Pierce

Winning a game for the first time at the College World Series isn’t supposed to easy.

Just ask Kent State.

The Golden Flashes survived shaky relief pitching to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and beat Florida 5-4 on Monday. The loss eliminated the top-seeded Gators, who made it to the finals a year ago.

“It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the end,” Kent State coach Scott Stricklin said. “It was gut-wrenching no matter who you were rooting for. Even if you weren’t rooting for anybody, that was tough to watch. But we found a way. That’s what this team has done all year long, and we’re still here.”

The Flashes (47-19) bounced back from an 8-1 loss to Arkansas to post what Stricklin called the biggest win in program history.

“We belong here,” he said. “That’s the most important thing that we wanted as a team, as a program and as a university was to make a statement that we belong here. We’re not a fluke. We’re a really good baseball team.”

Kent State scored four unearned runs and another on a wild pitch, then held on as Florida chipped away at the lead with a run in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.

The Gators loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Michael Clark and Josh Pierce, an Avon graduate. 

Pierce fought back from a 3-0 count to strike out Casey Turgeon when Turgeon couldn’t check his swing and got called out on an appeal to the third-base umpire. Justin Shafer flew out to right to end the game, with Pierce pumping his right fist once the ball landed in right fielder T.J. Sutton’s glove.

“It’s an unfortunate way to end the season, but I think Kent State deserves a lot of credit for the way they played today,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “They hung in there, got a big strikeout at the end, and our guys hung in there right to the last out. So we have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Courtesy of Associated Press

Arkansas’ DJ Baxendale bounced back from one of his worst starts of the year to turn in his best.

The junior right-hander held Kent State hitless into the fifth inning and combined with Brandon Moore on a four-hitter Saturday in the Razorbacks’ 8-1 victory that spoiled the Golden Flashes’ first appearance in the College World Series.
Baxendale’s performance was a lot different than his previous outing, when he was hit for five runs in four innings in an 8-1 loss to Baylor in the super regionals.

“Against Baylor, I really felt like I let the team down,” Baxendale said. “To come out here at this stage and be able to get us a victory in Game 1, it was huge for not only my confidence but I think for the team’s as well. We know any time you can win the first game, it just keeps building off that.”

Baxendale and Moore got some unexpected help from the bottom of the lineup. No. 9 batter Jake Wise homered for the first time since February and also hit a two-run single. No. 8 batter Matt Vinson hit a two-run double that gave Arkansas (45-20) a 5-1 lead in the sixth.

“My 3 and 4 holers didn’t get a hit today and we scored eight runs. Somebody got it going,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “That’s a good sign.”

Kent State (46-19), the first team from the Mid-American Conference to make it to the CWS since Eastern Michigan in 1976, couldn’t get much going against Baxendale.

Baxendale didn’t allow a hit until Sawyer Polen’s infield single with two out in the fifth. He held the Flashes scoreless until Jimmy Rider homered in the sixth.

“DJ Baxendale was outstanding,” Kent State coach Scott Stricklin said. “He kept us off balance. His fastball was sharp and he throws the breaking ball when he’s behind in the count. He really competes.”

courtesy of Associated Press

Kent State became the first team to advance from the Mid-American Conference to the NCAA Regional Championship and a berth in the national tournament’s round of 16 known as the Super Regionals.
 
Ranked No. 25 in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Golden Flashes (44-17) ran their nation-long winning streak to 20 games – including seven in the post-season – courtesy of the victory over Kentucky (45-18). The 2012 MAC Regular Season and Tournament champions, Kent State has won 35 of its last 42 games – including 24 of 26. The Flashes won a wire-to-wire regular season title and followed it up by going a perfect 4-0 in the MAC Tournament to clinch their fourth straight conference tournament crown.

Kent State, the regional’s No. 3 seed, advanced to its second straight NCAA Regional Winner’s Bracket Final by outlasting Kentucky, 7-6, in 21 innings in the regional opener Friday (June 1) – the second-longest game in the history of the NCAA Tournament – then knocked off the regional host and top seed, No. 16 Purdue, 7-3, Saturday (June 2).

The Golden Flashes now will travel to Eugene, Ore., to square off with No. 10 Oregon next weekend (June 8-11) in a best-of-three-games NCAA Super Regional series at PK Park.

