Oliver, who is considered one of the top pitchers in the nation, improved his record to 4-2, as he pitched seven innings in a 13-1 run-rule win for Oklahoma State over Missouri on Sunday.

With plenty of offensive support, Oliver cruised on the mound to improve to 4-2 on the season. The junior southpaw allowed just one run on four hits while striking out 10. The 10 strikeouts were just one shy of his career high.

In 38 2/3 innings (as of 5-2-09), Oliver has struck out 50 batters.

The Cowboys improved to 19-7 overall and are ranked 17th in the nation. They are also 3-2 in the Big 12 and tied its longest winning streak of the season with its fifth-straight win.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

I would like to welcome everyone to the Morning Journal's "College Insider" BLOG, written by myself, Steve Walker.

I am excited to bring you updates about our coverage area's athletes that have moved on to play college sports at different colleges all over the United States.

I also plan to announce college signings. Also, stay tuned for an occasional Q and A with a college athlete and the "College Insider" Player of the Month.

I hope you enjoy and feel free to send me any updates and information on somebody I may have missed. Email me at swalker@MorningJournal.com.