Vermilion’s Andy Oliver pitched solid and helped Oklahoma State defeat top-seeded Clemson, 3-2, Saturday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

The first 6 ½ innings was a pitching duel between Oliver and Clemson's Casey Harman as both southpaws kept their opponents scoreless.

Oliver took a shut out into the eighth inning, but was relieved after giving up back-to-back RBI singles as Clemson tied the game at 2. Oliver allowed just the two runs on eight hits. He also had six strikeouts and allowed only one walk. He escaped damage through the middle innings with some big pitches and Oklahoma‘s strong defense, which turned two double plays.

The third-seeded Cowboys (41-20) now head into the NCAA Clemson Regional championship round to face the winner of Sunday’s Clemson-Tennessee Tech game.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Elyria Catholic’s Mike Haszto just finished a super sophomore season on the ice, playing hockey for Central Oklahoma, who won a school-best 24 games this season in just its third season with hockey.


The Bronchos’ season ended last week with a consolation round win over ninth ranked Robert Morris (PA) in which Haszto scored a goal. This win came after being defeated by Illinois in the first round to get eliminated in the American Collegiate Hockey Association tournament.

The tournament bid was Central Oklahoma’s first-ever bid in school history. The Bronchos also reached a Top 10 ranking for the first time, ranking ninth in the fourth ACHA ranking release.

The Illinois win was revenge as the Bronchos upset the Illini, 6-4 during the season to end their 47-game winning streak. The game before, Illinois defeated Central Oklahoma, 4-3 in a thriller. Haszto scored key goals and had assists in that series.

The season also included big wins over ranked teams such as Ohio, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Rhode Island, who were all in the National Tournament. The Bronchos even took this year's champions, Lindenwood, to a shootout.

In a 11-game stretch, Haszto scored seven goals, including a game-winning goal in a 2-1 win and a game-tying goal in a 6-2 win to sweep a series over Arizona State.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Western Reserve’s Andrew Chafin was named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year, while pitching for Kent State, which was announced last week.

Chafin went 4-1 this year and recorded eight saves in nine chances. He had a 1.26 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. That not only earned him the Freshman of the Year honors, but a MAC First Team selection as well.

“You can’t expect that,” Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin said on the website. “He has overachieved and outperformed our expectations. He is awfully valuable in the bullpen when the game is on the line. He’s won a lot of games for us late where he’s just come in and taken control. It’s a luxury to have him back there … As a closer, he’s been as good as you can possibly be. He strikes out a lot of guys. He’s has a swing-and-miss slider; his fastball is overpowering. He has been in one word: dominating.”

The dominating 6-foot-2 lefty has been dealing with pressure-packed situations since his first appearance when he came in to pitch against UNC Greensboro in the bottom of the 10th inning with the score tied. He promptly struck out the first two batters and got the third to pop up before Kent State went on to win in 11 innings.

“I like being in the game when it matters the most,” Chafin said. “I thrive on the pressure that’s on me to get my job done. I enjoy knowing that it’s all on my shoulders.”

Against Northern Illinois, Chafin came into the game in the seventh inning and struck out seven of the ten batters he faced.

“In that game, I just went out and pitched like I could,” Chafin said. “I was fortunate that my stuff was working for me, and I just took advantage of that to take care of business.”

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Brennan Smith overcame a shaky freshman year and emerged as Bowling Green’s No. 1 starter as a sophomore this season.

His 8-3 record in 14 starts, including a 6-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play, earned him the MAC Pitcher of the Year award, which was announced last week.

Smith made 18 appearances last season, including four starts, but he had a ballooned ERA of 7.49 in 39 2/3 innings.

This season, with the Falcons losing some key pitchers, Smith emerged as the top ace on the staff. He started 14 games and went 8-3 with a 4.17 ERA in 77 2/3 innings, which was tied for fourth in the MAC. He also struck out 74 batters, which was tied for second in the MAC. For the season, the opposition has hit only .234 against Smith, the lowest average for any pitcher in the MAC. His eight wins is the top figure in the MAC and ranks 36th in the nation.