 

Midview's Eric Lauer has verbally committed to accept a baseball scholarship to the University of Kentucky, a NCAA Division I school in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

“I picked Kentucky because it is close to home and because they are members of the SEC, one of the best baseball conferences in the country,” Lauer said through a press release.  “I liked everything about it, including the fact it is a strong academic school.  It is a weight off my shoulders.”

Lauer, who is 5-1 on the season, has struck out 93 batters in 44 1/3  innings pitched. The lefthander has started for the Middies since his freshman year and is 9-3 overall with 161 career strikeouts. 

“Eric has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and is very deserving of such an honor,” Midview Head Baseball Coach John Justice said. “He has been a major part of our team’s success since his freshman season, including this year’s conference championship. I know that I am extremely proud of Eric and so are the rest of his coaches, teammates and his family. I look forward to seeing Eric in Middie Blue in 2013 and Wildcat Blue in 2014.”

Lauer, who has a accumulative GPA of 3.75 and is ranked 33 out of 283 in his class at Midview, chose Kentucky, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation (as high as #1 during the 2012 season), over Georgia Tech, Kent State, Louisville, and Ohio State.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Amherst graduate Kyle Hagerich, a freshman, had the biggest pinch-hit of his career when he blasted his second home run of the season, a three-run blast to left field as Mercyhurst exploded for double-digit run totals in each game of Friday afternoon’s doubleheader at Slippery Rock, winning by scores of 10-0 and 19-6. 

Hagerich's homer was off fellow Amherst graduate Tony Naso. 

Mercyhurst improved to 28-9 overall and 10-4 in PSAC West action. 

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Clearview’s Ian Mezlak hit a grand slam and drove in a season-high six RBIs, leading Ohio University to a 19-10 victory and a series sweep over Northern Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field.

Mezlak went 2-for-3 and hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning.

For the season, Mezlak is batting .278 (30-for-108) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 14 RBIs.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Lake Erie College will recognize former Storm baseball All-American Ryan Rua, of Amherst, on Thursday night, Dec. 1, at halftime of the men’s basketball Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener against Wayne State.

After a spectacular three-year career which saw Rua set school records and become one of the top players in the region, Rua was drafted in the 17^th round of June’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers.

He became the first Storm player to be drafted.

“Ryan obviously was a special player for us and now is a tremendous example and ambassador for our program,” said Storm manager Brian McGee. “When he came into the program, we thought he could be a special player. He became even more than the player we thought or dreamed he could be. We are very proud of how hard he has worked to accomplish what he has accomplished and what he will continue to do in the future.”

At two different levels in the Rangers’ minor league system this summer, Rua batted .303 with four home runs and 37 RBI in 52 games. He also stole 10 bases without being caught.

At Lake Erie, Rua holds 15 career or single-season records. In his final season, prior to which he was named one of the top prospects in Division II, he hit .400 with five home runs, 44 RBI and 19 stolen bases and was a first-team All-GLIAC and NABC All-Midwest Region selection as well as a Daktronics Division II Honorable Mention All-American.

In his three-year career, Rua had a .374 average with 27 home runs and 131 RBIs. He banged out 276 hits and scored 117 runs while swiping 33 bases.

“The statistics speak for themselves,” McGee added. “But Ryan is more than the numbers. He works extremely hard to better himself and he is very cognizant of where he came from. He has been back here on campus regularly through the fall working out with the team, helping out at our fall prospects camp and it really means a lot to our players.”

McGee and other LEC dignitaries will take part in a special presentation at halftime with Rua and his family.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

AVON — Zane Zeman and Joel Yeagley aren’t the most vocal kids you’ll know, but they sure know how to get the job done on the field and on the mat.

On Wednesday, Zeman signed his National Letter of Intent to wrestle at the University of Minnesota, while Yeagley signed with Mercyhurst College.

Zeman, who has a career record of 119-16, said he didn’t think this day would come.

“When I was little my major dream was to become a four-time state champion in high school,” Zeman said. “It didn’t happen, but I’m determine to win this year. I never really thought about college, I just thought about high school.

“I love wrestling and I could never see myself doing anything else.”

