ThisWeek Community Newspapers Hilliard
May 18, 2011
Page B5
Baseball
Jaguars make it 2-for-2 in reaching district By SCOTT HENNEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The Hilliard Bradley High School baseball program has been in existence for only two years, but the Jaguars have reached a Division II district semifinal in each of those seasons. Bradley played top-seeded Olentangy in a semifinal May 17 at Darby, with the winner playing second-seeded Jonathan Alder or Bexley in a district final on Thursday, May 19, at Grove City. “The guys are pretty excited about reaching the district semifinal,” said coach Matt Gilkerson, whose team was 12-15 overall before playing Olentangy. “It’s always good to get into district.” “We made it to the (district) semifinal last year and we want to keep this going,” senior shortstop Luke Simeon said. “This will be my last year of baseball and I want make it last as long as possible.” A challenging regular-season schedule helped prepare Bradley for the postseason. Four of the other seven OCC-Capital Division teams reached a district semifinal — New Albany, Olentangy Orange and Watkins Memorial in Division I and Big Walnut in Division II. “We do face really good pitching all year long and we have played some pretty good teams,” Gilkerson said. “That shows because we still have five teams from our league in district semifinals. Playing in a strong league can only help you the deeper you get into the tournament.” Seeded ninth, the Jaguars had a first-round bye before beating Centennial 12-0 in five innings in the second round on May 12. Sophomore Jackson Everman tossed a no-hitter to
At a glance
DARBY •Record: 15-11 overall, 7-7 (tied for fourth) in OCC-Central •Seniors lost: Chase Campbell, Ryan Coverstone, Joey Drakulich, Michael Mann, Josh Schneider, Anthony Tata, Brad Taylor and Zack Thompson •Key returnees: Matt Chastain, Jake Chetock, Stephen Hernon, Connor Holdern and Chris Ramsey DAVIDSON •Record: 14-12 overall, 10-4 (tied for second) in OCC-Central •Seniors lost: Nolan Gill and Andrew Gronski •Key returnees: Chase Delande, P.J. Morgan, Sean Neimeister, Michael Scaglione and Michael Wilt
send his team to its district semifinal. “Jackson has pitched better games, but we played great defense behind him,” Gilkerson said. “He had eight walks all season and had four (against Centennial). But it was a good win and we moved on.” “We didn’t even know it was a no-hitter until the game was over,” Simeon said. “We played with a lot of intensity and we want to continue that.” The district champion advances to a regional semifinal May 26 at the University of Dayton. The regional final will be May 27 at the same venue. •Davidson lost to Dublin Jerome 2-0 on May 11 in the second round of the Division I district tournament to finish 1412 overall. The sixth-seeded Wildcats had a first-round bye. In the OCC-Central, Davidson tied for second with Worthington Kilbourne at 10-4, behind Dublin Coffman (13-1) and ahead of Darby (7-7), Thomas Worthington (7-7), Upper Arlington (6-8), Central
Crossing (1-12) and Westland (1-12). Central Crossing and Westland had a league game to make up. The Wildcats started 10-2, but won only four of their final 14 games. “I think some of the kids learned a lot and I thought we started to improve a little bit,” said coach Jim Dougherty, who completed his 30th season with the program. “We were playing better defensively at the end of the year and we had some kids playing where they needed to be.” The Wildcats had two seniors in Nolan Gill (INF/OF) and Andrew Gronski (SS/P). “I think the seniors did a great job,” Dougherty said. “Andrew’s contribution through the years and this year is tough to measure. He did everything for us. “Nolan was a great teammate, even early when his role was limited to being a pinch hitter and a role player. He also played all nine positions defensively when we played our final league game (a 6-0 win) against Upper Arlington (on May 12).” Gronski was named firstteam all-league, batting .481 with 25 runs, 15 RBI, 12 doubles and three triples. On the mound, he was 5-4 with two saves with a 2.21 ERA. Junior catcher Chase Delande (.395, 31 runs, 18 RBI, 11 doubles, 3 home runs) and junior outfielder Sean Neimeister (.387, 25 runs, 7 RBI, 5 doubles, 2 triples) were secondteam all-league. Other juniors expected to return include Sam Coles (INF/P), Ben Eckert (P), Bryce Lehwald (INF), Brian May (1B), P.J. Morgan (P), Jacob Reese (3B), Michael Scaglione (OF/INF/P), Zach Scarberry (C), Austin Smith (OF/P) and Michael Wilt (1B), who had four homers with
By Tim Norman/ThisWeek
Josh Schneider hits a line drive during Darby’s 7-0 loss to host Olentangy Orange in the second round of the Division I district tournament May 11. Schneider is one of eight seniors the Panthers will lose.