In his last 12 starts, he had an 8-1 record and Bowling Green was 11-1 in those 12 starts. In the eight games that he has won this season, he had a 2.05 ERA, allowing only 38 hits in 57 innings.

The Falcons won their second consecutive MAC East Division title. They also had the best regular season league record for a second straight year, a first in the history of the program. That earned the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, but they were upset by No. 8 seed Central Michigan, 6-2, and No. 5 Miami (Ohio), 17-4.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Amherst’s Ryan Rua is coming off a stellar freshman season at Lake Erie College.

Rua set the Lake Erie College single-season home run mark with 11 while playing for Lake Erie, who finished its season with a 8-1 win over Columbia Union College and finish the season at 16-35 in its first season in NCAA Division II.

Rua led the Storm with season record-setting totals in home runs (11), runs (37) and RBIs (47). He also finished with a .320 batting average, which includes 11 doubles, three triples and four stolen bases.

Freshman Matt Toth (Admiral King) started 28 games and finished with a .321 batting average, which includes two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and 17 runs scored.

North Ridgeville’s Dan Dowdell, a sophomore, appeared in 40 games, including 15 starts and hit .279 with two doubles, five RBIs and 11 runs scored.

Southview’s Cameron Castro appeared in 18 games with one start. He finished with a 2-1 mark with 15 strikeouts and a 6.85 ERA in just his freshman year.

Elyria Catholic’s Kyle Koberna, also a freshman, made 10 relief appearances, pitching 9 2/3 innings and struck out six. His ERA was 8.38.

Vermilion's Adam Beach was a red-shirt freshman this season, but expects to make a big impact on the team next year.

Amherst grad and head coach Brian McGee is excited about this team, which will also add locals Rey Carrion (Southview) and Tyler Minnich (Keystone).

Last season in his first year at the helm, he led the Storms 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.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Admiral King’s P.J. Carter capped off his baseball career at Oberlin College, being named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Honorable-Mention Team, announced on Wednesday.

Carter won the award as a pitcher, but was also a big contributor at the plate as he finished second on the Yeomen in doubles (nine) and RBIs (22). On the mound, Carter made 12 relief appearances, earning a 2-0 record with three saves. In 21 2/3 innings pitched, Carter recorded 18 strikeouts and walked only five.

Carter officially ended his college career last week, working two scoreless innings to pick up the win for Oberlin, as they split a doubleheader with Hiram in the last games of the season.

The Terriers walked-off in the bottom of the seventh in game one to win 6-5, but the Yeomen used a big sixth inning to prevail in the nightcap, 11-7.

In the game two win, Western Reserve’s Brandon Cantrill hit a two-run double in the first inning and added an RBI single in the third to pace Oberlin, who improved to 15-25 on the season, two wins shy of the season-record of 17, set in 2007.

Avon’s Phil Brua also added an RBI single. He also threw 2 1/3 innings in relief in the game one loss. He was tagged with the loss, despite allowing just three hits and one run.

Carter leaves Oberlin as their all-time single-season saves leader, as well as hitting 10 career home runs as designated hitter.

Brua, a sophomore, went 3-6 on the mound in 10 starts. He pitched two complete games and struck out 36.

Cantrill, a sophomore catcher, batted .302 in 38 starts with seven doubles, 11 stolen bases, 14 runs and 24 RBIs. He also went 1-0 as a pitcher, pitching 9 1/3 innings in four appearances.

Sophomore Max Phinney (Oberlin) and freshman Jared Ramirez (Brookside) have also gotten some playing time. Phinney has made 14 appearances, including four starts and batted .190. Ramirez, who also played on the basketball team in the winter, has made 10 appearances, pitching 8 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Also joining Oberlin’s baseball team next season are Clearview's John Rosser and Midview's Nick Miller. Rosser will also play football.