Zeman said a big influence early on was his father, Kent, who also wrestled at Avon and went on to wrestle at Kent State.

“I remember going to Elyria High School during practices for little kids and that’s kind of where I started learning from him,” Zeman said.

Zeman said he went through a lot to get to where he is, but he’s know he’s a better athlete because of it.

“Freshman year was hell for me because I had to cut 20 pounds,” Zeman said. “The next year was better, because I made it to state, but I didn’t place but it motivated me last year when I finished second at state. I’ve improved every year, so I feel I will do better this year.”

Zeman said his decision came down to Minnesota and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but he couldn’t pass up wrestling in a major conference.

“I really wanted to go to both, but in the end it was going to the Big Ten that really pulled me in,” Zeman said. “The Big Ten Network is something I thought about and I felt they will get the most out of me at Minnesota.”

Avon wrestling coach Mark Porter said everyone at Avon High School should be proud of Zeman.

“I’m extremely proud because this is the first time we had someone sign with a Division I program, and for it to be Minnesota, a Big Ten perennial power, is a huge honor for Zane and our wrestling program,” Porter said.

Porter said he felt Zeman would go on to bigger things.

“We knew he was special, but this is a verification of that,” Porter said. “He was rock solid in pressure situations as a freshman. He wrestled some really big matches and he was calmest person on the mat.”

Yeagley said he didn’t make a decision for awhile before Mercyhurst came into the picture.

“Mercyhurst came up later in the recruiting process, and once I went there I really liked and decided to go there,” Yeagley said. “It’s a really nice campus and I felt comfortable there. They have a really good baseball program and I liked the coach (Joe Spano) the first time I met him.”

Yeagley added that he’s ready to go out and help the Eagles improve from last season.

“I really looking forward to this season, because we won our first conference title last year,” Yeagley said. “To sign now I can go out and play more relaxed and have fun.”

Yeagley said his parents and his coach were big influences, and helped him throughout the recruiting process.

“I’ve always had a close relationship with Coach (Frank) DeSmit,” Yeagley said. “I can go to him to talk about anything. All the players have been really close and it’s just a good atmosphere.”

DeSmit said Yeagley is the total package when it comes to being a great baseball player.

“As a coach you see a lot guys who are good kids and behave well, but it’s rare when that kid is the best player on the team,” DeSmit said. “It takes a special type of athlete to stay humble and stay focus and not get wrapped up about what people tell you.”

DeSmit said he feels that Yeagley made the right choice.

“Joel and his family were realistic throughout the recruiting process of what they wanted,” DeSmit said. “The good thing is Joel found a school he was comfortable with and wants to go to and that’s the best thing.”

courtesy of Anthony Rios

AVON — When Caleb Schillace was two years old, his mom Jaci let him throw a ball around the house.

She put on a baseball glove and let her son throw to her as much as he wanted to, as long as he didn’t break anything.

Luckily for mom, she never had to worry about that as Caleb hit her glove, throw after throw.

Caleb’s dead-on accuracy at such a young age followed him as he got older, and on Monday afternoon, the right-hander was rewarded as he signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at the University of Toledo.

The signing was held at the TRAQ Performance Insitute in Avon as Schillace, along with Twinsburg’s Scott Effross (Indiana University), Walsh Jesuit’s Michael Marsinek (Eastern Michigan), St. Edward’s Tommy Mirabelli (University of Kansas) and Strongville’s Forrest Perron (University of Cincinnati) were accompanied by family, coaches and teammates.

Other schools Schillace looked at were the University of Cincinnati, Cornell and Youngstown State, but UT was the better fit.

“It’s a great feeling,” Schillace said of getting the opportunity to play at the next level. “I fell in love with everything at (UT). My sister went there so I’ve gotten to see the campus before.”

With still a few months left — and another spring season at Keystone — Schillace is excited to have already commited to a college.

“A lot of pressure is released,” he said. “It’s nice to get off my shoulders and have my senior year not worrying (about where I’m going to play).”

His mom agrees.

“It’s exciting, it was quite a process,” Jaci said. “I like their program and its approach to academics.”

The future Rocket will study exercise science in addition to playing for coach Cory Mee, who led UT to a fourth place finish last year in the Mid-American Conference West Division.

