Freshman Rachel Baker was rewarded for her outstanding season for the Slippery Rock softball team by being named Pitcher of the Year and earning a spot on the first team in the West Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
The 5-foot-8 right-hander from Canal Fulton and a Marlington High graduate pitched in 25 games, all starts, and posted a 15-9 record with a 2.85 earned run average. She had three shutouts. In 149.2 innings she gave up 145 hits and 76 runs, 61 earned, with 60 walks and 131 strikeouts.
The Rock finished 27-20 after going 1-2 in the PSAC Tournament.
Sadie Carroll (Hoover)
The Gannon sophomore was named to the PSAC West second team. She hit .337 for the 19-23 Golden Knights.
Allie Hartnett (Jackson)
The senior was named to first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference for the fourth straight season after a solid all-around effort for the Davidson women’s lacrosse team. She also earned All-Academic honors. Hartnett finished this season with 46 points on 30 goals and 16 assists. She had 33 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers and 34 draw controls. The Wildcats finished 15-5 but saw the season end with a 19-6 loss to Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Sean Kavanagh (Hoover)
The junior was named offensive player of the year and first-team All-State University of New York Athletic Conference after a standout season with the Cortland men’s lacrosse team. Kavanagh finished with 98 points with 47 goals and 51 assists. He scored at least one point in each of the 18 games he played. The Raiders finished 15-6 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament before losing 17-9 to Bates on May 8.
Audrey Miller (Marlington)
The sophomore outfielder started all 50 games for the Toledo softball team (15-35, 11-16 Mid-American Conference). Miller hit .315 (51-for-162) and finished tied for first in doubles (15) and was second in home runs (8). She also scored 18 runs and led the team with 39 RBIs. Last season, she earned All-MAC freshman team honors after hitting .338 with 11 homers.
Anna Jones (Hoover)
The junior outfielder earned first-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference after a strong season with the Findlay softball team, which takes a 39-12 record into the Division II NCAA Tournament this weekend. It is the first conference honor for Jones who is hitting .427 (50-for-117) with 10 doubles, a triple, four home runs, 35 runs and 38 RBIs. In the field, she has handled 48 chances without an error.
Ethan Bitong (Green)
The senior defensive midfielder was a key performer for the Hiram men’s lacrosse team which finished 6-11 overall and 2-7 in the Presidents’ Athletic Association. Bitong played in all 17 games with 14 starts and led the Terriers in ground balls with 60 and caused turnovers with 40. His caused turnovers per game (2.35) ranked third in the conference. He also chipped in with four assists
Isaac Ray (Central Catholic)
The freshman totaled 52 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers for the Hiram men’s lacrosse team this season.
Audrey Nichols (Lake)
The sophomore was named third-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference third team after leading the Ohio Wesleyan women’s golf team to a sixth-place finish in the conference tournament, May 1-3, in Warren. Nichols shot 78-80-85 to finish tied for 10th. She was co-medalist when she shot an 84 at the Wooster Invitational on April 6 in Medina.
Jordan Anderson (West Branch)
The graduate student was named first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference after a big season with the John Carroll softball team (14-19, 5-9 NCAC). Anderson led the team in hitting with a .448 average. She had 43 hits in 96 at-bats with nine doubles, a triple, a home run and a team-high 36 RBIs. The left-hander also posted a 3-3 record with four saves and fanned 64 batters in 49.2 innings.
Caleb Collins (Lake)
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior was named second-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West for his play with the California (Pa.) baseball team (26-23, 14-14 PSAC). Collins started all 49 games and finished with a .274 average. He hit .295 in PSAC games. Overall, he had 42 hits in 153 at-bats with nine doubles, 25 runs and 23 RBIs. He was 7-for-10 in stolen bases.
Lauren Esposito (Jackson)
The junior goalkeeper was named second-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for her performance with the 13-6 Northern Michigan women’s lacrosse team. Esposito finished with an 11-6 record, giving up 144 goals with 132 saves. She had a season-high 20 saves in a 20-7 loss at third-ranked Indianapolis on April 21. She led the team in ground balls with 62 and has a 21-12 career record. It was her first GLIAC honor.
Nash Minor (Marlington)
The versatile junior distance runner competed in just one meet this spring for the Johns Hopkins men’s track team and he set a personal-record time when he was second out of 19 in the 10,000 meters at the Centennial Conference Championship, May 1-3, in Gettysburg, Pa. His time was 31:21.13. Minor had a solid indoor meet, finishing second in the 5,000 at the conference indoor meet and was runner-up in the 3,000 at the Widener Classic.
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Rachel Baker wins PSAC Pitcher of the Year and other college updates
Reporting by Bill Arsenault, Correspondent / The Repository
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