Oberlin’s head coach is Amherst graduate Eric Lahetta, while Lorain Catholic grad Adrian Abrahamowicz is the assistant.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

AROUND THE CAMPUS

• Avon’s Steve Isaac finished a solid freshman season at Otterbein College. He appeared in 24 games, starting the last 17 and averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. His best game, he scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Marieta.

• Clearview’s Anthony Weber was named honorable mention in the AMC, playing baseball at Columbia Union in Maryland. He led the team in hits, doubles, runs and RBIs this season.

• Oberlin’s Zach Gay, a sophomore, qualified for the NCAA Championships after taking first place for Marietta in the high jump (6-07.50) at the OAC Split Meet at B-W.

• Avon Lake’s Alex Trzeciak, a tennis player at Baldwin-Wallace, was named to the Ohio Athletic Conference second team after a solid freshman season.

• Elyria Catholic’s Jacqueline Sammon was named to the OAC first team, as a sophomore tennis player at Ohio Northern.

• Edison’s Kurt Anderson, who golfs at LCCC, finished second overall out of 38 golfers in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference Final and was named to All-Conference first team. Anderson is ranked 14th overall nationally in the NJCAA Division III.

• Keystone’s Matt Niskey finished 15th out of 38 golfers in the OCCAC Final, and is ranked 42nd overall nationally.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Admiral King’s Jillian Van Wagnen just finished her freshman softball season last Friday when her Ohio University squad lost 2-1 to Akron in extra innings in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Van Wagnen appeared in 37 games this season, including 27 starts at left and right field. She finished with a batting average of .290, which includes nine runs scored and six RBIs. The ‘Cats finished the year with a 22-25 overall record, including a 12-10 MAC record, for Ohio’s most conference wins since 2004.

Van Wagnen went 2-for-3 and hit her first home run of her career, a three-run shot, last month in a 9-0 win over Eastern Michigan. In a 7-4 win over Central Michigan, she went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored during a Bobcats’ five-game winning streak.

Last season, Van Wagnen was Lorain County’s Miss Softball. Not only did she letter four years in softball, but she also lettered in tennis (four years), cross country (two years), basketball (four years) and golf (two years).

What I remember most about Jillian is the 10 years of Lorain Youth Baseball she played, where she excelled and was one of the best players in the league, despite being the only girl on her team for years. She even played two years at the Class F level (13-14 years old), which helped prepare her for an outstanding high school and now college softball career.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

TAKOMA PARK, Maryland - Clearview's Anthony Weber, a junior right fielder, was named the player of the week in the United States Corporate Athletic Association last month playing baseball at Columbia Union College in Maryland.

For the week, Weber hit .369 (7-for-19) with six RBIs and five runs scored in six games.

He finished the season third in batting average (.353) and led the team in RBIs (36), runs scored (29), doubles (13) and second on the team in hits (42) and home runs (two). He started all 36 games and the Pioneers (last year's national champions) currently stand at 21-15.

Weber was named honorable mention in the AMC last season. He led the team in hits, doubles, runs and RBIs.

Southview’s Mike Carney has made 23 appearances, including 21 starts, and holds a .200 batting average. He has two doubles, one triple, one home run and seven RBIs.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ITHACA, N.Y. - Clearview's Courtney Noster, a sophomore first baseman at Ithaca College in New York, was named to the first team of the Empire 8 All-Conference team last week.

On the season, Noster played in 31 games, including 22 starts. She hit .314 (22-for-70), scored eight runs and had 12 RBIs.

As a freshman, Noster appeared in four games and collected a hit in her first career at-bat against Wheaton. Noster scored her first run as a Bomber in a conference win over RIT.