For the past couple of years, Schillace has been under the direction of Neall French, who is the head coach for the T3 Pelicans. He couldn’t be happier for Caleb and the four other signees.

“It’s awesome,” French said. “These guys come with goals to play at the next level and it’s great to see them rewarded. It’s extremely gratifying.”

French knows a little something about the sport as well, having spent time with the New York Yankees before being slowed by injuries.

The former professional baseball player and Bay Village native is looking forward to following Schillace and the others at the college level.

“(Caleb’s) a great kid,” French said. “He’s mature beyond his years and his greatest years are ahead of him.”

And with the MAC tournament moving from VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe to All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, French will get to see more of Schillace.

French, along with pitching coach and former Seattle Mariner Clint Nageotte, have helped mold Schillace into the player he is today, which is something Jaci is thankful for.

“Without the coaches I would be lost,” she said. “Caleb has been very blessed to have great coaches ... They’ve been positive role models.”

The two have helped Schillace develop an arsenal of pitches, including a curveball and a changeup. His best pitch — his fastball — has been clocked in the 90-91 mph range.

Jaci said she has no intention of playing catch with her son anymore.

courtesy of Paul Barney

Avon Lake's Alex Dillon made it official today, signing his letter of intent to continue his baseball career at the University Northwestern Ohio, a Division II NAIA school in Lima.

Dillon is a baseball and hockey standout at Avon Lake High School.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon graduate Phil Brua and Oberlin graduate Max Phinney were named to the Division III All-Buckeye State teams.

Brua was tabbed as a second-team selection, while Phinney notched honorable mention honors.

Brua, who is currently pitching for the Vancouver Canadians, a short-season Class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, capped off his senior season in the crimson and gold by locking down five saves to go along with three wins in 20 appearances.

Opponents batted just .213 against him, while he held left-handed batters down to a .140 average. The Second Team All-NCAC selection also had a WHIP of just 1.07.

Phinney led the Yeomen with a .357 batting average. He also paced the Yeomen with 28 RBIs and a .470 slugging percentage. Furthermore, the All-NCAC Honorable Mention selection was second on the squad in hits (41), total bases (54) and doubles (8). He also added three outfield assists and his five sacrifice flies were good for a single-season school record.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Norwalk graduate Clay Duncan was named to the All-Mid American Conference second team as a first baseman.

Duncan finished the season batting .301 overall with 10 extra-base hits and led the Falcons with 30 RBIs. Perhaps most impressive is that through 47 regular season games, Duncan was flawless in the field by not committing an error in 455 attempts. In conference play, the senior tri-captain batted .333, had a share for the team-lead in doubles (6), again led the team in RBI (20) and had slugging and on-base percentages above .400.

Last year, he played six different positions, playing in 43 games, including 33 starts. He went 6-for-12 with two doubles and two RBIs against Akron in a three-game series. Between Feb. 28 and March 27, he had hits in eight of 11 games played (10-for-31). He was given the Mr. Versatility Award and the Aaron Lawnizak Mr, Hustle Award by the team.

As a sophomore, he played in 24 games and started 10. He recorded his first career hit against Eastern Kentucky on March 8 on a two-out, two-RBI single. He also put together a four-game hitting streak between March 24 and April 4.

His freshman season, he played 21 games with 10 starts and had three multi-hit games after being a four-year letterwinner at Norwalk, where led the Truckers to the Northern Ohio League title his junior season. He was the team Most Valuable Player twice and was the Most Valuable Pitcher three times. He also lettered in football and basketball.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Just hours after inking a deal with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, Avon graduate and Oberlin College graduate Phil Brua accepted a free agent contract offer from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Brua will report to the Blue Jays extended spring training in Dunedin, Florida, to be evaluated by the club before being assigned to one of its minor league affiliates.

"It’s great to see a guy get rewarded for all of the hard work he has put in over the last four years," Oberlin head coach Adrian Abrahamowicz said. "Phil is a great kid that has the drive and passion to succeed at the next level."

Brua left Oberlin as the all-time leader in saves (11) and appearances (65) and is second all-time in wins (15). The sidearm specialist held opposing hitters to just a .213 batting average while averaging over six strikeouts per nine innings during his senior season.