nine RBI and scored 16 runs. “Everyone but Andrew and Nolan should be back and I hope there is a sense of urgency or desire to compete,” Dougherty said. “We have some juniors and a good group of sophomores who will make it interesting when it comes to trying out for varsity next year.” •Darby finished 15-11 overall after losing to eighth-seeded Orange 7-0 on May 11 in the second round of the Division I district tournament. The 12th-seeded Panthers, who defeated Olentangy Liberty 7-5 in a first-round tournament game May 9, finished 7-7 in the OCC-Central, tying Thomas for fourth behind champion Coffman (13-1). “We had some disappointing
losses and some exciting wins,” said coach Chris Fugitt, who completed his 14th season leading the program. “But we showed tons of improvement from when practice started until when we finished, so that’s a good thing.” The Panthers had eight seniors in Chase Campbell (P/INF), Ryan Coverstone (OF), Joey Drakulich (SS), Michael Mann (1B/3B), Josh Schneider (OF), Anthony Tata (OF), Brad Taylor (C) and Zack Thompson (OF). “We have eight seniors with a lot of experience and that group of seniors did a good job and helped us get some good play from a bunch of young sophomores,” Fugitt said. Expected to return are jun-
iors Cory Carter (P/OF), Matt Chastain (P/INF/C) and Brad Herbert (P/INF) and sophomores Jake Chetock (3B), Tyler Elavsky (P/INF), Stephen Hernon (P/C), Connor Holdren (2B), Chase Longwell (INF/P) and Chris Ramsey (OF/P). “The good thing is we have a bunch of juniors and sophomores who got a lot of varsity experience, especially pitching,” Fugitt said. “We didn’t have a lot of innings returning this year, but the current group of juniors and sophomores got a lot of time on the mound. We feel we have a good core group of kids who played every inning of every game.” shennen@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
PASSION FOR THE GAME. OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FUTURE. 2011 CREW SOCCER ACADEMY TRYOUTS WHAT IS THE CREW SOCCER ACADEMY?
SUCCESSES
Crew Soccer Academy is the program that provides the greatest opportunity and exposure for players to reach their highest level. Crew Soccer Academy is a charter member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (www.ussoccer.com, click on Development Academy). Supported by the U.S. National Teams, it is the top level of competition in the country. Crew Soccer Academy is the only member of the Development Academy in Central Ohio, and is the top boys level in Ohio.
• Soccer America’s 8th-ranked club in the country in 2010 • U16 CSA combined record of 52-23-14 and U18 CSA combined record of 48-21-16, both top 10 nationally • 15 Crew Soccer Academy players have been called into U.S. National Team camps and competitions • 60 Crew Soccer Academy players have gone on to play at the collegiate level • Crew Soccer Academy rosters have featured 18 All Americans, 22 All Midwest and 57 All Ohioans • Played and defeated U17 Men’s National Team in Crew Stadium • 2010 U19 McGuire Cup National Champions • 2010 USL Super 20 National Champions
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY TRYOUT SCHEDULE DATE
TIME
AGE GROUP
LOCATION
JUNE 1
5–6:30PM
U17/18
OBETZ
JUNE 1
6:30–8PM
U15/16
OBETZ
JUNE 2
5–6:30PM
U17/18
OBETZ
JUNE 2
6:30–8PM
U15/16
OBETZ
JUNE 9
7–8:30PM
U15/16 & U17/18
EASTON
JUNE 10
7–8:30PM
U15/16 & U17/18
EASTON
BENEFITS • Fully funded U16 and U18 teams • Highest level competition, coaching, officials and facilities in the Development Academy provide an unparalleled platform to reach full potential • Collegiate coaches build their recruiting schedules around Development Academy matches and showcases • Consistent exposure to U.S. National Team youth staff and scouts • Training opportunities with Crew First Team players and coaches • Players train and play at the Obetz Training Facility and Crew Stadium • No cost for player fees, travel, accommodations and gear
SOCCER
CREW PLAYER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM CREW SOCCER ACADEMY COACHING STAFF:
CREW
Billy Thompson Andrew Arthurs Brian Bliss Frank Speth Ian Gordona Jeremy Parkins
5 4
RESERVES
3
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY CREW JUNIORS GOLD (U14–U19) BOYS & GIRLS
CREW JUNIORS WEST
GOLD (U10–U13) BOYS & GIRLS CREW JUNIORS WEST WORTHINGTON (U7–U19) BOYS & GIRLS
CREW JUNIORS EAST
2
GOLD (U10–U13) BOYS & GIRLS
CREW JUNIORS EAST PHOENIX (U7–U19) BOYS & GIRLS
CREW JUNIORS EAST NEW ALBANY (U7–U19) BOYS & GIRLS
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