Sports 28
FRIDAY May 22, 2009
Baseball wraps up regular season Team savors post-season opportunity mattmendelsohn
Band Wagon
Jumpers
staff writer
image by rashmi borah
C
MEMORIAL: Coach Chris Shrimpton speaks at the ceremonial dedication of a flagpole and flag in memory of Pvt. Branden Haunert. Haunert, a 2005 SHS grad and former varsity baseball player, fell in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 18, 2008. At the base of the flagpole, which was donated by SHS student council is a plaque commemorating Haunert’s life, honoring the fallen Aviator. Following the dedication, SHS took on GMC rival Fairfield, dropping a 23-15 decision. Although the team was not victorious, the day was an important and emotional occasion. Also in honor of the late Haunert, his initials have been present on the sleeves of team shirts and some of the players’ hats. The flagpole will serve as a monument and reminder for the sacrifice Haunert made for his country.
Batter up dannybayliss & brandonsosna staff writer
sports chief
JV baseball
The regular season concluded with a victory against Fairfield on the highly anticipated Sophomore Night. Sophomore Night is a spin off of Senior Night, however, this day belongs to the tenth graders, who set out to enjoy themselves in chaotic fashion before, during, and after the game. “It was an awesome night, plus we won,” said Joe Cleary, 10, the inspiration and leader of Sophomore Night. The defeat of Fairfield ignited the squad as they stormed their way riding a wave of momentum in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Tournament. In the first round, they took on third seeded Hamilton, a team they lost to 2-1 on opening day. Sweet revenge. The sixth seeded JV squad ousted the Big Blue from the GMC Tournament and set themselves up for battle with the Fairfield Indians on day two of the tournament. Lightning does not strike twice. Their second upset bid was turned away in a five inning drubbing resulting in a run-ruling.
“It was a bad loss – being run ruled. But it doesn’t take away from anything,” said Matt Cianciolo, 10. Despite the loss, the season overall ended in an above .500 record and that in itself can be considered a major success for any team. Would they have liked to win the GMC Tournament? Sure. But the way they played leaves them nothing to be disappointed about.
STRIKE:Ben Reinhold, 10, pitches for JV. The team was close, bonding over events such as “Sophomore Night.”
photo courtesy of jeremy mcdaniel
oming into the season, the varsity baseball team had one goal in mind: Win the GMC. Though they fell short of that milestone, they did accomplish something that no SHS varsity baseball team had done in five years, which is finish .500 in the GMC. Their record of 9-9 was good for fourth place, again one of the highest spots in the standings that SHS has seen in several years. After a slow start to the season, varsity hit a hot streak and rode that momentum for a long time, which enabled them to make up all of the ground in the GMC. After a 3-9 start, SHS went 8-5 to end the year to improve their positioning. Though the pitching and fielding was still inconsistent, the hitting improved drastically as players finally got into a rhythm, finishing 4th in the GMC in hitting. Statistically, Mike Morris, 12, led the team in hitting, while Matt Phipps, 12, led the team in home runs with five. Marty Jones, 12, and Jon Lasota, 12, tied for the team lead in RBIs with 24, and Jones also led the team with 12 steals. On the mound Gary Banks, 12, led the team in innings and strikeouts, while Brent Perlman, 11, finished with a team high three wins, and also led the team in earned run average. Two important events that occurred at the end of the season had a tremendous impact on the team. The first was the Branden Haunert Memorial Dedication game, which was in honor of Haunert, a former baseball player at SHS who was tragically killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A ceremony preceded the game with a dedication of a plaque and a flagpole, which was donated to the school. The second event was senior night, which honored all twelve of the seniors on this year’s baseball team. Though both games ended in a loss, the significance of both events, especially the memorial, was not lost on anyone in attendance. The state tournament finally began, and SHS drew the Milford Eagles in the first round of the tournament. Brien Gearin, 12, pitched a complete game, while Morris and Jones each hit two run home runs to lead the offense, as SHS won 7-5.
