Kleinhans makes it back, is hit for John Carroll
John Carroll senior Ally Kleinhans was named Ohio Athletic Conference Co-Hitter of the Week for April 24-30 for her triumphant return to the softball diamond in JCU’s annual “Strike Out Cancer” doubleheader against Marietta.
Earning the honor for the first time in her career, Kleinhans, a McGuffey graduate, shared the award with Mount Union’s Andi Vansickle.
Kleinhans missed parts or all of three seasons during her six years at John Carroll because of complications associated with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on three occasions. She battled blood clots and lost much of the feeling in her feet because of treatments. Her playing career with the Blue Streaks came to an abrupt end. While sidelined, Kleinhans transitioned to a role of student-coach.
Kleinhans’ health prevented her from playing a full season in her final year of eligibility, but she spent months working toward her goal of getting at least one at-bat on Senior Day. With the help of head coach Nicole Loudin, that became a reality as she batted four times. One of her at-bats was a single to right field.
“I was actually surprised,” Kleinhans said. “I couldn’t believe that I hit it, and then, I realized that I had to get to first base. Luckily, the team was nice enough to allow me to get there, and I appreciate what Marietta did,” Kleinhans told WKYC-TV in Cleveland.
“I was in shock that I was able to do it. At Christmas, I didn’t know if I was going to walk again. I was almost in a wheelchair, and walking up to the plate, it was the greatest moment of my life. I just couldn’t stop smiling when I was up to bat. If I hit the ball, I hit the ball. If I struck out, I struck out. I was just happy I got one more chance to have an at-bat.”
Seton Hill senior pitcher Mike Bittel, a McMurray native and Peters Township graduate, was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Bittel has a 3.60 grade-point average in business/marketing.
On the mound, Bittel has an 8-2 record and 3.59 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). He has 81 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings.
Bittel threw one of the best games of his career Monday in the PSAC tournament in Butler. He threw a two-hit complete game in the Griffins’ 6-1 victory over California in an elimination game. Bittel struck out seven in a 140-pitch performance.
Seton Hill has a 39-16 record.
• McDonald native and South Fayette graduate Raymond “Smoke” Laval is in his sixth season as head coach at North Florida University.
Laval, who scored 59 points in a high school basketball game at South Fayette against Avella in 1973, has been involved in college baseball coaching since 1977 and was the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe (1994-2000) and LSU (2000-06).
North Florida has a 31-17 record and a 9-6 mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
• California University’s Jack Dennis and Mick Fennell were named co-recipients of the Bruce Dal Canton Award, given annually to the Vulcans’ pitcher who exemplifies greatness of character. The award is in the memory of Dal Canton, who died in 2008.
Dennis, of Toronto, Ontario, is the first player to receive the Dal Canton Award three times. He led the Vulcans with seven wins and 60 strikeouts.
Fennell, of Butler, was a four-year starter in the field and returned to the starting rotation this season. He posted a 5-1 record and one save in nine appearances while leading the staff in ERA.
Grove City College selected senior swimmer Megan Bilko, a Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate, as the Wolverines’ Omicron Delta Kappa Sportswoman of the Year.
Bilko earned NCAA Division III All-America honors in the 200-yard butterfly and 400 individual medley this year at the national championships in Greensboro, N.C., finishing her career as a seven-time All-American. Bilko earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer honors in February. She first won that award as a sophomore in 2014 and also earned first team All-PAC honors three times.
This season, Bilko won conference titles in the 400 IM, 500 free and 1,650. She is Grove City’s record holder in the 500, 1,000, 1650 and 400 IM. She holds the conference record in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650.
Additionally, Bilko ranks third all-time at Grove City in the 200 free and the 200 butterfly. She is majoring in business management and has earned Grove City’s “Scholar Athlete” honor.
Bethany sophomore Cassie Weiss repeated as first team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
A McGuffey graduate, Weiss is the ace of the Bison’s pitching staff. She ranked among the conference’s best in multiple statistical categories. She set a new standard for Bison pitchers, breaking the school record for strikeouts in a season while ranking first in the conference with 172, which was 17th in NCAA Division III.
Weiss had eight or more strikeouts in nine games, including a season-high 15 against Geneva. In addition to being a power pitcher, Weiss is hard to hit. Her .249 opponent’s batting average ranked fourth in the PAC.
Weiss, which was selected to the All-PAC Tournament team, finished the season with a career-high 15 wins and threw 20 complete games.
During one 10-game stretch this season, Weiss had a 9-1 record. She also had a streak of 13 consecutive scoreless innings.
• Sophomore Observer-Reporter Player of the Year, Zeremenko leads Pitt in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.393), home runs (17), RBI (52), total bases (110), slugging percentage (.902) and on-base percentage (.490).
Her 17 home runs leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks her seventh in the nation, while her .931 slugging percentage is the fourth-best in the country.
Waynesburg sophomore thrower Addy Knetzer was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week for April 18-24.
Knetzer, a Chartiers-Houston graduate, won the javelin competition at the PAC South Quad held at Bethany and finished no worse than fourth place in any of her three events.
In the javelin, Knetzer’s winning throw was 118-2. She also posted the top marks among all Division III athletes in the shot put and discus. Overall, Knetzer posted the third-best distance in the shot put and fourth in the discus.
Knetzer then played a key role in Waynesburg winning the PAC Women’s Track & Field championship as she was named Field MVP for the second consecutive year. She won the shot put in meet and school-record fashion (42-10 1/4), finished second in the javelin (126-10) and was third in the discus (116-05). Knetzer qualified for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in the javelin and shot put.
• Former Washington standout Alyssa Wise, now a sophomore at Pitt, had a personal best performance last weekend at the Campbell/Wright Invitational hosted by Akron University. Wise ran 11.56 in the 100-meter dash, taking first place in the event. Prior to that, her fastest time was an 11.65, set at the Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational in April.