Brua’s chances of signing a professional contract came to light last summer while playing in the Prospect League for the Lorain County Ironmen. Brua shut down hitters in the Prospect League, which features mainly Division I players with high pro potential. The two-time All-NCAC selection led the league in appearances (30), tied for third in saves (10) and posted the third-best ERA (1.46) last summer. In 49 1/3 innings of work he recorded 30 strikeouts while walking just 10. His opposition batting average of .180 was also second best in the league. He allowed just eight earned runs and surrendered just 30 hits while finishing with a record of 4-2.

During his junior season for the Yeomen, Brua was a First-Team All-NCAC selection and Third-Team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Midwest Region selection. In that season he helped lead the Yeomen to a school-record win total (18) while finishing third in the league with .278 ERA. He set the school record for saves (6) and tied the school record for wins by going 6-3. In that season he led the NCAC with a .227 batting average against. He struck out 50 and averaged over eight strikeouts per nine innings.

In four years at Oberlin College, Brua posted a record of 15-15 in 65 total appearances, while making 17 starts. He threw 187 2/3 innings and struck out 143 batters. He leaves as the all-time saves leader with 11.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Amherst graduate Ryan Rua was drafted 534th overall in the 17th round by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Rua was ranked as the fourth-highest draftable prospect in Division II by Baseball America before the season and had another stellar season at the plate.

He batted an even .400 for the second-straight season and set Lake Erie single-season records with 68 hits and 19 stolen bases. He also led the team with 44 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 16 doubles while tying for the team lead with five home runs. Rua slugged a team-high .594 and had a Storm-best 1.031 OPS, starting all 47 games.

In addition to his performance at the plate, Rua also contributed on the mound, going 1-0 with two saves and a 3.18 ERA in six relief appearances.

For his career, Rua has a .374 average with 27 home runs and 131 RBIs. He finishes with 276 hits and 117 runs while stealing 33 bases. He is the school’s career leader in slugging, homers, RBIs, total bases and stolen base percentage.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock is heading to the pros.

Hallock was chosen 310th in the 10th round by the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Hallock garnered Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I Third Team All-America selection as members of the No. 24 ranked Kent State. Hallock was the 27th pick of the 49th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 MLB Draft, but chose to go back to college.

"After last year (drafted by the Phillies) I felt going back to college was a better fit," Hallock said. "I wanted to further my education and raise my stock for this year."

Hallock posted a MAC-best 10 wins, which tied him for 17th in the nation and second on the school’s single-season records list. Hallock struck out 83 while allowing just 21 earned runs over 99 innings and 15 starts and his ERA of 1.91 ranked 30th in the country.

"It feels great," Hallock said. "I look back at all the travel baseball I played growing up. This has been a vision, dream of mine since I was 8 years old and started playing competitive travel baseball."

He ranks second in school history with 232 career strikeouts, third with 289 2/3 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 22 career victories.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Western Reserve graduate Andrew Chafin has been selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 43rd pick in the compensatory first round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Chafin becomes Kent State’s 76th draft selection and first ever selected by the Diamondbacks. He is the 20th Kent State pitcher who has been mentored by associate head coach/pitching coach Mike Birkbeck to be drafted.

Chafin, who just helped lead the No. 24-ranked Golden Flashes to Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament crowns and a trip to the 2011 NCAA Championship Austin Regional Final, entered the collegiate postseason ranked 29th in the nation in ERA and tied for 39th in strikeouts. Chafin’s efforts helped the Flashes rank sixth in the country in team ERA in 2011.

He finished the 2011 campaign with an 8-1 record, posting 105 strikeouts over 89 innings. Chafin’s 2011 strikeout total ranks as the third-most in a single season in the Kent State record books. He finished his two-year collegiate career with a 12-2 record to go with a 1.80 ERA and 160 strikeouts.

Chafin concluded his Kent State career by outdueling Texas right-handed top-15 draft pick Taylor Jungmann last Saturday in the winner’s bracket final of the Austin Regional. He fanned eight over 8 2/3 innings to power the Golden Flashes to a 7-5 triumph over the No. 5-ranked Longhorns on Texas’s home field.

Chafin constructed a scoreless complete-game masterpiece in Kent State’s MAC Tournament semifinal win over Eastern Michigan, striking out six and walking two to improve to 7-1 on the season. The First Team All-MAC selection sat down the side in three innings.