Noster was a four-year letter winner at Clearview, where she was a two-time All-Lorain County and two-time All-Patriot Athletic Conference selection.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Vermilion’s Zack Koinis shot a 150 (74, 76) and claimed Ohio Athletic Conference medalist honors for the second-straight season for Heidelberg, at the OAC Championships last week held at New Albany Country Club, Otterbein College’s home course.

Last year, Koinis became the first-ever in school history to win medalist, and became the first in the OAC to repeat the feat.

In round one, Koinis shot a two-over par 74 and held the top spot. In round two, he shot a four-over par 76, winning the championship by four strokes.

As a team, Heidelberg was in the second place with a 339 the first day, but ended up placing sixth with a 671. Otterbein claimed the team title with a 639 and Mount Union placed second with a 652.

Koinis is coming off an impressive season. He took first place out of 52 golfers at the Defiance Spring Invitational and first place out of 53 golfers at the Capital Purple and White Invitational. He won the Defiance by four strokes with a two-over par 144 and the Capital with a 153.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

PENDLETON, Indiana - Angie Nicholson, an Elyria native who coaches Cleveland State’s softball team, led the Vikings to their first-ever Horizon League Championship, defeating the University of Illinois-Chicago, 4-2 on Sunday.

With the title, CSU earns the Horizon's League automatic bid into the NCAA Championships and will play Notre Dame (41-15) in an opening round game of the Michigan Regional on Friday.
The Vikings have won 22 of their last 26 games and currently hold a 35-16 record.

"One of our team goals this season was to win the Horizon League title and earn an NCAA bid,“ Nicholson said through a press release. “Now that we have achieved that, it is time to raise our sights a lot higher and go to Ann Arbor this week ready to play and advance … From the top of the lineup to the bottom, you can find a difference making effort from everybody. That's what it takes to be a champion."

Elyria’s Andrea Nagy preserved the championship win with a diving catch to end the game.

"That was the play of the game," Nicholson said. "If that ball gets down, it would probably go all the way to the wall and tie the game, but Andrea got a great jump on it and was able to sprawl out and make the catch."

This was the fifth time in the last seven years that the Vikings advanced to the title game, but CSU had failed to win a title. The only tournament title in CSU history came when the Vikings claimed the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title in 1997.

Nicholson (formerly McCall), who graduated from CSU in 2000, took over as head coach in the fall of 2006 and is the first head coach to lead CSU to back-to-back 30-win seasons. She was also named the Horizon League's co-Coach of the Year last season.

Nagy, a sophomore, has played in 44 games and has 19 starts. She is batting .250 with seven doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

Elyria’s Megan Bashak, a freshman, has played in 33 games with 31 starts. She’s batting .340 with nine doubles, three home runs, 19 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

Keystone’s Jessica Burt started two games and went 2-for-4 (.500) with an RBI and a run, before a season-ending knee injury. Last year as a sophomore, she started all 49 games and hit .294 with 40 hits, six doubles, four triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Another Elyria native that will be joining the Vikings next season is Tess Sito, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio last year. Sito is having another impressive season this year after going 27-2 with a 0.22 ERA last season. She was also a second team Louisville Slugger NFCA All-America choice, a two-time first team All-Ohio selection and a three-time All-Northeast Ohio Conference selection. And don’t forget the three Ohio State Championships she has led the Pioneers to.

"Tess is simply one of the best pitchers in the country," Nicholson said. "She throws hard with good location and will become even better once she learns the college game."

swalker@MorningJournal.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma — Vermilion's Andy Oliver evened his pitching record at 5-5 after striking out nine batters, in an Oklahoma State 5-3 loss to Kansas State last Friday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Oklahoma.

"I felt good," Oliver said. "Going out there after the fourth inning, I felt pretty comfortable. I was just going to go as many innings as I could, and I felt fine. Things just didn’t go our way."

Oliver allowed nine hits but struck out nine and didn’t walk any in 8 2/3 innings. The No. 16 Wildcats were able to find success against him, scoring two runs in each the third and fourth innings.