Freshman baseball
The freshman posted a record of 5-8 this season, and reflecting on the season, they certainly had their fair share of ups and downs. The team swept Middletown, a definite high point. Not only did they cruise to a 13-3 victory, but the team also earned a run-rule victory with a 24-1 clubbing of the Middies. “Those two wins were big for us. We showed how good we can be,” said Michael Levy, 9. The team did qualify for the GMC tournament; however, they dropped a first round decision to Lakota East on May 9. “I think while we did not played the best toward the end, we were still very happy to be able to compete in the tournament,” said Evan Cohen, 9. The team was helped by superb pitching from Colin Marth and Joel Tate, both 9. Also, position players Will Bundy, 9, and Cohen, tore the cover off the ball down the stretch. “We played better than everyone expected to close out the year, and it was always a lot of fun with the guys on the team,” said Levy.
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paulpescovitz
sports chief
Senior year of high school: a memorable year in the lives of most students. Prom, graduation, college decisions, and senioritis are the norm. For San Diego native Jeremy Tyler, this experience may turn out to be slightly different. Tyler, a 6’11 athletic freak, who was committed to play basketball for the Louisville Cardinals starting with the 2010 season, recently announced that he would forgo his senior season of high school to play professionally in Europe. Currently, the theory of playing for a year in Europe and then transitioning to the National Basketball Association is being tested by Brandon Jennings. Sure, the Los Angeles born Jennings signed a lucrative contract with Italian club team Lottomatica Roma and picked up an endorsement from Under Armour by taking his game overseas, but what about his career? The outcome of this situation is what college basketball purists such as myself, and executives such as the infamous Sonny Vaccaro are waiting for. Vaccaro, who once signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe endorsement with Nike, now paints himself as an advocate for talented high school players. Let’s be honest, sketchy characters like Vaccaro care about one thing and one thing only; no, not the well-being of young men such as Tyler and Jennings, but the fat sums of cash surrounding these situations. As disturbing as it may be to hear, amateur athletics these days are very much a business. On the other hand, those who love the game of college basketball are selfish. Over the past few seasons, we have been lucky enough to enjoy the, albeit short, amazing careers of players such as Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose. Without the NBA age limit, which Vaccaro deems unfair and cites as the reason many wunderkinds will begin to play overseas, there is no doubt these types of superstars would have never stepped foot on a college campus. Although it may delay a lifechanging pay check by a year or two, what better way to increase exposure and draft stock than leading a team through the NCAA tournament? It can’t be better to remove oneself from the spotlight and as Jennings has seemingly done, limit himself to a year of basketball and social obscurity somewhere in Italy, can it? The spotlight on the college basketball scene is limitless. According to Nielsen ratings, around 132 million viewers tuned in to at least a portion of this year’s NCAA tournament. Stars such as Blake Griffin and Ty Lawson gained indescribable national exposure that certainly won’t hurt their draft status. Anyone tune in to Lottomatica Roma’s 88-72 win over Partizan on March 11? No? Jennings dropped a whopping 5 points in what I’m sure was a thrilling performance. Not exactly exposure on the level of March Madness. While Griffin and Lawson have become household names, the only thing keeping Jennings in the news is the controversy surrounding his situation. Vaccaro vehemently dismisses anyone that questions Tyler’s decision to drop out of school, laying down a ridiculous ultimatum that if one wants to worry about Tyler not graduating, then they should be losing sleep about the national dropout rate. Vaccaro knows that this case is in the spotlight of the athletic world, so he should not be surprised when it draws attention. The trend of players going overseas to develop will never fully catch on. All those predicting doomsday for college basketball and a mass exodous of talent to Europe are overreacting. I urge you, do not jump on the bandwagon, although Jennings and Tyler may be wildly successful, rest assured, playing a year in college is still the best route to the N.B.A.