Chafin hurled a complete-game four-hit shutout and tallied a career-high 15 strikeouts with no walks as Kent State won its MAC opening game and 2011 home opener, 1-0, over Toledo on March 25. He hurled 113 pitches with a whopping 88 going for strikes, sat down the side in six innings — including striking out six straight between the seventh and ninth frames — in addition to issuing 22 first-pitch strikes. He was awarded MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week for the performance. Chafin tallied 13 strikeouts, allowed one earned run on seven hits in 8 2/3 innings of work and did not issue a walk as Kent State defeated Eastern Michigan, 4-2, on April 8. He totaled seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball for the Golden Flashes and had a no-hitter going through five frames at then-No. 23 Louisville on March 4 in his second start of the season, garnering MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week accolades for his effort.

Chafin’s solid sophomore campaign came after he rebounded from an elbow injury that sidelined him for the 2010 season. As a freshman in 2009, Chafin was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team after becaming only the third Kent State player and the first since 1992 to be named MAC Freshman of the Year.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Strongsville graduate Jason Lash capped off an outstanding four-year career at Heidelberg University, earning All-American third team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

Lash is picking up his second All-American honor of his career. Last year, he was named to the ABCA All-American Second Team. In his final season at shortstop Lash was named to the Mideast Region and the Ohio Athletic Conference First Teams. It was the fourth-straight year he was named to the OAC First Team and third time he landed on the Mideast Region First Team. His Golden Glove honor is the first of his career.

For his efforts in the classroom he was named to the Capital One Academic All-District IV First Team and the Academic All-OAC First Team. Lash was just the second player at to earn first team academic recognition from the conference and the first to earn academic all-district honors on three occasions.

At the plate, Lash was second on the team with a .369 batting average. He led the way with 20 doubles and was third with 66 hits and 46 runs scored. Defensively he boasted a .961 fielding percentage and helped to turn 34 double plays.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

SHEFFIELD TWP. — When Aaron Marrero was 12 years old, he was ready to stop playing baseball.

His team traveled to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame to play in a 50-team tournament.

"His team won that," said his father Johnny Marrero. "He realized he was a pretty good baseball player and he was going to stick it out."

Marrero, a Sheffield Village resident, did that and more. On Monday evening, he signed his letter of intent to play baseball for Winston-Salem State in North Carolina.

"It feels great as there is a weight off my shoulders now I can just relax and play," Marrero said. "I always wanted to play in the South and ironically in North Carolina. North Carolina is the best baseball you will see and I wanted to take advantage of that. I love the place and the weather."

Johnny Marrero has worked two jobs the last 16 years to put his six children through Catholic school. He is a Lorain firefighter and owns Glo-Mar Electrical.

Aaron Marrero is thankful for his dad’s sacrifice.

"It means as much to my dad as it means to me," Aaron Marrero said "It feels great. I wanted to do it for myself and my family. He has three more kids to put through Catholic school. So it is a weight off his shoulders."

Marrero recently graduated from St. Edward High School where he was a part of the 2010 State Champions. He said that experience was special.

"It meant the world," Marrero said. "We knew we had a great chance going into the season with two draft picks on the team. We were favorites but it took a lot of work. I had an injury last year but I made it back in the lineup for the playoffs and helped the team."

After playing in the outfield for St. Edward, Marrero spent last summer playing catcher for a Cincinnati Midland organization. The team won a championship at prestigious tournament in the south and Marrero opened some eyes including at St. Edward.

After being slated to return to the outfield, the St. Edward coaching staff was impressed by Marrero’s development and he finished his senior year as the starting catcher replacing Alex Lavisky who was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.

"I knew I had big shoes to fill," Marrero said. "I was trying to get a scholarship. At the time it was a struggle and no one was looking at you but all it takes it is one look."

While several schools really wanted Marrero and were offering partial scholarships, the money wasn’t a perfect fit. The elder Marrero found out that Winston-Salem State was forming a baseball team and he called coach Kevin Ritsche to see if he needed a catcher. Ritsche said yes and the Marrero sent videos.

"Kevin saw the videos and called right away and say ‘I want him’," Johnny Marrero said.