OSU coach Frank Anderson said he thought Oliver pitched well after the fifth inning, but decided to pull Oliver with two outs in the top of the ninth.

"He was at a pitch limit," OSU coach Frank Anderson said. "I wanted him to face through the left-hander, and after that, I thought it was a situation where there is no need for him to go more right there and get somebody out ... I thought obviously he was better from the fifth on."

The Cowboys are currently 30-21 and still have a chance of qualify for the Big 12 Championships. They'll have to sweep Texas Tech and Nebraska will have to sweep Baylor for OSU to qualify.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ATHENS, Tennessee - Southview’s Gabe Rios pitched six shut-out innings, while his Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs pounded out 23 hits and defeated Milligan, 17-2 on Tuesday, which earned them a spot in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship.

Rios allowed just three hits, two walks, no runs, while striking out two. He improved his record to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.72.

“I started off kind of slow," said Rios, who is tied for second on the team with 21 appearances, having pitched 39 2/3 innings this season, mostly in relief.
"Coach told me I didn't have my swagger. So I focused on getting into my rhythm and I found my swagger. I got into the zone."

After re-scheduling Thursday's AAC Championship start time, a rain delay in the bottom of the third, and after playing four innings of baseball Wednesday night only to have the game suspended until Thursday, the 10th ranked Bulldogs came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the AAC Championship over 14th ranked Union College, 5-3. The win is Tennessee Wesleyan's eighth straight conference championship title. Rios pitched the ninth inning, earning the save.

“It feels good to end an important game," Rios said. "You basically pitch off of adrenaline. It feels good to be a part of this team. I basically went from getting hurt and not knowing if I was going to play again - to making lifetime memories that I will always have. It’s a bunch of fun. It’s like playing summer ball all over again. We have a lot of different personalities and great players."

The Bulldogs, who are 43-13, will now wait to see where they will play in the opening round of the Baseball National Championship. The final Top 25 poll, along with the National Championship qualifiers, and opening round brackets and seedings will be announced Friday.

Rios feels satisfied about this season and his decision to go to Tennessee, especially after the journey he took to get there.

After graduating from Southview in 2005, Rios went to Glen Oak Community College in Michigan, along with Saints' teammates Tony Valentin and Brandy Crawford. Former Southview and Toledo graduate Junie Melendez was the head coach that recruited them to go out there. Rios played two years and became their No. 2 starter and even pitched in the regional championship as a freshman.

He then transferred to Urbana and played his junior year and was getting ready for his senior year, but was hit in the groin area by a line drive - and what he thought might be an end to his baseball career.

After sitting out what would've been his senior year, he decided to come back with his one year left of eligibility and transfer to Tennessee Wesleyan - a team that heavily recruited him.

A decision he couldn't be happier about.

Stay tuned for updates on Rios' journey through the National Championship Tournament.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

I am proud to bring you the list of College Signings II.

• Huron’s Kyle Bogden will continue his baseball career, pitching at Tiffin University.
• Southview’s Gina Lurry will continue her volleyball career at Lock Haven (Pa.) University.
• Amherst's Tony Naso will continue his baseball career at Tiffin University.
  
• Amherst's Aleecia Sunagel will attend Wheeling Jesuit to play softball.
  
• Amherst's Ryan Bartizal will play football at Mercyhurst.
• Amherst's Lauren Percival, a three-time All-Lorain County winner, will play volleyball at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
  
• Clearview's John Rosser, a four-year letterwinner at Clearview in baseball and three-year letterwinner in football, has signed to play both sports at Oberlin College.
• Clearview's Josh Weber will continue his baseball career at Hiram College.
  
• Brookside's Ali Gendron signed last week to continue her volleyball career at Point Park University.
  
• Southview's Danielle Reddinger will continue her softball career at Hiram College.
• Elyria Catholic's Josh Russ has committed to play football at Cincinnati University.
  
