By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Photo by Stan Hallâ?©Brady Zimmerman (right) high-fives third base coach Jeff Class after smacking a three-run triple for the Warwick Red Sox last Sunday.

Connor Evans’ bat worked so well for Brady Zimmerman once, he figured he’d try it again.

The Warwick Red Sox are glad that he did.

Borrowing his teammate’s bat for the second straight game, Zimmerman went 2-for-3 with four RBI’s on Sunday night, including a second-inning bases-clearing triple.

That helped to boost the Red Sox to an early 10-1 lead, and they never looked back on their way to a 13-4 win over the Brookside Collision Bombers at the Wilbur fields in Warwick Little League’s Major Level championship game.

"I had a double last game, so I thought I’d use (Connor’s bat) this game, and I gave it a shot," said Zimmerman, a fourth-grader at Lititz Elementary.

With the win, the Red Sox finished a perfect 16-0 season under manager Scott Evans.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

When it came time for Warwick’s Drew Baker to make a decision about college, his choice really wasn’t that hard.

Although he had visited Lancaster’s Franklin & Marshall College and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., it was Denison University (Granville, Ohio) that emerged as the best fit.

"(Denison) is a liberal arts school and they just had a lot of different opportunities," said Baker, of Warwick’s Class of 2013. "We had a family friend that went there and loved it and just got a great education. So you just couldn’t beat it. The scores that I had fit in well there and I think I can be productive and successful at that school."

That goes for playing on the Division-Three Big Red golf team as well. A three-time District Three qualifier during his career at Warwick, Baker placed tied for third at the L-L Championships last fall with a 75 and eventually earned his first-ever berth to the PIAA Eastern Regionals.

He joins a Denison golf team that finished seventh in May in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Series.

Talking Sports

By

Bruce Morgan

This past weekend, I started reading a new book – George Vecsey’s national best-seller, "Stan Musial: An American Life."

In it, as Vecsey is talking about his interactions with Stan the Man, he authored a couple of lines which kinda stood out to me. Vecsey’s words were, "Sportswriters are easy. We like superstars that talk to us."

It was probably just coincidence that I broke open the book during the same week that the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was being held. And of course, every baseball fan in Lititz knows by now that 2009 Warwick grad Zach Shank was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 28th round last Saturday. Somewhere, our friend and former Record Express editor Rick Reitz – a Mariners’ fan since the days before Ken Griffey Jr. arrived – is smiling.

So why did Vecsey’s words stand out to me?

Because Zach fits that mold. He’s one of those players who is easy to root for. He’s one of the good guys. And … oh yeah, he talks to us sportswriters.

With a two-day score of 149 (73-76), Manehim Central rising junior Haley Goodling placed at the recent Pre-season Junior at Nemacolin.

Haley Goodling shot a two-day score of 149 (73-76) and took second place from the Preseason Junior at Nemacolin, conducted by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Links Course, last Friday and Saturday, June 1-2.

The Manheim Central sophomore was tied for second place after the first round with a 2-over-par 73. In the second round, Goodling shot a 5-over-par 76, missing first place by just one stroke behind Laura Estefenn Diazgranados, of Bogota, Colombia, on the 5,458-yard course.

Battling challenging conditions and a hilly course, with difficult pin placements on the second day, Goodling, in her first AJGA event, recorded birdies on holes 9 and 11. She carded her second birdie of the day on the final hole to secure her second-place finish.

Goodling also finished with two birdies in the opening round, on holes 9 and 15 on her way to a strong start shooting 2-over-par 73.

The girls division in the Preseason Junior at Nemacolin featured players from eight U.S. states and two foreign countries.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Marist College Athleticsâ?©Lititzâ??s Zach Shank (left), who ranks first all-time at Marist College with 681 assists, became the 17th Red Fox player in program history to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Los Angeles Angels star pitcher C.J. Wilson once called Pulaski, Va. home.

So did David Justice, Jason Schmidt and other former big-league baseball stars.

Starting this Sunday, June 16, Lititz’s Zach Shank will be playing on the same diamond where those notable alumni honed their craft.

His goal?

To play shortstop in the near future for the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

"I think (playing professionally) is going to be a blast. I feel like I’m ready to play at the next level," Shank said. "I just look forward to the opportunity to continue my baseball career."

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound star got that opportunity last Saturday when the Mariners selected him in the 28th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Shank, 22, is the first Warwick player ever to be selected in the MLB Draft.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Pitching and defense have dominated early on for the Lititz Odd Fellows this summer.

They continued that theme last Wednesday, June 5 with Chase Gilbert and Matt Cover on the hill against the Ephrata Pride.