Signing the letter of commitment was the end of a long journey.

"We put in 10 years of hard work," Johnny Marrero said. "The kids has sacrificed. I don’t think he has spent Fourth of July with his family in 10 years because he was playing baseball. I am proud of the kid. He has stuck it out. He has been put in some spots where he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. I would get angry and he would say, ‘Dad it will work out’ and it did."

courtesy of Zachary Dzurick

AUSTIN, Texas — Pinch hitter Jason Bagoly delivered the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to push No. 3-seeded Kent State baseball team to a 4-2 triumph over No. 2-seeded Texas State on Friday in the opening game of the Austin Regional of the 2011 NCAA Championship at the University of Texas’s UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Ranked No. 24 in the nation according to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Golden Flashes (44-15) won their first NCAA postseason game since eliminating then No. 24-ranked Cal Poly, 10-9, on May 30, 2009, at the Tempe Regional.

Kent State advances to the regional semifinal on Saturday against No.1-seeded Texas.
MAC Pitcher of the Year Kyle Hallock put together a solid 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks.

Already one of the most decorated players in school history, Amherst graduate Ryan Rua was named to the 2011 Daktronics, Inc. All-America Baseball Team as an honorable mention selection. Rua is the first Lake Erie College baseball player to earn All-American honors in the program’s 10-year history.

"It’s a tremendous honor to be named to the All-American team," Rua said. "And to be the first baseball player from Lake Erie College to do so is very special."

The team was selected by members of the NCAA Division II College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and has been sponsored by scoring and timing display system manufacturer and supplier Daktronics, Inc. since 2007.

For Rua, it is his fourth post-season all-star team selection. He was previously a first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, American Baseball Coaches Association All-Midwest Region and Daktronics, Inc. All-Midwest Region selection as well as a second-team National College Baseball Writers Association All-Midwest Region pick.

"All three (conference, region and All-American) were personal goals of mine this season," said Rua, who was one of three Storm players picked for the All-Region team along with senior Brandon James (Mentor) and Admiral King graduate Matt Toth.

"To have three players on the All-Region teams, and for me to make an All-American squad, really shows how much this program has grown in such little time and where it is headed," Rua said.

"An accomplishment like being the first All-American in baseball school history certainly speaks for itself," Storm head coach Brian McGee said. "It’s the highest individual honor a player can get. In order to reach that standing, you have to play consistent baseball both offensively and defensively throughout the course of an entire season, which can be quite grueling for a student-athlete. And Ryan has done that, not just this season, but throughout his entire career."

Rua, who is ranked as the fourth-highest draftable prospect in Division II by Baseball America prior to the season, had another stellar season at the plate. He batted an even .400 for the second straight season and set Lake Erie single-season records with 68 hits and 19 stolen bases. He also led the team with 44 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 16 doubles while tying for the team lead with five home runs. Rua slugged a team-high .594 and had a Storm-best 1.031 OPS, starting all 47 games.

"I think my play on the field has been directly affected, by the coaches that I have had throughout my 3 years. All coaches that have been here with me have always been willing to help out and workout whenever it was needed."

"For a player to achieve an individual accomplishment of this magnitude, he obviously must perform on the field and put up strong individual numbers," McGee said. "But to do that, he needs teammates who are supportive and hard working and Ryan had that with Matt Toth getting on base in front of him and Brandon James protecting him in the lineup. Of course, you have to take advantage of those opportunities and Ryan did that often and came through with some big plays for us."

In addition to his performance at the plate, Rua also contributed on the mound, going 1-0 with two saves and a 3.18 ERA in six relief appearances.

For his career, Rua has a .374 average with 27 home runs and 131 RBIs. He finishes with 276 hits and 117 runs while stealing 33 bases. He is the school’s career leader in slugging, homers, RBIs, total bases and stolen base percentage.

"Ryan has had three tremendous years for us now," McGee added. "Had we been in a conference before this year, he may have had a shot to be noticed more and be receiving multiple All-American honors, he’s been that good and consistent a player for our program. He definitely is one of the best players in school history, along with guys like James, Toth and Ben Reed."

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Rua has been listed on several draft scouting services as one of the top 15 shortstops and top 30 middle infield prospects eligible for the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft which takes place June 6-8.