• Willard's Alex Steinmetz will play tennis at Malone University.
• Midview's Nick Miller will continue his baseball career at Oberlin College.
  

Coaches, parents or athletes can submit college signings or story ideas to swalker@MorningJournal.com.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana - Elyria’s Julius Higginbotham took ninth place for Heidelberg University in the long jump at the Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held in March at the Rose Hulman Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Higginbotham earned a spot in the finals with a jump of 22-9 3/4 on his first jump. In his three jumps in the finals, Higginbotham tied his qualifying mark to secure his final placing, which just missed the All-American podium.

Higginbotham closes out his indoor season as the school record holder in the 55-meter dash (6.39) and was tabbed the Bud Yoest Field Athlete of the Meet and the Don Frail Sprinter of the Meet at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, after winning the 55-meter dash and the long jump, while standing second in the triple jump.

Higginbotham helped Heidelberg finish in second place in the OAC - taking top honors in the long jump (22-9) at the OAC Championships hosted by Wilmington College. He was also on the 4x100-meter relay team that earned runner-up honors and all-conference recognition after placing second with a time of 41.86.

Heidelberg took third place at the All-Ohio Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Higginbotham took home the championship in the long jump with a leap of 22-7. He also was fifth in the 100-meter dash (10.97) and took fourth in the 4x100-meter relay (42.72).

Higginbotham also plays on the ‘Berg’s football team that went 4-6 last season. He was sixth on the team with 57 tackles last year. As a sophomore, he made six starts and made 37 tackles, including a career-high 10 against Oberlin. As a freshman, he played in nine games and made seven tackles.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BEREA, OHIO - Wellington’s Cody Kidd ended his baseball career at Baldwin-Wallace College Saturday, but will leave with plenty of records and accomplishments.

Kidd is the Yellow Jackets’ all-time leader in hits (184), runs scored (143), triples (14) and hit-by-pitches (25). He also holds the single-season records for runs scored (52), triples (six), and hit-by-pitches (13). He also has more stolen bases (62) and the highest batting average (.387) than any other Yellow Jacket during the 2000’s.

This season Kidd batted .413 (62-for-150) and had on-base percentage of .492. He hit 13 doubles, six triples and three home runs. His 52 runs scored led the team and he was second on the team with 40 RBIs. He also stole 23 bases this season.

Despite splitting an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Wilmington College, Kidd hit a grand-slam home run to cap off his sensational baseball career at B-W on Seniors' Day at Heritage Field in Berea on Saturday. With the split, the Yellow Jackets finish the season at 19-19 overall and 8-10 in the OAC and had three 19-win seasons in the past four years.

Last year he was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American for the second-consecutive season. He was a co-captain last year and hit .386 and led the team with 34 runs scored and added 26 RBIs. He was named second team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and All-OAC Academic.

Other area players on the Yellow Jackets are: Scott Nealon and Chris Nealon (Avon Lake), Sam Wasylyshyn (North Ridgeville), Matt Bush (Midview), Colin Wright (Admiral King), Brenton Brada (Elyria), and Ben Kubuski (Elyria Catholic). Stay tuned for another update on B-W baseball.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

ELYRIA, Ohio - Elyria Catholic's Josh Russ has decided to continue his football career at Cincinnati University, who won the Big East championship and played in the Orange Bowl last year.

"Cincinnati has a great campus, strong academic programs, and an outstanding football staff that has quickly built a national contenter," Russ said in a press release. "When given the opportunity to join such a great program and attend such a proud university, I was eager to commit, and my family was very supportive ... I look forward to spending my college years becoming the best I can be on and off the football field."

Last season at Elyria Catholic, Russ caught 32 passes for 705 yards and nine touchdowns, which earned him Division III All-Ohio, All-Lorain County and All-North Coast League first team. He was also second team All-North Coast League as a sophomore.

swalker@MorningJournal.com