Gilbert tossed a one-hitter over six innings and Cover pitched a perfect inning in relief, as the Odd Fellows claimed a 5-1 victory in Lititz. With the victory, Lititz remained tied with Solanco Gray at 3-0 atop the Lancaster County Midget Baseball School League standings.

Overall, the Odd Fellows have allowed just two runs in their first three games.

"Overall, the pitching and defense have been outstanding," Odd Fellows’ skipper Bill Weismandel said. "We’re off to a good start. There’s only one other team that’s undefeated out of 16 teams."

Tim Griest and Justin Smith both went 2-for-2 to lead the Odd Fellows’ attack off of Ephrata losing pitcher Charlie Warden.

Lititz touched Warden for two runs in the bottom of the second inning to grab a lead it never relinquished. Grant Zimmerman led off with a walk and advanced to third base on Griest’s single. After Griest stole second, both runners scored on Smith’s one-out single to center field.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Psychologically, the outcome of game two for the Manheim Central boys volleyball team last Saturday was going to determine a lot.

If they could win and pull even with Holy Redeemer, it was a new ball game.

Lose, and it was going to be an uphill battle.

Things were looking good for Central when it led 20-17 in the second game, but the Royals answered with an 8-2 run to grab a stranglehold on the match.

From there, Holy Redeemer finished off a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-12) win and ended the Barons’ season in the PIAA State Double-A playoff quarterfinals at Minersville High School.

"Holy Redeemer came out and played really well," Manheim Central skipper Craig Dietrich said. "They played with a lot of energy, intensity – they were very aggressive. They executed very well. When you execute well and you play aggressive, good things are going to happen. Unfortunately for us, they executed at a pretty high rate."

That aggressive play from the Royals included an intense serving game, which put the Central boys out of system.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Ephrata's Sarah Haddon (22) puts in two of her game-high 22 points in Friday's win over McCaskey. (Photo by Stan Hall)

The last time Manheim Central and Donegal played on the softball field, the Section Three crown was at stake.

The Lady Indians took that game 12-0.

Last Thursday, the two rivals met for a fourth time this year with much higher stakes.

A trip to the PIAA State Triple-A playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Central girls, they were unable to get some timely hits and Donegal broke open a 1-0 with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, leading them to a 4-0 win at Lebanon Valley College.

The victory clinched District Three’s final PIAA berth for the Lady Indians (21-4). It was also Donegal’s third win over Manheim Central (19-7) in four games this season.

"I was pretty confident," Manheim Central skipper Steve Ginder said. "They seemed to really be focused and I thought we were going to do it. We just couldn’t get the hits when we needed them."

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Record Express file photoâ?©In addition to finishing among the scoring leaders for Warwickâ??s boys lacrosse team this spring, senior Austin Minnich ranks in the top four in the Class of 2013. Those achievements helped him become the Warriorsâ?? first-ever U.S. Lacrosse High School Academic All-American.

A year ago, Jake Watson achieved some history for the Warwick boys lacrosse program, becoming its first player to be selected a U.S. Lacrosse All-American.

This spring, Austin Minnich accomplished a benchmark of his own for the Warriors.

The senior midfielder earned the distinction of receiving the Warwick boys’ first-ever U.S. Lacrosse High School Academic All-American honor.

According to laxpower.com, an All-Academic team member is a player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship on the field, and represents high standards of academic achievement in the classroom. Players should also have left their mark beyond the lacrosse field and the classroom by making significant contributions of service to the school and/or community.

The complete list of this year’s selections won’t be announced by U.S. Lacrosse until later in June and beginning of July. But in 2012, Hempfield’s Stuart Helgeson and Penn Manor’s Harrison Manning were the only two L-L boys lacrosse players to be honored from the Central Pennsylvania region.

By:

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Photo by Bruce Morganâ?©Warwick senior student-athletes Ericka Griffith and Tyler Morris, who each won six varsity letters in their high school careers, were presented with the Dr. Joseph W. Grosh Scholarship Award at Warwickâ??s Senior Athlete Recognition and Awards Dessert Social on Monday night.

There’s one thing that no one can deny about the Warwick Class of 2013.

The sheer number of standout student-athletes was off the charts.

For both the boys and girls.

As Ericka Griffith and Tyler Morris proved on Monday at Warwick’s Senior Athlete Recognition and Awards Dessert Social, they take a backseat to nobody.

Winners of six varsity letters each in their high school career, Griffith and Morris received the Warriors’ top athletic honor – the Dr. Joseph W. Grosh Scholarship Award.

The award is a $500 one-time stipend, honoring one male and one female student-athlete for outstanding achievement on the athletic field and in the classroom, in addition to leadership abilities. To win the award, the student-athletes must be going on for post-secondary education, they need a GPA of 2.7 or higher, and they must have lettered at least one time in a varsity sport as a junior and twice as a senior.